An appalling customer service experience recently prompted me to think about basic business protocols. Ever since the beginning of humanity, business transactions have taken place with the equivalent of a handshake and an individual's word of honor.
Even today, with litigation fears and obsession for legal contracts, it is often our verbal agreements and discussions that precede any signed deals. And, yes, even in the 21st century, many business arrangements are decided at kitchen tables, coffee shops, restaurants, clubs, golf courses, and office bathrooms.
After all, as human beings, we have a need to relate to one another.
My definition of a brand is simple. It's a promise waiting to be fulfilled. Of course, there's more to it, but if we examine its raw essence, it's something derived from a transaction or experience with an individual, company, group, product, or service.
Many times, a brand experience is intangible and subconscious. People can feel good about a company or product without truly knowing why. Their experiences were positive in some way and often repeated and consistent, with the end result being some degree of brand loyalty.
Yet, confusion about branding still permeates executive offices in the business, public, and third sectors. No, Virginia, a logo alone is not a brand.
Marketers have spent gazillions on branding efforts. Some succeed, others fail. What is often missing in these campaigns is a major focus on the men and women who must carry the brand around every day: The frontline people who answer phones, the sales reps who follow marketing leads, the caretakers cleaning up as you walk by, and the technical support staff. Every word that is uttered from these brand ambassadors to each other and to their external audiences is part of their organization's brand. Yet, how many of them are aware of that?
What you say is equivalent to an ad
When I recently signed up for a year's contract for remote computer support, the FAQ on the company Web site indicated that response times are typically within an hour after the initial inquiry. Two days into my contract, I called for support at 5 PM. and waited. Service hours were posted as 8 AM. to 10 PM (in my time zone), seven days a week.
By 10 PM I had heard nothing. I called twice and sent an email. Nada. I received a call back at 8:17 the following morning. When I asked the technical service rep why it took so long, referring to the site's FAQ, he knew nothing about it. "Sometimes, it takes longer," he said.
I understand that timeframes are only an estimate. But if I had asked a plumber for an estimate to repair a leaking sink and he said it would be around $100, and then ended up charging me $500, I don't think he would be in business for long. Over or under 10% seems reasonable, but not 500%!
Lesson #1: When your company makes a promise and posts it, it's equivalent to an ad.
The Federal Trade Commission in the US, Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs, and the UK's Advertising Standards Authority monitor false advertising. But no official body can monitor every statement uttered by employees or buried in a Web site. It's up to the organization's leadership to ensure that every external guarantee, promise or statement of business operations is truthful. And that means getting employees on board and reinforcing the brand every day.
Listen to your customers
In keeping with this same story, the first technical support rep corrected one problem, but caused another. When I called the second time, the service rep was pleasant but indicated a need to uninstall and reinstall one of my programs. Since I had a meeting, I read him my software product code and left the office.
When I returned, the product code field appeared on my screen with a note from the service rep that he must have had the wrong code as he couldn't go any further in the reinstall. I didn't bother to call again; I simply reinstalled the software myself. Then I had to re-enter my personal data in the program as if I were starting from scratch. For this, I pay a monthly fee?
Lesson #2: In living up to your brand, ensure that you get your customers' information right.
Repeat it. Write it down legibly. Don't inconvenience the customer.
Be accessible to your customers
Next, I researched the company to find the corporate phone number. Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to find these online? It's as if some companies do not want to hear from you unless you fill out their support information fields and wait for 48 hours.
I called and asked for the president. The young man who answered said, "Uh, he's the owner."
Duh, yes, I know that; that's why I asked for him! (OK, I didn't say that aloud.) Instead, I was patched through to voicemail, but not the president's. Someone else gave his name but not his title, so I have no idea who he was. For all I know, he was the toilet cleaner. I never received a callback from the president.
Lesson #3: Ensure that there's someone higher up in the food chain to handle customers when they need attention.
Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to resolve a problem when it occurs.
Above all, keep your word
The next brand touchpoint was the business development rep who signed me up. I called to explain what had transpired and my resulting frustration. I asked for a refund of my setup fee and first month's payment. She seemed apologetic, in an almost uncertain way, and said she would need to check into the matter. She asked me to give them another try to fix the mess. By the end of the conversation, she said she would surely refund my money if I still wasn't satisfied.
I still wanted out of the contract and reiterated that. But, she was insistent, and so I figured that I had nothing to lose by letting her redeem her company's reputation. I booked the final service appointment for 7:00 PM so I wouldn't lose valuable computer time. Most issues were corrected.
When I received a follow-up email a few days later advising that I missed my initial computer intake assessment, I forwarded it to the business development rep with a note asking when I could expect my refund. Here was her response:
Hi Elaine,
It was my understanding that you were going to give our techs another change [chance] to undo what was done on your computer. As you mentioned below, all have been corrected except for one (which we can still take care of for you).
Please help me understand why you want a cancelation and a refund of your service after we spent almost 4 hours correcting the issue. I want to rectify things, but we hardly ever give refunds for people who have used the service. It may be possible for me to cancel the annual agreement, but if you want a refund, I will have to escalate this to our customer service manager and they will take a look at what kind of work was done on this computer.
It would be my goal to keep you on board, keep the agreement in place that we will be your unlimited computer helpdesk. Please let me know what I can do to take care of this situation.
When I replied to her, I copied the president and vice president, using the same email format as hers. I also did something different. I added a link to my MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog post titled "Some People Succeed in Spite of Themselves."
The president replied within an hour, very apologetically. I am getting a full refund.
Lesson #4: Stand behind your word
If you say you are refunding a customer, do it. If you say you provide service within an hour, don't call back five hours later. Whatever you tell a customer represents not just your personal word of honor, but your organization's, too. It has to mean something. It is part of your company's brand. If you can't deliver, then don't say it. It's a setup for failure.
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So, next time you attend an internal marketing meeting, ask your colleagues if they live the brand with their words of honor. Challenge them to assess what employees are saying. Maybe it's time to create a brand plan and provide staff training with full company integration that encompasses every staff person—even including the toilet cleaner.
