Anybody who questions the need for sensitive customer relations would do well to visit blogger Paul McCrudden’s crusading website ‘SIX WEEKS’ (www.paulmccrudden.com/sixweeks.htm). McCrudden is challenging our subservience to ‘brands’ by recording (and trying to recover) the cost of time he has spent waiting for various brands to deliver on their promises. He has had some significant successes and some amusing responses – he is building an intriguing picture of his experiences reflecting how various companies value his time versus his custom.
This is a sobering reminder of growing consumer power for brand owners everywhere. The social networking generation can (and do) flash their consumer experiences across the cloud as easily as their personal ones.
Businesses seem to be picking up on this increasing consumer confidence and pleas for better customer service. We are encouraging our clients to highlight their personal, local and global service expertise to build trust and credibility for their brands. I just received a British Gas mailshot offering to better manage customer expectations – their campaign ‘only at home in your world when you need to be’ features British Gas representatives calling ahead when travelling to customers so that they only need to be at home when they need to be. Hooray – I’ll have some of that.
Customer service is likely to be the tipping point of difference in a world where prices and interest rates simply can’t go any lower. As we emerge from a serious downturn the message is clear: consumer power is growing exponentially and we need to nurture our customer relationships to survive and flourish. And that means ensuring a sympathetic customer experience at every single consumer touchpoint.
Posted by Keith
