Kundenservice, wie er sein soll

Jim Gilbert, einer der versiertesten Katalog-Berater in Amerika, berichtet über einen Service-Vorfall. Frei nach dem Motto: How Twitter saved my life (or at least my $$$). Jede Wette, dass das in jedem Versandhandel jeden Tag genau so passiert - aber wer hat schon so einen Service?

A few weeks ago, I downloaded a Monopoly game from a company called GameHouse. My son was itching to play the computer version with us on our family night (mostly because I move too slow). 
Downloading was a success, but I had problems finding the activation code for the software, so I went in search of a company contact. 
I jumped on GameHouse’s website, and my first instinct was to look for a phone number to call its customer service department. ... I couldn’t find a satisfactory way to contact GameHouse, and I grew frustrated. But there was a big (really big) “Follow us on Twitter” button, so I clicked it. I sent a tweet to GameHouse — and the rest of its followers — on how I was having problems and was aggravated that its website had no contact info. For good measure, I joined its Facebook fan page and sent the same message. 
It didn’t take GameHouse long to respond. Thanks to Kristy, who manages GameHouse’s Twitter presence, I had an easy way to establish communication with the company and resolve my issues. Turns out that I also ordered half a dozen copies of Monopoly as I tried to get the activation code. Kristy helped me get squared away with GameHouse’s billing department, too.
It took about a week of back and forth to get all the additional orders credited to my account. Kristy had one of GameHouse’s customer service reps work closely with me throughout the process. 
Then — and this one blows me away — about a week later I got a package from GameHouse with a different version of Monopoly inside. Also inside was a handwritten card thanking me “for my patience” signed by Kristy with the note: “A little gift for all your troubles.” My son loves it, and everywhere I go (including a lecture I did last week) I tell of my exceptional customer service experience with GameHouse.

Ein paar Tipps kann man direkt mitnehmen:

1. Schreiben Sie GROSS auf jeder Seite, wie man Sie erreichen kann. Das gilt für den Katalog, aber mindestens genau so für die Website.
2. Sorgen Sie dafür, dass einer in Ihrem Unternehmen sich von A-Z verantwortlich fühlt. Kristy konnte das Problem nicht lösen, aber sie blieb "in touch".
3. "Social" ist genau darüber: Being in touch. Berühren, auf Distanz. Durch eine handschriftliche Notiz von einer Person, die man nur aus 140 Zeichen-Postings kennt. (Merry old media :-))
4. Niemals sagen, Twitter sei sowieso nur ein vorübergehendes Phänomen. Wenn Twitter in einem Jahr verschwindet, gibt es 25 andere Plattformen, die einfachen Kontakt erlauben.
5. Wer sich einem neuen Kommunikationskanal verweigert, verweigert sein Committment für den Kunden. Er bevormundet ihn, statt ihm zur Seite zu stehen.