The Definition of Customer Service

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Written by Chris Maloney

How one internet company is going the extra mile for customers.

Today it seems too many companies view the definition of customer service as, “whatever makes the sale for the cheapest cost”.  I find this attitude to be quite unfortunate and I make it a point to limit my interaction with this kind of company.  Recently, though, I had the good fortune to work with a company that not only has a good product, but is willing to make it better if it suits the customer.

MHI Labs is working on a project (yet to be announced) which will involve an extension known as SobiPro for the Joomla content management system (CMS). Like many other Joomla extensions this one has its own subset of programs designed to make it better.  I was looking for one in particular that would allow me to restrict the search to categories instead of expanding the search globally.  I tried a few of the free offerings but none provided that functionality. 

I decided to bite the bullet and purchase an extension which looked promising.  An Argentinian company called Prieco (http://www.prieco.com) was offering their SobiPro Search Power Pack (x4) for a reasonable price.  I made the purchase and installed the extension only to find it was still lacking the functionality I was looking for.  Dismayed, I contacted the developer via email to find out of what I was trying to do would ever be possible.  I received a reply in short order that basically told me no, but they were working on it and they would let me know in a few weeks.  I opted not to ask for a refund and wait it out.

Imagine my surprise when only a couple of days later I receive an email stating they have not only created the extension I need but also included a copy in the email just for me.  I was overjoyed.  I immediately installed the extension but found it was still lacking a couple of key features.  I contacted Anibal Sanchez, the director of Prieco.com, and made my recommendations.  Sure enough within a few hours I had another email with yet another version ready for testing.

Throughout this process of testing they were able to lock down all the functionality I needed and in the end their Search Power Pack (x4) became their Search Power Pack (x5). 

THIS…is my definition of customer service.  This company could have simply given me a refund (in fact he offered).  They could have simply ignored the request and sent me on my way.  Instead they took some time to work with their customer and develop a solution to a problem.  And in the end they were able to create yet another product for sale. 

And this is what we at MHI Labs will do for you.  Our belief in good customer service is evident when you look at the testimonials our clients have provided.  Many of our clients need services that are not easily listed.  We have provided tutoring and even templates for our clients so they can do most of the work themselves and save on costs.  Why?  So they spread the word and help us grow.

Mr. Sanchez at Prieco.com; we at MHI appreciate your definition of customer service and will definitely be checking your site first for extensions in the future. 

Image attribution: Flickr.com user Nomadic Lass