I don’t know about you, but what gets my goat and ranks highly as guaranteed to niggle me, is poor customer service. I just don’t get it. But what I am sure of, get this right, and you increase your chances of repeat business, growth and ultimately success.
There is a good reason why Amazon has and continues to grow at a breath-taking rate, and Apple continually posts record quarterly results, even against a backdrop of a global pandemic.
Yes, Amazon pretty much has access to anything and everything you and I need. And yes, Apple makes stunningly simple products, but it goes deeper than that. It goes to the core of what they never lose sight of, and that’s putting their customer front and centre of all they do.
From product design to one-click purchasing, seamless digital eco-systems to delivery within the hour, all driven by their desire not to just meet a customer’s whim, but to surpass it.
Amazon ultimately wants every one of us signed up to Prime and Apple to ensure we take as many of their services as possible. We are quite literally being seduced into parting with our hard-earnt cash and quite frankly, have no qualms in doing so, as they have built such a customer-first experience.
On the flip side, I can name many brands that from the outside appears that they are looking out for me and are on my side, but continually over-promise and then fail badly. Whether that be shocking service during a meal out or an optician telling me they will call back within the hour and several days later, still nothing.
These are classic service failures and clear examples of the customer not being front and centre and most definitely guaranteed to ensure I never spend another penny with them.
More damaging perhaps is the fact that through social media and word of mouth, I make sure that message is heard far and wide, loud and clear. Nothing malicious, just the facts, as I don’t want others to be failed or to waste their money.
I must point out though…when it does go wrong and of course it does, as we are dealing with humans, even behind the slick digital platform…go fix it, put it right, sort it pronto. Do this and you might just find you have a more loyal customer at the end of it than you did coming into it.
One that continues to spend, goes on to tell even more people about how well you fixed it, one that has forgiven you and remains loyal to your brand.