ALL of them are REMARKABLE!

Yet, there’re often EXTREME differentiations in their degree of remarkableness.

Some are SUPERB in every way . . . “Remarkably GREAT!”

Some are ABYSMAL in every way . . . “Remarkably POOR!”

What baffles me most is the number of people who tolerate Remarkably POOR service and continue to do business with that person/organization and remain blind to the truth that they don’t have to put up with the inconvenience – We shouldn’t have to DEMAND great Customer service!

Of course, doing business with someone else represents CHANGE, and we all know that change is the LAST thing we want, RIGHT?

How much “abuse” must we endure before we are miserable enough to justify overcoming our resistance to change?

My threshold is pretty low . . . Under-serve me, and I’m fairly unforgiving unless I can see “extenuating circumstances” like a sudden RUSH of customers putting the staff “in the weeds.”

I don’t always LEAVE immediately . . . but I’ll start looking around to see who might serve me better.

So . . . I just had a recent “Tale of 2 Banks” Scenario unfold.

I recently started managing the personal affairs of a close relative who has done her banking at a Local Credit Union for @ 35 Years. For sure, she has a long-standing relationship with that bank and was always responsible with her financial affairs. She used that bank for everything – Savings, Checking, Line of Credit, Auto Loans, Credit Cards . . . EVERYTHING!

One would think that with a track record and long-standing loyalty for 35 years to that bank, they would bend over backwards to do whatever they could to make the transition to me as smooth as possible.

Not so . . . Every facet of the transfer has been like pulling teeth but with MORE pain.

I’ve encountered “Old School Policies” and neanderthalish practices . . . Holding periods for large deposits, ATM withdrawal fees, Internet banking that updates once a day (After the late afternoon “Posting,” and a variety of other sundry (and ridiculous) fees) . . . I tolerated that for about 6 months until the final straw.

I made the mistake of transferring a large sum of money into the wrong account using Internet Banking and needed it transferred back to save a $250 “late fee” from a Medical Service provider . . . When I called and asked for this favor, I was told that they could not do it without the permission of “one of the Bank VP’s” . . . It was 10 AM, so I figured it would be resolved within a couple of hours. 6 hours later, I received a call saying that they would not do it and even if they did do it, it would be past their posting deadline and would not “post” to the accounts for another 2 days.

I immediately called MY Bank Pinnacle Financial Partners (Green Hills) where I KNEW that I would be heard and where I knew I could do internet transactions that would post immediately and where I knew I could move large sums of money around without waiting periods and would not have to worry about junk fees hitting my account . . . where I have my own personal ROCK STAR Banker (and I’m not a high net worth customer) who knows and trusts me and has ALWAYS been there for me when I got myself into a pinch.

Guess what?

That other bank lost all of the accounts . . . Pinnacle gained them.

Sadly, I know of MANY banks which fail miserably in this Customer Service realm even as they spend lots of bucks on marketing that says they’re nothing short of wonderful.

2 Banks within the same market with polar opposite customer service experiences.

I know which one will win in the long run . . . the only question is when?

Customer dissatisfaction is a cancerous malady.

They’ll lose a steady trickle of customers until WHAM! It’ll go septic.

My guess is that if you are reading this post, you’re in business and are providing customer service experiences every working moment.

How are you doing?

About Barry Owen

Residential Real Estate Principal Broker and Founder of Pareto Realty, LLC. Creating the quintessential real estate firm with emphasis on "Live, Work, & Play" balance . . . and a true Performance Oriented environment for Real Estate Professionals. Serving the Real estate needs of Home Buyers and Sellers in Middle Tennessee.