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Why You’re Not as Good at Customer Service as You Think You Are

hyh-book-2Note from Mack: This is a guest post by my pal Jay Baer.  Besides being recognized as one of the top experts in digital marketing, Jay also has a new book called Hug Your Haters (check it out on Amazon) and this post is drawn from that book.  Enjoy! 

Whether you work for a mom-and-pop store or a global brand, you do have haters — and you can’t afford to ignore them. By embracing complaints, you put haters to work for you, and turn bad news good.

So few companies hug their haters today that those that make this commitment are almost automatically differentiated and noteworthy when compared to their competitors.

Customer service and customer experience matter. And they’re going to matter even more in the future. The world is inextricably linked now, by transportation and technology that was unthinkable twenty years ago. This global interconnectivity mutes the advantages of price and location that businesses formerly used to create market inefficiencies and gain a disproportionate share of customers.

Why I always order from the same pizza place

Take Bloomington, Indiana, for example. There are more than one dozen banks in this modest-sized college town where I live. All of them offer almost precisely the same core services, at fees that are not appreciably different from one another. From the perspectives of product and price, they are nearly indistinguishable.

There are even more pizza places nearby, and they all offer roughly the same thing at the same cost, partially because they are buying ingredients at the same price from the same global suppliers, and are tapping into the same labor pool, where what you pay a college student to make pizzas is essentially the same for each restaurant. Likewise, my accountant and your accountant and my barber and your barber are doing almost the exact same things for approximately the same fees.

In today’s world, meaningful differences between businesses are rarely rooted in price or product, but instead in customer experience. How does each provider make you feel when you interact with them? It is in the provision of standout, noticeable customer experience (the real-world embodiment of the brand promise) where great companies shine and mediocre companies shrink.

Why do I always order from the same pizza place in Bloomington? Because I live on the outskirts of town, and they cheerfully deliver to my house. Most of the other pizza places give me the terse “outside our service territory” story and refuse to bring me pizza.

Customer experience will be more important than price by 2020

The winning companies of tomorrow will be those that make their customers feel the best, even if those customers are paying more for the privilege. This isn’t just a circumstance that’s true in consumer products, travel, and hospitality either.

The customer intelligence consultancy Walker released a research report that stated that in business-to-business scenarios, customer experience will be more important than price by 2020.

“The B-to-B companies that will win are beginning to prepare now by recognizing the shift that’s taking place, aligning the right resources, and focusing on the right metrics. Enlightened companies must view the customer experience as a strategic initiative. And, in the future, the responsibility of a ‘chief customer champion’ will become more common, serving one purpose-to create an unrelenting focus on the customer,” states the report.

Outlove your competition

John Di]ulius, a well-known customer service consultant and adviser and author of The Customer Service Revolution, describes this differentiating factor as “outloving your competition.” As he writes in his book, ‘”Outlove your competition’ is one of my favorite sayings. Think about it. Nearly everything can be copied: the products or services that you sell, your decor, website functionality, menu, and prices. Can you really outwork your competition? Outthink them? Maybe not, but the one way you can get a distinct competitive advantage is by outloving the businesses you compete against. The only way to do that is to stop the typical squawking that goes on about how difficult customers can be, and just start appreciating them.”

Realize, however, that to truly differentiate your business with customer experience, you have to clearly outpace your competition in this regard. Making a commitment to “be better at customer service” isn’t going to get the job done. Instead, as Walker suggests, you need to “create an unrelenting focus on the customer.”

Embrace complaints

There are many elements of a comprehensive customer experience program. The first step in differentiating your business with customer experience should be to be demonstrably better than each of your competitors in how you embrace complaints.

Start there, and if you can successfully hug your haters, you’ll be on your way to a full-scale customer experience advantage that can literally be the difference between a flourishing business in five years, when price and location are no longer deciding factors, and not existing at all.

Customer service is the new marketing

Dan Gingiss, formerly of Discover, says, “We firmly believe here that customer service is the new marketing. Discover put its flag down on customer service since it started in the 80s. Discover was the first credit card company with 24/7 service. It pays attention to service and it’s good at it. It talks about it on TV—the last two main television campaigns have been about service. And to me a complaint online is an opportunity for us to show off amazing customer service in a public setting that can’t be done on TV and can’t be done in any other channel. If somebody is having an issue with their product or their card that I know can be fixed, to me it’s an opportunity.”

 

 

Drawn from Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints and Keep Your Customers, about which Guy Kawasaki says: “This is a landmark book in the history of customer service.” Written by Jay Baer, Hug Your Haters is the first customer service and customer experience book written for the modern, mobile era and is based on proprietary research and more than 70 exclusive interviews.

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Your Brand’s Guide to Dealing With That Customer That Just Called You An Asshole on Facebook

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” – Mike Tyson

Let’s say you get this comment on your Facebook page about your all-purpose cleaner: “This product sucks.  It works on vinyl ok but did nothing to the stains in my carpet, I sprayed it on and then vacuumed up and it didn’t faze the stain,  Total waste of money.”

Your product clearly states in the instructions that you are to let it soak for at least 30 minutes on carpet stains, but it appears the angry customer did not do this.  So you politely try to help him.

“Hi Don! Sorry you had some difficulty removing the stain on your carpet.  As it states in the instructions, if you are trying to remove a stain from your carpet, please let the cleaner soak into the carpet for a minimum of 30 minutes before vacuuming up.  If you try this I think you will see improved results, please let us know!”

Undeterred, Don replies again: “I’m not an idiot, I know how to read the instructions! I left the product on for a few minutes, that should be plenty of time if it’s any good!”

Actually, it appears that Don may indeed be an idiot, since he cannot follow simple instructions.  Even if he’s not, he’s definitely acting like an ass in this interaction and is abusing a company that’s clearly trying to help him with his issue.

But as a company, you still have to deal with the fact that every online conversation has 3 sides; Yours, mine, and everyone else that’s watching our interaction.  Calling Don an abusive idiot might make you feel better, and the people that have been following your interactions with Don might even agree with you, but to everyone else that reads your post later, they will view you as the clueless company that just called a customer an abusive idiot.

So the question at this point becomes “How do we respond to Don?”  Since Don didn’t listen to your suggestion on how to properly clean his carpet, it’s valid to assume that if you try to help him again that he not only won’t listen (again) but he might attack you (again).

Then it makes sense to either ignore Don, or if you feel like leaving another attempt at helping him. I would suggest doing so in a way that is helpful, but that playfully points out that he’s acting like an ass.  Something like…

“Hi again Don! Sorry to hear that you continue to have difficulty removing the stain on your carpet, but at least you are successfully ignoring our clear instructions for solving your problem! Just to humor us, could you try liberally applying the cleaner to the stained area of your carpet, and then vacuum it no sooner than 30 minutes later? This should either completely remove your stain or at least make us feel better about your efforts to do so.  Keep in mind that if you need more help we are here for you, or you can call or visit our website!  Good luck!”

It’s entirely possible that Don might blow up again, or that another customer would.  Unfortunately, there will always be people that lack basic social skills, that feel determined to use social media anyway.  The point is that just as your brand shouldn’t be abusive to its customers via social media (duh), your brand also doesn’t have to accept when its customers are being abusive to you via social media.  Give your customers credit: They can see if your brand is acting inappropriately, and they can also tell if other customers are as well.

Typically, discretion is the better part of valor and it’s best to walk away from a customer that’s being abusive.  On the other hand, if you can tactfully ‘put him in his place’, slapping down an abusive customer can win you accolades from other customers, and send a message to other potentially abusive customers that you intend to call them out on their bad behavior.

Engage With Your Fans, They Are Your ‘Guard Dogs’

While trolls and assholes might avoid your Facebook page if you call them out on their behavior, they will run for the hills if your fans will as well.  I’ve talked about this before, but think of your fans as being a guard dog in your yard.  The dog will alert you if a stranger is sniffing around, and he’ll scare them off.  Your fans do the same thing.  Engage with your fans and they will stick around and help defend you online and let you know if someone is causing you grief.  They’ll also help out customers that legitimately need help, and they will bring these people to your attention as well.

The bottom line is be helpful, friendly, respectful and compassionate, and you’ll be fine, even if the jerks come knocking (and they always do).

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The Art of Empathy: How to Get People to Give a Damn About You

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Lady Gaga was performing a concert and staying at a hotel in that city. As usually happens, her hardcore fans figured out which hotel she was in, and lined up outside hoping she would come and meet with them, which she did.  One of the people standing in line was a homeless man that had a ring he wanted to give Gaga, an ‘engagement’ ring.  

Gaga met with the fans in line, and when she reached the homeless man, she graciously accepted his ring, then she leaned toward him to take a picture.  The homeless man immediately leaned away from her and whispered “But I smell…” Without missing a beat, Gaga whispered back “Don’t worry, I smell too…” and leaned back toward him to take the picture.  

Loosely put, empathy is your ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes.  I would also argue that as a marketer, it is one of the most important skills you can hone and develop.

The problem is, there are many things that tug on us and make it more difficult to practice empathy:

  • Preoccupation with our own problems.  Why should I care that this guy can’t make his car payment this month, hell I am behind on my mortgage!
  • Having too much on our own plate.  That sounds terrible, I would like to help, but right now I need to finish this project.  I’ll come back to this when I have time.
  • Past history. This guy? Last year I asked him for help with my job search, he never returned my call.
  • Not caring. Ugh…everyone needs help! I need help too, who is going to help me?

A big component of empathy is recognizing that someone needs help.  There’s also a big distinction between someone that wants help, and someone that needs help.  Too often, a person that needs help, won’t ask for it.  This is a terrible flaw I have, I never ask for help when I need it.  I don’t want to be a burden to the very friends that would be happy to help me, if they could.  But still…

And many people feel this same way, which makes it even more important to be perceptive and to notice when someone needs help that might not be willing to ask for it.

Let’s be clear:  I’m not talking about someone that wants help.  People are usually more likely to ask for help they want, vs help they need.  Or perhaps they need help, but don’t realize they do.  As a marketer, it is incredibly important to realize when a customer needs help.  Not only so you can actually help them, but also so you can realize that the need for help can be affecting how they act toward you.  Needing help with say a product failure can lead to anger, fear, desperation, depending on what the product is and what it means to the owner.  It’s one thing if a customer can’t figure out how to put the toner in a printer and quite another if their truck has just broken down on the interstate at 10:30 PM.

Empathy allows you to  put yourself in the shoes of your customer and see their point of view.  It allows you to understand why the guy on the interstate is yelling at you on the phone, it’s because he’s stranded on the interstate at night and he’s scared.  But if you show empathy to your customers when they need your help the most, that’s one of the most powerful ways to build lifetime advocates for your brand.  It starts by making an effort to listen, be perceptive, and actually caring enough to do these things.

How do you get people to give a damn about you?  By first giving a damn about them.

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The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show Episode 21: From Rants to Raving Fans

Hey y’all! Welcome to the 21st episode of #Fandamnshow! Today I talk to you about how to respond to complaints from customers online and turn them into raving fans of your brand! This topic is SO misunderstood by brands, so I wanted to spend an episode walking you through the process for not only responding to an angry customer, but doing so in a way that converts them into a passionate fan of your brand.

Show notes:

2:00 – Understanding the mindset of the customer that’s complaining about your brand.  Understanding what’s motivating their behavior is vital to your brand responding to them correctly.

2:50 – How does the average customer handle a problem they have with a product or service?  What’s their response?

4:00 – By the time the customer complains about your brand online, they are already aggravated, and here’s why.

5:50 – What every customer that complains about your brand online wishes you understood about WHY they are complaining.

6:20 – The seven steps you should take to respond to an angry customer online, and convert them into a passionate fan of your brand.

 

Here’s where you can download and listen to the episode directly.  And if you can, please subscribe to The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show on iTunes, and I would *love* it if you could review the podcast on iTunes as well.  Also, #FanDamnShow is now available on Stitcher as well! BTW, thank y’all SO much for helping to grow #fandamnshow, the podcast had over 1,500 downloads in March at it looks like it will easily top that in April.  As a result, I’ve started to get requests for sponsor #FanDamnShow so I’ve created a custom page that has all the information on how your brand can sponsor #FanDamnShow and the rates. All available sponsor slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so please email me if you are interested in sponsoring #FanDamnShow.

We’ll talk again next week!

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Why Are Brands Trying to Publicly Shame Their Customers?

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Seriously, what are brands thinking today?  And I’m not even talking about the ones that throw a pool party for their customers that involves knockout-gassing them.  Specifically, I want to talk about two brands that recently launched campaigns to engage with their customers at the point of sale, and why both efforts immediately fell flat.

First, there’s McDonalds’ ‘McLovin’ campaign.  This short-lived (thankfully) campaign ran the first 2 weeks in February, and the idea was simple: Customers would be randomly selected to pay for their meal with ‘McLovin’.  So when you go to pay for that Big Mac, you’re told it’s free, all you have to do is hug the 5 total strangers that are standing in line behind you.  Or maybe you have to join the staff in a dance-off, or maybe you have to call your mom and tell her you love her, while the staff listens in and cheers you on.  But the upshot of publicly embarrassing yourself is that you get a greasy $3 sandwich for free.  Which of course makes it all worthwhile.

Starbucks’ #RaceTogether campaign is a bit different.  Starbucks employees put #RaceTogether stickers on cups, and were encouraged to prompt customers to talk about the racial issues in this country when they place orders.  You can imagine the reaction, it’s 8am, you are half groggy and want to grab a coffee to wake you up before heading to a the office and a barista asks you what you think about race in this country.  This might be a healthy conversation to have, but asking half-asleep customers in a crowded Starbucks is not the ideal place to initiate that conversation.  Starbucks immediately caught backlash over this effort, ended it after about a week, then claimed it was the plan all along to end it after a week.

What’s really odd about both these efforts is that they aren’t just making the customers uncomfortable in many instances, but think about how the poor employees feel?  Can you imagine being an introvert working the front line at McDonalds and being told you have to get a middle-aged man to pay for his meal with ‘McLovin’ by following him around the restaurant taking 3 selfies with random customers?  Or being an introvert working at Starbucks that’s required to spend the day encouraging total strangers (customers) to talk to you about race relations in this country?  In both cases the employees are likely to feel as completely awkward as the customers do, which only makes the situation much worse for everyone.

But curiously, it seems that Howard Schultz, Starbucks’ politically-active CEO, is intent on pushing forward with the idea of having his employees start a conversation about hot-button political issues with Starbucks’ customers.  Imagine trying to buy a coffee at Starbucks, then when you go to pay, the barista informs you that your price depends on your stance on legalizing marijuana.  Or gun control.  Or marriage equality.  Or another hot-button political issue that is honestly none of Starbucks’ damned business what your views are.

Brands are looking for ways to engage customers and build loyalty.  I get it. And a little out-of-the-box thinking can be great sometimes.  But if you truly want to build an amazing brand, all you really have to do is nail the fundamentals.

For example: I went shopping at Publix yesterday.  The cart was new and the wheels rolled like a champ (Hi, Wal-Mart!).  Every employee I encountered in the aisles was friendly and helpful.  Sales were everywhere, the prices were the lowest in the area for several items I buy regularly.  Then when I went to pay for my items, a manager rushed up and unloaded my buggy for me.  The woman that checked me out was friendly, remarked that she’d seen me here before, and thanked me for coming back.  Then when she finished she told me to come back soon.  Then the girl that loaded up my buggy begged profusely to let her follow me to my car and unload the buggy for me.

The fundamentals.  Treating your customers as friends and people that you want to continue to do business with.  I feel appreciated every time I go to Publix, which is exactly why I keep going there.  The crazy thing is, McDonalds launched the McLovin’ campaign to try to boost sagging sales.  If they want to boost sales, all they have to do is tell the cashiers that the next time they are all standing around up front chatting, to instead walk out to the restaurant area and ask the customers if they need anything.  Ask them if you can refill a coke for them, or take their tray to the trash.  It will take them a few seconds, and shock the hell out of the customers.  Just treat your customers with respect and gratitude, and leave the silly gimmicks and public-shaming of customers initiatives in the trash can where they belong.

Pic via Flickr user Tony Fischer

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The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show Episode 19: Learning From Your Unhappy Customers

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Hey y’all! Welcome to the 19th episode of The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show! In this episode I talk about the value of your unhappy customers (don’t you love that quote?).  Unhappy customers are such an amazing source of vital business feedback that is often overlooked.  We’ll talk about harnessing that value in this episode of #fandamnshow.

Show Notes:

1:30 – Why you should listen to your unhappy customers

3:00 – Two types of unhappy customers, and the differences between them

3:15 – Why your fans are sometimes not the best source of feedback when it comes to your business’ problems

4:45 – Fans sometimes re-interpret problems as actually being positives or non-issues

9:20 – Unhappy customers will go the extra mile to bring issues to your attention.

 

Here’s where you can download and listen to the episode directly.  And if you can, please subscribe to The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show on iTunes, and I would *love* it if you could review the podcast on iTunes as well.  Also, #FanDamnShow is now available on Stitcher as well! Thanks for listening!

Pic via Flickr user Celestine Chua

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The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show Episode 15: Sometimes the Customer is Wrong

Hey y’all!  Welcome to the 15th episode of The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show! In this episode we will delve into the idea that ‘The Customer is Always Right’, and look at two examples when this might not be the case.    If you enjoy this episode then please subscribe on iTunes!

Show Notes:

1:00 – Why we say ‘The Customer is Always Right’

1:45 – There are certain cases where the individual customer can be wrong

2:05 – Sometimes a customer may demand a free product or service and threatens to complain online if you don’t give them what they are asking for

3:00 – How to handle this situation correctly

6:30 – Your fans view themselves as owners of your company and brand

7:15 – Some fans demand that you not only listen to them but act on their suggestions, even if they aren’t feasible or possible

10:00 – How to respond to fans that believe you have to do what they are suggesting, ‘my way or the highway’

 

Here’s where you can download this episode directly.

 

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This is Exactly Why You Should Ask Your Customers For Online Reviews

EnterpriseEmailConsider these customer service/satisfaction facts:

Americans tell an average of 9 people about a good experience with a company, and 16 people about a bad experience.

Roughly 80% of all tweets related to a customer service issue with a company, are negative.

But think about how this applies to you: Are you more likely to praise a company or complain?  Personally, I am more likely to share a negative experience, or rather I am more likely to be motivated to share a negative experience.  Especially when I think the company just completely screwed up.

Yet when it comes to a positive experience, I am less likely/motivated to share that experience.  Case in point, for over a year now I’ve been renting cars (quite often) from a particular Enterprise location locally.  So much so that the employees that work there recognize me and know which vehicle I prefer in the class I rent.  I always get a good experience, and a couple of times it’s been exceptional.  So when I received an email (screenshot above) encouraging me to review them online, it was a no-brainer.  In fact my first thought was ‘Of course, I should have already done this!’

The reason why?  We complain because we want to get the company’s attention so they will fix our problem.  That’s typically our motivation when we complain online.  With a positive experience, we aren’t trying to get the company’s attention, so our motivation to share good news is typically less.

The takeaway is this: A lot of companies are very reluctant to send an email like the one Enterprise did.  “We’re just encouraging our customers to leave negative reviews online!” I can see many CEOs lamenting.  But most of those unsatisfied customers have already left a negative review online.  Asking for reviews would typically encourage more positive reviews than negative.

We are more motivated and likely to share negative experiences with a company than positive ones.  So by asking for reviews, you are evening the scales because you are making it easier for customers that had a positive experience to share that.

Do you agree with this?  Are you more likely to share a very positive or negative experience online?

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The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show Episode 5: Addressing Customer Complaints Head On

I love Patagonia’s content marketing and I love its blog The Cleanest Line.  Recently, Patagonia took to its blog to address customer complaints about its shipping.  And the post ended up being pretty popular, in fact customers commented thanking Patagonia for the post!  Learn what Patagonia did on the fifth episode of The Fan-Damn-Tastic Marketing Show!

 

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Your Brand’s Legal (and Practical) Options for Addressing Negative Comments

7468312536_638cf71b6d_zSooner or later, your brand will receive a negative comment or bad review. Some posts will come from actual customers, others from competitors hoping to poach your customers.

Still others will come from trolls: people who have never bought from you, will never buy from you, and seemingly have nothing better to do than make your brand manager’s life difficult.

Regardless of who made the post, your reaction is likely to be the same: a deep longing for the post to disappear. But it won’t.

Here are your options for addressing damaging comments online, from least feasible (a lawsuit) to least palatable (taking the high road).

When can you sue?
People and brands alike must suffer a certain number of “slings and arrows.” Just because someone thinks your service is slow or your fries are soggy doesn’t give rise to a legal cause of action.

Once the comments move from obnoxious to defamatory, however, suing might become an option. Laws vary from state to state, but in most jurisdictions, defamation requires a false statement of fact (as opposed to an opinion), publication (communication of the false statement to at least one other person), negligence (if the defamatory matter is of public concern), and damage to the brand’s reputation.

Think “this finance company steals money from client accounts” as opposed to “this finance company sucks.”

You could issue a cease and desist letter to the person who posted the comments, but be aware that many such letters wind up featured on the person’s blog, or on third-party sites like Techdirt.

Ultimately, if the false statements really are damaging to your brand, you might have to bring suit, but you’ll want to carefully consider the implications before you do.

In the United States, the plaintiff must prove that the statements were false (as opposed to the burden being on the defendant to prove that they were true). In some jurisdictions, companies must meet the same standards as a public figure or celebrity in order to recover damages, and show that the person making the statement did so with “actual malice,” knowing it was false or exhibiting a “reckless disregard” for the truth.

In addition to the costs inherent in litigation, you could easily find your company cast as the bully in a David vs. Goliath type conflict, as we saw in the case of a Missouri bar owner who received a cease and desist letter from Starbucks.

Instead of suing, what should you do?
Respond. More than 1/3 of people who mention a brand on a social network expect a reply in 30 minutes or less (like a pizza delivery)!

As quickly as possible, post a reply to the comment on the same site where it was made. If the comments are in a Facebook post, reply on Facebook. If it was a Yelp review, reply on Yelp.

If the comments are on someone’s blog, contact the publisher directly, or post a comment on that site, but keep a screen shot in case they delete it.

Bear in mind that some people who post negative comments about your brand have a legitimate grievance. You will provide a better response if you write your reply with his in mind.

Brands do have some options when it comes to addressing defamatory statements. If the comments are posted to a third-party site like Yelp, you can contact the site to request that they be removed.

Be prepared to explain precisely how the comments posted violate the site’s terms of service. To report a defamatory review on Yelp, for instance, you’d select “Questionable Content” or “Legal Inquiries” from the drop-down menu provided and report the objectionable post as violating Yelp’s terms of service, section 6(a)(I) on content guidelines.

Be sure to give specifics about what the commenter said, and emphasize that it is both false and damaging.

Google has a form users can complete to request that information be removed. Facebook and Twitter provide options for reporting abusive posts, pages, accounts, etc. If the damaging review is posted on a blog, you can request the hosting company to remove a defamatory post.

In most instances, the costs of bringing a lawsuit will outweigh the benefit, and might even bring more attention to the negative comments about your brand. When defending your brand against online comments, consult with an attorney in your jurisdiction.

Ultimately, the best protection against negative comments is a healthy dose of goodwill. Invest time now—before a crisis hits—cultivating a closer relationship with fans of your brand, so they can be your first line of defense if the trolls attack.

Connect with your fans now, before you need them to rally to your brand’s defense: you’ll be glad you did!

Pic via Flickr user DonkeyHotey