I doubt I'm the only one who groans when they have to jump into the retail customer service meat grinder. It's usually a guarantee of frustration, hours of lost time, and 50/50 odds that you'll actually get a resolution before you decide just to give up. I had exactly that expectation the other week when I had to call Lenovo customer service, especially since the problem in question was 100% my fault. What followed was a truly outstanding experience that was a perfect example of how excellent service can win the dedication and loyalty of a customer.
Let me give you a little background first. I've been using a four-year-old Dell laptop whose performance had annoyed me for the last time. I was ready to upgrade, and after spending way too much time researching I decided on a ThinkPad. So I jumped on the Lenovo site and played around with their customizer app to build a few dozen laptop options until I found one I liked.
Four or five days after I placed the order, the sleeve I got arrives. There had to be a mistake...this thing was huge. My first thought was that they sent the wrong thing, so I go online to check the order to make sure they shipped the right one. That's when I discovered my mistake.
I had ordered a T510 instead of a T410. The 510 is a 15.6" screen, one of those laptops that's basically a desktop monitor hinged to a desktop-sized keyboard. Frantic, I call Lenovo, hoping I can halt the shipment of the laptop and make the change.
I end up talking to Paul Davis, one of the customer service reps at Lenovo. I explain what I did and ask if I can change the order. As luck would have it, the laptop was set to be shipped that day out of their China factory. Yeah, they built it in China specially for me, and were going to ship it across the Pacific (for free, I might add). It was too late to put the brakes on it.
At this point I mute my phone to let out a pained moan. Looks like I'm going to be stuck with this monstrous portable desktop. Paul asks me if the T510 will work, and I explain that I meant to order the T410, which is much more portable, but that I guess I'd have to live with the T510.
Now I'm expecting to get some feeble attempt at sympathy followed by the standard, "Is there anything else we can help you with today?" Nope. Without skipping a beat, Paul says that Lenovo wants me to love the product, and if I'm not going to love the T510, they'd take it back at no charge and ship me the T410.
Seriously?
He gives me his direct number and tells me to call him when the T510 gets in. It comes in, and sure enough it's as giant as the sleeve, so I call Paul with my tail between my legs. Not only does he process the RMA for me with no restocking fee, he lets me use the 25% special discount they had going on that day only. So I ended up swapping one laptop for another, less expensive laptop, with no penalty.
Lenovo lost money on me. I have no doubt about that. What they got, though, was a customer that will not only be loyal, but that will tell everyone about what a spectacular company Lenovo is.
Problems happen, and a lot of times the customer causes them. What matters is how you deal with it. If, like Lenovo, you take the position that you won't accept anything other than total satisfaction, no matter the cost, you send a clear signal to the customer that you are interested in a relationship, not a transaction. In an industry of commoditization, Lenovo has differentiated themselves in a way that sticks. It's a valuable lesson to any company looking to forge a relationship with their client.