Customer service is one of the most important marketing tools of any business. Yes, advertising, public relations and marketing campaigns are vital too, but the way a business responds to its customers speaks volumes. These days, one bad experience can spread across social networks and blogs in a matter of days or even hours, hurting a company’s reputation. However, one good experience can also spread, boosting a company’s reputation.
Recently, I heard about two very different customer service experiences that each have a big impact on the business’ customer base and reputation.
No News is Bad News
My husband recently helped fund a game through the popular funding site Kickstarter. The game is educational and fun, and every computer programmer’s dream. The game’s team had released a preliminary version of the game, but had promised an update with lots of new features. The day for the update came and went and none of the donators received the update.
My husband wasn’t the only one who emailed the game’s team and took to developer forums to complain and ask where the promised update was. The team responded with an apology saying a bug prevented an on-time release and promised that the update would be available on a specific future date. I bet you can guess what happened. That date came and went and again, no update and no word from the team. Again, responding to criticism and angry donators, the team pushed the release date back again.
The problem? The game company should be on the offense, not the defense. At the first sign of a problem related to release dates, the customers (and in this case, financial backers) should be informed. A quick email or even blog post would do the trick, and although customers may still be disgruntled, they probably wouldn’t feel cheated. Sadly, this company, which raised $200,000 on the promise of a new version of the game, will likely struggle with it’s reputation, which will most likely affect future donations and sales.
“Our Bad. Hope we didn’t ruin your weekend.”
In contrast, a friend of mine recently told me about a very positive customer service experience he had. He ordered a clothing item from an online retailer that promised free two-day shipping. When his package was due to be late, he emailed the company. The response was refreshing. It was full of statements like “our bad,” “I am so sorry this happened” and even “I hope this didn’t ruin your weekend.” The email included a detailed explanation of how the mistake was made. But, the best part was that in no way did the email seek to place blame elsewhere. The company fully recognized the problem and realized that one unhappy customer can make a difference.
My friend was so overjoyed with the response that he gave the company a public shout out on Twitter, to which the company responded with a “we have your back” type of tweet. My friend was extremely happy with the apologetic email and the $40 store credit he received to make up for the inconvenience. And, I’m sure the company appreciated the positive Twitter feedback.
It doesn’t take an expert to see and understand the differences between these two experiences. But, it does take expert planning and strategy to create a communications plan that includes customer service. Businesses should make sure their customer service departments are equipped with messaging and communications training that will satisfy customers, keep donors happy and have a positive impact on the organization’s reputation.