Customer Loyalty

I ordered a cake at a bakery, and I got the one I wanted.

In the process I saw other women in business fail needlessly. I was reminded about how effective loyalty building can be in business. And I was part of a classic example of how to recover from almost any business error if you do the right thing.

Quite a cake indeed!

In my family we still make special occasion cakes ourselves. To my surprise, my daughter decided that for her birthday she wanted a bakery cake. She was very precise about what kind of cake she wanted (a pound cake with white icing) and where I was to get it.

I called three days in advance and placed the order. It was a pleasant experience. The order taker even called me back because she suspected that my daughter’s name might be a man’s name and she did not want to decorate the cake with pink if it were. It was a nice beginning.

Then I went to pick it up.

The woman behind the counter was disengaged. In fairness, I suppose she dispenses enough cakes every day that it is hard to be pleasant boxing up yet another one, so I just overlooked it. She showed it to me, I checked that my daughter’s name was spelled correctly, and I was quite satisfied.

Then she handed me the box and the bill, and I noticed that the bill was much less than what I expected. I said, I believe you made a mistake, this is a special order pound cake and you did not charge me enough money.

She said, no it isn’t.

I stood there for a minute, feeling befuddled. I said, I placed a special order for a pound cake three days ago. She said, this isn’t a pound cake. I said, I ordered a special pound cake.

She looked at me and said nothing – absolutely nothing at all.

I said again, I am sorry if there is some confusion, but this is for my daughter’s birthday and we are having a party in about four hours and I did order a special pound cake and I would like to get it if this is not it.

She turned her head and called over her shoulder: "Did you know this was supposed to be a pound cake?" Another woman came to the counter and said yes she did. But the pound cake did not come in with the delivery, so she just made up a cake with half pound cake and half regular cake. She noted, sharply, that she had not charged me for the half pound cake.

Then they both looked at me, as if I were inappropriately bothering them. Why didn’t I just take my accidentally discovered, reduced priced, half pound cake and go away?

I tried one more time. I said, I am very disappointed, this is a special occasion, which is why I ordered a special cake, three days in advance.

Both of the women said nothing. Not one word, not one apology, not one single effort to make it right if they could, or to call someone else who could make it right for me if they could not.

I took the cake in despair. The wrong cake would be better than no cake.

In an instant I resolved to make sure I never did business with this bakery again for any product, and to make sure no one I knew would ever do business with this bakery again. It was a sour cake indeed that I purchased, despoiling a party and a business relationship.

Then I decided I just would not let it pass.

I found the store manager. I told her what had happened to me and said I just wanted her to know it because it was not right. To my amazement she said, I am sorry, this should not have happened. We have procedures that were not followed. I will give you your money back, and get you the right cake, and deliver it to your house in time for your daughter’s party.

And she did.

She understood that it was not about a cake. It was about the long term value of a customer, both in dollars over a lifetime, and in the ability to influence the business, positively or negatively. That no matter what the product or service, you need customers. That customers make business possible, and that customers make business successful.

She understood that customers are the most valuable asset of any business.

My daughter had her special order pound cake with white icing. All the chairs at our big, old, dining room table were filled with family celebrating her birthday, and marveling at the cake story. The bakery now has ten more customers, each telling and retelling the story to other potential customers. This loyalty is not the result of a new product, or a special promotion, or an advertising campaign, or a price discount.

It happened because a person did the right thing without hesitation. That is a business practice that works.

Copyright © 1998, 1999 by D.E. Summerville. All rights reserved.

The advice and suggestions in the Women in Business column are solely those of the author. DC Web Women assumes no responsibility for its content.

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