Last December, I bought a couple of sweaters online. One was for myself, and one was as a Christmas present for my brother. I ended up finding what I was looking for on two different websites – and I had two very different experiences.
Website A was where I bought the sweater for myself (a Ninja Turtles sweater, in case you were wondering). Shortly after I ordered, they sent me an email with tracking info. It arrived in a timely manner and a few days after it did, I received another email:

“Since many orders are intended as Christmas gifts, we are sending this email out to make sure you are properly taken care of in regards to the potential present.”

The email went on to request that I inspect the order and notify them of any issues. Even though the email was automatically generated, I thought it was a really cool touch.
Website B was where I ordered my brother’s gift – a Legend of Zelda sweater. On the site’s main page, there was a generic disclaimer that stated certain items would not be guaranteed before Christmas. I was pretty happy when I found the item I wanted and it showed a 10-12 day ship time. Since this gave me about a 5 or 6 day buffer period, I figured it was safe.
I placed my order on December 8^th. On December 16^th, I had not received any tracking information so I shot an email to Website B’s customer service team. Then, I waited… and waited… and waited.
On December 22^nd, an automated tracking email landed in my inbox and I was able to let my brother know he would be getting his gift late. The sweater showed up a few days after Christmas. It looked great, and he enjoyed the gift.
I then went on with my life and forgot about this experience… until February. On February 11^th, I received an email back from Website B. F-E-B-R-U-A-R-Y. Yes, you’re reading that correctly. 57 days after I emailed for help, I got the following reply:

“Our normal time frame for printing and processing is approximately 3-7 business days (due to the fact that our designs are not pre-printed). Unfortunately, we were a bit behind schedule and I’m sorry that this delay affected your order”.

They went on to offer me a coupon to use with my next order.
This coupon was useless to me, though. The extra effort to retain me as a customer didn’t even matter in the end. I will never again buy something from Website B. Ever.

• It’s not because it took until after Christmas to receive my item.
• It’s not because their website was unclear.
• It’s not because the sweater was not ready to ship when I placed the order.

The reason I will never buy from them again is because when I reached out to them for help, I got radio silence. When I finally did get a response, it was way too late.
Whether or not you’re selling funny Christmas sweaters, a timely response goes a long way. So does proactive communication. If you are approaching a busy season in your business, take it as an indication to put extra emphasis on your customer experience. Take the extra time to make sure your customers aren’t falling to the wayside at any step of the sale.
Oh and if you’re looking for the best place to score a unique sweater in advance of your next office holiday party, email me. I’d be happy to give you the real name of Website A.

The Remaniac’s here this week sharing a customer service story that has stuck with him since the holidays. Like what Eric has to say? Or do you just want to know where you can buy a sweet ninja turtles sweater like his? Start the conversation below or email him directly.