It is possible
My new sofa would be delivered. More than seven weeks later than planned. There was something about fabrics (or the lack thereof), delivery issues and hassle in the factory in Italy. The communication was not entirely neat, but there was good news. The bank was in the Netherlands and was with the transport company.
I got a call from a friendly lady, who asked when it was convenient to deliver the sofa. Now, on the day that the delivery men would be in Utrecht, I already had a lunch appointment. So yes, they could come between 11:30 and 12:00, but I really had to leave at 12:30. She kindly told me: "I make sure that the men are on time. I promise you that." Hmmm, very clear language. But still: would this go well? I would receive an e-mail one day in advance, with the confirmation and the time of delivery time. "And if you get that email, don't worry. Because it will be mentioned that we deliver between 11 am and 12 noon. For you, that means we will be there around 11.30 am. Really, I promise you just one more time."
Naturally. Not entirely reassured, I had meanwhile told my lunch date that I would probably be a little late. Because of course, you never know with traffic, delivery drivers and appointments. The e-mail arrived in my mailbox with exactly the sentence about the times in it, as the nice lady had announced. They also gave me a tip in the same e-mail: if I wanted to pay by card, I had to check what my daily limit was, because that's where things sometimes went wrong. The suggestion was to contact my bank about this, as this was easy to adjust. Ha! That's thinking along with me as a customer. Because I had no idea what my daily limit was. I logged into my bank and within a poo and a sigh, my daily limit was suitable for the transaction tomorrow.
Friday morning, 11:00 a.m. The phone rings. A 06 number unknown to me. A bad premonition creeps up on me. Would they be too late? "Hello ma'am, here's your delivery man. We are now driving away from Woerden. And so we are in Utrecht in plenty of time, so that you can go to your lunch appointment at 12.30 pm."
Speechless. With a big smile. Not only had the planning lady put my wishes in the system, the delivery people had also read it and taken it into account. Chapeau TS Furniture Transport. The delivery drivers also turned out to be perfect mechanics. The couch is standing, they took all the packing stuff and I was on time for my lunch. So it is possible!
This blog was written for CustomerFirst and published on June 5, 2019
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Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.
She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.
Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations.
With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results.
