Customer Service

Yesterday my cable went out, and since my pregnant wife was out sick from work this was a major inconvenience. Have you ever had to deal with a cable company? If the answer is yes then you probably know where I’m going here, if the answer is no then you’re lucky.

Her first call to customer service resulted in a 20-minute hold and the answer that there was currently an outage in our area and to wait an hour. After four hours she called back and with another 20-minute hold time was told that there was never an outage in our area and that a technician would need to be sent out. After a few more hours she called back once again to try and get the problem resolved that day and to have our bill pro rated. At this point she was told it would be a couple of days before anyone could come out, and while they were kind enough to pro rate our bill, our problem being unsolved left a sour taste in her mouth.

Once I made it home I took a look and found all of the wires on the outside of the house disconnected. We rented part of our property to some people who just moved out and the cable company had disconnected their service. As you have probably figured out they were kind enough to disconnect our box too. It only took the fourth customer service rep 30-seconds to figure out the problem.

Humorously enough this exchange coincided with our new subscription to satellite service. My wife was on the phone for hours yesterday and with a little more investigating on the first call the problem could have been resolved and they would not have lost a customer. Sometimes it may seem like we in customer service ask a lot of questions that have nothing to do with the problem at hand. However, I assure you this is so we can see the problem from all angles and not leave you stranded.

Justin Stubbs

 
Sad TV 

I am back at my desk after being in New Orleans for several days, and let me tell you, what a trip!!  I want to give everyone that made our trip so wonderful a big thank you. Never in my life have I been around such nice people!  The culture is rich, the people are fantastic, and the food is even better!  

Ted Vlaz and I were lucky to have some time to spend with long time residents (and customers) Barry, Mercedes, and Charlie Rittenberg.  They drove us around the city and showed us homes still devastated by Katrina.  I was shocked to see the amount of multi-million dollar homes still in disrepair or completely abandoned 2 years after the storm.  The streets were lined with FEMA trailers even in the nicest neighborhoods.  What was most shocking were the water lines on the fronts of these homes.  Some of them came pretty close to the roof tops.  

Home in New Orleans still unoccupied after Katrina.  The red arrow shows the waterline from the flooding.

Ted and I attended the PPLA convention and Houston Guild meeting.  The best part of going to these shows is the one-on-one time we get with you, our customers.  I absolutely love being able to put a face with a name when talking on the phone. It is a great way to build one-on-one relationships.  So the next time you see a convention or guild meeting in your area I strongly suggest you attend.  You never know who you will see, the information you may pull from the classes, or the terrific time you may have just meeting the friendly faces from your lab!

Marsha Thomas

My specialty with Miller's is Customer Service.  I learned from some of our best, and after nearly two decades with this company, I like to think I have a pretty good grasp on the company goal of "100% Customer Satisfaction."  

Marketing is not my specialty, but I enjoy observing the angles used by different companies to advertise and get their message heard.  So you can imagine that ads relating to customer service particularly peak my interest.  Especially ones from fellow labs!  Several recent ads, including the newest Miller's ad, focus on customer service.  Are we all trying to say that we're the best?  Of course!  

I won't deny that I have a biased opinion towards Miller's Customer Service being the best, but let me explain why.  Miller's Customer Service is not just the group of people that answer the phone (in person, by the way) and respond to your emails, but the entire lab.  That's me and 389 other dedicated souls who genuinely like what we do and want to get it right, whether it's on the phone or on a printer.  We serve you by making sure that everyone in the lab knows how important their job is to you.  Our management team works hard to give every team member access to information about you, our business, and our industry.  We welcome and rely on feedback from team members, as well as you, for continually improving our products and services.  At Miller's, every team member is important, just like every customer is important.
 
Yes, I'm tooting our horn, but I'm very proud to work here, and very proud of the people I work with.  You can decide who's best.

-Debra Radell 

p.s.  Here's a nice forum conversation we're enjoying!  

 
Part of the Press Crew -- Dan, Kristy, Stephen, and Lindsay -- taking a break near the press.

I have been dealing with Press-related questions from photographers since we first released this service. And believe me I think I have heard them all!!

One recently recurring question line is “How do I sell Press products?” and “How do I price them?” Unfortunately, all I can give you is general guidelines based on information I have gathered from conversations with other photographers over the past year. For definitive answers you need to turn to each other for guidance. This blog and the Miller’s Forum are perfect vehicles to get these types of conversations rolling.

One thing I think most photographers would agree upon is that you should not try to replace your existing offerings with similar Press Products. Instead look for ways to use them as add-ons to existing packages or products. Or try using them as incentives. For example, your main business is family portraiture and you offer three packages. Your customer orders the least expensive package. Try enticing them to upgrade their choice by offering a set of “customized” greeting cards, using an image of their choice from that same session and their own greetings. Voila! Additional sales! The possibilities are endless.

For more Press product ideas, check out the July 2007 newsletter. If you did not receive a copy, click here for a downloadable pdf. These newsletters are always full with useful and timely information.

I'm sure most of our customers have good stories about how one of our customer service team members took care of you (please go to the forum and post them!)...  Here's a funny one from just a few minutes ago.

A long-time customer just e-mailed Tonya in customer service.  She e-mailed because she locked herself in the office with no phone!  Tonya happily called the business next door who came over and enabled the escape.  We're always happy to help, especially when it makes us laugh!