Are we still loyal, even with poor customer service?
An experience with DirecTV leaves me bitter, yet still a customer. Retailers should be so lucky.
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PrintI'm just coming off of a 15 hour ordeal with DirecTV. A simple moving of the satellite dish somehow turned into a "your entire house needs to be rewired or we can't rehook up the dish."
I talked to the supervisor's supervisor's supervisor. I was promised callbacks within 20 minutes three times, yet found my self calling back each time as even the supervisor who promised to call me back to make sure the other person actually called me back didn't call me back. Got that?
So where does that leave me with DirecTV. Smarting. To say the least. Did I switch over to Time Warner. Well, I made the call. But then I came to my senses. The grass is always greener, when truly it isn't. It just appears greener through our anger and frustration.
So, if you frustrate a customer, are you going to lose them? Unequivocally, yes. Unlike cable or satellite TV (the only choices other than to not have TV at all), in retail, customers have a million choices. Piss off a customer without trying to rectify the situation, and you lose them. Period.
Loyalty has gone out the window in these value-oriented days. It's up to you to engage and build the relationship with each and every customer to increase sales.
For more great retail news, trends and tips, follow me on Twitter.
I talked to the supervisor's supervisor's supervisor. I was promised callbacks within 20 minutes three times, yet found my self calling back each time as even the supervisor who promised to call me back to make sure the other person actually called me back didn't call me back. Got that?
So where does that leave me with DirecTV. Smarting. To say the least. Did I switch over to Time Warner. Well, I made the call. But then I came to my senses. The grass is always greener, when truly it isn't. It just appears greener through our anger and frustration.
So, if you frustrate a customer, are you going to lose them? Unequivocally, yes. Unlike cable or satellite TV (the only choices other than to not have TV at all), in retail, customers have a million choices. Piss off a customer without trying to rectify the situation, and you lose them. Period.
Loyalty has gone out the window in these value-oriented days. It's up to you to engage and build the relationship with each and every customer to increase sales.
For more great retail news, trends and tips, follow me on Twitter.
