Jeff Hicks, MAI President  Dohring Group RealWired!

We all say that customer service is very important to us whether it be a product or service.  However, how often do you really get it? Do you provide excellent customer service as a commercial appraiser?  We shouldn't "sell" our services, but rather fulfill a need.

I purchased on-line a dashboard cover for my vintage Saab.  The company I purchased it from sent me the wrong part. I called their "customer service" personnel who talked a lot but never helped me. She said her name was Jennifer but I'm sure her name was really Puja or something like that. 

Frustrated that I had to return the part I've been waiting for, I called two other random companies that I found on-line that sell the product I wanted. The customer service people at these two other companies said their names were also Jennifer. Weird. I explained that I wanted to confirm that they could send me the correct dashboard. The customer service scripts that they were given didn't allow enough them enough flexibility to solve the problem. Our conversation quickly turned to an endless loop of repeating parrot-talk of company policy. My brain shut down.

Looking for solutions, I tapped into my research prowess, a strong genetically ingrained skill set of most commercial appraisers.  After some MMA beating of my keyboard with Google Advanced searching, I found a company that appeared to be the distributor.  Amazingly, this contact person was also named Jennifer, which made for three Jen's in one day.

After some chit chat, I deduced that this Jennifer was located way west of 12.9833° N, 77.5833° E (Bangalore India). This Jennifer was not constrained by scripts but rather had the attitude, information and authority to actually provide customer service. As we talked, Jennifer indicated that she was the one that actually made the error and shipped the wrong product to that re-seller.  How odd is that? I actually found the person who messed up my order after conversations on two continents. 

This Jennifer said she made a mistake and would mail the correct part to me immediately. My confidence increased that she knew exactly what had happened and that I would be receiving the correct product. She told me I could keep the 1973 Buick Skylark (without air conditioning) dash that was shipped to me. 

Many commercial appraisers I talk to realize that the new normal is to provide great appraisals with excellent customer service.  That is such a strange concept for many of us that remain technicians in our field. But just like the first two Jennifer's that couldn't help me, I never want to find myself chained to a desk with a limited script.  If I do, I deserve to be outsourced, or worse, irrelevant.  Mike Doughty has a song about love titled 27 Jennifer's, with the lyrics, "...went to high school with 27 Jennifer's, 16 Jenn's, 10 Jennies and then there was her." 

I found the one "Jennifer" that could actually help me. I was super impressed that she owned the objection of her mistake and set things right. Do you exude confidence to the intended users of your appraisal product that it will be done correctly and on time?  Commercial appraisers that are solely technicians are a dying breed. The evolution of our trade is converging to high quality valuation, professional report presentation delivered in a timely manner with strong technology and excellent customer service.  If you don't give excellent customer service to your clients, I guarantee there are other appraisers in your market that will be happy to be that "Jennifer".