One Hit Wonders

Life can be fickle. Last week I picked up a new car, a comfy recliner and a future son-in-law. This week all I got was a broken toilet and a couple of broken promises.

I had a great experience a few months ago with a local plumbing company. The plumber was on time and on his game. He was extremely polite, efficient and thorough. I was so impressed that I called the company to tell them what a great job their guy did. I think they were as surprised to receive the call as I was to make it. Plumbing is obviously important but it is not all that exciting. I have pretty high standards for service, and when they are exceeded, I guess it gets my attention. Plus, I really didn’t know what to expect. I can’t remember the last time I called a plumber. Most of the issues I have faced in my home have been easily resolved with a wrench, some Drano or a plunger. It was very likely that I would not need to call a plumber again for a long time.

Hold that thought. As fate would have it, I discovered that the toilet in our guest bathroom was loose. One of the two anchor bolts had actually become unseated from the floor. I could not fix the problem myself. This issue is serious because it could create a major water leak. Even if this did not occur, I figured it was best that we not subject our guests to a motion sensitive toilet.  

Given my predicament, I called my favorite plumbing company. They had a good track record, though admittedly they were only one for one. I got an appointment scheduled and the plumber once again showed up on time. It was a different guy but he was friendly enough and seemed to know what he was doing. After about 20 minutes, the plumber, we’ll call him Fred, called me into the guest bathroom to discuss the problem. Not a good sign. Bottom line was that the flange was busted and would need to be replaced, provided a replacement part could be found for this 30-year old item. If not, the repair would be much more expensive, involving two plumbers and a lot more time. Terrific.

Now, here is the heart of this little saga. Fred told me that he would immediately start checking with local supply dealers for the part we needed. He promised to call me by the end of last week. That didn’t happen. He then said he would be back to my home this Tuesday. That didn’t happen either. My favorite plumbing company had failed me and Fred had apparently flushed me. My euphoria went down the drain and my faith in Fred and the company plunged. We have guests coming this weekend so I’ll need a Plan B.

This experience got me thinking about a phenomenon known a “One Hit Wonders.” People usually think about recording artists when this subject comes up. Some of you will remember Tommy Tutone and his hit single “867-5309/Jenny.” You may also recall the group A-Ha and their smash “Take on Me.” A-Ha apparently had a brilliant A-Ha moment, but that was it, a moment. If you are a one hit wonder and manage to strike it rich, good for you. Some people have done this in the entertainment business, stock market or lottery. People and companies in the business serving people; however, cannot afford to be one hit wonders. Anyone can have a good day, and occasionally string together other good days. The big question is whether they can do this consistently over time. That is the true test of service and performance for people, products and companies.

My favorite plumbing company started out positively. They were one for one after the first service call several months back. They are now one for two in terms of service success and a whole lot worse in terms of their credibility with me. In my scorebook, broken promises cost double. Two broken promises equal four strike outs. That makes my former favorite plumbing company one for six. That’s pretty bad, plus they have not even begun to fix my problem.

When it comes down to it, all of us are in the service business. Our name is on everything we do. Here are few things we need to keep in mind:

• Courtesy is very important but consistency is king. Anyone can be a one hit wonder. Consistent performance over time is what really matters.
• Our statements of intent and action constitute commitments. They are promises that we make to ourselves and others. We need to honor them if we expect to develop trust and credibility.
• We are going to screw up, which means we need to be prepared to engage in relationship and service recovery. A sincere apology, without excuses and explanations, is always the best place to start. These words then need to be followed up quickly by decisive action that fulfills our original promise and the needs of the person we are serving. Better yet, we should work to exceed the expectations of the customer. This may cost us some extra time and money but it may allow us to preserve, and sometimes even strengthen, the relationship. People generally notice when someone does something out of the ordinary (i.e., something extraordinary).

My plumbing project is still backed up but the lessons coming from the experience are flowing. Make it a great week.