Tick Off Customers in One Easy Step

Posted by Deborah Chaddock Brown on May 19, 2009 under Communication, Customer Moments, Missed Moments | Be the First to Comment

You’ve read articles on how to improve your business, lose weight, be a better lover and all have a long list of things to do to be successful.

This list has one item:

Fail to communicate.

That’s all it takes to really tick off a customer and potentially LOSE them for life.

I’m waiting on a product that I need to help complete a project for a customer.  I called the vendor and was told it would be ten working days for delivery. 

Ten days came and went six days ago.

No email from the vendor.

No phone call.

No explanation.

So yesterday I called him.  At ten am.  His voice mail said “I’m in today but away from my desk. Leave a message and I’ll call you right back.”

So I did.

Nothing.

I called at 11am.  Left another message.

Again I called at 1pm.  Figured he’d need a lunch break so I didn’t call at noon.

At 2pm I called the main number.  Sorry only Mr. Cartright has the information on your file. 

I left another message at 3pm.

Finally a call from Mr. Cartright at 4:30pm.  No apology.  No excuses.  No – in fact – he chastised me for not leaving my account number on the voice mail which required he look it up by my name. 

“I don’t know when that product will be available.  I’ve sent an email to the person that provides the product.  I think they may have been on vacation. I’ll give you a call when I hear something.”

I was promised delivery.  Yet, when delivery was impossible I wasn’t communicated with.  I had to hunt down the information.  The answer I received showed no compassion, no empathy, no concern, and certainly no customer service.

When we promise something – the very least we need to do is deliver what we’ve promised.  THE MINUTE WE KNOW WE CAN’T DELIVER – we need to act by calling or emailing the customer to keep them informed.  The less the customer knows – the more they imagine and the more angry they become.

Our customer makes decisions and promises of their own based on the information we provide.  And when we fail to communicate – we put our customers in a position of not making their deadlines.  Our products may be needed by the customer to fill an order of their own or may be something they desire for a personal reason.  It doesn’t really matter WHY our customer needs our products/services.  They just do.  And when we fail to deliver when promised and then fail to keep them in the loop – we might just as well kiss them goodbye as a customer. 

I just called the vendor again to see what the status was.  He said he didn’t know anything.  I said – so what is your plan of action?

Wait for a call. 

I see.  That sounds mighty powerful.

I said – when can I expect to hear from you?

When I hear something, was his customer-focused reply.

How about you call me within 24 hours even if you don’t know anything – just to keep me in the loop, I suggest.

I could do that, he responds.

That would be the customer-service thing to do.

Yes, I guess it would, he said.

Wow.  Let me just hold my breath.