Customer Service: Your Free Sales Force

by Ryan McMullen

Last year around this time, I visited our local REI, in Brentwood, to buy a pair of gloves for those St. Louis temperatures that are too low for skinny cotton gloves but not so low that I need ski gloves. Leave it to our unpredictable climate to force us to buy three pairs of gloves and, on special days, force us to don all three.  

I settled on a pretty nice $50 pair of black Outdoor Research gloves with some sort of space-aged wind protection. Unfortunately, REI did not have my size in stock, so I just bought them directly on the Outdoor Research website. For those of you unfamiliar with it, Outdoor Research is a brand similar to The North Face or Patagonia, so it’s not superexpensive but certainly not cheap.

About two months later I noticed that one of the seams had pulled apart and there was a 2-inch hole on the outside of the left wrist. I was well past the traditional return policy of 30 days that most businesses adopt, so – as has been my experience in the past with other companies – I was ready for an uncomfortable argument resulting in my vowing to never buy from the company again.

I contacted the customer service area, and much to my amazement, they were absolutely incredible. I did not have to plead my case one iota and actually felt like I was the one who owed them.  

Here’s an abbreviated version of how the conversation went:
Me: I bought these gloves about two months ago, and one already has a hole on the seam.
Customer Service: No kidding? That’s a shame that happened. Which model were they, and what is your address so I can send you a new pair?
Me: Huh?
Customer Service: Yup, we’ll just send you a new pair.
Me: Wow! Thank you! Where should I send my damaged pair so we can exchange them?
Customer Service: Don’t worry about that hassle. You can keep them.
Me: Huh?

Not only had they corrected their mistake, but they also made it completely painless to me. I couldn’t quickly enough log in to Facebook to thank them or tell anybody within earshot how awesome Outdoor Research is.

The more I thought about it, the more I appreciated how simple it was. They took what could have been a very negative situation and totally capitalized on it. They spent maybe $15 for the new gloves and shipping, yet they effectively created a lifetime customer and a passionate brand advocate. To this day, whenever I put on those gloves, I am reminded of that experience.  

You may be thinking that is an awfully liberal return policy and your business cannot afford to give away products or services. I hate to sound like a cliché, but you cannot afford not to.

Nordstrom is a great example of a company that accepts returns on everything – including merchandise it doesn’t even sell – and it doesn’t seem to be going broke. Using my Outdoor Research case, it cost them $15 to acquire a customer for life and uncommissioned salesperson. I can’t think of one successful business that wouldn’t take that deal all day long.     

There is no marketing that is more powerful than creating a community around your brand. That community not only will repeatedly buy from you but also, more important, will selflessly spread your message.

By far, the best way to cultivate your community is through superior customer service. If you have to give away a few products or services to stand tall above your competitors, jump at the opportunity because you will receive a huge return on your very small investment.      

Ryan McMullen (ryan@stlouismarketinglab.com) is the owner of St. Louis Marketing Lab.