We got a bad review on line. I sat the tech down to discuss it. The customer was a touch unreasonable, but we also made a mistake, which is what sent her over the edge. So she retaliated with the review so no other single women would fall prey. It hurt.
We discussed the case. Where and when did it go wrong, and how can we learn? We found a few places to improve. Mostly the tech learned you just have to stay on your guard, all the time. Be ready for things to turn on you, and adjust quickly. This was hard for him. He’s young. He regularly draws rave reviews. He cares about his work and his customers, and it shows.
I reminded him: customer service is a cruel business. You can be the hero on Monday but the goat on Tuesday. You’re only as good as the last thing you do. Do 99 things beautifully and leave one thing bad, you and the company look terrible. Only as good as the last thing you do.
Another job, another demanding customer in a ticklish situation. At the close, the customer was going to move a piece of furniture but the tech saw that the furniture would fall apart as soon as she touched it. He took 15 minutes and fixed it, leaving it for her to find.
She called to thank him, nearly crying for the good thing he did for her.
I hope this gets me back to even, he told me, after that other job I screwed up.