Customer service done right

We hear so many horror stories about customer service done wrong that it's good to feature the other side of the issue every once in a while.

As I write this post, General Motors is an automotive company that is based in the United States. (I recognize that this reality may have changed by the time that you read this.) One of the services that they provide is the OnStar service, which (among other things) supports communications in emergency situations, including Automatic Crash Response that initiates even when you can't initiate it yourself. And there are a number of OnStar radio ads that tout this service.

In most of the ads, you hear an actual OnStar user reporting some type of emergency to the operator, followed by the operator contacting a local 911 dispatcher to the scene of the accident. In most cases, the OnStar operator then asks, "Would you like me to stay on the line?"

So anyways, I just heard another OnStar commercial in which the car occupant was scared. Really, really scared. It doesn't sound like the occupant was injured, but the occupant was so scared that you couldn't really tell.

In this case, the OnStar operator deviated from script and said, "I'll stay on the line with you."

Good call, in a manner of speaking.

P.S. I am forced to admit, however, that OnStar selects the calls that they share in their radio commercials. John Warner has, um, discovered several calls that the advertising agency chose not to broadcast.

OnStar: Hello, OnStar.

Customer: My ice cream, it’s locked in the car, and it’s melting.

OnStar: Your ice cream is melting?

Customer: Yes, please hurry! It’s like 200 degrees in there!

OnStar: What kind of ice cream is it, ma’am?

Customer: Rocky road!

The rest of this transcript, as well as several other transcripts, can be found here.