We often hear customer service quotes about “great customer service” or “poor customer service” – especially in the media regarding ATT Customer Service and Qwest Customer Service, but we don’t hear very often “customer service was too good.”
Until now.
Stanley Bing, wrote recently about his experience with Toyota Customer Service. For him, it was too good.
Bing is an avid Toyota customer, owning several Toyota cars himself. But, a recent purchase of a Toyota RAV4 made him rethink his relationship with Toyota.
You general manager congratulated me on my purchase. I was happy to hear from her, though her tone was a little ominous: “Our interest in your satisfaction is just the beginning.” she wrote. “We look forward to a continuing relationship, and it is our sincere desire that you remain completely satisfied.” This made me a tiny bit uneasy. Who can offer complete satisfaction in this life?
Next came the personal email from Ned, my salesperson, “Since you’ve placed your confidence with us,” he wrote, “everyone here at Toyota realizes that your satisfaction is the key to our future.” Really? I don’t want that kind of responsibility!
Of course, Bing is saying all of this in jest, but it goes to show how some companies could possibly go overboard. Again, it reinforces the fact that any virtue taken too far can become a vice.
For those who value great customer service skills, overdoing customer service might be one to think about.
I’m sure Stanley Bing will remain a Toyota customer, but he’d probably go without all the love and affection and rather be left to himself and his new car.
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Nosybear says
I have to agree with Stanley: Too much customer service can be bad. I love my insurance company (how many people can say that?) but really hate their focus on the wrong aspects of customer service. Starting with the damned computer. Their routing computer fails the Turing test every time and come on, I’m web-savvy. If I couldn’t do it online, what are the chances I could do it using the computer routing system? All they’re doing with that is delaying me and frustrating me, often to the point of expletives. And then, once I get a human, Jesus, who wrote their scripts? Ending every sentence with “I can help you with that….” only makes me doubt their ability to do so and makes me wonder how much experience they’ve already had helping people with that. Then there’s offering to look at some other aspect of my insurance or financial life to see if they can “help” me with it – in today’s world meaning “what can I sell you today”. The company generally takes care of my problems and provides excellent service when I need it, it’s just there’s too damned much customer service required to get there!
tessa says
I have exactly the opposite problem with Toyota. Maybe its the UK customer service that is bad but they are rude, unhelpful, dishonest and really just want to stick one on the customer.
I have been completely shocked and very upset by their really unpleasant attitude.
They refuse to help, they refuse to accept they have any responsibility and they try to imply you are some sort of criminal for even asking for their assistance
I will never ever buy another Toyota.