My son bought a ’95 Chevy pickup that just needed a few things to pass inspection. One was a ball joint, which we could pick up and replace easily through the local auto parts store. The other part missing is a rear bumper. Bumpers can be fairly costly, so we thought we’d look at junk yards.
My first attempt was to search for Pick n Pull, a place I’ve been before. Imagine my surprise when I found a ‘Check Inventory’ button on their site – this is great, I’ll know if they have my part before I drive out there and waste gas.
And, of course, they didn’t have my part. Bummer.
But the next part of my experience was somewhat funny.
Wait, what? Why would I look for another make or model? It’s not like a bumper from a 68 Biscayne is going to fit the truck.
What I would have rather seen was a place to add my email address so they could notify me when they got one in. If their system is so automated that they keep track of inventory across multiple locations, they could do this easily. Â They could also use the page to say ‘What part were you looking for?’ and use that to see if there’s a part they can get from another location in short order.
What sort of customer experiences are you missing out on by simply giving negative answers?
- “We don’t have that part.”
- “We don’t carry that line.”
- “We can’t get those.”
Why not try something a bit more creative? Get an email address, phone number, something, and refer the customer somewhere.  Even if it’s a competitor, the customer will still remember the positive experience they had with your brand.
This is an excellent example of unintentional negative customer service. It behoves all businesses to look at their company as a customer would see it. Whether its looking at your store front or visiting your website or reading your email signature; its important to know your customer’s experience. Thanks for the great article.