Customer service: Your greatest competitive weapon

In my quest to purchase a snowblower last weekend, I narrowed my choice down to models from two different brands. In checking customer reviews across an assortment of retail websites, a disparity immediately became apparent. Negative reviews for one of the brands sat untouched while the other manufacturer had responded to nearly every rating of three stars or less with messages ranging from “will take this into account” to “call this 800-number to resolve the issue.”

The company’s responsiveness played no small part in my decision to choose that vendor for a substantial purchase. It’s an example of how, in the age of the empowered customer, service is becoming a profit center.

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