Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying:
"A customer is the most important visitor on our premises; he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so."We all believe in giving great customer service and we work hard to provide it day in and day out. Every once in a while though, someone comes along who truly surprises you with a level of customer service that wasn't requested OR expected.
This is a true story:Insurance, by virtue of its nature, is a tough sell. I mean, come on, when you
purchase insurance you are
betting something bad is going to happen to you and the insurance company is
betting it won't. The odds are on the insurance company's side, but none of us want to be without it in the event of health, auto or personal disaster.
So, like nearly everybody else, I had to get
new healthcare insurance at the end of last year. My broker, Brian, is a great guy, patiently going over all the options (most of which were made triply confusing due to all the new governmental mandates).
My needs were specific -- low deductible, low maximum out of pocket, PPO so I could go to a doctor of my choosing. Finally, we found a plan that seemed to fit the bill. At $500 per month, it wasn't cheap, but it fit my criteria.
Fast forward six months and I
need to go to the doctor. In fact two doctors (my two physicians of choice). Neither of them would accept the insurance. Apparently even when it's PPO insurance, the doctors have to be 'in network'.
As frustrating as that was, the thing that
sent me over the edge was the lab work. The lab bill came in --- over $7,000 total!!! Yes, you read that correctly $7,000!
How much did the insurance pay? A total of $400. On $7,000! FOUR HUNDRED! Would someone please explain why I'm paying $6,000 per year for
insurance that doesn't cover anything? Or that no one will accept?
As it turned out, the lab accepted only what the insurance paid (and writes off the rest, which is another topic for another day), but I called Brian and asked for a sit down. We needed to
readdress this whole healthcare insurance situation.First of all, we found an HMO with comparable limits. Low deductible, low out of pocket, similar coverages. AND both my doctors are listed as in their network.
Now here's where the exemplary customer service comes in
to play: Brian offered to find out (A) if I can switch carriers now rather than at the first of the year enrollment period and (B) was going to
call each doctor to MAKE SURE they accept this new insurance and if he didn't get a response would (C)
GO TO THEIR OFFICE to inquire to make sure before I switched.
What broker do you know who does that?
I was actually stunned! An insurance broker in the extremely difficult world of healthcare insurance, is going to go physically make sure my doctors will accept this new coverage? Wow!
Instantly I knew that I will never leave Brian. He
understands what customer service means. He 'gets it'. We hope you 'get it' too. Never forget that we all work in a service industry and nothing we do is about 'us'. It is all about the customer and his/her perception of value.
Our
Executive ErrandsŪ tagline is 'going beyond the usual, regular or customary'. That is Webster's definition of excellence and one we follow every single day. For your buyers, we
extend your exemplary customer service beyond the close of escrow and we will make sure your clients feel about you the way we feel about Brian.
Let us help turn your client's new houses into homes.
Note: You are receiving this email because you are on our Executive ErrandsŪ mailing list. If you prefer not to receive realtor specific emails from us, please email Leslie at LSpoor@executive-errands.com
