When It Comes to Customer Service, Don’t Play Dead

Last Month Verizon Wireless Lost Me as a Customer…and then won me back a few days later.

One recent weekend, I lost my phone. What was I to do? I was still under contract with Verizon, but had been toying with the idea of upgrading to an iPhone. Would it make sense to pay a termination fee and switch carriers? Or, since I was happy with my existing service, could I cheaply get a new phone from Verizon?

I visited a local AT&T store. Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting much. My last AT&T Wireless experience was so bad I switched to Verizon, but this visit was a revelation. The sales rep couldn’t have been more helpful. He listened to my needs, didn’t try to sell me on things I didn’t want (like a data plan for texting), and even offered free flip phones for the two family members on my plan if I switched.

Still, I really liked my Verizon service and hoped they’d entice me to stay. After all, without the cool iPhone in their pocket, they were the underdog. Everyone roots for the underdog, right?

Sadly, this underdog played dead. After a lengthy wait at the Verizon store, a smileless rep called me over. I explained my dilemma, she looked at my account and then said with a bored shrug that there was nothing they could do. I wasn’t off contract, so I’d have to buy a phone at full retail — at a minimum of $150.

I left the store, ready to switch to AT&T Wireless. A few days later, I called Verizon to confirm my termination fee. This time, I met the good dog. The phone rep was sympathetic — he asked about my poor in-store experience and wanted to know what he could do to keep me as a customer. By the end of the conversation, he’d come up with a free offer for a phone better than the one I’d lost, and I’d agreed to renew my contract for two years, which I hadn’t initially planned on doing.

What’s the lesson here? You don’t have to beg to keep a customer, but making them feel like you value their business can go a long way — especially in today’s market. (We do all remember it’s cheaper to keep your existing customers than to acquire new ones, right?)

What are you doing to make customers sit up and take notice?