Recently my daughter made a purchase online, but for whatever reason, the company’s submit button didn't work. Like most of us who are hyper-excited to get the purchasing process underway, she hit that submit button again. And again. And one more time for good measure. Finally, the process moved forward. Let the countdown to cute footwear begin!
Later that day she went to buy lunch and her debit card was declined. Upon viewing her checking account online, she discovered that contrary to what she thought, the submit button was fully functional. And although she only wanted one pair of shoes, she had inadvertently paid for 4!
She contacted the company online and told them what happened. Their response was that they could refund her money in 3 business days. WHAT??? Honestly…I shared her indignation. I mean the money was taken immediately. In 2015, given the circumstances, how difficult would it be for an intern to do some research and confirm that a refund was warranted? 30 minutes at best?
I do social media for a living. My daughter doesn't even know life without the internet. Almost simultaneously we came to the conclusion that this would be blasted on Twitter and Facebook. And not only would we post, we would enlist others (with large followings, of course) who were equally incensed about the situation to share the story with their friends and followers.
Shortly after the online assault ensued, the company reached out to my daughter via email. There was some back and forth but she received her refund before the end of the work day.
I had to shake my head. Almost like chastising a naughty child who reluctantly made her bed after a 30 minute tantrum, I had to ask “Now, was that so hard? “ I won’t divulge the name of the company because that is not the purpose of this post. I will suggest, however that whomever is responsible for their customer relations department be replaced.
We are taught in Marketing 101 that people will tell 16 people about a bad experience while they will only tell 9 about a good experience. And this is just word of mouth! Now factor in the boundless reach of the internet and you quickly realize that a negative review is exponentially more damaging than it was in the past. David Pogue summed it up in the Scientific American – “The rise of the citizen review site is a sobering development. No longer are you on top of the mountain, blasting your marketing message down to the masses through your megaphone. All of a sudden, the masses are conversing with one another. If your service or product isn't any good, they’ll out you.”
Rather than having the proverbial fit, there are steps that this company could have employed so that they would have come out looking like a hero:
1. Be Proactive –
Be active and engaging on social media. This gives you an online personality and almost sets the tone for what any customer can expect when they contact you for any reason. This is the basis for reputation management.
2. Be Succinct and Direct –
Acknowledge what happened and apologize. You may not be responsible for the events that happened, but your brand is responsible for the experience that your customer had.
3. Stay positive –
Remember the old adage that you can’t please all the people all the time? Well that is definitely the case when you’re operating in a global marketplace. However, regardless of what is said, you have to maintain a level head. The spectators on the sidelines are looking at your response more than they are looking at the issue itself. (See point Number 1)
4. Go off-line
If the issue can’t be resolved briefly, suggest that a manager contact the customer directly. Listen, you are not there to be publicly humiliated. Nor are you there to give away the shop. A more productive conversation can most certainly happen in a more private forum. It’s amazing how tone and expectations recede without an audience.
This approach allows both parties to save face while allowing you to keep both your online persona and your loyal customer base intact. There is also the possibility that some spectators who appreciate the level and quality of customer service that you provided will become new customers.
The takeaway here is that every interaction with a customer – especially one with a large audience- can be turned into an opportunity to highlight your company’s differentiating factors. In an ideal world, after the proper handling of the complaint, the now satisfied customer would go back online and share the positive resolution, but don’t hold out for it. My daughter didn't.
Later that day she went to buy lunch and her debit card was declined. Upon viewing her checking account online, she discovered that contrary to what she thought, the submit button was fully functional. And although she only wanted one pair of shoes, she had inadvertently paid for 4!
She contacted the company online and told them what happened. Their response was that they could refund her money in 3 business days. WHAT??? Honestly…I shared her indignation. I mean the money was taken immediately. In 2015, given the circumstances, how difficult would it be for an intern to do some research and confirm that a refund was warranted? 30 minutes at best?
I do social media for a living. My daughter doesn't even know life without the internet. Almost simultaneously we came to the conclusion that this would be blasted on Twitter and Facebook. And not only would we post, we would enlist others (with large followings, of course) who were equally incensed about the situation to share the story with their friends and followers.
Shortly after the online assault ensued, the company reached out to my daughter via email. There was some back and forth but she received her refund before the end of the work day.
I had to shake my head. Almost like chastising a naughty child who reluctantly made her bed after a 30 minute tantrum, I had to ask “Now, was that so hard? “ I won’t divulge the name of the company because that is not the purpose of this post. I will suggest, however that whomever is responsible for their customer relations department be replaced.
We are taught in Marketing 101 that people will tell 16 people about a bad experience while they will only tell 9 about a good experience. And this is just word of mouth! Now factor in the boundless reach of the internet and you quickly realize that a negative review is exponentially more damaging than it was in the past. David Pogue summed it up in the Scientific American – “The rise of the citizen review site is a sobering development. No longer are you on top of the mountain, blasting your marketing message down to the masses through your megaphone. All of a sudden, the masses are conversing with one another. If your service or product isn't any good, they’ll out you.”
Rather than having the proverbial fit, there are steps that this company could have employed so that they would have come out looking like a hero:
1. Be Proactive –
Be active and engaging on social media. This gives you an online personality and almost sets the tone for what any customer can expect when they contact you for any reason. This is the basis for reputation management.
2. Be Succinct and Direct –
Acknowledge what happened and apologize. You may not be responsible for the events that happened, but your brand is responsible for the experience that your customer had.
3. Stay positive –
Remember the old adage that you can’t please all the people all the time? Well that is definitely the case when you’re operating in a global marketplace. However, regardless of what is said, you have to maintain a level head. The spectators on the sidelines are looking at your response more than they are looking at the issue itself. (See point Number 1)
4. Go off-line
If the issue can’t be resolved briefly, suggest that a manager contact the customer directly. Listen, you are not there to be publicly humiliated. Nor are you there to give away the shop. A more productive conversation can most certainly happen in a more private forum. It’s amazing how tone and expectations recede without an audience.
This approach allows both parties to save face while allowing you to keep both your online persona and your loyal customer base intact. There is also the possibility that some spectators who appreciate the level and quality of customer service that you provided will become new customers.
The takeaway here is that every interaction with a customer – especially one with a large audience- can be turned into an opportunity to highlight your company’s differentiating factors. In an ideal world, after the proper handling of the complaint, the now satisfied customer would go back online and share the positive resolution, but don’t hold out for it. My daughter didn't.