How Not To Do Customer Service In The Migration Industry

First contact, first impressions, client engagement or ‘the onboarding process’ if we’re to use startup-speak is undeniably crucial. It’s not even disputed any more. These days customer service is the key to business whether you’re in the start up phase, the growth stage or even if you’re a matured and established firm. And yet the migration industry continues to lag in this respect.

Anecdotal evidence shows that on average a potential client would have 1 interaction with a migration agent before cutting off all communication. That means, after one interaction, the potential client is so turned off that they don’t even bother to reply and move on elsewhere. Our firm on the other hand has at least 3 interactions and do you know what the difference is? I’m not trying to sell in the first email.

I’m providing helpful information that steers them in the right direction and only when there are follow up questions that are outside of the realm of public knowledge (and therefore requires my time for research and written response) do I suggest engaging our services.

It’s pretty much always the same when you approach a migration agent with a question. It goes a little like this:

Potential client: question regarding whether I can do a visa but mainly around how do I even start

Migration agent: Pay me $5,000 and then we’ll talk

Potential client: … *runs away*

Here’s a collection of interactions that I’ve gathered — from past clients — and it’s pretty shocking.

Mistake 1: Money upfront, then we’ll talk — and to top it off, here’s some spam

Mistake 1: Money first, questions later. Also, here’s some spam

So the enquiry email was a quote for a service and given that this industry works on a flat fee basis (some even no-win, no-fee) the migration agent was very touchy about giving any ballpark figures. Instead they unsuccessfully go for an up-sell and instead of asking for more information so that they can provide an accurate quote, they preferred the ‘pay me for a consultation’ route.

And the ultimate no no in this day and age? Putting you on a marketing list without your consent. Talk about spamtastic.

Mistake 2: No answer to enquiry, just a sales letter and the kicker? ATTACHMENTS!

Mistake 2: Long sales letter and some attachments!

I find these to be even worse than the first one. Not only do they not respond to the question, its riddled with bad marketing strategies of the 90s. Firstly, what’s a ‘lawyer’s migration agent services’? and why is ‘will leave’ highlighted? Maybe someone didn’t finish their copywriting master course.

So this 90’s sales letter then goes on for a page or two and ‘invites’ you to spend your time to look at their ‘electronic brochures’. That’s right folks, they sent you attachments. Of brochures. And flyers.

Worse yet, they continued to send unsolicited emails (with attachments!) 4 weeks down the line. Someone must have told them about email marketing and how effective that is in getting back clients. Well let me be the one to tell you: email marketing is highly effective only when you can execute it correctly, and this? This is not executed correctly.

Mistake 3: We’d love to help but pay me money so I can hear this all again with no resolution

Mistake 3: We’ll bounce you around till you pay us $450.

Pleasant and to the point. But also, gives you nothing (notice that it was forwarded a few times before getting to this ‘senior associate’?) What can’t you ask me in email to get more information to determine your fees? Why do I have to pay $450 an hour to tell you the details you could have asked over email? What value exactly are you providing me when you’re just going to ask questions, type it into a form and then generate a quote? You’re not going to be providing me with real immigration advice because this isn’t a strategy meeting, this is a ‘get to know you/get to sell you’ call.

Mistake 4: Just plain wrong advice

Mistake 4: Not knowing your stuff and charging for it.

And my ultimate favourite — the wrong advice. This is purportedly from a respected and experienced migration agent. The enquiry email asked about a possibility of a working holiday visa. This migration agent told the potential client: ‘No they don’t qualify for the working holiday visa’ — which is technically true because a Chilean can’t qualify for the 417 visa BUT they do qualify for the ‘work and holiday visa’ which is part of the same scheme but slightly different rules. Would it absolutely kill the migration agent to say: ‘No, they don’t qualify for the 417 but they do qualify for the 462 visa’. No it doesn’t hurt the migration in any way except for not getting the sale. So this could either be due to:

a) they didn’t want to tell the potential client that there is another visa — i.e. unhelpful; and/or

b) they don’t know their immigration law — i.e. inexperienced and downright wrong

….and it all ultimately leads to C — lose the potential client.

Basically, we’ve heard it all before: add value by being helpful to your potential customers and they’ll sing your praises. I think it’s high time that the migration industry start to focus more on their customer service.