Idea Sellers

Musikraft Understands Their Customers

Musikraft is a specialty manufacturer, a small company of musical craftsmen dedicated to providing the very best quality guitar bodies and necks in the business. As one of many satisfied customers of Musikraft, I own three of their necks and have been a customer for several years.

I first chose them to provide a neck for a custom 1958 replica Fender Telecaster which I was building. I initially found them on the web, discovered their incredible quality and reputation and selected them as my vendor. 

After months of playing, I recently discovered a problem with a guitar neck which I had purchased early last year for another project. Like my others, this neck was specially-built with great attention to period-correct detailing. It is a beauty. After fruitless hours of tedious adjustments and frustration, I contacted Jim Jamerson at Musikraft and shared my recent experience. He listened carefully and asked me to ship him the neck for their review. 

Within two days of receipt, Jim emailed me, concurred with my evaluation and informed me of their intended plan for repair. It was was fairly extensive. I agreed and authorized the procedure, waiting anxiously for the reunion of body and neck and expected musical bliss.

Outside of their good communication, interest in my problem and desire to correct the problem, Jim also unexpectedly offered the repair at no-charge, despite the fact that neck was clearly past their warranty period. Wow... Talk about standing behind your product! He was clearly interested in my satisfaction. 

The repaired neck arrived safely, nestled securely in bubble-wrap. It looked perfect! I immediately noticed the detailed trimming and filing of the frets which is not usually provided. They not only repaired my neck free of charge, but went the extra-mile as well. Wow... what a company!

The sale is just the beginning of a successful, long-term customer relationship. As in this case, it is usually what happens after the sale which determines customer satisfaction. Am I satisfied with Musikraft? You bet. Will I buy from them again? Absolutely. Would I recommend them to others? Without hesitation.

Clearly both of us won in this situation. Can you say the same concerning your customers?    

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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Customer Service Requires Communication

Imagine a romantic relationship without communication! How would one accomplish that feat? Impossible, you say? Relationships of all kinds require effective communication at multiple levels. That generalization includes business relationships between vendors and customers. 

Advanced Disposal, a Florida company, recently completed their acquisition of Southland Sanitation, gaining them a greater market presence here in the southeast. The customer service at the old company was lacking, and my first experience with the new company shows me that little has changed.

After a weather-related service interruption, I called the company to inquire about the pickup of recycled trash in our neighborhood. The automated operator directed me to press 0 for "customer service." As instructed, I patiently waited on hold, where finally I was connected to, you guessed it, a recorded message instructing me to leave a message. Reluctantly, I did so. After 24 hours and no response, I called again. This time, after a 6 minute wait on hold, I spoke with a representative who informed me that she would instruct their service coordinator to handle the issue later that day or first thing in the morning. 

You guessed it... 24 hours later - no service pickup. I called again, waited only 3 minutes on hold and spoke with a real person again. She informed me that there would be no recycled trash pickup that week after all and service would be resumed at the normal time next cycle. There was no apology, no caring at all in her attitude. I asked for the name and email of their general manager. Without answering me, she said "you need to speak with Steve" and promptly transferred me to his number where I was put into his voice mailbox. I reluctantly left a calm message asking for a return call. You guessed it... no response.

What is the point of all this? Customers want their voices heard. Customers want to know that their suppliers are listening to their concerns. Customers want to know that vendors are paying attention to their needs. Customers want their vendors to be "easy to do business with." What customers really want is to know that they are valued.

A terrific means to this end is effective communication. Ask questions, then listen closely. Discover their needs and wants. Stay in touch. Return their calls promptly. Let customers know that you are interested in them and that their business is valued. 

As a customer, it would have been nice to have been notified of the change of ownership and be properly introduced to the new company. They could have introduced themselves, their web site, their policies and discussed how they conduct business. They also could have been interested enough to welcome feedback and describe how best to communicate with them. An opportunity sorely missed.

Don't let poor customer service and a lack of response injure your relationships with your customer base. That is a costly sales mistake that few of us can afford.  

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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