My husband and I went on an overseas trip over the Thanksgiving holiday. For the first time in our lives, we stayed at what was ranked the #1 hotel by TripAdvisor. We typically would not stay at a top-of-the-list (nor top-of-the-price-range) hotel, but we booked last-minute with the intention of splurging and spoiling ourselves a bit. The hotel has a well-earned reputation for incredible customer service, and they lived up to every 5-star review on TripAdvisor.
But this blog isn’t a review of the hotel. The experience has had me thinking a lot about customer service as an aspect of what companies provide and what consumers experience, and how social media ties into that. Even pharma companies provide customer service to patients who comment on products or reach out via digital or traditional channels such as call centers.
The hotel staff knew us by name, and we knew theirs. They were personable without being nosy. They were literally tripping over themselves to help us make reservations at restaurants, explore tours, book shows, serve us a glass of wine, and get us anything we needed. Their trademark phrase was “is there anything else we can arrange for you?” and when they asked it, we found ourselves trying to think of something to give them ... they just seemed so honestly to want to help us! (Good customer service or good acting, I’m not sure, but we were convinced!)
At tea one afternoon, my husband asked if they had chocolate tea, and they regretted they did not. But no less than ten minutes later, they appeared with chocolate tea. How? They sent someone down the road to buy it! Just for him. Like that.
There was another incident where one staffer booked a dinner reservation for us. We had spoken at length about our options – he knew area restaurants very well – and he made the booking. However, he failed to tell us the name of the restaurant, he then left for the day, and so we didn’t know where our dinner was taking place. Despite the rest of the staffs’ frantic efforts to contact him and find another suitable restaurant in the same area, we never did figure out where it was we were supposed to eat.
That one incident didn’t spoil the whole thing, however. Because everyone and everything else was over-the-top perfect. The hotel choice made a huge difference in the trip. It’s the first thing I mention when people ask how the trip was. And yes, I posted a glowing review and some photos of the hotel on TripAdvisor for everyone to see.
So when thinking about the customer service your pharma company provides, think about these 7 customer service truths:
*Special thanks to hubby @BlackburnPhoto for the inspiration.