Let’s be real: no one wants to call customer service. Ever. Think about it. When you call any customer service line, how confident are you that the person on the other end will be able solve your problem? Not very, right? As 30 Bird Media’s COO and Customer Service Manager, I hear trepidation in the voices of first-time callers every day. They’re thinking, “This is gonna be a waste of time…”
At 30 Bird, we know that overcoming this apprehension is one of the keys to effective customer service. Here are a few of our guiding principles that will make your service experience with us truly exceptional.
- Remember, the caller is a human being. Sounds obvious, right? Well, to some companies it isn’t. Here’s our secret: great customer service starts with empathy. Did you wait too long to order courseware for tomorrow’s class? We get it. Totally. Are your students having trouble accessing their E-books? We’ve been there, and we know what a drag that can be. And nothing makes us happier than relieving the stress than comes with unexpected glitches in training delivery.
- Have a real conversation. We don’t use scripts. There are no canned responses. No boilerplate e-mails (except step-by-step instructions and things like that). Every interaction with our customers is organic. And we don’t bounce customers from one rep to another. We listen to your concerns and frustrations and we respond to each situation with fresh eyes and open ears.
- Bend the rules once in a while. Set processes and policies are great when things are going smoothly. But sometimes you have to make exceptions. For example, COVID-19 has caused many unexpected delays in shipping. When this happens, we don’t just say, “Too bad, not our fault, have a nice day!” Though our company policy is not to provide unprotected PDFs of our courseware, we will send PDF excerpts (up to half the book) to tide you over until the printed books arrive. We meet you in the middle so you can meet your students’ needs even in the most challenging circumstances.
- Errors happen. It’s how we respond that matters. When I first started in operations 15 years ago, the overwhelming emphasis was on zero error rates. While this is a certainly an important goal, it can’t be the only focus. So, as we work to minimize hiccups in fulfillment, we work just as hard to respond swiftly and effectively when things don’t go as planned. Was your shipment missing a book? You’ll have it the next day. And we’ll credit you the original shipping cost. Is our website not accepting your shipping address? We’ll walk you through order entry, taking as much time as necessary, to overcome the error. Or we’ll enter the order for you. No problem.
- Have fun. Fun?!? Wait, this is customer service. It’s not supposed to be fun! Maybe so, but we know that a little humor goes a long way. For me personally, making a customer laugh is the highlight of a successful customer service call.
Still skeptical that your customer service experience with 30 Bird will really be that different? Give us a call at 1-888-330-9071. Ask for me by name. If you hear barking in the background, that’s my rescue dog, Onyx. I’d love to tell you about her. And we can talk about your courseware needs, too.
Thanks for listening.
Josh Pincus
Chief Operating Officer
30 Bird Media
E-mail: josh@30bird.com
