What makes you use a company time and again?

[catnapper]

I always buy from people. You can get the same product from many different places, and varying prices on that same item, but its the people with whom I'm dealing that make me return to that company. Their service is key. If they mess up, its ok, just be honest with me about your mistake and act quickly to rectify it.

Right now, in my business, its a mean, nasty world. Customers are shopping harder than ever and looking for the ultimate best deal. My prices are almost always higher because I'm selling a more expensive product. In these economic times, people aren't necessarily considering that my product is better quality, they're seeing the bottom price line. I typically have a strong sales rate because I am honest and I don't call or harass them to make a decision unlike my competitors (or coworkers). I had a customer yesterday come back solely because I was the only one who didn't call her a hundred times. She admitted my prices were higher and the financing terms not as generous, but she came back because of me. I knew she didn't want me to call, so I respected that. Many others actually want me to keep in contact, so I do that. The thing is to find out what they want and fulfill that need.

[carole]

I like when they have rewards systems in place, like buy one get one free, or buy so many get a free product, of course that does not really apply to a computer business, but what you suggested,rewarding them for their custom, sounds good to me.

Of course good service, politeness and a good job done, will always make me go back to that company.when a company goes that extra mile for me also makes me want to deal with them again.

Cost does come into it for me, so value for money as well.

[Suki Wingy]

I actually prefer no live person on the phone.

[cassiesmom]

I'm with Finn's mom - Really good customer service does it for me. Example: Von Maur (a Midwest department store) - I shop there over and over, even though their prices are not the lowest, because their customer service is impeccable. I also like Trader Joe's for produce because the quality is so much better than the supermarket, and the prices are too. Plus, it's just a fun environment to shop in with the staff wearing Hawaiian shirts and ringing the bell.

I'd probably misplace a coupon I received as the result of a "refer a friend" program in my too-cluttered house. But if you have a second to send me a "thank you for the referral" postcard, I'd be really happy that someone had taken time to acknowledge that.

[blue]

For any company I freaquent, customer service will bring me back everytime even if the prices are higher.

[Catlady711]

Things I like in a business:

(local)
Knows my name when I come in
Remembers my issue from a phone convo and saves time of me having to re-explain it
Is sometimes willing to stay just a bit after closing time because of my work schedule, so I can drop off things or for quick questions
Saturday hours into the evening or even some Sunday hours

(any business)
A human that speaks good English answering the pones
A human that makes a point of trying to understand what you're having a problem with
Not being put on hold for long periods of time, instead will call you back if it's gonna take awhile, and does call back.
Having an extension number or something so I can deal with the same person each time for the issue
24/7 customer support by phone
Going out of the way to help or make things easier for you when possible.
Good prices with good customer service to go with it.
Friendly, well informed staff.
Being able to admit 'I don't know, but I can find out the right answer for you'.
Honesty with the charges/billing from the beginning.


Things I highly dislike in any business:

Push ____ for this department, push ___ for that department (none of which ever seem to address my problem).
Getting a customer support person that speaks too slow, too fast, or with a heavy accent (even an English dialect) that I cannot understand what they are saying.
PASSWORDS (a big pet peeve of mine since I can never remember all of them)
Having to explain the same problem to several people before getting transferred to the one that can actually help.
Being put on hold for 10 minutes or more
Crappy hold music that is so full of static you can't hear it, or is nothing but one long informertial interrupted every so often by a recording of 'your call is important to us please stay on the line'.
Customer support that just cannont seem to understand what you are trying to explain to them because it wasn't one of the common problems on their flow chart.
Errors in billing that they won't take care of immediately, instead make you wait until the next billing cycle (too me 3 months going around with the cable company on this one before it was corrected)
Customer service people that no matter what your complaint is never says 'I'm sorry' they simply repeat constantly 'I understand'. (trust me they never understand $#@*!)
Finding out that the person you talked to that said there was no charge to change a service, lied to you and there is a charge, then you get the priviledge of dealing with 5 different people fighting with them to understand that you were told it was no charge by the first person.
Lack of communication within a company (right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing)