Like any young, hopeful salesperson would, he calls his internet provider after sitting frustrated for hours without Wi-Fi. Mentally preparing for the usual customer service battle, he’s surprised to quickly receive a message: they promise to have someone look at his router already the next day at 10 AM. “Wow, this actually sounds like service,” he thinks, pleased.
The next morning, he wakes up early, grabs a cup of coffee, and waits. 10:00 turns into 11:00, and eventually, the irritation starts to build again. Finally, he gets a call from the customer service agent, who apologizes for the delay. With rising frustration, he asks, “So, when are you coming to fix the problem?”
The agent calmly replies, “You’re mistaken, sir. You’re actually the one who’s going to look at the router.”
Stunned, he bursts out: “What?! Why on earth should I do that?” The agent, still calm and polite, explains, “That’s just how we operate here. No worries, buddy,” and starts walking him through the steps to solve the problem.
After four exhausting hours, he finally manages to get the internet back. Relief washes over him, and he says, drained, to the agent: “There, it’s finally fixed.” The agent, cheerful as ever, responds: “Fantastic. We’ll add 800 kroner to your invoice. The bill will arrive shortly – and thank you for choosing us as your internet provider.”
The young salesperson sees red, furious that he had to fix the internet himself—something a technician could’ve done in half the time—and still had to pay for it! Tired and exasperated, he finally asks, “But why did I have to do all of this myself?”
The agent smiles through the phone and replies, “For us, it’s not just about solving a challenge. We believe in giving our customers a sense of pride and mastery.”
I’ve always been a fan of the principle “E+1” (Expectations + 1)—in other words, delivering service that exceeds expectations. But looking at this experience, I realize not all companies necessarily interpret “E+1” the same way I’ve written about before 😂🤣
