Apr
I Have Not Forgotten You
My wife Chitra and I are moving to Houston. We just sold our Denver home and we needed to get a cashier’s check for the Houston home down payment and FedEx it out by EOD. Our funds were in two separate accounts, a brokerage and a checking, both at the same bank. As I have been working with my bank for the last 20 years, I was sure it would be a simple task.
At 9:00 AM I called Tim, the manager for the brokerage account, and informed him I need to move all funds to my checking account ASAP, so by EOD I could get a cashier’s check. Tim listened and told me it will not be a problem and will email me a form soon.
All morning, I checked my email for the form. At 2:00 PM, I called Tim and he greeted me by saying “Arjun, I have not forgotten you. I am trying to figure out if we need a form to transfer your funds since both accounts are within our bank.”
“But I need the cashier’s check today and I need to go to the bank by 4:30 PM to do it” was my response.
“Arjun, you know it can be difficult to get in touch with the corporate office to get the right answer. Please do not worry as I will let you know once I know what we need to do next.”
Now, I was thoroughly confused as the following questions were going through my mind:
- Why do you not know what to do? Why don’t you know if we need a form? Does it mean this is the first time the national bank is transferring funds from a brokerage account to a checking account?
- Did you hear me when I said that I need the funds in a cashier’s check by end of day?
- Is this the same urgency you would have shown if I were starting a relationship instead of closing a relationship?
Finally, I just want access to my money, yes my money. This has been my bank for 20 years, why do I not feel good about you “not forgetting me”. I think I am at the point where I need to forget you.
Let’s Make It All About The Customer!
During every interaction, especially when a customer makes a special request, it is critical that we put ourselves in the position of the customer to feel the what, when and how of their need. Then, we should listen to the customer and understand why they need it. Our customers give us an opportunity to showcase our superpowers to solve for their problems. They define what, when, and how; and if we ever make them feel like they are not in control, they have every right not to come back.
It is not for us to tell the customer “I have not forgotten you”; but instead make sure that we show we were waiting to serve our customers.
3 Questions To Ask When Customers Make A Special Request
- What can I do to put myself 100% in the position of the customer?
- What does my customer really need?
- How does the solution fit in the bigger picture of the customers life?
Once you figure out the answer to all three questions, a big smile will automatically appear on your face as you will be on a journey from your heart to wow your customers and create an amazing moment they will never forget.
Did I Get My Money?
It took a while but next day Tim delivered. I am not sure if Tim was having a bad day, but I am sure there are other managers in the bank who would have surely wowed me from the first moment. The challenge for any business is how to make sure every interaction with the customer is wow, every time.
