Semi-automating or out-sourcing customer services can be a good idea, but only when done effectively.
Some very successful Internet Marketers think it’s clever to run their customer services like this…
One chap who shall remain nameless even has a boilerplate response that his staff send out in reply to any customer queries that include the word ‘refund’.
Even if the customer making the enquiry isn’t even asking for a refund (if they use the word in a different context) they get the most horrible response back that actually accuses the customer of fraud!
A good friend of mine received such an email, and her reaction to the false accusation was simply — “I’ll never buy from him again”. (And of course she told me — and everyone who asks her — what she thinks of that particular vendor. It’s not good.)
Yes, customer services can be quite a burden. But a genuine customer query should be seen as an opportunity, not a problem.
If your business systems respects the fact, you’ll build a loyal crowd of happy customers who refer and refer and refer.
But failing to respect customers, (or over-automating) is extremely shortsighted, and I suspect the Internet Marketers in question will get a strong wake up call some day soon.
-Ed.
March 19th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Spot on mate! Is that what you say in the UK? Or is that more Australian?
Customer support is an opportunity to win over a customer for life….or end the relationship and never make another sale to that person again. Too many people have the “transactional mentality” meaning they find a customer to make one sale and move on in search of the next transaction.
They should consider the opposite… making a sale to gain a customer. The best prospect is someone who has already bought from you (and has benefited from the product or service).
March 19th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Hi Ed
Recently I received an email from one of our ‘service’ suppliers asking me – in a rather non-courtesy way – when I was going to settle three invoices.
I kindly replied back to him that one invoice had been paid 1.5 months ago, one invoice was never received and invoice number three wasn’t due for payment yet.
His reply, again very short: oh, thanks – carried in the subject the following Re: [SPAM] …
He lost our custom straight away. It takes just a little carelessness to lose a client this way – and we all know how hard we have to work to find new clients.
Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)
March 19th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Seems to me the people you are talking about have forgotten the most important rule in marketing; develop a relationship of trust and respect because ‘people buy from people’.
I know of many people who have decided not to buy because they were uncomfortable – or simply disliked – the person who was selling.
And sometimes we’ll settle for a slightly less than perfect solution to what we want when we know the person we’re dealing with is ethical, trustworthy and pleasant to deal with.
After all, business is stressful enough without having to deal with nasty people who just don’t get it!
March 19th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I love that photo!
Some companies do give you that feeling with their customer service departments.
March 20th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Ed, what you point out is sad but true. I know at least one person who runs their online business this way. But somehow some of the people who operate find ways to make up for this and develop a relationship with their lists the way Carol describes. The net result? Many of those same people who are forced to pick a number, or worse yet who don’t even get a response, still come back for more.
March 20th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Robert: Depends on what accent you used!
Karin: Crazy isn’t it. I wonder if his boss knows that?
True story: After I asked one of my former employees to ‘please leave’ my company, a friend at a site where he had been working told me that within the first 15 minutes of meeting him, my employee used the ‘F’ word to describe what he thought of their computer network.
The only reason I found out is because once he had left my company, the client then felt comfortable enough to tell me what happened! (He also said the only reason they kept using my software development company after that incident was because of the strong relationship and good history I had with them.
The scary thing is that at the time they were my second largest client (in terms of revenue).
Since then I’ve changed the structure of my business and it can never happen again. But I wonder how much this sort of thing goes on, especially in larger companies?
Carol: Yes agree totally – especially your last comment. Business should be fun, so when self-help experts say “don’t mix with negative people” I think it applies just as much to business.
Terry: The photo originally said “Complaints Dept.” so I doctored it slightly to make my point.
Thank you all for taking the time to comment.
March 20th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
“I wonder if his boss knows that?”
Really crazy it is. Everyone can make mistakes of course, but A) not removing the [SPAM] indicator my own reply had caused and B) not the slightest tiniest of excuse is very bad practise IMHO.
You’re right about wondering what your employees really get up to when you’re not around. Strong sense of belonging to a team should make a difference I guess, but that’s a whole different issue.
Karin H.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Adding some more statistics to this post:
9 out of 10 domestic customers will switch suppliers if their email isn’t replied to within 48 hours!
This also counts for domestic customers trying to find a new supplier for something they need.
‘Time to get an edge?’ comes to mind
Have an adequate reply system in your business and you can almost automagically get an edge over your competitors!
Karin H.
February 5th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
lol…absolutely love that pic, reminds me of a few places I’ve worked in the past