Negotiation and the Importance of Customer Satisfaction

I became seriously dissatisfied with the customer experience of a major computer hardware manufacturer. And this is my story.

The Weekly Walkaway highlights negotiation in its ‘good’, ‘bad’ and sometimes ‘downright ugly’ forms. Issue No. 55 (1st December 2023)

What to expect?

• Quotes of the Week

  • “Our business is about technology, yes. But it's also about operations and customer relationships.” (Michael Dell)

  • “At Dell, we believe the customer is in control, and our job is to take all the technology that's out there and apply it in a useful way to meet the customer's needs.” (Michael Dell)

• Thought of the Week - Negotiation and the Importance of Customer Satisfaction.

Remember: You are a negotiator!

You are always managing some form of conflict, a difference of opinion or interest.

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THOUGHT OF THE WEEK

Negotiation and the Importance of Customer Satisfaction

So Walkawayers a personal post this week.

I became seriously dissatisfied with the customer experience of a major computer hardware manufacturer. And this is my story.

After working with some awesome clients over in Germany and being witness to my old and once trusted Dell laptop failing I realised it was time to pull the ripcord and finally put my brick (nickname for old and trusted Dell) down and loyally go back to Dell for the most modern, cool, all singing all dancing laptop they had.

I bought what I thought was a great new laptop. And I was looking forward to receiving it.

The box arrived a few days later and I hurried to open it like an excited child at Christmas and what I got was a computer in a box. Remember this part for later on.

Now, I’m not known for being the most technical individual but, even I can tell you when a laptop is not a laptop.

What arrived can only be described as the most massive, heavy, replacement for a desktop.

Photo by Carl Raw on Unsplash

I had bought a gaming rig. A monster of the gaming world with huge power and ability to play the most modern graphics heavy games.

Again, hands up, I’m not the most technical person in the world.

I needed a powerful, modern and highly portable laptop. I needed to be able to travel comfortably with it.

So like any normal consumer I immediately reached out to Customer Services and said I needed a swap.

Now begins one of the most frustrating customer experiences of my life. Seriously , no exaggeration.

I found myself in a tangled web of dissatisfaction, disgust and fury.

My simple request. To swap, not to return, to simply swap the monster for something more portable, was answered with a cold hard -

‘NO, we have a no returns policy for business.’

So you can imagine I don’t take this lying down and so this untouched, unportable laptop became a symbol of dissatisfaction and anger, and the no-returns clause became a barrier that needed breaching.

One of my messages read like this:

How disgustingly arrogant. I am offering a fair and equitable solution and your call is to be disgustingly arrogant.

Why would X act so arrogantly when there is nothing negative in swapping?

Again I state my position. Swap this device for an equally priced but more portable alternative by Thursday 16th November 1700hrs GMT, or three things will happen;

1. I post to all of my social media channels complaining of disgusting arrogant Dell service #disgustingarrogantdellservice @Dell;

2. I write to the CEO of X complaining of disgusting arrogant service;

3. I take my business elsewhere.

Again I reiterate my mutually beneficial proposal; if X will swap this un-portable device for an equally priced portable device then I will give a warm review and continue using X for my growing enterprise.

Your call…..

Their response:

Thank you for contacting X Customer Care. I am emailing you on behalf of xyz.

Your email has been forwarded to me in the Customer Care department im his manager.

First of all, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience this matter has caused.

I understand you do not want to return the order and want to exchange this but unfortunately, we won't have the option to return or exchange since this order is placed under a Business segment.

Thank you for choosing X Technologies. We appreciate your business.

Respectfully,

My response:

Thank you for your mail.

Don't tell me what you can't do. Tell me what you can do. I have offered a fair and equitable solution.  X will be perceived as disgustingly arrogant for not either agreeing to this fair offer or proposing an alternative solution.

It costs X nothing to swap. Why would X act so arrogantly? What is X trying to hide?

Again I state my position. Swap this device for an equally priced but more portable alternative by Thursday 16th November 1700hrs GMT, or three things will happen;

1. I post to all of my social media channels complaining of disgusting arrogant X service #disgustingarrogantdellservice @X;

2. I write to the CEO of X complaining of disgusting arrogant service;

3. I take my business elsewhere.

Again I reiterate my mutually beneficial proposal; if X will swap this un-portable device for an equally priced portable device then I will give a warm review and continue using X for my growing enterprise.

Your call…..

This went on and on and with no movement from them my dissatisfaction grew.

There is so much going on here;

1. The power dynamic of the customer vs the corporate giant;

2. The stick and the carrot. The threat and the reward. A threat that is backed up in writing, with a date and time associated with actions is a threat worth noting has credibility. A reward that is mutually beneficial;

3. The repetition and anchoring of positions.

In the world of negotiation, power dynamics play a crucial role.

They, maybe blinded by their market dominance, failed to recognise the power of customer satisfaction nor my resilience. Their arrogance and stubbornness proved to be their Achilles' heel.

Arrogance often blinds us to the needs and desires of our customers.

They were wrapped in a cloak of disempowered stubbornness.

They had a script and they were not authorised to bend off-script so they failed to recognise the importance of customer satisfaction.

Their refusal to accommodate my reasonable request showcased a lack of flexibility and empathy.

Maybe they just didn't believe I would follow through. Maybe they didn't care.

Their refusal to consider my mutually beneficial solution led to the deadline not being met and my threat being executed.  I had no other choice.

In negotiation, if you threaten and then don't follow through you lose credibility and embolden your counterpart.

Follow through and show you mean it and they will move. If not this time, then for the next…

On Thursday 16th November at 1700hrs GMT I followed through with my threat.

On Wednesday 29th November at 0930hrs GMT they moved. An appropriate response was received.

Their response:

Yor request for return of your order has been forwarded to myself in the Customer Relations department to discuss and address your concerns.

The Customer Relations department deals with all complaints received in at a Senior Management level.

First of all, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for the delay in resolving your query and for the inconvenience this matter has caused.

We value you as our customer and your satisfaction is extremely important to us.

I would like to let you know that I have taken the ownership of this issue and will follow this up until resolved.

Please note that the order was placed under business and there is no return rights policy for all X business orders, which is also the reason why the support team rejected the request.

Taking into account all the facts and after a reconsideration of the matter, we would like to offer you return of the order as a one-time goodwill exception from X.

Photo by Colin Czerwinski on Unsplash

Too little too late.  I had satisfied myself by following through with my threat;

• I had gone loud on social media to share my experiences;

• I had considered dropping it out of a 2nd floor window with one of my TikTok, snap chatting teenagers videoing for the social media hype but pulled up my big boy pants and did the right thing: I had given the monster gaming rig to charity who were over the moon to have a prize for their Christmas raffle;

• And I had invested in a beautiful alternative; an Asus. And oh my gosh, the satisfaction I experienced unboxing the ASUS laptop was akin to the excitement I had expected unpacking the Dell but x10 better. It was like unpacking my first-ever iPhone. Oh yes, I mean this was not just unboxing a computer.. This was an experience in itself. Wow.

What are the lessons learned?

As the dust settles, I’m able to reflect on the valuable lessons learned. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction are two sides of the same coin, and the perception of power can shift in an instant. And arrogance and stubbornness will lead to your downfall.

Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction: The importance of customer satisfaction cannot be overstated. A positive experience can lead to loyalty and advocacy, while dissatisfaction can have far-reaching consequences. Act swiftly. Delay only increases dissatisfaction;

Power and Perception of Power: Both customers and businesses hold power in different ways. Understanding and leveraging this power can shape the outcome of negotiations and business relationships;

Arrogance and Stubbornness: Arrogance and stubbornness in customer service can alienate customers and damage a brand's reputation. Flexibility and empathy, on the other hand, can lead to mutually beneficial outcomes;

Threat or Reward: Both tactics are appropriate depending on your circumstances. We prefer reward and especially conditional reward, but sometimes you need to, if you have options, to use a threat. Just make sure you are credible and can follow through. If you can't, don't threaten. It's just not worth it;

Closure: When faced with disappointing customer service, closure can be found by making informed choices and sharing experiences with others. This transparency can influence the decisions of potential customers and drive positive change in the business landscape;

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

In the end I hope my story will serve as a reminder that navigating better negotiated outcomes is not just about transactions; it's about fostering positive relationships, giving satisfaction and making your counterpart feel like they got a good deal.

I say goodbye to one hardware manufacturer and I welcome another.

The moral of the story? In the world of consumer negotiations, empathy, flexibility, and customer satisfaction are the keys to #NavigatingBetterNegotiatedOutcomes.

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