“THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT”
WHY DOCUMENTING BUSINESSES BEHAVIORS TOWARD ITS CUSTOMERS WILL BRING A NEW DIMENSION TO CONSUMERISM.
From poor product experience to bad hiring decisions, many actions can stop a company from making a good impression on its customers and therefore from being profitable in the long term. But there is one thing that will always accelerate failing beyond any other possible mistake … handling — even if I find the association of words “handling” & “customer” abusive — a customer poorly.
I’ve lost track of how many companies — from service supplier to manufactured goods developer — are failing to answer customer needs, let it be a complaint or a simple help request.
When something goes wrong in the relation between a customer and a company, there is always something bigger behind. I think that if we manage to map our companies ecosystem — local and global — and understand how they “handle their customers” we will be helping not only customers to avoid hassles but also businesses who wish to make a difference for their future.
We need to be able to track customer vs business relationship and make the consumerist society a better place.
In the following statements, I do not want you to see any resentment against some of the companies I will mention but more of an illustration — and maybe a forecast of how these business will succeed on the long term (or not) — of how I, as a customer have been treated.
When it comes to selling goods, you will find two types of businesses. Those who are accepting returns for any good reason — here lies the concept of customer honesty — and those who are not. I know it is very simplistic but this basic concept makes a big difference when it comes to customer service.
Take a niche business selling very specific products like Larsen & Brusgaard for exemple. After 2 years, my L&B device stops working properly. As the 12 month warranty is over due, I know as a customer that I will probably have to pay something to fix it. After only two emails, customer service ask me to send my device back. A few days later I receive a brand new upgraded device, no question asked.
But, it also work with big business. Take Decathlon (Oxylane retailer) — this works with most mass market retailers but Oxylane gives an exemple of a big company who develop its own products — .From my personal experience and because I develop product for Oxylane (But do not take my word for it , ask around or try it for yourself) I know that you can buy anything there and bring it back with a “good excuse” after 1 day to 3 years (and maybe more).
Guarantying your money back if the product does not satisfy you is one of the basics that shows how customer oriented is a business. Unfortunately it is not always the case.
Take Nixon for exemple. After buying 6 watches from this brand throughout the years I inevitably ended up with some product default or quality problem — nobody is perfect — and therefore contacting customer service. That is the exact moment I started to fear for the futur of this company. Among all the customerNOTfriendly behaviour I had to deal with, some are beyond reality.
#3 Someone from customer service telling me they would call me back and they never did (3 times in a row).
#2 A product returned to me and still not working.
#1 Not willing to replace my product after one of the company retailer closed shop and kept a returned watch.
I know that we all have add some great,bad experiences with the company we deal with everyday and being able to fully document this would help every customer to make the right choice as well as help many companies to understand their ongoing fall.
“The customer is always right” is a fully comprehensive database of customer experience based on a specific gradation of very bad to awesome experiences.
We built a tool for customers and companies to improve shopping experiences as well as businesses health. We analyse companies activities in order to help them build a better customer relationship and image.
Stay tuned for the next post in which we will explain how this project will make your life easier and your business healthier !
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