When a company makes you feel that you do, in fact, matter to them and that your issues are their issues, you feel valued. It’s as if you are their biggest client or customer. It’s hard for most large companies to treat customers and clients as though they’re VIPs and make them feel valued, but the great ones find a way. Here’s an example of one that did.
We decided to purchase a mattress from Tuft and Needle. I had high expectations, both of the company that was disrupting the mattress industry and of the mattress itself: American-made using quality fabric from a 90-year-old textile mill; proprietary adaptive foam; free shipping directly to your home in a box so small that it provided a bit of fun theatre in and of itself. All that and a 100-night trial.
Unfortunately, I found the new mattress a bit too “supportive” for me. If we’d bought it from a traditional retailer I would have had to learn to live with it, but the 100-night trial was one of the reasons we’d made this particular purchase, and I resolved to contact them. But even before I had the chance to email them to pursue a return, I received an email from Tuft and Needle. Though the email was likely standard correspondence sent out to all buyers, its tone was warm and inviting.
I replied that the mattress was too firm for me, and they quickly responded, suggesting that I purchase a mattress topper that might provide extra padding and comfort. Their customer support also made it clear that if I just wanted to return the mattress it would be no problem: “Of course, we understand if it’s not the right fit for you. We’d be happy to return the mattress under the 100-night sleep trial. We don’t want you to keep a mattress that isn’t the right fit for both of you. Just let us know if you’d like to move forward with a return instead of trying the topper!”
They recommended a couple of mattress topper options, but also suggested I look on Amazon for others in the thickness I desired. They also offered me a credit on my credit card, saying I should use it for the purchase. The credit appeared on my card almost instantly!
The story ended as Tuft and Needle likely suspected that it would: the mattress topper made the difference for me and the bed stayed.
But even if it hadn’t worked, Tuft and Needle’s proactive stance and treatment of me as a valued buyer let me know that they would have picked the mattress up and refunded my money – that I wouldn’t have had to keep emailing them, checking my bank account, or dogging them for my refund.
Great companies know that the transaction is only the beginning of the relationship.
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