Rarely are marketing programs or campaigns perfect. Things always go wrong although the customers may not be aware of it especially as you present a picture of all being well.
Having experienced this as a marketer and customer the problem often stems back to the planning and checking the details.
For example I recently wanted to trial a product. It was recommended, the company was promoting a good offer on the product and by all reports would help my business.
It looked like a winner and seemed to be in demand which was great for the product which is owned by a small business.
The problem
So I do not bore you will the whole episode I needed support as the product was not performing how it should and days later I am still waiting. Meanwhile I was receiving auto responder emails telling me the special price was closing.
Today I received the last email saying the offer was closed and I had missed out.
One note on this is we often assume potential customers recognise these types of emails, but that can be a mistake. What the customer sees is the offer being pushed but there is silence when support is needed due to a problem with the performance of the product.
The solution
If you are promoting an offer or trial of your product or service, it is worthwhile making sure all the pieces are in place to handle the demand and any problems that may appear.
Have estimates on what you can deliver, what resources you may need and where the blocks can arise. Then work out how you can handle these before you start the offer.
For example if you have a free offer relating to your service, work out how many you could do as well as your work with current customers. Then include those details in the offer so there are no surprises for anyone.
As I said at the top things go wrong, but if you think about these upfront it gives you time to either change the terms of the offer so you can handle demand or put processes in place to handle problems.
How do you ensure your promotions run smoothly?
Hi Susan,
Nothing says “We don’t care.” louder than autoresponder for customer service issues. I see many businesses where the only process they have in place is an auto reponse to an email. As your example clearly illustrate, it’s a great way to lose business.
I’m all for technology improvements in business. It’s important to remember customer relationships require personal interaction.
Nice post.
Hi Sarah,
You are right and this is so important in the early stages of a relationship. Technology is great but a human element is essential as you said. The funny thing is I received an answer to the problem this morning without any suggestion as to how to fix it or anything to repair the relationship.
Hi, Susan! It’s nice to come back to your excellent content.
I don’t do promos for my business, but I hate it when I get duped. The last time this happened was at a service (gas) station. I was tempted to try a new bag of lollies by a banner promising a generous cash back payment. On getting the bag home, I realised the offer had expired two months earlier!
It may have been the station’s fault for hanging onto old stock, but you can rest assured I got a bad feeling about this confectionary company nonetheless.
Best regards, P.
Hi Paul,
Good to have you back and hope you enjoyed your holiday. Today I think we are less patient with mistakes and being ignored or having a feeling of being duped unfortunately lasts.
Thanks for your comment.
Susan,
Great, sound advice all around. Paying attention to details is key, and foresseing problems which may arise is perhaps equalliy important. This leads to “how will these potential problems be dealt with.”
We recently received a phone bill for 34,000 shekels (about $9,000). I called the phone company immediately and told them our average bill is approximately $60. We did not make calls to anywhere other than our usual numbers despite the fact that we are being billed for hundreds of calls to Moldova, Bulgaria, Germany and the Czech Republic! The representative and her cadre of supervisors all told us the same thing, “Our computers don’t lie!
We have retained a lawyer who will, no doubt, get to the bottom of this. Unfortunately our phone service will be disconnected for non-payment in the coming days!
The phone company obviously does not know how to treat or retain customers as we will be transferring to a new company ASAP!
Yoni
Hi Yoni,
Sorry to hear about your troubles. It sounds terrible especially when you know you are in the right. The human touch can make all the difference especially soothing a customer who is upset.
I hope it is settled soon and thank you for sharing your story.
Susan, were you by any chance dealing with GoDaddy? Because you write an excellent description of how they behave.
Customer service is crucial and for one dissatisfied customer you lose 10, at least.
Catarina Alexon´s last blog ..Obama blocked by the Supreme Court
Hi Catarina,
No it wasn’t GoDaddy, but I have a feeling the experience is not uncommon. Often we hear about this type of service from larger companies and I was really surprised that it was a small business. I think they did not have the resources and took on too much at the one time.
You are right about service and I would not recommend them even though their product is good.
Thanks for your comment.
You definitely need a back up plan for glitches in the delivery of your service. Sometimes it is hard to predict the problems until they happen.
I have a free report on my site that is easy enough to download. Recently I got an e-mail from a frustrated customer because the download apparently doesn’t work from the foxfire browser. Luckily I don’t have an automated responder so I could make her happy quickly.
Hi Julia,
A back up plan is a good idea as you say it is hard to predict problems. We can forget that customers just want the problem fixed. As you were responsive I bet she will remember for a long time how you helped her.
My sense of using online autorepsonders is that many companies then forget about the older technology- why not pick up a phone to answer a potential customers question? Years ago, I think it was George Orwell’s book, 1984 maybe(?) said that high tech would cause us to lose high touch. That is a kind of detail we have to keep good tabs on. Thanks for the perspective.
Hi Patricia,
You make a good point about the phone and not losing touch. With a product of ours we did phone customers who had a problem as often they did not express the problem clearly and phoning them help resolve the issue quickly. It also gave us a chance to develop the relationship.
Thanks for your comment.
I agree about the autoresponders. Complete lack of a personal touch! I’ve heard quite a few complaints about GoDaddy and I have to say, I’m really surprised. I’ve been with them for a long time now and so far haven’t had any problems with them.
Stacey N.´s last blog ..The Book That Started It All
Hi Stacey,
Thanks for commenting. Autoresponders I think are okay when used in the right way, but they can trip you up. No company is perfect and although it is easy to say, we just need to double check elements to stop problems early. Glad yo hear you are happy with GoDaddy.
Definitely should plan the plan then work the plan. Someone is not going to connect a possible complaint with the autoresponder unless someone puts that in the workflow.
Rob
Rob Berman´s last blog ..What Are Some Marketing Mistakes That Companies Make
Hi Rob,
Like the work the plan as you put it. You are right about the autoresponder and as Julia had mentioned a back up plan even if it is simple is a good idea to have in place.
Lack of Attention to Detail Can Wreck Your Marketing Campaign http://bit.ly/cRtBeU
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
RT @davidabrock @m4bmarketing: Lack of Attention to Detail Can Wreck Your Marketing Campaign http://bit.ly/cRtBeU
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Thanks for the RT @davidabrock @tomhalle : Lack of Attention to Detail Can Wreck Your Marketing Campaign http://bit.ly/cRtBeU
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
RT @m4bmarketing Lack of Attention to Detail Can Wreck Your Marketing Campaign http://bit.ly/dy6HVC
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
RT @globalcopywrite: RT @m4bmarketing Lack of Attention to Detail Can Wreck Your Marketing Campaign http://bit.ly/dy6HVC [Another ripper.]
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
RT @m4bmarketing: Post: Lack of Attention to Detail Can Wreck Your Marketing Campaign http://bit.ly/cRtBeU
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Thanks for RT @IvetteMeans: Post: Lack of Attention to Detail Can Wreck Your Marketing Campaign http://bit.ly/cRtBeU
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Lack of Attention to Detail Can Wreck Your Marketing Campaign http://ht.ly/2id4C (via @bizsugar)
This comment was originally posted on Twitter