Why Good Customer Service Matters?

You cannot hard sell your products and services.  If your customers and prospects don't like your products and services, no matter how hard you try, you cannot sell your products and services to those groups of customers.

Let me give you some examples

Example 1:

I went to Japan a few times.  When I was in Kobe, it rained cats and dogs.  I didn't have an umbrella.  It was also very cold in the winter season.  I ran into a 7- Eleven.  I started to search for some umbrellas.  When I finally found one, walked to the cashier, and paid for my umbrella, the young male cashier smiled at me.  I tried to open the umbrella, but I didn't have enough strength to open it.  This cashier quickly and politely walked up to me.  He asked me, "Is it okay for me to try opening the umbrella?"  I replied back to him, "Oh yes.  Please."  He tried a few times and he opened up my umbrella.  I was so touched by his extremely warm, friendly, and professional customer service.

Why this cashier touched my soul and heart and I still remember that day after 15 years?

1. It was in a windy, rainy, and chilly day in the winter season.
2. I travelled alone and I was lost.
3. I didn't speak much Japanese.
4. This cashier didn't hate me, because I was not a Japanese.  Instead, he treated me like a friend or a family member.  His customer service was so heartwarming.
   
   

Example 2:

I started to work at Answer Financial as an Art Director, UI/UX Designer, and a Marketing Specialist back in 2013.  I was new to the auto and home insurance businesses and this company.  I went to a cafe next to the company building to get a refreshment drink.  The help desk geek, Sevag sat on the table by the window.  He sipped a cup of purple mixed nut smoothie.  He saw me, and I asked him, "What is it?"  He looked at me and replied back, "I don't mind."  I hesitated, because I didn't know him at all.  He then said, "I saw you in the office a few times."  Isn't it a great strategy to start a new business with the prospects like this?  Of course, it is.

A few days later, my computer needed some new softwares and then he walked by and installed them for me.  I asked him, "Eh... Is it okay if I bookmark these sites?"  He replied back, "Of course."

Then another few days later, I was late to work.  As soon as I scanned my keycard and tried to open the door, he was behind and he held the door for me.

I worked at the company for about two weeks, an executive wanted everyone to greet the customers by holding the welcome sign and waiting by the elevators.  In fact, I was very nervous and shy back in time.  I also wondered, "Why would a Designer need to hold a sign and to greet the customers!?  Oh no!  Is the executive going nuts or what!?  Is he insulting me, because a Designer like me never needs to do these kinds of things!?"  In fact, the executive just wanted me to learn what good customer service was.

When I felt extremely embarrassing, he walked up and passed by me.  He whispered to me, "Don't be afraid." I would say, "Ride on time.  Really ride on time."

When I am scared and nervous anytime in the past, present, and future, I still remember what he said to me.  There are always many obstacles and challenges in our lives.  Perhaps, you might encounter with some devilish or animal-like human beings.  You might be alone and fight against these devilish or animal-like human beings for years and no one believes you or understands you.  Every stupid human being thinks that you just have mental illness, because you are not afraid to fight against these evilness, unfairness, discriminations, and crimes anymore.  You don't even go to commit suicide anymore.  When you are very sick and you nearly say, "Bye-bye.  I will see you in next life." to the world, you still remember his name is, Sevag, and then you choose the door of life again.  Because of what he told me, yes, those three words are too powerful.  Those three words are even more powerful than "I love you." or "I miss you.", so I survive from all of those insane attacks for years.

I would say that Sevag is outstanding at customer service and everything.  He doesn't even need to hard sell his service, but he can make the prospects and customers to fall in love with him and his professional services without knowing anything.  So that's how you start a new business and maintain a business.  I mean that's how you operate a legal and professional business.

Perhaps, you don't come back to the same person for a long time, but you remember what he did for you.  Moreover, you still want this type of customer service.  When you want this type of customer service, you just return back to him and this company's service.

In fact, this concept applies to all companies' customer services.  Of course, his method doesn't always work, but I am 100% sure that everyone wants friendly and heartwarming customer services.  Who wants rude and life-threatening customer services!?

Example 3:

When I was younger, I lived in Mainland China.  I went to grocery and clothing shopping with my mom.  When I saw a very cute dress, I just wondered what the price was.  Normally Chinese retailers like to raise up the prices for all kinds of products.  If a jacket's average market price is $50, the retailers just increase the prices to $200 or $300.  My mom just asked the seller, "Can you lower down the price to $50?"  She was extremely impatient.  She just yelled at us, "If you want it, you want it, if you don't want it, leave now!  I don't want to do your business."

We were like, "Wow!  What kind of customer service is it!?"  Of course, we walked away and we didn't buy the dress.

Example 4:

This example is the worst customer experience ever.  Let me keep an extremely long story short.

A Hong Kong man met me in San Francisco one time in 2013.  I didn't even have any connection or conversation with him for many years.  When he followed me and moved to where I lived in Los Angeles, he kept selling his bananas to me.  He repeated himself by saying that he knew me for a very long time, "Could you give me an opportunity and let me sell my bananas to you!?"  When I refused to buy his bananas and service; he became extremely violent and psychopathic.  He nearly shook me to death for many times.  He also threatened me to kill my family members, Sevag, Arjuna, Maurice, Martin, non-blood related brother in Mainland China, friends, and everyone I know.

Moreover, this Hong Kong man even insults his prospects by saying, "Why don't you buy my bananas!?  You don't know how to eat bananas!"

Wow!  I am sure that my target audiences should understand what I mean, right?

If you cannot even sell your products and services to your customers and prospects, just go to look for new ones.  You cannot keep pressuring those groups of customers and prospects to buy your products and services.  Certainly, you cannot threaten your customers and prospects and their family members, loved ones, friends, and neighbors to death.  You cannot even insult your customers and prospects by saying extremely disgusting and disturbing things such as, "No one likes you."  "Non-sexual" "Prostitute". 

Most importantly, you cannot even pressure your own customers and prospects to have sex with you when you cannot even sell your products and services!  This is a big no-no.  If you keep pressuring your customers and prospects to try your bananas, I am sure that you scare away all customers and prospects.  Moreover, they will sue you.

You win everyone's heart, if you can be like Sevag Harmandian, Martin Yen, Kevin Holden, Andrzej, Tan, Skip, Caroline Desouza, Mr. Sutton, Ms. Olson, Mrs. Gorman, Amy, Derek Chin, Arjuna Perera, Maurice Field, my non-blood related brother,  "莫國偉" (Mo Guo Wei), Winnie Boyle, Makiko Ichimura, Hashimoto san, Hideki, Takeshi, Mio, Andy, Billy, Anne, Hernan, Victor, Tania, Sahara, Greg Casey, John Olson, Teddy Cho, Randy Shu, Kishore, Evgeni, Sangram, Ricky Kao, Tessie Popoff, Lucy Lu, Winnie Huang, Sue Liu, Peter So, Philip Obando, Joseph Woo, Arun, Daniel, Taiwanese James, Jimmy, Lisa Lin, Kan Wong, Otis, Larry, Ken Hsu, James Lee, John V., Seth, Keith, Jeff Johnson, John Olson, John V., Alice Huang, Winnie Liu, Sam, David, Holly, Boris, Karalynn, Camille, Lynda, Neal, Wayne, Delisa, Lila, James, Jason, Chris, Albert Ng, Kemol, Adam, Leo, Brian, Matt Schmidt, CMO, Mark B., Danny, Allen M., Harman Singh, Josh H., Umakant, Anjana, Vaishali, Padma, Kristine Allington, Marissa E., Lexi O., Liz McKeever, Christina Fahey, Manu, Shaun S., Max, Jim Bass, Stacy, Chad, and etc.

When you win everyone's heart, you will have more businesses and your customers will come back and stick with your products and services forever.