Date: June 12, 1999
To: moving@avatar-moving.com
From: "Eric Scorzelli" <ESPNJ1@aol.com>
Subject: AMS-Forum slow train comin
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Eric Scorzelli wrote:
Much as my business is, the moving business is also- people and rolling fleet. Both are imperfect and depend on so many other things to go right in order for them to work perfect ( alarm clocks to DOT stops) How we can expect every shipment to move from point A to point B perfectly I will never know. I do know one thing though, behind every Irate customer is a salesperson that did not go to any great length to discuss the logistics involved in thier order, or did not tell them no when they requested the impossible. Fear of losing the sale is a tough thing to overcome and it usually leads to problems for the operations staff.

Eric Scorzelli
Sales Manager Eastern Seaboard Packaging

Chris Noblit replied:
Mr. Scorzelli has just hit the nail on the freakin head and his message is riding a bullet to the Hall of Fame tonight...

"...behind every Irate customer is a salesperson that did not go to any great length to discuss the logistics involved in their order, or did not tell them no when they requested the impossible."

As hard as we try, there are always some of our customers who get irate, and the cause is JUST ABOUT ALWAYS traced back to Eric's statement. They're not irate at Customer Service. They're not irate at Operations. They are not irate at the packers, nor the helpers, and they're not irate at the driver. In fact, they hasten to COMPLIMENT each of those parties on the quality of their work and their attitude. They are irate because something went wrong with their move, something that was an apparent need FROM THE BEGINNING, but went UNDOCUMENTED by the sales representative. What are these things? Carrier packing pictures, mirrors, marble tops, or glass tops. A shuttle at origin. Stair carry, elevator, or shuttle charges at destination. An (unseen) extra pickup at origin that was estimated at 1,000 pounds but nets out at 4,000. Unrealistic load or delivery spreads.

Some time ago I wrote about the need for sales representatives to THOROUGHLY DOCUMENT shipment/customer needs, required service parameters, promises made, and unrealistic Shipper expectations. At Avatar we accomplish this with our "Survey Report"...

http://www.avatar-moving.com/pdf/asr.pdf

Failure to document such specifics is akin to playing RUSSIAN ROULETTE with customer satisfaction. In fact, we talk about the need to prepare thorough Survey Reports at EACH and EVERY weekly office meeting.

The good guys make this mistake once -- maybe twice -- and then figure out for themselves that they need to do good documentation for things top end well for all. The bad guys clean up their act for a week or two and then it's back to the same old, same old.

Thanks for reminding us Eric!
Chris Noblit

Traci McCullah replied:
<<< I do know one thing though, behind every Irate customer is a salesperson that did not go to any great length to discuss the logistics involved in thier order, or did not tell them no when they requested the impossible. Fear of losing the sale is a tough thing to overcome and it usually leads to >>>

This is such a true statement, the salesperson will sell a move, then fail to inform the customer that their "SPECIAL REQUEST", may actually not be possible---especially during the summer season when the volume of business increases. Had two already this summer and we are 2 weeks into June. The operations departments will jump through hoops to satisfy the request and then want to choke the salesperson at a later date when there is time to do so!!!

Traci McCullah

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