We who work in Social Media and Word of Mouth Marketing tend to complexify matters that should be really simple. Here’s the simplest way you can generate terrific WOM: get the “little simple things” right before they turn into “big ugly things”
Scenario #1: Imagine spending a great deal of money with a particular vendor. When your service comes up for annual review, the invoice is attached to a letter that starts “Dear Customer.”
Scenario #2: Imagine signing up for a new health plan. Your new provider calls you with an automated message to welcome you to the service. The message starts: “Welcome, CUSTOMER NAME, to Generic Health Provider.” And then your new automated friend proceeds to leave a long two-minute voicemail filled with technical jargon, legalese, and an 800 number you should contact for more information. When you do call, you get put on hold “because your business is important to us.”
Sadly, these are not hypothetical situations. These actually happened recently to people I work with.
We tend to look at Social Media and Word of Mouth Marketing as a long and complicated process. In reality, it starts with getting the simple things right. Inserting a customer’s real name into an invoice, for example, or having a real human call you to say “Thank you for joining our program” when you become a customer for the first time. People love to talk about the businesses that treat them well. Yes, they love to scream and kvetch about those that have done them wrong, but why not give them something to cheer about?
My advice: The bar for expecting good service is shockingly low these days. Do the simple things right, and you’ll not only look like you’re aiming high, but will in fact start a conversation about how awesome your brand/product/service really is.
What do you think? Do you have other examples of “little things” you can do to generate great WOM?
Tags: customer service, detractors, promoters, Social Media, Word of Mouth Marketing
Michael,
Like you, generic and recorded messaging frustrates the heck out of me. To save a dime, businesses lose a dollar. Get a clue. Hire people to listen and talk to other people. Automation isn’t as cheap as they think it is.
I understand the need to save time and money. But at what cost?
I read a few days ago that US productivity had its largest April-June gain in six years. (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-econ12-2009aug12,0,4434394.story). I fear that this means more mindless automation is on the way as fewer workers are left to pick even more slack.
Thanks for the comment, Lewis.
Customer service needs to be improved in many ways in many industries. Automation has even driven me away from Microsoft, unless I can help it.
Yes, it’s sad to see this is the norm rather than the exception in customer communications. Our technology has progressed so much but we have gone backward in the soft areas.
A fool is a fool. A fool who has millions is a rich fool… important we need to go back to the core.
Although we are living in a digital age where our most common communication tools are only sci-fi imaginings forty-odd years ago, we should not take away the “personal” factor that goes with business.
It doesn’t mean that although we can be reached through our mobile phones (or whatever communication gadget you have), we delegate the talking part to an automaton.