Miranda was happy with her latest email regarding her upcoming webinar.
- She gave clear instructions for signing up.
- The sign-up form was simple.
- And the Help information was prominently displayed.
But all she got back was one big customer fail – abandoned sign-up forms, missing data, and hang-ups on customer support. What happened?
The Customer Fail Blame Game
In my corporate days, certain managers were bogged down by the blame game. If something went wrong, it had to be somebody’s fault.
That’s like saying the player who missed the last shot in a basketball game is the reason the team lost. It’s not that simple (as much as I love simple).
Skip the blame game and try a different approach. First, let’s define customer fail. For the context of this post, I view customer failure differently than customer fail (as illustrated below).
Customers (including anyone you have a business relationship with) are made up of different backgrounds, experience, and life situations. So, even the best business communication will not work all the time.
So, without placing blame when communication fails, be smart in fixing the customer fail. Try one or more of the three actions shown below.
#1 – Revise the message.
Have you ever received feedback where a reader took offense at something you wrote? You’re surprised at his interpretation. That was not your intent. It hurts but a slight revision could fix it.
Fix for the Too Clever Pop-up
Tom accesses a site, reviews the Home page, then clicks to close the page. Before he exits, the following pop-up appears on his screen.
The site owner reacts with shock when his pop-up ends up on Tom’s list of Examples of Really Bad Pop-ups that goes viral. The site owner thought it was funny. Some of his followers did, too.
Change the message and fix the negative feedback. Sure, there will always be haters or people who complain. Weigh the feedback, change the message – or not. You decide. But keep an open mind.
#2 – Change how you do it.
Remember Miranda? She created a simple, stellar sign-up form for her webinar. But she noticed a problem. Some of those signing up skipped essential elements of the sign-up form.
Fix for the Missing Data
Miranda’s problem has a simple fix. Mark the fields mandatory for those areas you require that information. However, be careful not to create a new problem by marking fields mandatory that may not be. Especially if it contains personal information.
Additional examples include:
- If invoices get missed in emails with other information, send the invoice separately.
- Have extra copies to help meeting attendees who habitually forget to bring handouts.
- Send reminder emails 30 minutes before a webinar starts.
#3 – Add more incentives.
How many requests for surveys or product reviews do you receive during the week? A lot, right? Now, think about what stops you from completing it.
Would an added incentive motivate you to respond?
Fix for No Response
Studies show 9 out of 10 people check out online reviews before doing business with a company. So, getting people to respond to surveys or product reviews is a big deal.
But, if you’re like me, you feel buried in requests. Even if you liked the product, it’s exhausting to deal with so many requests. The following are a few incentives companies offer to motivate you into action.
- Gift cards (even small amounts)
- Discounts on future purchases
- Self-addressed envelope with prepaid postage for paper surveys
- Simple, pre-populated response form (e.g., Excellent, Good, Poor)
For the last point, I am more inclined to reply if it’s a quick click on my choice. And I often add additional comments just because the business made it so simple. I like simple. 🙂
Customer Fail No More
No process or communication is fail-proof. As long as we have people visiting our sites and reading our stuff, some customers will find fault. But that information leads to better business communication. So, be smart and try these three ways to fix customer fail.
- Revise your message.
- Change your process.
- Offer incentives.
What smart ways do you fix an unexpected customer response? Share your tips in Comments.
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