<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV>Thanks. I was wondering how =
bad a beating I would take for my piece. If others have comments, I'll =
collect them into a follow-up column.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I fully admit to some =
cynicism with regard to customer satisfaction. The same =
tuning/service/behavior from a tech at different appointments will =
generate different customer reactions in a seemingly random manner. Some =
will be happy; some will not; and I see no way to avoid the unhappy =
ones. I had a customer suggest that my bass tuning was off as I was =
performing the tuning. Are we the tuning experts or are we not? I won't =
alter a tuning to its detriment to please a customer; customers should =
be willing to play my tuning and give it a chance. Maybe they will like =
it after a full tryout. The point is if I immediately return to a piano =
as the result of a callback, when I get there we may still disagree =
about whether the tuning is good. An optimist would say I might turn the =
situation around by showing good faith and willingness to serve by =
returning. A cynic might say, the customer will end up trying somebody =
different anyway, so an immediate return is pointless.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>You see, part of my problem =
(I'm admitting an attitude problem here) is the feeling that I can pick =
up clear cues from new customers about whether they are desirable =
customers or not. If a customer doesn't feel it is important enough to =
be around when the tuning is over, especially if they feel it's OK to =
question a tuning, may not be the best customer. Another example is a =
new customer who is a no-show; I have a policy of not rescheduling =
no-shows, except for fully established customers. I broke my policy once =
for a customer who happened to live close to me. Never again; she called =
back after two months and a change of seasons to express her =
dissatisfaction with the tuning. You can say I should have immediately =
returned to the piano; I say I never should have gone out in the first =
place.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Ah, the life of the service =
pro.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Kent</DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Sep 10, 2005, =
at 10:13 AM, Mike Kurta wrote:</DIV><BR =
class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; =
font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV><FONT =
face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" =
style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; "> Dear =
Kent:</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
"> In reference to your article in the latest PTG Journal, I =
have to take issue with your comments and please allow me to suggest a=
better system.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" =
size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; =
font-size: 10px; "> 1. When a customer =
complains, one should listen with a sympathetic ear, not an =
argumentative, defensive one. A "dreaded callback" is in reality =
information that requires serious attention, not excuses or blaming. =
Like doctors who listen to patients who know their own body, we need to =
listen to customer's concerns about their =
piano.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
"> 2. The first step should be an </SPAN><U =
style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; =
">immediate</SPAN></U><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" =
style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; "> return to the job in =
question. A client expects the tuning to be right and has paid you =
for that expectation, but how complaints are handled are the real =
mark of a professional. A suggestion of "guaranteed tuning" might be =
better replaced by a desire to achieve customer satisfaction promptly. =
</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
"> 3. The desire that clients use one technician for =
all their instruments is a valid one but can only be achieved by techs =
performance and trust </SPAN><U style="font-family: Arial; font-size: =
10px; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">earned</SPAN></U><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
">, not automatically expected after the first meeting. If one =
expects to serve this client with "pianos all over the building," =
it would make sense to try to please rather than =
pre-judge. </SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" =
size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; =
font-size: 10px; "> To assume the tuning was fine (which it =
probably was) and that the fault lies with the piano or the =
person complaining, might be premature. To devote the =
conversation to boasting about ones reputation and methods is a turnoff =
and counterproductive. Allow the customer to find this out by your =
performance over time. He/she perceives a =
problem</SPAN></FONT> <FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
">and our job is to respond in a kindly,helpful way putting other things =
aside until it is resolved. This would be my "better =
system."</SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT face="Arial" size="2"><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; =
"> Mike Kurta </SPAN></FONT></DIV><BR =
class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></BODY><=
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