I am still enthusiastic with my AVON and with my customers, but thought I have to blog honestly and say what happens when it happens. This week there have been two slightly tougher, more intricate, challenging customers to deal with.
Customer One,
she bought from the previous Rep, returned the stuff to her before Christmas, having paid for her order in full and had not received a refund. It has taken several weeks (since the first day I started AVON, so 4 weeks) to get this sorted out.
Thankfully, my Area Sales Manager managed to get involved and speak to the previous rep, the customer has got the goods back and now has the product numbers to return the items to AVON with a letter explaining what's happened.
By the sound of it, AVON have been really helpful and from my point of view I have not had to DO too much towards getting it sorted out, only to point my new customer in the direction of AVON and give out a few numbers, be here on the email and offer empathy throughout the process.
I went with the old-school mind-set that the "customer is always right", I apologised on behalf of AVON, I gave the previous rep the benefit of the doubt, without getting involved in any kind of name calling or talking about anyone.. and so it is dealt with!
Customer two,
First of all when she made an order and I went to deliver the products and ask for payment, she had her own idea of how avon worked, as the previous rep had given her the products to try out with a new catalogue and then returned for the order and the payment a few days later. I listened but politely said that on this occasion I could do that, but it isn't how I will be working. I will be bringing the order and taking the payment on delivery. I'm not sure that she really liked that.
So, I called her a couple of days later to see if she had finished with the brochure and would be ready to make payment for the products if I popped by on Friday.
Well! She said that she tried the perfume but didn't really like it, so will be returning that, she had the wrong shade of foundation and will be returning that and isn't sure about the other thing. She said she has ordered something out of the next book to 'try'.
It seems that out of a £26.50 order, she will be returning about £22.50's worth of goods - for which I will now need to do the administration for the return AND will probably lose £5.50 commission.
I am not best pleased by the situation with Customer 2. I will honour this next order, making it clear that payment is upon delivery, which hopefully might put a stop to her 'trying' out the products (on my time and my money). It is a pain to say the least!!!
I know AVON has a 100% money back guarantee, and that is one of the great things, but there is returning something occasionally and then there is taking the ...... HMMM!!!
So - I think I am handling the customers well, but I will not let them cause me a lot of extra work or run rings round me. Customer One needed some help but was very friendly and has taken it upon herself to make most of the effort, just letting me know what's happening and asking me when need be. Customer two, I have been polite and considerate so far, but she is just ONE customer out of around 200 possibles and I cannot afford to spend this much time and effort on her 'trying' stuff out.
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