Going Nowhere Customer Service Calls (CFFL 0061)

Jack Butala: Going Nowhere Customer Service Calls. Every single month we give away a property for free. It's super simple to qualify. Two simple steps. Leave us your feedback for this podcast on iTunes and number two, get the free ebook at landacademy.com, you don't even have to read it. Thanks for listening.

Jack Butala:                   Jack Butala for LandAcademy. Welcome to our cash flow from land show. In this episode, Jill and I talk about customer service. How to use it to your advantage, and how it can become inefficient if you let it and don't manage it. Hey, Jill, this is such an important topic, and I know you have a ton of experience with it. I put this episode in our episode lineup, I guess, at the request of several members. Some of the newer members that are starting to receive a pretty high call volume, both on the acquisition side and on the sales side. Like most topics, I bet you and I have a differing opinion on this. I have a lot to say about this.

Jill DeWit:                            Yeah. Have you ever worked any kind of a customer service job? Serious.

Jack Butala:                   Well ...

Jill DeWit:                            I guess we all do.

Jack Butala:                   Yeah. I mean I haven't like ... Behind a counter.

Jill DeWit:                            Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jack Butala:                   No. I mean I've ... In college I was a waiter and stuff, but ...

Jill DeWit:                            There's a good example.

Jack Butala:                   All throughout my investment banking career, you have clients. When I was at KPMG, you're managing clients and customers, albeit a business to businesses situation.

Jill DeWit:                            Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jack Butala:                   It's not a retail customer scenario. Yeah, I mean I guess we all do.

Jill DeWit:                            Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Jack Butala:                   I have a very different take on it than you do, and I'm going to let you go first. Please.

Jill DeWit:                            Why, you just want to like, poke holes in all my stuff?

Jack Butala:                   I started the company ... No, no. I started the company a lot of years ago. In my second extra bedroom. I designed it to not involve any interaction with the customer. We literally had no phone number.

Jill DeWit:                            That's the funniest thing. I like this. You need to go first. Keep going.

Jack Butala:                   I justified it by saying there is no place that you can buy cheaper property, which is still true, I think. If ... There's this old saying, if you expect customer service and a great price, you're going to be disappointed. You can't do both. You can't provide customer service and get a smoking deal. Since you've been involved in this company, since you've been involved in this company ...

Jill DeWit:                            We've made some changes.

Jack Butala:                   We have taken this company into the 21st century about customer service.

Jill DeWit:                            Thank you. We do have a phone number.

Jack Butala:                   I guess ... I guess the topic is, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Jill DeWit:                            I think it's a good thing. We do have a phone number, and heck I even answer it sometimes. Depending who's available, I might answer the phone.

Jack Butala:                   Several years ago, I was asked to no longer speak with the customers.

Jill DeWit:                            Yes.

Jack Butala:                   In LandStay.

Jill DeWit:                            That's still true.

Jack Butala:                   It's been that way still.

Jill DeWit:                            Yeah.

Jack Butala:                   LandAcademy, totally different scenario, but ...