The other morning, I requested for the servicing of my 18 year-old bicycle. It is a very convenient service where the freelance technicians – known as Bike Heroes – will come to your home for the necessary works, on their bicycles.
I chatted with my Bike Hero, Peter, a 60-plus-year-old gentleman who is a bike enthusiast himself (he owns 6 different types of bicycle!) while he changed the chain, pump up the wheels and checked the pressure and brakes. Once he was done, I asked if I should transfer money directly to him or the company. Peter informed that I would be receiving an invoice from the company by end of the day.
Later that afternoon, I received a text from the office employee, Diana, asking me if my bicycle was fine now and whether I was satisfied with the service. Well, if I was before, I am even more so now. It is just so decently nice to ask and show interest to your customers! When I replied to say that I was happy with what Peter had done for my bicycle, Diana replied:
“Thank you for the positive feedback, Ms. (name). In that case, we will be sending the invoice to your email address. Thank you for choosing Bike Heroes. Happy Riding!”
Wow, the company put my interest first before collecting payment. At least, that was how I was made to feel. Smart move! Furthermore, I totally appreciate their personalized message of appreciation, including the positive and upbeat closing.
Service Bank for Bike Hero: Deposit of 2
Contrast this with Seronic Engineering– with whom we have a yearly contract to provide quarterly servicing for air conditioning units at home. There was some pipe replacement required and when the works was finally completed, I requested for an invoice and was informed by the office manager in a matter-of-fact tone, “If you want an invoice, there will be a 8% GST.”
I did not understand why there would be an extra charge for the invoice. I explained that I needed the invoice to present to the landlord for partial reimbursement, and employee simply repeated what she had just said, but in an exasperated tone this time.
Sadly, such non-customer-centric attitude is not all that uncommon. Perhaps I should introduce this person to Diana of Bike Heroes so that she can pick up service etiquette and best practices.
Service Bank for Seronic Aircon: Withdrawal of 3
Reflective thoughts: At checkout or point of bill settlement, how do you make the guest feel that you are genuinely interested in their experience with you/your brand?