Lately, I’ve been purchasing a few more things online than I usually do. I guess I’m embracing the convenience of the internet and even more the convenience of receiving all of my purchases to my door instead of leaving to shop around town for hours. What I’ve realized as I buy more online is that I tend to rely on the reviews of products vs. the marketing of those products. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that many websites have fake reviews. Knowing this, I tend to read through things with a doubtful mind, but I often still get the information I need regarding the product or service. This made me realize something that I want to share with others. When you get good service or a great product…

Shout it out to the world!

I won’t go as far as saying it’s our duty to others, but I’m getting very close to feeling that way. People rely on their community to give them honest and accurate feedback about businesses, products and services. It’s our way of weeding through the junk to get to the great stuff. Without this, we will continue to keep people in business that treat their customers poorly, don’t back up their products and cheat people out of their money. If people speak up about the great companies, then the bad ones will lose business in the process.

A little example from my life – I recently had to switch banks due to a poor service issue that I could not ignore. This bank has been a part of my life and my Houston Courier Service, Hot Shot Delivery, for years. The sad thing was, it was an easy decision to finally make the switch. Somewhere in this “bad economy”, this bank forgot the importance of loyalty, customer service and convenience. It became all about numbers and the bottom line for them. I had recommended this bank to my employees, my contractors, my friends and business colleagues. I could not sit by and watch as their new philosophy caused problems, inconveniences and frustration for multiple people. So, I took a stand – changed banks and told others my reasons for leaving.

Good service is not optional!! It’s not a thing of the past, it’s not a choice and it’s definitely not a perk. It’s expected by me – Every Time. And for that matter, I expect my company to provide that good service to our customers. And, if you don’t get it – Tell me about it! I want to know how my company can improve because I want Hot Shot Delivery to be around in the future. I want to provide the level of service that gets shouted out to the world. High quality, high caliber service that people want to recommend to others. That’s when I know I’m successful. Treating customers like they matter, because you know what… they do.

It’s really very easy to let people know how you were treated or how your new product compares to your expectations. If you are worried about putting your active email address out on the internet, it’s simple to create a “review email account”. Email accounts from Google, Yahoo and MSN are all free. Create an account that you use to review products and give feedback. You will be doing your part and helping others with their buying decisions. People need to know when you have found something so great that it’s made your life easier. They also need to know when you have run in to bad service issues so they can avoid the same problems. It’s a way of giving back through your time and your opinion. You are helping people – it will make you feel great!

Think about it for a minute – can you go through and recommend to others a service that you currently work with? Your doctor, your veterinarian, your dry cleaner, your local delivery service (grins) – are these companies so great that you want to shout it out? If so, look them up online and do a local review of their service so that others who are in need of that service can be one step closer to finding that great business experience too.

Do you have any other great ideas about getting the word about great service out to the masses? If so, let’s chat more about it. Comment on this blog and I’ll get back with you shortly.

Until Next Time,

Eric