Monday, March 12, 2007 11:14:41 AM EST
Syracuse, NY
By Matthew Shuff, President
Two weeks ago, I installed a free 30-day trial of a leading software product sold by a highly respected technology company. The software has won numerous awards, and I thought it would be something I could use to make my computer run better. After installing it, it kept crashing, so I sent a support request to the company.
A week went by, and I hadn’t heard anything back from them (other than the standard boilerplate auto response confirming they received my initial inquiry), so I decided to follow up to see what was going on. They apologized for the delay, said the issue was being worked on, and a technical support specialist would be getting in touch with me.
Today, I received an e-mail response from the company’s technical support team. They apologized for the inconvenience that was caused by “the incident” and gave me instructions to run a very simple command. They then went on to make the following statement:
The [Company to Remain Anonymous] Technical Support Team takes considerable pride in helping you resolve problems or questions you might have with our software. Tech support tickets remain open until we hear back from you that the solution you were provided worked. You can help us by keeping us informed about how things are going.
What’s wrong with this message?
I guess the first problem is obvious. Taking two weeks to attempt to resolve a customer’s problem should make the people in question feel shame not pride, especially when the response was so simplistic. I wonder if they’d have even responded at all had I not followed up.
Furthermore, what do their feelings of pride have to do with the customer? I could truly care less. Their pride doesn’t address my wants or needs in any way whatsoever. Consumers don’t part with their hard earned dollar because the vendor is proud. Can’t you just hear this dialogue at the nearest electronics store: “Gee, I really don’t like this TV, and you were rude to me…but I can tell you are a proud man, so go ahead and ring the register!”
I especially like the way the statement ends,”YOU can help US by keeping us informed…” Oh, I forgot…that’s the customer’s job isn’t it? I guess it’s time to tell your receptionist to start asking customers, “How may you help us today?”
While this e-mail response has many problems, the main one is this: it failed to address my concerns as a customer, a living, breathing human being with money to spend. Instead the writer chose to focus on the “incident” and then even worse, on his own company.
So you see, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, everything is marketing. Marketing is no longer just a function of the marketing department. From tech support and engineering to manufacturing and shipping, everyone is a marketer. Any time you interact with a customer, be it in person, by phone, by e-mail, or even through your packaging, you are marketing. Failing to understand this concept not only prohibits you from capitalizing on a multitude of marketing opportunities but can harm your marketing efforts through inappropriate response, lack of response, and inconsistent message.
Good marketing, like a good business, starts with the customer in mind and works outward. Truly customer centric companies understand that every function, every system, and every action should be designed and executed with the customer in mind. Forget the Five P’s of Marketing – that’s old news. Remember the Big C – the Customer. We’re out there listening intently, so remember that every employee is a marketer and should be mindful of what they say.
Does this at all sound like your company or your marketing copy? Take a closer look. Does the customer really care when you say things like WE have been in business since 1493? Does the customer really care when you say WE are the largest manufacturer of wooden wire spools? Does the customer really care if you say your company is the best because “our people make the difference?” Ugh! No!
Why not just tell me what that “difference” is and show me what value that “difference” will have to me – the customer. If you can’t do that, then you either don’t understand your market, or you have nothing to say.
Why would I do business with you?
About the author: Matthew Shuff is the President of TechMark Consulting an Internet Marketing firm in Syracuse, New York.
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