Lesson in customer service/retention....

[PrimaDonna]

I'm in the process of changing trash companies. I called my current provider to find out the earliest I could stop service and if I was under any contract.

Very nice customer service rep on the phone....but she missed an opportunity.

She didn't ask why I wanted information about discontinuing service. Was I unhappy? Is it a price thing? Does the pick up date not work for me? Nada. They didn't try to find out why or if there was anything they could do to keep my business.

I called back to cancel once I had the start date from my new provider. Only at that time did she ask why I was cancelling. I said a better price (by $30 per quarter, but I didn't tell her that and she didn't ask). She roboticly responded with "I'm sorry about that". Huh? Sorry about what? I didn't say that her company did anything wrong.

Again, another opportunity here to ask if there was anything they could do to keep our business. Didn't ask how much the difference was, offer a "loyalty" discount to stay with them. Likely I would have it they wanted to price match (This is not like carpet cleaning, so don't even go there and ask if we would price match our competitors cleaning rates....No we wouldn't. BUT I would have taken the opportunity on the first call from a client to ask why they were asking in the first place and was there anything we could do to keep their business).

Makes me think, how many missed opportunities are out there.

How would you handle it if commercial account that you service on quarterly basis called you and asked if they were in a service contract and when the earliest they could stop your service would be?

 

[Old Coastie]

You mean besides bursting into tears and eating a gallon of chocolate ice cream in my underwear?

Hmmm. Lemme get back to you...

 

[D Luke]

Different ball game. They likely have thousands of monthly customers who are going to continue to pay them every single month, on time, with no problems, no matter what, until the day they die.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Politely take the info, thank them for their business and move on.

Not that I don't want their business, I do but I figure they made their decision, I'm not going to make them uncomfortable with it.

Hopefully they come back. However even if they don't, hopefully we pickup one to take its place.

Miss you Meg!

 

[JS41035]

Some people make decisions based on price. If they provided good service and you fired them over 2-and a half bucks a week, that proves that.
My trash guys are not the cheapest at all. They have old ragged trucks and look like the duck dynasty guys. But the are always on time. Plus if I forget to take the containers to the road they will go get them. So I guess they provide the best service experience and that is worth more to me.

 

[FredC]

I thought things were going well Meg...what happened?

 

[Dmreed4311]

You have a choice in who picks up your garbage? Never heard of that.

 

[Desk Jockey]

We can choose whom ever we like also. We were with the county for many years, the the garbage mafia for around 10.

We switched last year to a local hauler. They won us over with service by being very responsive dropping roll off to our job sites.

Good people to work with so far and we are saving a little too.

 

[Cleanworks]

I am the treasurer for our condominium complex. We had been using Waste Mgmt. But they were charging exorbitant fuel surcharges. They told me they could lower these if our property mgnt company could switch over some more bldg's. I told them to FO and switched to Smithrite. Saved us $200.00 per month.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Careful you'll sleep with the fishes.

 

[Nate The Great]

 

[Nate The Great]

With something that cheap in savings, it seems a little short sighted to switch..... I've seen and heard it all the time when I worked for T-Mobile.... Customers complain about the new customers getting the deal on phones.... A lot of customers who complain or say they want to cancel service are looking for a deal of some sort... Or they feel Obligated to get some sort of a loyal customer discount....

Me personally, I can't stand the mentality.... I do the best job I can for each and every customer, if they leave because of price " I don't need them..." When you want to view it as a commodity, price will always prevail.... It's pretty silly to cancel service over $10 a month if there wasn't anything wrong with the service other than price...

Is the growing pains starting to kick in? I'm by no means judging you, business is business..... I choose not to be shrewd in business....

 

[Willy P]

Don't you run your business,offering "premium service" and charging a "premium price"? Sorry, but if you're getting good service but making your choice on price, what's the difference between that and those annoying "price shoppers"?

 

[SamIam]

OH snap that's what I was thinking, honestly we all like to get a good deal, I haggle with the cable company every chance I get.

Better give me a good deal or I'm going to Direct. Or maybe you all borrowed to much money from your Rich Uncle @Desk Jockey and can throw money away.

Haggling over service that's quality based workmanship is different then trying to keep your trash or cable bill in line.

 

[Willy P]

Haggling over service that's quality based workmanship is different then trying to keep your trash or cable bill I line.

Could you explain how that works? Seems to me there wasn't any complaint about the quality of the service, just a few pennies more than the other guy. How do you respond when your customer says they won't use you any more because Joe Schmoo will do it for $30 a room instead of the $35 you charge? Do you cave in whenever a customer says you're too expensive? We all know what it takes to be a profitable business and what it costs to do each job. It just seems hypocritical to me to say you won't bend on premium pricing for your service, but you nickel and dime all those around you.


"This is not like carpet cleaning, so don't even go there and ask if we would price match our competitors cleaning rates....No we wouldn't."

 

[SamIam]

Use them, I raise my price to loose price objection!

Your not going to keep everybody, but when your doing 3 x the works for a little more. You'll start to aquire customers who appreciate that.

I rarely receive a call saying match this price if I do it's usually "these guys only charge $99 for a whole house ."

I quote my price offer 10% off. If I get it great if not that's more time for me to play Xbox1 or PS4.

I just think the trash company girl just takes call's, she's not in the customer retention dept.

I also don't think looking for a deal makes a person good or bad.

I don't get Mikey and Meg prices no where close, still if they went to buy a car and paid sticker I would think they're idiots.

 

[PrimaDonna]

I thought things were going well Meg...what happened?

Things are going great. Not sure what you mean by this...???

 

[FredC]

Things are going great. Not sure what you mean by this...???

oh...thought things must be getting tight if you are putting in effort to change trash companies to save $2 a week........

 

[PrimaDonna]

I just think the trash company girl just takes call's, she's not in the customer retention dept.
.

That was my point by stating this post.

What if this company did give their phone people training in customer service and retention? Can you imagine what it would do for them and their bottom line.

They treated me like a number. I'd that is all I am then I can be a number elsewhere and pay less.

The cable companies do it. Anytime you call to cancel they ask way and suddenly the price drops of you stay with them and don't switch providers.

Would I pay more for better/premium service? Absolutely. But how much value added service can a trash company provide? What can they do to differentiate themselves? Not much. My neighbors use the company we switched to and so do several friends. They all say how they like this company after switching. Are they doing more or better the. Try company we switched from ...not necessarily. But they aren't doing worse or they the service is equal, but the cost is less. So why not save $120 a year if it's apples to apples?

Hell, if our customers got the same level of service and quality from a competitor As they do from us for 30% less then they pay for us, I would expect them to go with the other provider. Assuming everything else is the same except the price.

Maybe I will find out this company isn't the same. Maybe we will have issues with them. But after speaking with Ira that use them it doesn't seem this will be the case. If it is, lesson learned and I go back to the old trash company and pay more.

 

[PrimaDonna]

oh...thought things must be getting tight if you are putting in effort to change trash companies to save $2 a week........

Why not? If the service is the same and I can do something else with that money.

Ever read the millionaire next door? It's a good book. The little stuff adds up. Nothing wrong with being frugal even if you are doing well financially.

Or gives us extra money to help others. Why not redirect the money to do something good for your family or others!

 

[D Luke]

I think you nailed it without knowing it, Meg.

Why doesn't this company have a retention specialist that is authorized to drop prices when people call? The cable companies do it, right?

As soon as word gets out they would have hundreds of customers on the line threatening to cancel service in order to fish for a discount.

I get your point, but trash collecting ain't carpet cleaning, cable, etc.

Retention just isn't what they worry about when they get up in the morning.

 

[Cleanworks]

There can be a big difference in trash collection services. In our case, they damaged the doors to our garbage room, missed several pick up days and left the garbage room a mess. That's what got me started looking at alternative services. Smithrite was hired because they were cheaper, they promised to clean up the garbage room if there was a mess due to their service and so far they have lived up to their promises. If I had a customer calling to cancel, I would like to know how I failed them.

 

[SamIam]

I think you nailed it without knowing it, Meg.

Why doesn't this company have a retention specialist that is authorized to drop prices when people call? The cable companies do it, right?

As soon as word gets out they would have hundreds of customers on the line threatening to cancel service in order to fish for a discount.

I get your point, but trash collecting ain't carpet cleaning, cable, etc.

Retention just isn't what they worry about when they get up in the morning.

If enough people leave they will think about it!

 

[SamIam]

I guess if I new they. treated the waste in a more environmental way I would pay extra for that.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

All burned in green barrels

 

[PrimaDonna]

Recycling has gone wayside. Oil is cheap. They dump it all together now. Pitiful. No incentive for them to recycle. But that is a whole other debate.

 

[Cleanworks]

Not so here. Recycling is king. There are companies making a fortune on reuseable materials.

 

[Willy P]

I hear you Ron. Grey bin - bottles and glass, yellow bag - newspapery stuff, blue bag - cardboard- pizza boxes etc, organic waste bin, blue box - cans and plastics, marked garbage cans - yard waste,and the classic garbage can for garbage .2 small grocery sacks a week at most is actual garbage. I have a compost box for my gardens, it isn't much that doesn't get recycled. And you can be fined or your waste refused by the municipal garbage trucks if it isn't done right.

 

[Cleanworks]

they now have cameras on the garbage trucks.

 

[steve_64]

Our trash company sorts everything before taking it to the dump.

Not sure what they sort for though.

Their customer service sucks but I am happy with my service.

Customer service and quality took a backseat to price for a long time in this country. Its slowly making a return in the servuce industry but price and profit is still king.