Customer service (both presale and post sale) begins with following through on your promises.  Is this just blatantly obvious common sense?  You bet it is.  And yet many marketers fail miserably on this one.

And here’s one of the biggest reasons why: they over extend themselves and/or jump the gun on an upcoming project.

How many times have you had a great idea for a product or service, got all fired up about it (maybe even had a sleepless night while you researched your idea), and then eventually the idea fizzled out and you dropped the project?

It happens to all of us.  But the problem is if we go and tell our customers about it.  We think we’re “building anticipation,” but if we’re not even close to completing the project when we start talking about it, then what we’re actually doing is losing credibility.

So here’s the golden rule on this topic: don’t start talking about a product or service unless you’re SURE you can deliver how and when you say you can deliver.  This is not only important for marketers launching products, but also for freelancers setting deadlines for clients.

If you’re still riding on the “idea high” and haven’t even really started on the project yet, keep mum about it.  If it’s truly a great idea, waiting a few days, weeks or even months to tell your customers won’t hurt.

Your best bet? Wait until the project is complete and THEN build anticipation for a few days or weeks before your official launch.  This ensures you can deliver for your customers …and it also ensures a competitor won’t go out and complete a project before you (as might happen if you tell your customers months ahead of time and then fail to follow through).

                Tip: getting ready for a product launch or perhaps setting a deadline for a client?  Set your deadline well ahead of your actual deadline.

                        For example, if you’re creating a graphic and expect to get it done on Tuesday for a client, tell them it will be done on Thursday or Friday.  That way if Murphy’s Law
                        kicks in (like a computer crash), you still have time to make good on your promise.  And if you get it done early, your customer will be delighted with your customer
                        service!

Tomorrow, more about promises…

The reason I told you the story yesterday, is not because I’m grumpy and wanted to whine, and certainly not because I wanted to make the company look bad (note that I didn’t even name the company).  The reason I shared this story is because it could happen to you …not as the consumer, but as the seller who’s losing business.

In fact, I can say without doubt that if you’ve been in business for any amount of time, there’s a good number of people who didn’t do business with you because something about your customer service turned them off.

Consider this: according to Dan Kennedy, 68% of customers leave a business because of customer service issues.  Sixty eight percent!

And yet most businesses focus on the smaller numbers, like the 9% that leave because a competitor is making a better offer.  They put on their boxing gloves and start duking it out with competitors, getting into all sorts of ridiculous price and bonus wars …

And for what?  To try to cling desperately to 9% of their customers who are contemplating leaving because they saw a better offer?

Sure, your marketing plan should take into consideration your competitors.  But you also need to turn an eye to your customers – maybe up to 68% of those considering leaving – who may be considering jumping ship simply because you’re neglecting or ignoring them.

It really is that simple: treat your customers like gold consistently, and you’ll have a better shot at keeping them as a lifelong loyal customer.  That means customer service should be your number one priority – because without those customers, you’re just a seller who has a product without a business or an income.

Tomorrow. we’ll look at some ways to put a little spit and polish on your customer service system…

Over the next couple of days, I will be doing a series of posts on customer service. Come back daily for the updates!

True story…

Last week I took out my credit card while sitting on a well-known vacation site that allowed you to book hotel and air packages to popular destinations.  And even though I was literally seconds away from purchasing, I didn’t.  I gave my business to someone else.

Why?

Here was the problem: I was booking this vacation for someone else.  Some vacation sites require the person booking the vacation to also be one of the travelers – and indeed some hotels require the guests to show the exact credit card they used to reserve the room.

I scoured this site and read every FAQ, every term of service, and even started through the buying process to see if this particular site allowed a third party to purchase the travel package. 

No dice. 

I couldn’t find a word about it one way or the other.  Most sites let you know up-front whether third parties can book travel, so that alone was surprising that it wasn’t in writing.  But at this point omitting the information certainly it wasn’t a deal-breaker to me.

The solution for me was quick and easy – write to them to inquire about their policy.  They did have a phone number (bonus points for them!), but for such a simple question I didn’t want to jump through phone menus and spend who-knows-how-long on hold.

So I wrote to them…  And then I waited.  And waited.

Four business days later I hadn’t heard anything from them, and the special offer I was prepared to book through them was about to expire.  So I went to another site who had a similar offer, found the terms of service met my requirements, and purchased.

So what happened?

Who knows.  Maybe my email got lost or their reply got lost (I don’t have filters on this account).  Maybe they’re running slow and didn’t get around to it yet (it’s been a week now as of this writing).  Maybe George Bush intercepted the email or it’s reply.

Now while I understand that things can and do happen to emails, I still didn’t purchase the package from them.  They lost my business because of this incident.

“But it’s not necessarily their fault,” you might say.  “Emails get lost and such, right?”

Sure, but this site could have allowed me the convenience of sending an email while ensuring they received it and I got the reply.  How?  By installing a help desk where not only are emails sent, but the exchange is listed in its entirety online too.

This is an AWESOME video demonstrating just how badly most business listen to their customers.