I would say about 90% of the time the "service" we get from ordering online is less than adequate. If it even exists at all. Spending many of my "formative" years [read: my twenties] doing customer service, I find I have a very high standard of customer service. Probably higher than I should, as I'm increasing disappointed at "service" today. When I get bad service, depending on the level - I get bitchy and may ultimately write a letter to complain (it has to be EXTREMELY bad to get a letter). Likewise, when I get excellent customer service I'll write a letter. I longed for those letters while supporting Latin American on the phone line for a large software company in Redmond...(aka Microsoft). Just one letter that said "Thank You." (or gracias in my case) could make your day/week/month/year.
I order a lot online. Its quick. Its easy...sometimes too easy. And every time you get the same "Thank you for your order" email, that's usually followed by the "Your order has been shipped" email.
Where am I going with this, you ask? It's a revolution. It's a changing of the times in online customer service responses. I got the FUNNIEST, most original "your order has been shipped email" today. And I thought I'd share it with y'all.
Yesterday, I ordered two CDs from a company called CD Baby. They sell more independent artists [no I wasn't ordering Dudley Manlove - I have all those already]. But my taste in music is changing. It has to, I'm bored with what I listen to now. So I opted to order two CDs from a band I've seen. Hence the "your order has been shipped".
Let's not even mention the fact that I placed the order YESTERDAY and its already shipping. WAHOO! But here's their "your order has been shipped" email. Enjoy!
Jennifer -
Thanks for your order with CD Baby!
Your CDs have been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CDs and polished them to make sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing.
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CDs into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved 'Bon Voyage!' to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Monday, April 3rd.
I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year". We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!
Thank you once again,
Derek Sivers, president,
CD Baby
the little CD store with the best new independent musichttp://cdbaby.com
2 comments:
Yeah! New cds! (I love music!)
Parenthetically (which means I'm about to babble), here's something to think about. As you get older, as we all get older, you'll find these things happening:
- Popular music will get annoying
- Customer service will get worse
- Young people will be more scary
- Everyone will drive faster
- New ideas will be more threatening...
Now, don't worry. I don't tell you these things to scare you. (And there are other things - many more.) I tell you (and all of your fine readers) to help you keep your sense of perspective. Your grandparents observed the same things. The key here is to remember that these things don't actually happen - they are all based on your perspective. As long as you can remember that your music was just as annoying and you were just as scary in your youth and the new ideas you have embraced have been just as threatening, etc. etc., you'll realize that it's just how this crazy world works. Embrace it - even when it sucks.
Here's the irony, the music I'm mostly listening to now, is scarier than what I was listening to. Its as if my musical taste is reverting back a few years ago. I'm just overly tired of all the same sound...the same beat...the same crap. blah blah blah. My new favorite is indie pop...don't ask!
I actually relish the idea of changing. This year seems to be the year of changes for me...and my taste in music (as its a big part of what defines me) is just another step in making JennW GREATER and FANTASIC-er. But thanks for your ever so enlightening insights...you are "older" than me and my mom taught me to listen to my elders. = )
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