SERVICEWISE CSA – HELP, I NEED GAS!!

Like any good homemaker, I like getting ahead of running out of anything so I don’t find myself in a desperate situation. That was why I decided to call my gas supplier well ahead of the time I suspected I would run out of gas (two whole days, though I didn’t know it then!)

He promised me that he would come the following day. I waited for his apprentice till well past the agreed time but he did not show up. So I called my gas guy again. He apologized profusely and told me that he was actually out of town but would be back that evening. He assured me that he would be there himself the following day to fill my order. Like any customer, I preferred waiting for someone I was used to doing business with, rather than go to a competitor.

The next day, I totally ran out of gas. I could not heat up any water for a bath and had to pack my little girl two breakfasts for school instead of a cold breakfast and a hot lunch like I usually did. You can imagine that I was quite irritated about that. I called the gas guy yet again and discovered that he was still out of town! I promptly informed him that I was going to look for an alternative if he could not send someone that morning. He agreed that that might be better since he was just leaving for Lagos.

Now I was angry; not only angry but also clueless as to where exactly I was going to get gas since I had only always used that guy. I had to go around my estate hoping that I would stumble across someone. Eventually I was directed to a gas seller by the lady I usually buy emergency food stuff from. He not only filled my order in record time but also gave me a little extra though he let me know that it was only due to the inattention of the person filling the gas. He did not neglect to mention that he knew my gas guy and aimed a few subtle digs at him.

My regular gas guy paid me a visit later in the day and apologized again, explaining that his apprentice misunderstood his instructions. I assured him that he still had my patronage. I’ve got to say though, that I’m really glad I have an alternative!

Customer Service Analysis

 Gas Guy #1:

Negatives

·         With him, I experienced what is known in Customer service as Service Breakdown. This was because he did not deliver on his promise to me. It’s preferable to under-promise and over-perform. As soon as he realized that he would be delayed longer than anticipated, he should have let his customer know.

·         Ownership: one of the qualities of a customer service person, this means that you do not shift blame but take responsibility for the service breakdown. The customer really does not want to know who was to blame; the customer just wants the job done.

·         Lack of Respect for the Customer: he was more interested in making the sale than whether or not I would be inconvenienced by his plans. He either felt that my need was not really as urgent as I made out or that I would accommodate him regardless. This showed a lack of respect for me.

Positives

·         Responsibility: He never avoided my calls.

·         Follow Up: He took out the time to come in person to verify that I had gas and apologized for the run around.

Gas Guy #2

Positives

·         Service Delivery: He fulfilled his promise that I would have my gas filled in good time, thus earning him a coveted place on my home vendors list.

Negatives

·         Respect Your Competition: Being in the same business does not permit you to badmouth your competition; it belittles you in the eyes of your customer and suggests to your customer that you are so insecure about your ability to keep her satisfied that you have to make your competition look bad.

·         False Representation: Though he told me I was given extra gas, he spoiled it by saying that it was because someone was not paying attention when filling my cylinder. He was sending me mixed messages. On one hand, I should use him because I can get extra gas by doing so; on the other hand, I only got the extra gas because someone wasn’t paying attention so I shouldn’t expect the same again.

My Verdict

Gas guy#1 – he gets a 7: he might have given me a bit of a run around but on the whole, I do get good service regularly so this snafu did not make me blackball him. As mentioned, customers actually prefer being loyal because it decreases the amount of time spent on deliberating on where to get a product. Unless you give them ample cause to switch service providers, you can use this to your advantage. So I’ll be sticking with him.

Gas guy #2 – he gets a 5: he helped me out in a fix but his negative comments about his competition made me perceive him as petty; and for a customer, perception is reality. I’ll probably give him a call if I find myself in another fix.

What do you think?