Clever Customer Service

I think that customer service can make or break a company, don't you? I have often decided whether or not to patronize a business depending on how I am treated by the employee dealing with me. A good example of this is the two Popeye's franchises in my neighborhood. I am used to dealing with one and I have always been pleased with the treatment I have received there. We don't do it very frequently, but on occasion, we have opted to purchase 50+ pieces of chicken to serve when we have a birthday party for one of our children. We feel that it is well worth the cost, which is always less than $1 per piece at that quantity plus any coupons I can round up, and a reasonable way to feed as many guests as we typically have for these family parties. We make baked mostaccoli and salad ourselves, but the bread, butter, beverages and of course, cake and ice-cream (Edy's Chocolate!! Love it!). Anyway, I got off on a rabbit trail…so, one time, I called ahead to give them time to get my large order ready and I was treated AWFUL. Really, really badly. The lady had an obnoxious attitude and was demanding pre-payment (which I had never been asked to do before). There was no reasoning with her either. Finally, exasperated, I said "Is this the Popeye's on Kedzie??" She quickly told me no. I was so relieved . . . I had mistakenly dialed the wrong Popeyes. Still, that experience really made me think about the value of customer service. The place that I had done business with in the past would continue to get my business the way they chose to do business with me. They were always polite and accommodating. However, had my experience originally been with the place that I had mistakenly called. . . well, I doubt I would have even gone through with even the one order. . . . never mind any repeat business.

Recently I have seen two examples of outstanding customer service that I have experienced within Clever Container. The first experience was the way that the Clever Container home office counseled me to handle a customer that had reported a product to be missing two rings that were needed to assemble it correctly. The thought that I had running around in my head was that it really could be fixed through a little creative rigging. Of course, I also understood that the customer's experience with our company and the products that we sell can make or break our success. So, I waited to hear about how to handle her situation. Well, I was pleased beyond words when they asked me for her contact information so that they could send her out a new one right away! Furthermore, there was no need for her to return the product to me or them. Remember earlier I said that the product could be made to work. . . so in a way she got herself two products! Still, I am sure that her experience with us would be reported to her friends and family as a good one, right? Then, the second experience was more personal. I wanted to use my Clever Cash (money consultants earn based on sales and recruiting that can be used to purchase catalogs/order forms) to purchase more of our catalogs, and I am positive that I had two to use, but I could only find one (don't judge. . . I never claimed to be completely organized, just to really desire to be organized J). Well, the sweet ladies in home office allowed me to place the order even though I could only report the numbers off of the one CC I could find. Of course they told me to keep better track of my business, and that they wouldn't be able to do this again. That is totally understandable, and I honestly was pleasantly surprised that they extended me the grace even that time. Karen and Jennifer are really amazing Christian moms and the Clever Container business owners. If you'd like to learn more about them or Clever Container, check out when Clever Container was briefly featured on "Good Morning America" or you can check out Karen & Clever Container on "Mom Invented", or even listen to an interview with Karen and Jennifer online here (there is also an option to view the PDF transcript of the interview if you'd prefer to read it).

I thank God for allowing me this opportunity, and leading me to a company where I could learn alongside those I am teaching. I thank Him for having me chance upon this company that was headed up by two extraordinary Christian woman who, I am sure, will lead this company to its success without losing their integrity. Did you know that I was the first Clever Consultant in Illinois? My guess is that, chances are, you haven't heard of Clever Container before, am I right? I'm betting that will not be the case a year or two from now. J I look forward to watching what the company becomes as a whole and also look forward to what kind of success I might experience personally. It is challenging to 'work' much with the ages of my children right now, but as the seasons of life change, I'm sure that I'll have more opportunities.