Trick or Treat! In the spirit of all things Halloween, lets take a look at some of the ways companies trick their customers and spook them away, and some of the ways they are treating their customers to come back for more.
Tricks:
Please Hold for the Next Available Rep!
Nothing haunts a customer more than hearing this seven word combination. Customers always want to feel like they are first in line. Nothing burns out our patience more than having to wait hours on end and being passed from voice message to voice message.
Ghosting Your Customers
Nothing screams bad customer service more than avoiding your customer needs or running away from their complaints. As far as customer service goes, the key to flunking out completely is not listening to your customers or showing sympathy. People are forgiving, but you have to let them vent first.
FinePrint Foolery
This must be the most devious of tricks in the book. Adding a book lengths of words at the end of a service agreement, formatted by their lawyer, basically stating that you owe nothing to your customers and everything that can or may happen, is their fault. What makes it even trickier is the fact that sometimes these words are in formatted in a way so confusing, we question if we are even reading the English language altogether.
Treats:
There’s No Such Thing as “No Can Do”
Customization is the perfect way to cast your spell. Like I mentioned earlier, we all want to be first in line and feel special – it’s the ultimate customer experience. So nothing works more than for a company to go out of their way to offer an individual special perks or honoring special requests – never saying never. Starbucks might be the perfect example of this technique, allowing customers to completely customize their own morning coffee.
Loyalty Programs – Practically Free Candy!
We love our perks. In an industry where customer service is becoming competitive, gifts, rewards, and loyalty programs are gold. Whether it is a free item or discount for our birthday, a free ice cream after our 10th purchase, free shipping, or even a value coupon to our favorite store – Customer Loyalty programs create the ultimate zombie following.
Drive-through Gratification:
Instant gratification means a lot these days, and that might be the sweetest treat of all. We want our service quickly, easily, and efficiently. This means that consumers want their drive-through, online shopping sites, fast and free shipping, and quick response times. Customers want their cake, and they want to eat it too!
So when you answer the door this Halloween will you be the first to Trick or Treat your unknowing customer?
