If you’ve never heard of Ted L. Nancy, you’re missing out on two things: first, a bunch of belly laughs; and second, a fantastic lesson in writing and customer service.
A couple of years ago, my husband introduced me to Letters from a Nut, a book of off-the-wall prank letters written to various companies under the pseudonym of Mr. Ted L. Nancy (who for years people mistakenly believed was Jerry Seinfeld).
Among some of Nut’s best letters, I encourage you to check out the Harper Collins Canada website, where you can browse inside a good chunk of the book. Among other things, Nancy asks a hotel to find his missing tooth. He also contacts
Nordstrom to inquire about the purchase of
a window mannequin that uncannily resembles
his deceased neighbour.
Nancy’s letters, inarguably, are absurd. The first time
I read them (and I highly suggest you read them out
loud to someone you love), I was thoroughly
entertained. But the second time I scanned through
the book, I realized something else: the great care
that these companies took in responding to Nancy by
mail.
It is highly possible that not one recipient of Nancy’s
letters took him seriously. Despite this, if you read some
of their responses, you will see that each letter clearly
conveys respect for the client, an appreciation for their
message, and a high-quality commitment to customer
service.
In a previous job, I was responsible for responding to
hundreds of inquiries from the general public. Perhaps
not surprisingly, none were as ridiculous as those
published in Letters from a Nut (although a couple
came pretty close).
Regardless of the source, I always ensured that every
response was appropriately worded so the client felt
“heard.” Tone plays a big part in that. So does
understanding the value of your client, no matter how
crazy they may seem. Why? Because they represent
your bottom line. (Not to mention that there is no
reason to be unkind.)
Not everyone has the flair for writing that Nancy’s letter
recipients demonstrated in their responses. We should all
aspire to follow their lead.
I absolutely love the Letters from a Nut book. And you're right, every one almost gets a very professional response. On another blog, I actually saw someone mention THEY had been one of the responders to the letters. I also saw someone upset that we shouldn't be mocking the fact that people took the time to respond professionally since that is what we should hope they'd do.
ReplyDelete