The Downside of Good Customer Service
We work in a very deadline-oriented industry, so we’ve learned to deal with it and not complain, we often say, “It’s the nature of the business.” But really, deadlines aren’t that bad as long as you’re on top of things.
We’ve become awesome at RUSHing orders, often turning orders in a day or two to accommodate our customer’s events. We’re proud to say we’ve never missed an event…except our own – family outings, vacations, games etc. – but that’s part of life. That’s what it takes to get the job done sometimes.
It’s tough to train customers how to work within your parameters. In general, as customers we are all selfish – “Who cares about the other customers, we just want our stuff and we want it right now!” I once heard a quote, “Customers are the worst people to work for.”
But once you RUSH an order and turn it in a day, that time frame becomes the new precedent. You almost screw yourself by showing them how fast you can get the job done.
Ever have a customer that always drops something on you at the last minute? (Congratulations, they can count on you, you’re reliable!) This fits the definition of a winner’s curse because you’re happy to get the work, but then you have to actually do the work at a loss (and usually that loss is found in the opportunity cost of your time).
I’ve found that the only thing that works is clear communication through a tough conversation. It’s hard, but you must say, “We rushed that order for you because it was for a time-sensitive event, we can’t always rush your orders every single time…but we still love you!” If you don’t have the conversation, then nothing will change.
I just got a rush order from a fantastic customer today. It needs to be done by Friday, not really sure how we’re going to make it happen, but we will…somehow. That’s what we’re here for.
