Do Businesses Really Care?
Several recent interactions with businesses have left me wondering if they care about about their customers.
In one interaction, I called to arrange to have my deck refinished. I got a recorded message that they were busy with other customers, leave a message, and they would get back to me. It’s been a week and they have not called me back.
In a second interaction, I called to check into my current pest control service and was 12th in the queue. I hung up, found their web form and sent my questions. It has been 2 weeks and no one has responded.
I am AMAZED at the lack of response from these businesses and am left wondering if they really care about me as a customer. I’m sure they got my messages. Do they just not need or want my business?
How Much Does Poor Service Cost?
I went to a competitor (there are a lot of them) to arrange to have my deck refinished. They answered the phone and set me up within ten minutes at a cost of about $500. I am now among the 78% of consumers who have not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience.
I plan to cancel my pest control service when I finally get someone on the phone. As an existing customer, I have a relationship with them and am worth more to them! Businesses have a 60-70% chance of selling to an existing customer but only a 5-20% chance of selling to a new customer. And, on average, a loyal customer is worth 10 times as much as their first purchase. In the case of the deck refinishing, I am potentially worth $5,000. If they do a good job, they don’t have to advertise to me. I will go back to them every year and will consider them first for other wood refinishing work. I will also advertise for them when I recommend them to all my friends!
When I consider the financial impact of poor service on these businesses, I am still left wondering why they would not respond to me. If this is how they treat customers, they will not be in business for long.
Tags: customer experience, Loyal customers, poor service
Categorized in: Consumer Experience, Customer Service
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