When something goes wrong with a product or service, it can be a frustrating experience to get it resolved.

Long hold times. Surly representatives.  Promises to call back that are never kept.

That is usually what happens.  But a few weeks ago, I had an amazing experience with my tech company.

For quite a while, I have had some issues with getting locked out of my Office 365 account.  My tech company had been acquired by a larger firm and in the transition, a number of things changed.

I kept calling and the issue never seemed to get resolved.

And then I lost it, doing what I advise not to do— I yelled at my service advisor who really was trying to help.

He could have given up and I might have gone elsewhere.  Instead, he did something great—he arranged a call with the lead tech advisor who for more than an hour patiently worked through the issue, figured out the problem, and answered some additional questions.

At the heart of the issue was a communications problem.  Apparently, I was supposed to change my password every three months, something I did not know and was never properly communicated so the system kept locking me out.

That call turned an angry, frustrated customer into a happy one for three reasons:

  • They found a solution.
  • They showed they cared.
  • They built trust.

That takes time, intention, and effort but in the end, it’s worth it.