Tom Feltenstein

Recently I had to call and make a payment over the phone. What should have been a quick, simple phone call required fifteen minutes. I had to press 1 for English, 3 to pay my bill, 8 for a person…and heaven forbid if I forgot to press #.  By the time the call ended I was ready to don a straight jacket and suck Jell-O through a straw. How can any company expect to retain customers when it is annoying them so much? I thought it can’t just be me; surely there are more people out there who despise automated calling systems. Apparently I’m not alone; check out this hilarious spoof on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUM0KYQrmKM&feature=related

As I sat in the Emergency Room due to the carpal tunnel injury I suffered from pressing #,*, and every other combination of numbers, it again confirmed to me how important personal contact and quality customer service truly is. To quote Barbara Streisand, “People need people.” Bring back the human touch, please!

Most automated call systems originated out of the company’s need to cut costs.  However, it has grown into a convenient excuse for some companies not to offer actual service that is easy and efficient for customers. The frustration consumers experience as a result of automated menus reflects a broad and unsettling shift in the service industry mindset.  The core focus has shifted from being customer-centered – that is, striving to offer an extraordinary customer experience – to being self-centered.  In this new reality, the company chooses to save costs rather than explore more efficient methods of operating and delivering customer needs, and as a result the customer experience is marginalized.

Where does your company fit in this new paradigm?  When you make choices, do you think of the impact upon your customers first?  We all know that without customers our phones don’t ring.  One encounter with a frustrating phone menu reminds us that we need to be constantly vigilant in serving our customers to engage customer loyalty.

I’d like to learn from you.  What are some of your most frustrating or most memorable encounters with automated call systems?

Many consumers today want to spend their money with companies who care about more than just profit. Cause marketing, as it is referred to, is when businesses and charities partner together to support a common cause. From pink ribbons to celebrity endorsements, cause marketing is rapidly becoming an integral part of our culture. Oscar Mayer, for instance, is offering people a chance to bid on eBay for a “Ride Shotbun in the Wienermobile” package.

(http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=128968).

The lucky winner gets to drive the giant wiener for a day, have a catered Oscar Mayer cookout for 50 and a year’s supply of the hot dogs.  Proceeds from the auction support Oscar Mayer’s “Good Mood Mission” to benefit the hunger-relief organization Feeding America.

Cause Marketing is an effective public relations strategy for your business, because anytime you help your local community you’re certain to reap the benefits of your good dead.  It also positions your business in a very favorable light with your customers and gives you an additional personal connection with them because most business owners pick a cause that they personally care about.  Whether this is a cancer charity or animal rights cause, you will soon find customers telling you their stories about how they are involved with that charity as well. It is a way to feel great and give back as a business owner and get your customers involved on a personal level which enhances their loyalty to your business.

What type of cause marketing have you been involved with or been inspired by?

One of the funniest movies I’ve seen is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. One scene in particular stands out. When the daughter, Toula, tells her father she wants to go to college, he looks at her and cries, “Why you want to leave me?” Today many business owners find themselves spouting the same words to their customers. Customer loyalty is a major concern because without repeat business, you will never grow. The most precious asset a business has is its current customer base and it takes a great deal of time and energy to cultivate those relationships so when they leave, it hurts. On average, it costs five times as much to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer. It is important to have in place a solid customer retention strategy, but far too often these strategies aren’t proactive enough to prevent the loss of customers.

In order to take action you must first be able to see the early warning signs. Take a look at your current customers, are they acting differently? Has the regular customer who eats lunch at your restaurant, three times a week only been in once or twice this month?  Are there people who used to come in your store or shop very regularly that you haven’t seen in months? If so you need some answers and quickly.  Setting up ongoing customer feedback systems and “listening posts” throughout your organization will enable you to spot unfavorable trends so that you can take action to reverse such patterns before it is too late.

When one of these long lost customers reappears, offer them a discount coupon or free gift and thank them for being your customer. Sometimes that’s all it takes to draw them back in. You might also tell them that you are evaluating different areas of your business and ask if they can offer some suggestions on things that might be changed or improved. Often this is the only opening they need to let you know the real reason they haven’t been around much. Once you know the real problems you can address them. How do you retain your long time customers?