Plantronics makes me feel dorky

Dear Plantronics,

Please stop manufacturing such dorky-looking bluetooth headsets that make me resemble the weird business development guy, somebody on the Starship Enterprise, or a person trying too hard to be cool.

I love your products. I had the Voyager 510, which served me well over the years until the flexible part sort of fell apart. I loved it so much that I considered simply reinforcing it with electrical tape until I realized that such a thing was probably the equivalent of using masking tape to fix your broken Buddy Holly-style nerd glasses. For the sake of my children, I opted to buy a new headset.

Although at this moment Amazon appears to be selling the 510 once again, I was under the impression that you had discontinued this model, which I always thought was very me. It didn't attempt to look futuristic, yet its design was sleek and simple.

I headed to Best Buy with the intention of either securing the last 510 or, if unsuccessful, buying one of your new headsets, probably the 520. I discovered two things: 1) they had no 510s; and 2) all bluetooth headsets look super lame--even the Jabra, which was the best-looking of the bunch. I actually considered spending $20 more and enjoying less features just to avoid wearing one of your models.

So there I was comparing the Voyager 520 with the Jabra BT530, both with an emphasis on noise reduction. In one hand, I had a trusted brand but a very ugly headset. In the other hand, I had an untested brand but a much better looking headset (still not perfect, though). The former had great information on their packaging. The second had beautiful packing but no real technical details given. One seemed known but unpleasing. The other was unknown but more attractive.

I opted for the Jabra BT530 and headed for the checkout line, where I waited for the next cashier. I was still conflicted when I noticed, among the magazines and candy, an endcap featuring these very models--and only these two models--as if a higher being was trying to urge me to reconsider. I took it as a sign and ditched the Jabra for the Plantronics 520.

Frankly, I feel that the 510 was a better headset, but the 520 does the job. I like that you included a car charger (which the Jabra did not have) and that the headset can connect to two phones. And I trust you. I haven't reconsidered my choice.

However, in the end, I'm happy but not thrilled, which is unfortunate. And I'm embarrassed when I wear this terribly ugly headset. No offense to Jon Cryer, but the 520 is like Duckie (who Andie theoretically should have ended up with but frankly would be asking too much of any teenager), and I really wish you were more like Blane.

I can't help but wonder who your audience is. I can't help but believe it has to include me, which makes me ask, Why have you let me down?

-joanie


P.S. Please note that just because I'm a woman, I do not want the headset to be pink or bejeweled. I would, instead, like it to be less chunky, wedge-shaped, and chrome-y.

Ben Sherman bums me out

Dear Ben Sherman,

I'm pretty disappointed that I can't exchange a jacket I bought my husband for Christmas. It's his size; it just never fit quite right. It seemed a little short in length. I was assured by the floor staff that my husband could exchange the jacket if necessary, and I never bothered to read the admittedly not-so-fine print on the receipt. My bad.

But my bad is your bad. That's because even a well-posted return policy doesn't make a customer happy if the policy is...well, not so great. I had assumed a standard 30 day window. You had a short two-week return window that began from the date of purchase, which was, of course, before Christmas, leaving little time after Christmas to make an exchange.

You're not a cheap shop so I expect a little more for the money, not only in product quality and style but also customer experience. A premium store affords premium customer experience, and that continues after the customer has left the store. Once a purchase is made, customer service transforms into pride, word of mouth, or simply the pleasure of giving the product as a present and knowing the recipient will find value in it.

Unfortunately, I wrongly had this pleasure. My bad. Now I see that ill-fitting jacket hanging in our closet, and it always gives me a bummed out feeling. I don't think, I now know the policy and won't make that mistake twice. Instead, I am reminded to never buy a gift from your store again.

This experience made me realize that return policies are what we designers call "affordances." They suggest to people how to use the product. Your return policy suggests that your clothes should not be given as gifts--and certainly not Christmas gifts.

It's hard not to compare your return policy to others. There's Target's policy, which enables blissful spending and I suspect uses a return as a way to make an additional sale. After all, the customer has walked back into the store, and each visit is a sale, whether it's an actual purchase or another opportunity to serve the "kool-aid," so to speak.

There's also REI's generous policy. Incidentally, I had to return a pair of snow pants to REI after Christmas. I dragged my feet in search of the receipt. After my fateful encounter with you, I called REI to ask about their return policy. Guess what? No rush, and I didn't even need a receipt. Sure, my love for REI is an open secret, but that's because they have a culture (including a return policy) that affords it.

A return policy should not be about bottom lines. Rather, it's about your commitment to a future relationship.

-joanie

Design Within Reach made a believer out of me

Design Within Reach,

Thank you for the email acknowledging that my recent transaction was less than ideal. And thank you for the card that quite insightfully quoted Charles Eames to say "The details are not details. They make the product." How true.

It means a lot for a company to recognize criticism and respond to it. And it means even more for customers to feel that they are being heard. Lending an ear can go a long way. I believe your gesture to openly recognize and respond to negative feedback is the difference between a good company and a great one.

Don't get me wrong. A flawless customer experience is ideal, but things don't always go as planned. Each customer comes with a unique set of expectations. Each is a potential landmine of disappointment. I imagine delivering great customer experience can seem like a perpetual uphill battle, particularly when there's a breakdown for whatever reason.

It's easy to be a great company when it's all smooth sailing, but true character is revealed in rough waters. It's tough work to turn a negative experience into a positive one. Troubleshooting requires time, insight, and will. You have to empower your people to attend to the unique needs of each individual customer and then do something about it.

The upside to a bad situation is that when it is righted, customer loyalty can be stronger than if the situation had been seamless from end to end. If the customer invests time and energy by contacting customer service, then antagonism has the potential to become give-and-take, which in turn can be the foundation for a relationship that is actively forged rather than passively assumed. That's powerful.

You demonstrated that fallibility need not deter a positive customer experience in the end. In fact, fallibility can provide the opportunity to exceed expectations.

-joanie