Woodworking Business

You are not logged in. [ Login ] Why log in
(NOTE: Login is not required to post)

being nice to your customer

3/19/16       
cabmaker

A post in the CNC forum about Stiles Machinery Service got me to thinking about an article I read in the Wall Street Journal this morning.

The article was about RyanAir, an up & coming low frills airline in Europe. They got a lot of press for their cost reduction exercises. They basically found a way to monetize every moment of the experience. They became famous for charging $2.00 to use the bathroom while in flight.

The problem was that this behavior wasn't perceived as good business for the bottom line. The ethic of decrease costs - increase revenue on EVERY line item backfired on RyanAir such that they were soon flying airplanes with 80% occupancy. Nothing they were doing could get any growth in customers.

Eventually the CEO tried just being nice to his customers. The results from this attitude change were profound. They are now the most successful airline in Europe by every metric.

The CEO was quoted as saying "If I would have known that just being nice to our customers would have had this much effect I would have done it much sooner!".

I certainly recognize that there are costs associated with having simple screws on hand and there are costs associated with just fielding the phone call to order the screw. There are benefits, however, (as the CEO of RyanAir will now attest), to also just thinking through how charging to use the bathroom might be perceived.

Nobody likes to be nickel & dimed. I can remember staying at the Hilton Hotel next door to the Anaheim Convention center for a woodworking show.

I had no problem with paying $120 a night for a basic room with a noisy toilet that wouldn't stop running. What I had a problem with was the service in the lobby. When we all spilled out of the elevator at 7am we were pretty hung over from the night before at the Hilton Bar.

A very nice woman greeted us and explained there would be quite a wait for breakfast as the restaurant was at capacity.Being business people nobody was surprised about this.

The really discouraging part was that she instead steered us to a place in the lobby where we could stand in line to get some coffee in a styrofoam cup for $1.75. The $120 room and overpriced drinks were just fine. The $1.75 coffee is what I am still annoyed at.

The Hilton is a hospitality industry. If that would have been my hotel I would have greeted these guests with complimentary newspapers, coffee & danish. The next year I stayed instead at the Jolly Roger Hotel around the corner. I could get just as shitty service there for only $80 a night.

It's been a while since woodworking shows were held in Anaheim but notice how long the story about bad service gets retold.

3/20/16       #3: being nice to your customer ...
Pat Gilbert

People buy for emotional reasons.

3/21/16       #4: being nice to your customer ...
Bruce H

I have always stayed and some no-name dump sandwiched next to the convention center for sixty bucks. We were treated fine and didn't expect any more for what we paid. Went to the Hilton one time, ain't going back.

The flip side of that is when, I send cabinets out included are enough shelf clips. The contractor looses them I get a bit annoyed. I'd like to say "replacements can be purchased on isle #17..." Instead a pony up replacements, which no one offers to pay for.

3/21/16       #5: being nice to your customer ...
cabmaker

I had that shelf pin problem with a general contractor one time.

He was always losing the shelf pins I provided so I took a half box of loose shelf pins and dumped them in his glove box. Every time he came up hard on a corner he could hear them rattle around. He never lost any more shelf pins.

3/21/16       #6: being nice to your customer ...
mike

I think you are very right. After the contract is signed I go into 'customer service mode' and I do not dicker about the small things although I note those things at the final 'credits and additions' invoice as 'no charge' so they know they got something for free. Not big items, but I think it provides good will.

3/23/16       #7: being nice to your customer ...
Brady Lewis

Website: http://www.allmoxy.com

Great post. I learned concept this the hard way.

A while back when I was running the family business, I had a competitor who was more expensive and who's quality was similar, yet his perceived quality was much higher. We were out of town, in the country and had delivery charges and consequently lower prices to compete.

Customers were subconsciously (or consciously) annoyed with our delivery charges, and the lower product prices lowered our product quality perception.

I cut the delivery charges and put the cost into the doors, which raised prices. The result was great. It got rid of the annoyance, increased our product quality perception, and made us appear more generous and our products more valuable. The only down side, is that you loose customers who are nickel and dime shopping everyone (GREAT!).

Since then, we've really pushed this as far as we can, and it pays big time!

3/23/16       #8: being nice to your customer ...
cabmaker

What Pat Gilbert said.


Post a Response
  • Notify me of responses to this thread
  • Subscribe to email updates on this Forum
  • To receive email notification of additions to this forum thread,
    enter your name and email address, and then click the
    "Keep Me Posted" button below.

    Please Note: If you have posted a message or response,
    do not submit this request ... you are already signed up
    to receive notification!

    Your Name:
    E-Mail Address:
    Enter the correct numbers into the field below:
     

    Date of your Birth:



    Return to top of page

    Buy & Sell Exchanges | Forums | Galleries | Site Map

    FORUM GUIDELINES: Please review the guidelines below before posting at WOODWEB's Interactive Message Boards (return to top)

  • WOODWEB is a professional industrial woodworking site. Hobbyist and homeowner woodworking questions are inappropriate.
  • Messages should be kept reasonably short and on topic, relating to the focus of the forum. Responses should relate to the original question.
  • A valid email return address must be included with each message.
  • Advertising is inappropriate. The only exceptions are the Classified Ads Exchange, Machinery Exchange, Lumber Exchange, and Job Opportunities and Services Exchange. When posting listings in these areas, review the posting instructions carefully.
  • Subject lines may be edited for length and clarity.
  • "Cross posting" is not permitted. Choose the best forum for your question, and post your question at one forum only.
  • Messages requesting private responses will be removed - Forums are designed to provide information and assistance for all of our visitors. Private response requests are appropriate at WOODWEB's Exchanges and Job Opportunities and Services.
  • Messages that accuse businesses or individuals of alleged negative actions or behavior are inappropriate since WOODWEB is unable to verify or substantiate the claims.
  • Posts with the intent of soliciting answers to surveys are not appropriate. Contact WOODWEB for more information on initiating a survey.
  • Excessive forum participation by an individual upsets the balance of a healthy forum atmosphere. Individuals who excessively post responses containing marginal content will be considered repeat forum abusers.
  • Responses that initiate or support inappropriate and off-topic discussion of general politics detract from the professional woodworking focus of WOODWEB, and will be removed.
  • Participants are encouraged to use their real name when posting. Intentionally using another persons name is prohibited, and posts of this nature will be removed at WOODWEB's discretion.
  • Comments, questions, or criticisms regarding Forum policies should be directed to WOODWEB's Systems Administrator
    (return to top).

    Carefully review your message before clicking on the "Send Message" button - you will not be able to revise the message once it has been sent.

    You will be notified of responses to the message(s) you posted via email. Be sure to enter your email address correctly.

    WOODWEB's forums are a highly regarded resource for professional woodworkers. Messages and responses that are crafted in a professional and civil manner strengthen this resource. Messages that do not reflect a professional tone reduce the value of our forums.

    Messages are inappropriate when their content: is deemed libelous in nature or is based on rumor, fails to meet basic standards of decorum, contains blatant advertising or inappropriate emphasis on self promotion (return to top).

    Libel:   Posts which defame an individual or organization, or employ a tone which can be viewed as malicious in nature. Words, pictures, or cartoons which expose a person or organization to public hatred, shame, disgrace, or ridicule, or induce an ill opinion of a person or organization, are libelous.

    Improper Decorum:   Posts which are profane, inciting, disrespectful or uncivil in tone, or maliciously worded. This also includes the venting of unsubstantiated opinions. Such messages do little to illuminate a given topic, and often have the opposite effect. Constructive criticism is acceptable (return to top).

    Advertising:   The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not an advertising venue. Companies participating in a Forum discussion should provide specific answers to posted questions. WOODWEB suggests that businesses include an appropriately crafted signature in order to identify their company. A well meaning post that seems to be on-topic but contains a product reference may do your business more harm than good in the Forum environment. Forum users may perceive your references to specific products as unsolicited advertising (spam) and consciously avoid your web site or services. A well-crafted signature is an appropriate way to advertise your services that will not offend potential customers. Signatures should be limited to 4-6 lines, and may contain information that identifies the type of business you're in, your URL and email address (return to top).

    Repeated Forum Abuse: Forum participants who repeatedly fail to follow WOODWEB's Forum Guidelines may encounter difficulty when attempting to post messages.

    There are often situations when the original message asks for opinions: "What is the best widget for my type of shop?". To a certain extent, the person posting the message is responsible for including specific questions within the message. An open ended question (like the one above) invites responses that may read as sales pitches. WOODWEB suggests that companies responding to such a question provide detailed and substantive replies rather than responses that read as a one-sided product promotion. It has been WOODWEB's experience that substantive responses are held in higher regard by our readers (return to top).

    The staff of WOODWEB assume no responsibility for the accuracy, content, or outcome of any posting transmitted at WOODWEB's Message Boards. Participants should undertake the use of machinery, materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB's Message Boards after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages it deems inappropriate. (return to top)


  • Forum Posting Help
    Your Name The name you enter in this field will be the name that appears with your post or response (return to form).
    Your Website Personal or business website links must point to the author's website. Inappropriate links will be removed without notice, and at WOODWEB's sole discretion. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    E-Mail Address Your e-mail address will not be publicly viewable. Forum participants will be able to contact you using a contact link (included with your post) that is substituted for your actual address. You must include a valid email address in this field. (return to form)
    Subject Subject may be edited for length and clarity. Subject lines should provide an indication of the content of your post. (return to form)
    Thread Related Link and Image Guidelines Thread Related Links posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should point to locations that provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related Link that directs visitors to an area with inappropriate content will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)
    Thread Related File Uploads Thread Related Files posted at WOODWEB's Forums and Exchanges should provide supporting information for the topic being discussed in the current message thread. Video Files: acceptable video formats are: .MOV .AVI .WMV .MPEG .MPG .MP4 (Image Upload Tips)   If you encounter any difficulty when uploading video files, E-mail WOODWEB for assistance. The purpose of WOODWEB Forums is to provide answers, not to serve as an advertising venue. A Thread Related File that contains inappropriate content will be removed, and uploaded files that are not directly related to the message thread will be removed. WOODWEB reserves the right to delete any messages with links, files, or images it deems inappropriate. (return to form)