Imagine a romantic relationship without communication! How does one accomplish this feat? Impossible, you say? Relationships of all kinds require effective communication on multiple levels. This generalization extends to business relationships between sellers and customers.
A large Florida sewage and waste company recently completed the acquisition of a smaller regional company here in South Carolina, which has gained them a larger market presence in the Southeast. I found that customer service at the old company was generally lacking, and my first experience with the new company confirms that little has changed.
After the service was interrupted by the weather, I called the company to inquire about the recycled trash pick-up schedule in our area. The automation operator instructed me to press 0 for “Customer Service”. As instructed, I waited patiently, finally calling with, you guessed it, a recorded message asking me to leave a message. I reluctantly did so. After 24 hours and no response, I called again. This time, after a 6 minute wait, I spoke with a representative who informed me that she would direct the service coordinator to deal with the issue later that day or first thing in the morning.
You guessed it… 24 hours later – no delivery service. I called again, only waited 3 minutes and spoke with a real person again. She informed me that there would be no recycled rubbish collection that week after all and service would resume at normal time for the next cycle. There was no apology, absolutely no concern for her attitude. I asked for their general manager’s name and email. She said without answering me “You need to talk to Steve” and immediately switched me to his number where I was put into his voice mail box. I reluctantly left a quiet message requesting a call back to discuss the issue. You guessed it… no response.
What is the meaning of all this? Customers want their voices to be heard. Customers want to know that their suppliers are listening to their concerns. Customers want to know that sellers care about their needs. Customers want their vendors to be ‘easy to work with’. What customers really want is to know that they are appreciated.
A great means to this end is simple, basic, and effective communication. Ask questions, then listen closely. Find out customers’ needs and wants. Stay tuned. Answer their calls immediately. Let customers know you care about them and that their business is appreciated.
As a customer it was a pleasure to have been properly notified of the change of ownership and presented to the new company. They could introduce themselves, their website, their policies, and discuss how they run their business. They may also be interested enough to welcome feedback and describe the best way to get in touch with them. An opportunity badly missed.
Don’t let bad customer service and lack of response hurt your relationships with your customer base. This is a costly sales mistake that few of us can afford.