Be Kind, Make People Laugh, Save Money

A couple of weeks ago I was packing my duffle for a day of climbing on the local crag.  I noticed one of my ropes was getting frayed. As a frugal weirdo I almost always use things until they die or break. 

This is not a recommended course of action with climbing ropes, by the way 🙂

I found that one of my favorite sites, Moosejaw.com, was having a Labor Day sale.  And they had some screaming deals on ropes.

I picked a great rope that was 35% off and paid via PayPal.  When I got to the confirmation page and hit ‘Purchase’, it spun a while and it didn’t take.  Then I got an error that said “we can’t complete your purchase”.

Seconds later I got a confirmation email from Moosejaw requesting me to call and sort it out.  I then remembered that the credit card linked to my PayPal account had expired and I had forgotten to enter the new one in.  That should be an easy fix.

For most online companies I would hesitate to call since it usually takes an act of magic to get a human being on the phone.  But I had actually called Moosejaw before and knew they were bit different. 

I called and sure enough got a friendly customer service representative named Kim on the phone in short-order.

 

Please Don’t Yell At Me

Being a customer service representative has to be one of the toughest jobs out there.  Every time you answer the phone you’re likely starting a conversation with someone who’s upset, or even downright angry. 

I used to be really tough with customer service reps on the phone, and I would blaze into the conversation with a “my way or the highway” attitude.  Over the years I’ve matured and learn to soften my game. 

There’s a human being on the other line after all, and likely one who’s really not too jazzed to be talking to you either. 

And in this case there was no dispute to sort out, I just needed to pay for my purchase.  So I went in to the call expecting it to be pleasant.  But why not make it fun?

I explained to Kim what I thought happened and that I had the new credit card information ready for her to pay for my purchase.  I heard her clicking keys as she brought up my order.  But I also heard what sounded like a movie playing in the background.

“Sounds like you do this from home with a movie playing in the background”, I said.

“I do, it’s just TV” she said.

This was my ‘break the ice’ line and my attempt to be friendly.  Some silence followed as she clicked away, then she said “Climbing rope? What are you one of those adrenaline people?”

This was just the bait I needed.

“Yes, and I was just recently in Wyoming on a climbing trip and saw an actual moose.  He had a HUGE JAW too!”, I excitedly said.

A brief awkward silence followed, and I feared my attempt at humor had failed miserably.  Then she burst out laughing.

“No way, really? You saw a moose?”, she replied.

“I kid you not, jaw and all” I confirmed. 

I wasn’t lying either, I did see a moose in the Grand Tetons the week prior.  And it did have a jaw, a quite nice one actually.

“What was it doing, the moose?”, Kim asked.

“You know, moose stuff. Like standing, chewing, and pooping”, I replied, in as serious a tone as that line can be delivered.

You can see where this went.  She played along and enjoyed my admittedly childish humor.  It was really fun to make her laugh and to show her all calls are not boring or difficult.

We finally got back to business and when she was ready I gave her my new credit card number.  And for one last laugh I asked her if Moosejaw gives discounts to actual moose. (factiod – the plural for moose is not mooses or meese, and at this point my blog is off the rails…)

“I’ve never had a moose call”, she said “…but I do have a coupon code here for you for an extra 20% off”.

Boo. Friggin. Yah!

And because Moosejaw has a rewards program I got another $2.07 off the order.

 

The World Needs More Fun

So in the end I got a $130 dollar rope for $70.  And I got an additional $14 discount by simply treating Kim like a person and making her laugh.  Call it the “fun discount”.

Moosejaw values its people and sent me an email asking to rate Kim.  I could also give her a gift, and Moosejaw would pay for it.  I chose to give her a lunch on her employer.  I’m sure most customers don’t mention moose poop to their customer service representatives, but she rolled with it and laughed and was fun to talk to. 

This strategy of kindness and humor is not guaranteed to get you a 20% off coupon every time, nor will it assure you’ll get your way in a customer dispute.  But it’s far more likely to work than being abrasive, difficult, or angry.   

Whether you’re negotiating with the cable company over your bill, or dealing with complex and messy medical bills as we all have to do from time to time, treating the person on the other line like a person is the way to go.  And if you toss in a joke about moose poop you just might get you what you want.

The world needs more fun, so create some.  It just might be profitable too.