Smaller is Not Always Better

By:  Al Filippone, Associates William Raveis


I recently learned once again that smaller is not always better.  I purchased tickets on-line to see a play in New York City over the weekend.  There was a hiccup or two in receiving the tickets, thus I contacted both the ticket agency and the shipping company.  There was quite a contrast in service.
The Resources of Large:
When I phoned the large shipping company, the service was impeccable.  The phone was answered by a woman in Virginia who immediately contacted the local sorting station.  She told me that I, in turn, would be contacted by a customer representative from the sorting station by the end of the day.  Within minutes I received a call and all of my options, which included contacting the ticket vendor, were clearly and politely explained to me.The financial resources of a large company can give it a distinct advantage.
Attitude
The best way in which to compete with the resources of a large company is to out-service and out-smile them.
Your smile reflects your attitude, which is on prominent display even via the telephoneThe connection with the ticket holder was quite a different experience.  It was clear that it was a “mom and pop” operation as my call rolled over to a cell phone.  The gentleman who answered curtly explained that he wasn’t in the office yet and needed to be in front of a computer before he would be able to help me.  I should call back in an hour or so, he advised.  I didn’t feel that this was someone with whom I would want to do business with again.
The Boutique
In a world of mass marketing and mass communication, the boutique operation can have a huge advantage by leveraging  local knowledge with personal service, an injection of energy and a positive attitude that is undeniably contagious.   
“High Tech and high touch” so to speak.
One of the reasons that I would hesitate to conduct further business with the smaller operation is that the conversation ended without a sense of security that the results I wanted would be achieved.
If a boutique fails to execute their advantages, then they go by the way of the dinosaur. 
Question to ask yourself?
What have your experiences been with large vs. small?  Please let us know with your comments below.