Customer service is widely recognized as a key component for growing and keeping a successful business.
Unfortunately, not all companies are able to demonstrate high degrees of competence in this area.
In many instances, customer service is experienced in the form of phone calls a customer makes to a company looking for assistance. It can also be in-person contact, such as how one is treated at a restaurant, movie theater or bank.
Many company websites allow for online help as well. But one example of poor customer service can occur when responses on the phone do little more than tell a caller to use the company's site when, by using the phone, the customer has already demonstrated their preferred method of requesting assistance.
In one famous 2014 audio clip, technology news reporter Ryan Block recorded a telephone call he had with Comcast (CMCSA) while he attempted to disconnect his service. The call lasted 18 minutes, the final 8 minutes of which was captured on tape.
Block's request to have his service canceled was repeatedly stalled by a Comcast telephone representative as he attempted to deter him from canceling. The phone call is frustrating to hear. Anyone who has tried to solve a seemingly easy task, made difficult by a phone representative on the other end of the call, can relate.
The recording went viral and Comcast was forced to apologize for it the next day.
In the restaurant business, customer complaints often refer to rude servers, long waits for tables or service, order mix-ups and overpricing.
Southwest Airlines Goes the Extra Mile for Little Girl
Sometimes customer service is done well, even extremely well, and when that happens stories can be generated that are super fun to tell.
One such story starts with a problem in search of a solution and ends with a heartwarming video.
A little girl named Luna recently left her loved stuffed dog, named Dog Dog, in a rental car. She and her mother were flying from Dallas to Baltimore on Southwest Airlines (LUV).
Luna's mother, Jessica Dulin, was soon on the phone with a Southwest employee named Christina who works in Dallas. Christina went to the rental car lot, found Dog Dog and helped the stuffed companion begin the journey home.
During the adventure, Christina was sure to capture some photos of Dog Dog along the way and put them in a picture book, so Luna could see for herself what experiences her stuffed friend had enjoyed while traveling.
"Have you seen this dog? Apparently he's been jet-setting all over the place looking for his owner." wrote @SouthwestAir on Twitter. "The plot thickens! This good boy is a great co-Pilot, but he’s still searching the skies for his favorite human, Luna."
Those photos were then followed up on Twitter with a video of the moment Luna was reunited with Dog Dog.
"'Dog Dog' has been returned home to Luna, thanks to our Ops Agent, Christina!" exclaims @SouthwestAir. "Christina even made sure to include a photo album to show Luna what Dog Dog got up to while they were apart!"
