Many organizations, as part of their CRM and customer service strategy, have a defined process (and sometimes an SOP) to Close The Loop. Effectively making sure that an issue is resolved and marked in the system accordingly.
However what is the appropriate way to Close The Loop (CTL)? Let me tell you a story.
My family and I needed a change of scenery after having been home-bound since mid-March due to Coronavirus. Our Spring Break cruise had been canceled, school abruptly went virtual and the school year concluded without any true closure, and summer camp was a no-go. Needless to say, tensions were high, we were all a bit stir crazy. A quick weeklong trip to a resort would help. And yes... we planned to always socially distance ourselves, wear masks, and abide with all other regulations.
Without going into all the details, the resort house we initially rented had numerous issues. Some of these could not be fixed (ex: leak to pool), others could have been addressed but were not. We were moved to another house at the resort, and that one also had an issue - one which the resort repairman tried to fix multiple times, and concluded with him telling us it could be fixed but telling the office staff it was irreparable.
Lots of issues. But we chose to stay as (a) there were no other homes available with comparable amenities, and (b) we didn't want to go back home - the family time away was somewhat therapeutic.
We were in constant contact with the front desk management who provides us some financial compensation upon checkout. But given the magnitude of our issues, we felt we were due more. We wrote a letter to the resort management detailing the issues, including pictures, and asking for a 50% refund given the number and longevity of issues. We also specifically asked for a phone call to discuss our stay.
We received an acknowledgement of receipt of our email and were told we'd hear back in a few days. A few days later, we received an apologetic email, saying this would be a training opportunity for them. They granted us the refund we asked for. But we received no phone call as we had requested.
As my wife and I discussed this, we were glad to have received the refund but upset that our other request for a phone call did not come as part of the resort addressing this issue.
Did the resort CTL? Yes, they Closed The Loop on their side. But it didn't fully give us what we wanted - that phone call. In the big picture of things, what what would the phone call have given us? We weren't looking to yell at them or further point out flaws. We weren't looking for satisfaction at hearing them grovel. We were looking for human interaction with empathy. We wanted to hear that they acknowledged all of this and the impact it had on us. To have a conversation.
And I think that's what we as consumers of products and services really want. Even with technology proliferation, we still have the needs for empathy from those with whom we interact.
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