This article is part of our Lessons in Customer Support series. You can learn more about how companies, large and small, handled their customer service issues here.
Samsung Scores Big
The guys behind The Consumerist are a principled lot. Whenever possible, they publish otherwise confidential corporate email addresses of higher ups for ordinary customers to escalate their issues to. Like every other time, last week they didn’t budge to the requests of Samsung PR people to remove the email address of their CEO from a blogpost.
Stepping early in, Samsung North America’s Director of Corporate Communications not only acknowledged the issue and even went to the extent of correcting a mistake in the published email address! From the bottom to the top, the exchanges by Samsung’s PR people is a great example of accepting their mistakes and asking people nicely!
Want a Haircut? Visit the Nearest J.C. Penney!
Well, only if you are kid! The American retailer is offering free haircuts to kids from Kindergarten to Sixth grade on Sundays. Hit by an economic slowdown and massive competition, it might look a desperate attempt by the company to lure customers to their shop while their kids are getting a haircut. Novel attempt at getting the customer’s attention nonetheless!
PayPal Follows Through
PayPal did one of the most important, yet difficult tasks in customer service last week – keeping up promises. After a major PR disaster in a public announcement the company’s President promised better handling of customer’s accounts. To reiterate their new stand, PayPal sent out emails to a number of customers letting them know that their accounts won’t be blocked and the funds won’t be frozen willy nilly.
Apparently, they will monitor the account performance and will make a call based on the customer’s track record. Why they weren’t doing this all along is a million dollar question, but better late than never!
Did you come across any interesting customer service stories last week? Do share with us!
