When Serving the Customer, You need to do Something...Enterprise!
OK, how many of you have visited a place and wondered if there was anyone there to help you? Keep your hands up...wow, that many. Recently, I had to rent a car from Enterprise Car Rental...Since the dealership was paying for the rental, I didn't have a choice on the car rental company. After turning in the car, I realized that I left our garage door opener on the visor. After renting too many cars of the last few years for business, I remembered that most car companies clean out their cars after each rental. In fact, if the car is too dirty, they charge the previous renter.
So, I called two branches trying to find the correct center. They were not open yet, so I left a message for both of them.
[Coaching Moment: If a customer calls your establishment and requests a return call...Call them back...In fact, check your voicemail first thing in the morning. Create a log of the issue/question, the name of the person, the time of the call, and leave a spot for who called them back and when.]
I waited until two hours after they opened and called the center that actually rented me the vehicle. Someone answered the phone within two rings. I explained to the gentleman that I was trying to find if they had found the remote. He put me on hold. After 6 minutes, someone else picked up the phone. I gave him the same spiel. He also put me on hold. After 1 minute a young lady picked up the phone and asked how she could help me. I requested not the be put on hold again considering she was the third person I spoke with on this call. She apologized and mentioned that they were swamped so that was why I was put on hold.
[Coaching Moment: If you place a customer on hold, it is always courteous to check back with them every 45-60 seconds. If you can not answer their inquiry immediately, it is always a positive to take their number, indicate a potential call-back time, research the question, and phone the customer with the answer. Making them sit on hold just makes them question why they would want to remain a customer. Also, if you do place your customer on hold and transfer him/her to another individual, please conduct a "warm" transfer. This is where you talk to the person you transfer the customer to and explain the situation. This helps the customer from repeating himself/herself.]
After explaining that I was looking for our garage remote, she said she could not tell if anything was found and the car was out with another customer. The only way I would know if they found the remote would be to stop in.
After a 30 minute drive to the location, walking right in and greeted immediately, I was told that they only had one remote turned in, but it was not for the car I was in. I looked at it anyway. The young lady whom I had recommended I drive there said I should call back after the weekend on a Tuesday when the car was due back. I asked if they would call me if they found anything. She said yes. I asked if they needed my telephone number, she said, "No. We have it on your previous reservation."If
[Coaching Moment: If you are going to provide the same answer in person that you could have shared over the phone, do not make your customer drive to your location. If you can not answer their inquiry immediately, it is always a positive to take their number, indicate a potential call-back time, research the question, and phone the customer with the answer.]
After waiting 2 weeks, I decided to call them back. I explained to the gentleman who answered the phone that I was looking for our garage door opener. He put me on hold. After 15 minutes and taking a survey on another line myself, he finally returned with the excuse that they were swamped again. He said that he didn't know if they had the remote. I asked if they kept a log of things turned in. He mentioned that the log was lost over a week ago...but, this week's log was newly created and there. However, there were no garage door openers on that list. He recommended I drive down there again to check.
[Coaching Moment: Never use the amount of customers you have as an excuse for not delivering on excellent service. Too many of those moments will reduce the amount of "busy" moments you have and encourage your customers to look elsewhere for service. Also, never admit that your processes are faulty. This is a type of "negative selling." Your inadequacies in one area, this case tracking lost items, can easily be connected to lack of trust in providing your core services and encourage your customer to look for a more competent source for the service.]
The next day, I drove down there on my way to work. Again, there were no people in the lobby, and I was greeted immediately. I explained again that I was looking for our remote. He opened a drawer and pulled out 2 remotes. One of them was mine. I said thanks and walked out.
[Coaching Moment: Call you customer back immediately. If you know who rented a vehicle, but don't call them to inform them of a lose, your actions may actually hinge on an illegal activity as you are depriving an individual of what is rightfully his/hers. It is like calling an ox a bull. While he is thankful for the complement, he rather have returned what is rightfully his...if this last statement didn't make any sense, please check out 1776 or investigate the differences between oxen and bulls.]
Three weeks, multiple calls, extra trips, and many hold moments later, we have the garage door opener. If they would have cleaned out the car, we would have had it the first time. If they would have called, we would have had it within a week. If Enterprise would have cared the least bit in customer service, I would rent from them during one of my many business or leisure trips. For now, they will wait much longer than the three weeks it took to get the garage door opener. I will stick with National, Alamo, and Hertz. Do something to keep your customers not just take their money and drop them.
[Coaching Moment: Sometimes no service is better than bad service. Larger companies should look to reduce teams that are not performing. In this case, two locations are within 5 miles of the car dealership used and each other. The one with the lower satisfaction ratings should be either re-staffed or closed. If employees from one center are performing well, move them over to the remaining location.]
So, I called two branches trying to find the correct center. They were not open yet, so I left a message for both of them.
[Coaching Moment: If a customer calls your establishment and requests a return call...Call them back...In fact, check your voicemail first thing in the morning. Create a log of the issue/question, the name of the person, the time of the call, and leave a spot for who called them back and when.]
I waited until two hours after they opened and called the center that actually rented me the vehicle. Someone answered the phone within two rings. I explained to the gentleman that I was trying to find if they had found the remote. He put me on hold. After 6 minutes, someone else picked up the phone. I gave him the same spiel. He also put me on hold. After 1 minute a young lady picked up the phone and asked how she could help me. I requested not the be put on hold again considering she was the third person I spoke with on this call. She apologized and mentioned that they were swamped so that was why I was put on hold.
[Coaching Moment: If you place a customer on hold, it is always courteous to check back with them every 45-60 seconds. If you can not answer their inquiry immediately, it is always a positive to take their number, indicate a potential call-back time, research the question, and phone the customer with the answer. Making them sit on hold just makes them question why they would want to remain a customer. Also, if you do place your customer on hold and transfer him/her to another individual, please conduct a "warm" transfer. This is where you talk to the person you transfer the customer to and explain the situation. This helps the customer from repeating himself/herself.]
After explaining that I was looking for our garage remote, she said she could not tell if anything was found and the car was out with another customer. The only way I would know if they found the remote would be to stop in.
After a 30 minute drive to the location, walking right in and greeted immediately, I was told that they only had one remote turned in, but it was not for the car I was in. I looked at it anyway. The young lady whom I had recommended I drive there said I should call back after the weekend on a Tuesday when the car was due back. I asked if they would call me if they found anything. She said yes. I asked if they needed my telephone number, she said, "No. We have it on your previous reservation."If
[Coaching Moment: If you are going to provide the same answer in person that you could have shared over the phone, do not make your customer drive to your location. If you can not answer their inquiry immediately, it is always a positive to take their number, indicate a potential call-back time, research the question, and phone the customer with the answer.]
After waiting 2 weeks, I decided to call them back. I explained to the gentleman who answered the phone that I was looking for our garage door opener. He put me on hold. After 15 minutes and taking a survey on another line myself, he finally returned with the excuse that they were swamped again. He said that he didn't know if they had the remote. I asked if they kept a log of things turned in. He mentioned that the log was lost over a week ago...but, this week's log was newly created and there. However, there were no garage door openers on that list. He recommended I drive down there again to check.
[Coaching Moment: Never use the amount of customers you have as an excuse for not delivering on excellent service. Too many of those moments will reduce the amount of "busy" moments you have and encourage your customers to look elsewhere for service. Also, never admit that your processes are faulty. This is a type of "negative selling." Your inadequacies in one area, this case tracking lost items, can easily be connected to lack of trust in providing your core services and encourage your customer to look for a more competent source for the service.]
The next day, I drove down there on my way to work. Again, there were no people in the lobby, and I was greeted immediately. I explained again that I was looking for our remote. He opened a drawer and pulled out 2 remotes. One of them was mine. I said thanks and walked out.
[Coaching Moment: Call you customer back immediately. If you know who rented a vehicle, but don't call them to inform them of a lose, your actions may actually hinge on an illegal activity as you are depriving an individual of what is rightfully his/hers. It is like calling an ox a bull. While he is thankful for the complement, he rather have returned what is rightfully his...if this last statement didn't make any sense, please check out 1776 or investigate the differences between oxen and bulls.]
Three weeks, multiple calls, extra trips, and many hold moments later, we have the garage door opener. If they would have cleaned out the car, we would have had it the first time. If they would have called, we would have had it within a week. If Enterprise would have cared the least bit in customer service, I would rent from them during one of my many business or leisure trips. For now, they will wait much longer than the three weeks it took to get the garage door opener. I will stick with National, Alamo, and Hertz. Do something to keep your customers not just take their money and drop them.
[Coaching Moment: Sometimes no service is better than bad service. Larger companies should look to reduce teams that are not performing. In this case, two locations are within 5 miles of the car dealership used and each other. The one with the lower satisfaction ratings should be either re-staffed or closed. If employees from one center are performing well, move them over to the remaining location.]
Labels: bad customer service Enterprise, customer service, Enterprise Rental Car, poor service
posted by John E. Murray, III at
8:49 PM
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