Sunday, February 1, 2009

The Importance of Great Customer Service...or lack thereof

Each day of my forum surfing brings a new emphasis on a specific element of the DIY market, its problems and subject matter. Each week the forums are filled with questions on smelly toilets, or stopped up drains, or tile choices, of flooring and many more. Its seems that the issues come in waves or maybe just that as one question arises it triggers thoughts on the same issue with many different people. I even see people who write the same question and post it on multiple forum sites to make sure they get the correct answer or maybe it’s to see who can answer it the fastest! Well never fear Faucetman886 is here…LOL, ready with a fast answer or opinion and many times assisted by the friendly folks at the National Builder Supply customer service department. This weekend the trend has been about just that…customer service or in some cases the lack thereof. People are very slow or reluctant to write complimenting a company but let there be a problem and the flood gates open. Every time I see a complaint issued or discussed about ANY one of the online fixture dealers, I forward the thread to Marcus Morgan and the customer service staff so they can see what problems to avoid and what sometimes can seem to be the simplest thing that can then be blown way out of proportion and have a snow balling effect on a customers attitude towards your company. When you consider these forums are viewed daily by hundreds of thousands of people and virtually never go away. A bad reference about a company can take on a life of its own and can mean thousands of dollars of lost business.
Thus the emphasis that Marcus and his crew puts on customer satisfaction is very important and Im pleased to say I have never run across a complaint about the company. Are they perfect? No one is perfect but do they strive to make each call, sale, question or customer feel special? As shown by just a few of the compliments below that have been received just in the past few weeks they are being successful in their efforts. Guys keep up the good work. Remember I’m out here watching you and so are several hundred thousand other folks.

"Thank you for keeping me informed"

"Dear Angela, I appreciate you going the extra mile for your customer, how very nice of you to do that! This Christmas just gets more special because of people like you. Many thanks and have a very blessed Christmas, wish you a year full of God's grace.
I received my toilet today and will install it later this week. It arrived in perfect shape and I just wanted to thank you for the great service, great price and amazing packing job you did! I will definitely be back for my future plumbing needs!"


"Angela… the toilet lid arrived today…. Thank you very much…. My wife especially wants to thank you… I wish you the best if there is a recommendation or any other thing I can do for you, please let me know… again, thank you."

"Great customer service! Thank you! "


"Thank you for the good ideas! I'll try that. And if it doesn't work, I'll buy a replacement tank. Thanks for all your help. You've really exceeded my expectations. (I was expecting a simple, "Sorry can't help you.")"

"I just want you to know that I was 100% satisfied with my experience dealing with your company. After shopping on your web site, I called to ask about expedited shipping and spoke with Sybil, who was extremely helpful and competent. She was kind enough to ensure that my shipment was sent out right away, and it arrived in time to install before thanksgiving. Your order tracking and communication system is comforting to an on-line shopper, and you seem to run a very efficient operation. I will certainly purchase from you again when I remodel the kitchen and master bathroom, and I will recommend you to anyone looking for plumbing fixtures and accessories. Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you. I am very impressed with your customer support staff - special thanks to Sybil and Sally!"

"I received my order today. I had made a call requesting the in stock items
to be shipped immediately. When I did not receive them in a week or so, I called again on a Wed. and spoke to Brian. Sadly I do not know his last name. He was extremely helpful and requested my order be shipped by two day mail for no charge. I have not seen such excellent customer service in recent months.
Currently I am dealing with some renovations and spending more time waiting for
delivery men who do not show up or products that are not right, etc. Your customer service alone would cause me to use your company again, and, if the opportunity arose, to highly recommend you to friends and family. If you know who "Brian" is, please thank him for his courtesy and helpfulness."

"Thank you for your excellent service. The toilet showed up as scheduled, in perfect condition. You had the best price, lowest shipping, and it turns out, best service as well. If you can tell Jon I said thanks for going the extra mile. Thanks again"

"No question, or problem, just wanted to say order arrived safe and sound (to CA) and wanted to say this has been one of the best online experiences I've ever had.
Thanks Wade!!"

"No issue except our customer service rep, Fran Byrd, is exceptional. I repeatedly
attempted to contact the manufacturer due to the "lifetime warranty" on their
products and got nowhere. I e-mailed your Customer Support and got Fran. She called and e-mailed. During our calls (there were at least 3) she tried several
times to solve issues going through Danze and their established process. When that didn't work, she became creative and started looking for other avenues to resolve my problem. If this is how all your reps are, your company will be around for years to come. Thank you."

"Gentlemen, We recently ordered two toilets (MS854114SG) to replace two very unsatisfactory units in our nearly new home, only four years old. Your shipping was very prompt and Fed-Ex delivery was on time in fine condition. You exceeded our expectations, and wish we had up-graded before now. They are suprisingly quiet, and we like the neat one piece look. I thought it important to tell you what a wonderful customer service experience it was working with one of your employees. Fran Byrd was so helpful in giving me the assurance I needed to trust your company with an order. Timing was more important to me than price and I was stressed to make sure my order did not sit around not filled for days. She not only followed up on my order, she helped to make sure it was shipped today. Additionally, she personally called to follow up with me so I could have confidence that my order was on its way. It is so nice to find a company with employees who are happy and who care for their customers. Going through a remodel is stressful in itself. How refreshing to find someone so capable and willing to help. I hope you take as good care of Fran as she cares of your customers. It is hard to find someone so helpful and happy to help.
Thanks!!"

"Thank you so much for your quick response and help today with the back ordered items I had ordered with your company. I can't tell you how many vendors I work with on a daily basis and most do not let me know about back ordered items until it is usually too late. I appreciate your company's professionalism and communication. Thank you for taking care of the cancelled items. Have a Great Thanksgiving Holiday!!"


"I Just wanted to thank you for the great service I received from your company. I don't write often to companies, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciated your assistance by waiving my restocking fee. My purchase of a Grohe faucet went well and I love the look. Again thanks for your understanding in exchanging my purchase for a different color. I look forward to doing business with your company again. Thanks!"

"Mary, I want to thank you so much for all of your help in the return of my mom's faucet. It made my mom feel so much better knowing it was taken care of. Please forward this to your manager to let him or her know what terrific customer service you gave me. "

"Thank you so much for being so helpful when I called tonight and offering to contact Danze. What great customer service and I want to know how much I appreciate it."


"I think you should be reimbursed for having to provide all the customer service. It is unexcusable for the shipping company to be unable to respond to such a simple problem… whatsoever! I really do appreciate your extra effort and know that people like you thrive, while people like those at the shipping company eventually succumb to backwards evolution.... he. Thank you so much"


"Wow, two minutes to answer and you're apologizing? Angela, thank you so much for what I take as a Quick response! I did "see" the toilet seat section and the pictures of what you described. I should not have even wasted your time and I apologize. I've placed my order and am excited to add the Dartmouth to my 40 year waiting make over of my bathroom! It will be a very welcome addition, I'm sure!"

"I would just like to say thank you for making my first experience with you company such a positive one. Most people share their complaints but forget to share their good comments. I worked with Sybil and she was a pleasure to work with--knowledgeable, courteous and really, really helpful!"

"Mary, you have already given me a level of service I haven't seen in years. Thank you"

"Thank you for the great service. Everything about the order process, packaging, shipping, and customer service was awesome, Brian went above and beyond for all my needs. Thanks again"

"Thank you, I will check on it and decide what to do. Thank you for your quick response. Your service has been excellent!"

"Thanks for keeping me posted Angela. I will be eagerly awaiting arrival. If you could make sure that the shipper will call me on the day of delivery I will appreciate it. Thank you"

"I can't say enough positive things about my experience ordering online with your company the customer service staff is knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. I received the items I needed in the timeframe I required them, at a very competitive price. Furthermore, yours was the only company able to follow-through with the promised shipment date I needed. My sincere appreciation to Angela and Shane for the fantastic customer service."


Check the National Builder Supply website http://www.nationalbuildersupply.com/?source=RW886
or call one of their friendly customer service agents to see what good customer service is like.

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