I’m the Expert. Few of us like to admit we do not know everything, but that is the reality. Customers possess uncanny abilities to spot phony answers. When staff hope to appear all-knowing by giving creative explanations they often turn a minor situation into a major embarrassment.
When barometric pressure changed dramatically in a short time, the glass in a patio slider spontaneously burst into thousands of tiny pieces. The homeowner claimed to have been in another room when the catastrophe occurred and wondered whether the sudden temperature change had anything to do with this. The warranty rep, familiar with a variety of homeowner ploys to get repairs to damage they caused themselves “knew” patio sliders simply do not blow apart without provocation. He referred the homeowner to the supplier to purchase a replacement.
By day’s end, patio doors at three more houses had suffered the same demise. It took the second caller’s report to arouse the warranty rep to investigate further. It turned out the breather tubes in the dual pane glass could not keep up with the sudden change of air pressure. All four homeowners received replacement doors free of charge; the first caller also received an apology.
An enthusiastic “That’s a new one on me! Let me check that out,” is a better response than assuming that if you have not heard of it, it can’t happen. Keeping in mind that even after years in the business the most astute professionals still have more to learn may be an uncomfortable reality to face, but upon reflection most professionals own up to it. Resist the temptation of thinking you are the end-all expert. We can all learn more, even from a customer.
Carol Smith offers customer service assessment, consulting, and training programs for home builders. She can be reached at csmithhomeaddress@att.net.
