Customer service is tantamount to success. I don’t care if you are a hospital, a hotel, or selling used cars, media, or sponsorships. If you cannot deliver great customer service, you will not be successful. That means being on time for meetings and deliverables; helping when needed, and if you don’t have the solution, finding someone who does; checking back to ensure all is good; and delivering what you promised.

I have a recent customer service story. I use a Microsoft Surface which I bought back in December 2014. I love it. Terrific product. I am still trying to learn to use its capacity but that is a human issue, not a product issue! Microsoft helps with that. They have face-to-face one-on-one tutorials online or in-store to teach me, support me, etc. to learn shortcuts, and how to use the product (hardware and software) more efficiently and effectively. But this past December, I was in a bind. I was on Vancouver Island and was having an issue with my Surface. I could not get the keyboard to work. It was a connection thing. So I had to use the “on-screen” keyboard. I knew I would be in Calgary in 2-3 weeks and could go to the Microsoft store in Chinook Centre to get it fixed. I decided I would wait it out and try to conduct all my business without an actual hardware keyboard. I got frustrated. Quickly. I needed to see someone face-to-face. I figured it was a quick technical thing some “techie” could fix. So, I went to Staples. They were great. They could not solve the issue, but had several idea solutions. Probably the most logical was to buy a new keyboard. But they said to call Microsoft first because it was probably still under warranty. Then if Microsoft gave the OK, they (Staples) could supply the keyboard under warranty. In my mind, this was great service by Staples. They did not try to sell me a new keyboard—they tried to solve a problem!

So then I thought about the dreaded online or phone support call. You are on “hold/ignore” for 30+ minutes. Then they don’t listen. Most often, they cannot solve it right away and then have to get back to you. And they try and upsell you on services. I hate those calls. But I had to make one.

This call to Microsoft was different. It was three weeks before Christmas—a busy time. But my wait time was less than three minutes. The tech came on the line. He asked about the problem, listened, and asked three or four questions. Then he had me power it off in a different way (holding the volume button and the power button at the same time) which I messed up the first time. He walked me through it again. Then he asked me to try the keyboard. Shazam! It worked. He explained it was like a factory reset for the connection which is sometimes blocked by a new app that has been installed and such. No further problem. “And if there is,” he said, “power down the same way and it will reset!” Wow, problem solved. No new keyboard. All done in less than 15 minutes. Two days later, he called back to make sure everything was still working OK—and no upsell. You can be sure I will continue to buy Microsoft products!

In the world of sponsorship marketing, we too often focus on the sales process and not the customer service process. We work toward the close, and once the “deal is done.” we sit back, wipe our brow and say, “Thank goodness that is over.” Well, the work has just begun. We need to continue servicing, fulfilling, and ensuring there are no rough spots. And if there are, fix them. Like a marriage, the real work begins once the vows are said! So, why not check on each of your partners and future partners today to see how they are doing?

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