Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Shout Out to Quality Customer Service

Why yes, I do have a huge back log of blog posts that need to be completed. Why do you ask?

It has been brought to my attention that I have not, of late, been keeping my blog regularly and sufficiently updated. Per specific request by a few blog stalking parties (ahem, mother and Stacey) I will dedicating my free time these next few weeks to our recent goings-on. 

But first ... A shout out to decent customer service. 

I have worked many customer service jobs within the duration of my short life. They aren't always the easiest of jobs, but I always tried to be as pleasant and helpful as I was able to the customers I dealt with. 

Unfortunately, I don't think this is the mentality of every customer service rep.  Rudeness in customer service seems to be a very rampant epidemic. 


Don't get me wrong, I do undertand what working in the customer service industry is like - I was an insurance claims agent for crying out loud. I understand that every once in a while you get that customer who is demanding and unreasonable and makes you want to pull your hair out, but what about the rest of us. The people who just want you to stop talking to your friends behind the counter long enough to ring us up at the register or want to be able to ask you a question with out an enormous exaggerated eye roll. Or acknowledge our existence at all.

Anyway, I've come to expect sub-par service (maybe I lived in Baltimore one too many years). That is why I really appreciate a happy and helpful employee. 

I've seen many lately. The lady who cuts my fabric at JoAnn, the bank lady who always has a complement for her customers or the entire crew of every chick-fil-a I've ever visited. But the best of all has been has been Canvas on Demand

My mom had purchased us a canvas as a Christmas present last year. I had requested a sepia photo and although the photo looked great, it was a little too yellow for my liking. I saw that they had a 365 day return or exchange policy so I called to see when the canvas was ordered and if I could get an exchange. 

To my dismay, I found out I had missed the deadline by about a week. To my excitement, the service rep informed me that a week was no big deal and that they would happily exchange my canvas. 

Canvas on Demand really knows what they are doing. Once I called and requested an exchange, I dealt with that same employee throughout the entire process. I hate when I have to call back a million times. I wait on the line for hours just to explain my situation again to a representative who puts me on hold to look up my account. Usually you end up talking to multiple people and no one knows how to help you. 

My Canvas on Demand rep e-mailed me an easy exchange form as well as a detailed instructions and her personal extension and address. How easy it was. I filled out a form and mailed it to the company along with a cut out of my original canvas. 



I made a black and white file of my picture and e-mailed it to the representative. I got an e-mail back from her an hour later. In my e-mail I had mentioned that I wanted a black and white photo but she had noticed the file I sent her had a few dark brownish tones in small areas. She wanted to know if I wanted her to convert the file to a true black and white image before she sent it to the printer. Wow, talk about going the extra mile.  I couldn't believe she actually read my e-mail, let alone, looked over the file before she placed an order. 

Needless to say, my canvas arrive a short while after and looked amazing! Just the way I had wanted it. I know this was a long worded post about a very simple thing, but I'd like to give credit where credit is due to a company who goes above and beyond the status quo and demonstrates stellar service to its customers. Thanks Canvas on Demand!

3 comments:

  1. super cute picture and great story! i'm excited that you are going to be updating more often, i always love your stories!

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  2. That's maybe the best customer service I've ever even heard of. Love the picture. And Mrs. we need to chat!

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  3. Blog stalking parties...I don't know who you are referring to

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