The Small Things That Make a Big Difference

Last month I had a problem with my Sony Vaio laptop. The touchpad was knackered and needed replacing. A couple of emails back and forth with Sony Support and they arranged to pick it up, repair it and deliver it back to me. When I opened the package at first I thought they’d given me a new laptop – it looked brand new. The screen and chassis was spotlessly clean. A little note fluttered out saying that whilst they had my laptop they took the opportunity to give it a thorough clean.

It would have taken them a few minutes to clean it and the cost would have been pennies, not pounds. But the good will it bought from me was priceless. It’s re-affirmed my love of all things Sony.

We’re off to Peterborough tonight to stay with my sister for the weekend so she can meet our new baby and we can meet hers (quite appropriate for a blog post talking about small things that make a big difference!). My wifes car was due a service so we though it’d be a good idea to get it done before the long drive to Peterborough.

Using an authorised Mercedes dealership was bound to cost more than the local garage, but it should help retain it’s value when we come to sell it. Considering we were paying £400 for the service, I really thought they’d give the car a quick clean – even if just the outside. It would only have cost them a couple of quid. But they didn’t.

That was a great opportunity for them to do a small thing that would have made a big difference, but they missed it.

All interesting (or not) anecdotal stuff. But if you’re running a business it has practical implications too. What small things can you do in your business that cost you close to nothing but give your customers a warm fuzzy feeling? It’s certainly something I’ll be thinking about over the weekend in between changing nappies.

I’ve just realised that this post could be summarised as “My house is full of Sony stuff and I’m away for the weekend”. Hmmm.

http://www.ozzy.co.uk/ Richard Osborne

I’m also a big fan of Sony products, they always just seem to be nicer than others in their looks .. which sadly is more important to me than processing power etc. However with the two same organisations you refer to I have had the complete opposite experiences as I wrote about in my own blog;
My Mercedes experience @ http://is.gd/P4Mq and then my Sony experience @ http://is.gd/P4NK
Despite everything though, you are spot on in that so many companies overlook the simple and cheap ways to give that warm cared for feeling to their customers.
http://www.funkyinteriors.com funkyInteriors

Where abouts do you live again Duane? 😉 I need a nice ‘new’ laptop.

Seriously, they do say a little can go a long way and this is a good case in point. Well done Sony. Will bear them in mind next time I need to purchase a new laptop (if I can’t get hold of yours that is..)
http://www.12pay.co.uk Tom McClelland

I have a slightly different take on this. For me the key thing is whether or not the contracted service is delivered properly with everything that you asked them to do done to a professional correct standard. I’m a long-time Mercedes man too, but I no longer use franchised dealers for servicing, except during the warranty period.

What I noticed was that my car would always come back looking as if it had the benefit of a full valet service (evidently my local dealer was more switched on to this particular aspect of customer service than yours was), but frequently the actual job I’d asked them to do would be done poorly or not at all. Now I use a local non-franchised Benz specialist who always does exactly what is asked, and does it for half the price. But OTOH my car comes back exactly as clean or dirty as it was when I gave it to him. So yes, it is nice to get the warm human touches, but without competent service they are insufficient to maintain loyalty, for me at least.
http://www.askm.co.uk Emily Coltman

I agree both ways up.

You need the core business activity to be done properly (that is repairing the laptop / servicing the car).

But it’s what Paddi Lund http://www.paddilund.com/content/view.asp?&ref=aec calls Critical Non-Essentials (CNe’s for short) that make you talk about a business and use it again.

That’s attending to things like cleaning a laptop that’s in for repair, or valeting a car that’s in for service. Or hoovering the carpet when you’ve fitted new windows.

Something outside the core activity that will make your customers sit up and take notice – and tell their friends about you.

M
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The Small Things That Make a Big Difference

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