Introducing my new book, Service Failure

Have you ever wondered why customer service is such a challenge for employees?

Service Failure, reveals ten hidden obstacles that prevent employees from delivering great service. Using examples from well-known companies, real stories from frontline employees, and the latest scientific research, Service Failure delivers straightforward solutions for overcoming these obstacles.

The book is available in paperback, e-book, and audio book formats. Visit www.servicefailurebook.com to learn more, check out some fun research, or download a sample chapter. 

Service Failure is now on sale in Barnes & Noble stores and online via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books.

You can also watch this short trailer to learn more (click here if you don't see the video):

Live experiment: the cost of poor service

I've been trying to resolve a very simple customer service problem with Whirlpool, but their customer service system is so hopelessly broken that I can't get any help. After my wife contacted them five times with no success, I decided to blog about my efforts to try to get a resolution.

Today's post contains an update and an examination of how much this service failure may end up costing Whirlpool.

Background
We have a subscription where Whirlpool automatically sends out a new water filter for our refrigerator every six months and bills the credit card they have on file. Our credit card recently expired, but so far we've been unable to give Whirlpool the updated information. (You can follow previous posts here.)

Update
My wife and I have now contacted Whirlpool's customer service 11 times with no resolution. It boggles my mind that a company's customer service team couldn't figure out how to update a credit card expiration date after 11 contacts, but some how Whirlpool has managed to pull it off.

In the meantime, I had to go to Best Buy to purchase a new filter for my refrigerator since I couldn't wait any longer for Whirlpool to get their act together. It cost me 30 extra minutes of my time to make the trip and I paid about $5 more at Best Buy than I would have under Whirlpool's subscription service. Not the end of the world, but very, very annoying. (Service shout out to Best Buy in Santee, CA. They always provide me with attentive, helpful service!)

Yesterday, I did get a voice message from a customer service representative at Whirlpool. He asked me to call him directly, but had left by the time I received the message. He indicated he wouldn't be back in the office until Monday, so I'll try to call him them. That will bring the running total to 12 contacts, but I hope this will be the last.

Lost Value
At this point, I'm asking for three things from Whirlpool to satisfactorily resolve this issue.

1. A free filter to compensate my wife and I for all of our effort.
2. An apology sent directly to my wife for their poor customer service.
3. Updating our credit card expiration date so we won't have to go through this again.

To put this into perspective, let's take a look at what's at stake for Whirlpool:

It costs money each time one of their customer service representatives has to respond to another inquiry.

My home has 7 Whirlpool appliances. One of them, my clothes washer, is near the end of its life. In the past, I may have automatically bought a Whirlpool. Now, I wouldn't consider them unless this issue is resolved.

I will continue to post updates on this blog about my experience. (I'll also gladly post any positive developments.)

How hard can it be to update an expired credit card, Whirlpool?!

Yesterday, I shared a service failure I was experiencing with Whirlpool. You can read the post here: "Will Whirlpool fix their service failure?"

I thought it might be interesting to share everything my wife, Sally, and I have done so far to try to update the credit card they have on file for us. It's amazing that in 2012, something so simple and common can become an extremely frustrating and impossible task.

Background
We have a subscription where Whirlpool automatically sends out a new water filter for our refrigerator every six months and bills the credit card they have on file. Our credit card recently expired, but so far we've been unable to give Whirlpool the updated information.

Timeline
The whole process started when Sally received an email telling her that the credit card we had on file need to be updated. Here is a list of our unsuccessful attempts so far:

1. Online. Sally attempted to update the credit card online but their website wasn't working properly.

2. Chat. Sally initiated a chat session to get help. The chat session was disconnected before Sally could pose her question.

3. Chat. Sally initiated another chat session. This time, the person attempted to walk her through updating our credit card online but it still didn't work. The customer service rep then provided a phone number where Sally could call customer service.

4. Phone. Sally called customer service. The customer service rep informed her that he didn't have access to our account and could only walk her through the steps for updating her credit card online. It still didn't work.

5. Email. Sally emailed Whirlpool customer service and explained her multiple attempts to update her credit card information. She received a response instructing her to go online. It still didn't work.

6. Twitter. I sent a tweet to @Whirlpoolcare asking for help. I also mentioned I wanted an option besides online because that wasn't working. They gave me a new phone number to call.

7. Phone. I called the new number and, after being transferred, was told the only way to update my credit card was online. 

Now Sally and I back where I started. If you were me, what would you do?

Will Whirlpool fix their service failure?

My wife, Sally, recently experienced an incredibly frustrating and annoying service failure from Whirlpool. She contacted them no less than five times to resolve an amazingly simple problem with no results. I hope you can understand that when your wife is angry about a service issue and you are a customer service consultant with a blog, you are obligated to write about it!

Background
We have a KitchenAid refrigerator (manufactured by Whirlpool) that needs a new water filter every six months or so. Up until now, it's been a simple process. We're signed up for automatic re-order where Whirlpool simply sends out a new filter and charges our credit card when it's time to replace the old one. This is a great example of the type of anticipatory customer service Micah Solomon refers to in his book, High-tech, High-touch Customer Service.

Last week, Sally received an email letting her know it was time again to send a replacement filter, but the credit card they had on file for us had expired. Updating an expired credit card should be a simple process, but this is where the trouble began.

Sally contacted Whirlpool a minimum of five times in an attempt to provide our updated credit card information, but each time she was stonewalled by a broken system and ineffective customer service reps. The end result was our credit card information never got updated, our order was cancelled, and we don't have a new filter.

The Experiment
A couple of years ago, I blogged about my attempts to resolve a customer service issue with Avis (Live Experiment: Will Avis finally try hard enough?). It turned out pretty well in that it caught the attention of the right people at Avis who finally fixed the issue. I've actually been a loyal customer ever since, so I am hopeful I can get a similar result from Whirlpool. 

My plan is to use my blog, Twitter, and my personal network to detail my efforts to get Whirlpool to fix their service failure. I also invite your suggestions and comments along the way.

My Demands
Nobody should have to go through as much hassle as Sally has to do business with a company. I have two requests from Whirlpool to fix this problem:

1. A replacement filter, sent free of charge. 
2. An apology sent to Sally.

If you'd like to know what happens next, you can stay tuned by subscribing to my blog or following me on Twitter.

Ten bad leadership habits that lead to poor service

There are people for whom customer service is a core value, one that is always present in their personal and professional lives. When these types of people lead customer service teams, their teams tend to work magic.

There are also people who don't truly believe in customer service. When these people lead customer service teams, service failures tend to be the norm. They may talk a good game to try to convince their customers, their employees, and even themselves that service is indeed important. However, their true colors are eventually revealed by their bad habits. 

Here are ten examples of bad leadership habits that cause service failures:

1. Unable to clearly articulate what outstanding customer service looks like.
2. Too impatient to do things right.
3. Focused on catching employees doing things wrong instead of helping them do things right.
4. Too busy to provide employees with training, coaching, or direction.
5. Failing to respond to email and voice mail in a timely manner.
6. Allowing employees to continuously provide poor service.
7. Disciplining employees for behaviors they regularly exhibit themselves.
8. Treating employees disrespectfully.
9. Asking employees to do things they wouldn't do themselves.
10. Making excuses for any of the above.

What bad habits would you add to this list?

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Jeff Toister is the author of Service Failure: The Real Reasons Employees Struggle with Customer Service and What You Can Do About It. The book is scheduled to be released on November 1.

You can learn more about the book at www.servicefailurebook.com or pre-order a copy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Powell's Books.