Jim Blasingame has news for businesses: it’s a new age in the business world. Control in the marketplace is shifting from the seller to the customer. In “The Age of the Customer: Prepare for the Moment of Relevance,” Blasingame stresses that timing, access, and convenience are prime relevance expectations in the new customer-driven age.
In January, I received an item I had ordered from a retailer. Well, I didn’t receive the item I had ordered. I had ordered a pillow sham and ended up with a throw and socks. The package included this lovely note from the CEO:
Although I am grateful for the note, I’d be more grateful to get the right product, and this vendor’s timing, access, and convenience have been lacking.
The Email Exchanges with SteinMart
1/13/14 Message from Me to Vendor:
Questions & Comments: I received an entirely different item than the one I ordered (I ordered a pillow sham and got a throw/socks) :-). I would like to get the item I ordered originally, and can I return the throw to my local Steinmart (b/c I don’t want to spend $7.50 to ship it back to you …..). If you could let me know how to handle, I’d surely appreciate it!! Thanks.
1/14/14 Message from Vendor to Me:
Dear Paula,
Thank you for contacting Customer Service at www.steinmart.com.
Please accept our sincere apologies for the recent difficulties you have experienced with your order 0004100004687701. A prepaid return label will be sent to your email address within 48 hours, so the throw may be mailed back at our expense. Please print this label out, and affix it to your package. Items can be returned online for a refund within 60 days from date of purchase. Once received by our warehouse, the credit for the order will be issued back to your PayPal account within 5-10 business days.
In order to receive the Luxury Sham – King, a new order will have to be placed. We will be more than happy to provide free standard ground shipping on the reorder. to take advantage of this offer, please contact us at 888-STEINMART (888-783-4662) for assistance with replacing the order. We are available Monday-Saturday 8:30AM-Midnight EST and Sunday 12:00PM–9:00PM EST for your convenience.
Unfortunately, the land based store will not be able to accept the return for the throw due to the item not being on the invoice.
Again we would like to apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. We greatly value all of our customers and look forward to our next opportunity to serve you.
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you, and thank you again for contacting Customer Service at www.steinmart.com.
Sincerely,
The Customer Service Team
Customer Service at www.steinmart.com
This is not a pillow sham!
1/31/14 Message from Me to Vendor:
I appreciate your help.
However, I am still having difficulty.
I got the prepaid label so I will return the throw for credit — thank you.
However, I can no longer find the sham I originally ordered online.
Can someone check and see if it is still available somewhere?
I know this is kind of a “first world” problem but having a complete set was important to my daughter; it was the main part of her Christmas gift.
Thanks,
Paula Kiger
2/1/14 Message from Vendor to Me:
Dear Paula,
Thank you for contacting Customer Service at www.steinmart.com.
We apologize again that you did not receive the sham you ordered from order 0004100004687701. Unfortunately, we are sold out of that sham on our site. We regret that we cannot check store inventory, however you can have a local store check for you. Please click the link below to view our store locator.
http://www.steinmart.com/storefinder
Our retail stores can check the inventory of all Stein Mart stores for the item you are looking for through their merchandise locator. Our retail stores also have the ability to bill and ship most items directly to you. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you, and thank you again for contacting Customer Service at www.steinmart.com.
Sincerely,
The Customer Service Team
Customer Service at www.steinmart.com
2/1/14 Message from Me to Vendor:
Guys, I am sorry to be a smart aleck about this because again, I know it’s a small thing in the scheme of things but of course I know where my local store is (so I don’t need the store locator) – the whole reason I ordered the sham in the first place is because it was not AT my local store — where we went ahead and bought the rest of the set.
Thanks for the help; I wish I could say I was very very pleased but I’m honestly not at this point.
But I do appreciate the prompt response.
Paula
2/1/14 Message from Vendor to Me:
Thank you for contacting Customer Service at www.steinmart.com.
We apologize that we did not have the information you needed regarding the sham. Unfortunately, we are not able to check store inventory, as they use a different ordering system than the online store. If the item is not available at the local store, they can check all of the stores, nationwide, to see if any store has it. They can then place the order for you and have that sham sent directly to you.
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you, and thank you again for contacting Customer Service at www.steinmart.com.
Sincerely,
The Customer Service Team
Customer Service at www.steinmart.com
Subsequent Activity Post 2/1/14:
I did call my local store (Tallahassee). They were very helpful and gave me phone numbers of several stores that appeared to have the sham still in stock. I called a store in Jacksonville and the representative asked me several times what color I wanted (I replied that it is only available in one color, and what that color combination is). The representative kept asking about the “Mandala” sham and I kept repeating “Magnolia.” I eventually came to the conclusion that they didn’t have it. Then I tried the Ocala store but it appears to close around 8:30 p.m. so I couldn’t speak to them. Then I gave up, returned again to the state of having no time to resolve this, no access to the solution, and the utter inconvenience of having to make all these calls myself.
Is this a routine customer service gone wrong story, or is it an example of the switch Jim Blasingame describes from the age of the seller to the age of the customer? I still have to believe Steinmart can send an email blast to all their stories to see who has this in stock (technology) and combine that with old fashioned customer service to delight me and maintain a forever customer. That would be a highly relevant solution, if you ask me.
Jim Blasingame is one of the world’s foremost experts on small business and entrepreneurship, and was ranked as the #1 small business expert in the world by Google. President and founder of Small Business Network, Inc., Jim is the creator and award-winning host of The Small Business Advocate® Show, nationally syndicated since 1997. As a high-energy keynote speaker, Jim talks to small business audiences about how to compete in the 21st century global marketplace, and he talks with large companies about how to speak small business as a second language. A syndicated columnist and the author of three books, including Small Business Is Like a Bunch of Bananas and Three Minutes to Success, which have sold almost 100,000 copies combined; his third book, The Age of the CustomerTM, launched on January 27, 2014.
**I was provided a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.
EPILOGUE:
The sham was delivered to me on March 31! Here’s my Facebook screenshot thanking Steinmart!
Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.
What a total pain! I keep saying customer service is a thing of the past…
It often seems that way, Susie!
If customer service has not changed or improved in the age of blogging and social media, brands are going to be in trouble. What a shame.
I agree!
The whole purpose of a customer service department is to provide customer service….this means owning the issues and doing whatever you can to resolve them at the least amount of inconvenience to the customer. It’s obvious their department uses a shared email inbox to receive and send replies, but the first representative who responded to you should’ve owned your issue. He or she should’ve made it their goal to not only refund the incorrect item, but then track down the correct one. I’m certain the rep had access to a phone, so instead of suggesting you contact other stores, they should’ve picked up the phone and called themselves.
I absolutely abhor bad customer service and while I can understand “following protocol,” customer service reps need to be able to execute some basic common sense. Problem resolution isn’t just the expectation – it’s their job. They are actually getting paid to solve problems.
You are absolutely justified in your frustration!
Thanks, Jennifer. I agree! I think the disconnect between the “online” people and the “brick and mortar” people is not unique to this particular store. Isn’t that odd in this day and age? Thanks for your support!
Holy cow!
I agree! (But as I mentioned to you by email, your post about negative criticism was the impetus for me to post this on their Facebook wall and a resolution is hopefully in motion!). If it is resolved I’ll definitely make sure the business gets thanked for working with me (and you get thanked for being the catalyst!).