Tag: customer service
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes…
…or risk putting your foot in your mouth!
In a recent interview Dan Russell, Google’s intellectual heavyweight tech usability expert, revealed something really interesting.
Apparently Google staff were amazed to find out how few people knew about the control F function, which lets you search a web page or document by keyword and find the information you need faster. I’m one of the 90% of searchers who had never heard of it.
It just goes to show how dangerous it is to make assumptions about your target market!
luckily Google makes a genuine effort to keep a finger on the pulse of ordinary searchers. It’s Russell’s job to “understand what people do when they search online” using classical analytics, search anthropology and analysis of users’ eye movements millisecond by millisecond.
And they act upon their insights. Shortly after the discovery, Google improved their service by adding new control +F features to their Chrome browser. Good stuff.
Customer service triumphs and fails
Which of these companies do you think will survive the slump?
I love funky glasses. So I was delighted when my favourite spectacles website announced a redesign and extended range. I fancied a new pair so clicked through, only to find my login details no longer worked.
No probs. Their service is usually really good and I trust them to sort it out for me pronto. So I email their customer service team. A week later, nothing. I email them again. No reply.
Yesterday I filled in their on-site callback request form, asking for a call at 9am this morning. Right now it’s 11.48 and I haven’t heard from them. A resounding fail. I am disappointed of Brighton and I won’t be using them again.
On the other hand when I hopped over to the EON website to see if there’s a cheaper electricity and gas tariff, it took me less than two minutes to switch. The information on their site is wonderfully clear. And the automated confirmation email that came through within seconds is a triumph in friendly, warm plain English. Here it is:
Thanks for changing your energy product to E.ON Energy Fit Plan from E.ON Energy Online. You’ll see this change on your next bill.
We’ll send you a letter in the post confirming your new prices and Terms and Conditions in the next few days.
Please let us know within the next 14 days if you change your mind by calling us on 0845 059 9905, or completing a switch back on the website if this is the first time you’ve changed your product. You’ll only be able to switch back to your previous product online if we’re currently selling it, if it’s an old version of a product it might not be available any more and you’ll need to call us if you want to switch back.
Not bad in a week when energy companies are being slammed for price hikes and poor customer care. Thanks E.ON.
Ignoring customer enquiries? That’s marketing madness!
If a website visitor asks you a question, you’ve hooked ‘em.
Obvious, right? Not necessarily.
I found a great picture frame site last week. I was all set to place an order. But first I had to ask a question: can I buy frames without glass? I reckoned their range made the answer worth waiting for. So I emailed customer services.
A day later I was on the ecommerce warpath again, this time on a mission for window insulating tape. One supplier stood out, with the best range at the lowest prices. Before buying I enquired – again by email – which kind of insulating tape was most appropriate for our particular windows.
A week later, no reply from either.
But this is marketing madness! How many businesses can afford to ignore a genuine request that will result in a sale? How many think it makes commercial sense to put off a prospect who’s on the verge of becoming a customer? And how many think it’s OK to alienate a visitor who’s mad keen to buy?
Plenty, it seems.
I’m miffed. I spent time and effort tracking down the best supplier for the job. I asked each of them a perfectly reasonable, very simple one-line question. I used the customer contact interface that they’d provided. And I exercised an appropriate amount of patience… surely a week’s enough time to respond?
In a wobbly economy the strong survive and thrive. But the cowboys and lazy arses fall by the wayside. Does anyone dare bet me a tenner that these two will be out of business this time next year?
