Copyright 2014 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
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Let's be more than realistic. Let's be real when we serve people.
There are transactional customers - people who just want to buy & leave. They may prefer to buy from businesses without expecting in-depth interactions with employees. They just want product/service benefits, not relationships.
Other consumers want similar product/service benefits, & some level of a working relationship. They buy from people, not just businesses.
Many small retailers need to be Customer Intimate (based on "Discipline Of Market Leaders" by Michael Treacy & Fred Wiersema).
Customer intimacy means providing the best total solution for individual customers, instead of just expecting them to settle for adequate "solutions".
Customer-intimate companies cultivate relationships with individual consumers instead of just pursuing individual transactions.
Some consumers don't want relationships, so don't focus a lot of effort on them. You can serve them quickly & let them go.
My advice may seem simplistic, yet when trust is high, there are fewer complications (less suspicion & hesitation).
Some big retailers offer the minimum people will accept, while trying to convince them they get more.
After people are subjected to what they don't like, they're relieved to receive what they like from people they've learned to trust. For example - Many prefer to treated like humans by other humans, instead of money sources.
Big businesses seem to push less service & quality so they can increase their profit from each sale. Yet, there are limits consumers will refuse to yield. When big businesses streamline their practices, consumers may feel like cattle being herded to cash registers. The silent message seems to be - "Just keep moving as you leave money on the counter, then just leave."
Serve As They Deserve
Recognize people's value & help customers recognize their value. When they realize they deserve better than they've been getting, they may recognize your offers are superior for them.
Many big businesses are automating whatever they can & pushing the limits of what consumers will tolerate.
Yes, eventually many people started tolerating voice mail systems & computerized "switchboard" operators. (If you're calling about ABC, please press 8.)
Will people eventually tolerate robocalls?
I get computerized appointment reminders. There's no attempt to convince me a person is talking to me. As long as there's no need for a conversation, recorded/computerized generated calls are OK.
Since people object to robots/computers making phone calls, businesses are trying (not just attempting- they're definitely very trying) to disguise their impersonal tactics by making them seem personal.
Something we should always remember is - Disguise & Disgust tend to be linked, though they have different etymologies. When a disguise is tried, the victims will likely be disgusted. When they discuss their disgust with others, more people become disgusted.
Robots Aren't Bad, They're Just Made That Way
On National Public Radio/Wisconsin Public Radio, I heard a reporter talk about the issue described in this article - Samantha West The Telemarketer Robot Who Swears She's Not a Robot http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/10/meet-the-robot-telemarketer-who-denies-shes-a-robot/
Because of my family's circumstances, I'm maintaining the phone service (phone number) my parents have had for decades. I get calls for them whether the callers have legitimate business with my parents or not.
I've gotten calls from "people" who work in their employer's "shipping department". (Example - "This is Bob in the shipping department.") No matter how much I ask why a shipping department worker would be calling, the script goes on as if I didn't interrupt. At the end of the script, I get an option to press a phone key/button & talk to somebody. I guess those automated shipping department 'workers' are too stupid to do anything but read a script.
I know pressing a button is risky because scammers can rig things so a button press initiates a toll call (similar to what happens when somebody calls a 900 or 976 phone number). Sometimes, after I get the option to press a key to be removed from the calling list, I try it. When I do, the recorded voice & script start over.
Tonight I got a phone call offering me a chance to take a cruise. The voice sounded recorded. I said it sounds like a robot is talking. I was assured the "person" on the other end is a real live person. I answered some qualifying questions & was asked to hold while I was transferred to another operator. The other "operator" either wasn't available or sounded just like the "person" who called me.
I said my last cruise was when I was in the Navy & I intend for that to always be my last cruise. After some silence, the "operator" continued.
When I was offered a Bahamas cruise, I asked, "How about Canada?"
I was asked if I have travel plans in the next six months. I said, "Since I don't have any travel plans, I guess the answer is 'No'." There was a bit more silence before I was abruptly informed I'm not part the market segment.
Sure, I know the caller was programmed - ah, trained - to ask closed ended questions, then accept & respond to answers like 'Yes' & 'No'.
Multisyllabic answers just didn't compute.
Suspicion Turns To Distrust & Disgust
The next analogy I'm using involves a two pan, beam balance scale. To see what I mean, you can use search engine to find a 'scale of justice' image.
When consumers interact with unfamiliar businesses, they may be suspicious. Their evaluation 'scale' may be heavier on the distrust side/pan until they experience the benefit of honesty & sincerity. Trust & distrust could be represented by pebbles. The distrust side can be made even heavier by anything that can be perceived as dishonest.
Dishonesty (perceived or actual) makes the trust side lighter by knocking pebbles down to the distrust pan & making its load heavier. Pebbles only go up when honest effort moves them up to the trust pan.
Situation - Something/somebody tries to convince me I'm listening to a real, live person telling me I'm somehow qualified for a totally free product with free shipping. I'm qualified because MAYBE a friend referred me, a doctor submitted my name, my insurance company noted I need help or I was featured getting hurt in a amateur video show or video web site. (OK, the video show/web site reference is a bit exaggerated.)
I didn't provide the personal information I'd have to submit to benefit from this lucky chance.
I'm sure I wouldn't be required to set up any payment plans for a FREE gift. After all, it only takes one transaction for the bill to be paid in full. The service would even include a cleaning - cleaning out my account.
Stories about fraud are so common; many of us feel almost violated even if we haven't been scammed.
I wrote the spiel above to let you know what some people (maybe your customers) experience. There are likely more examples & in the future, there'll be even more.
Humility Is NOT Humiliation
It's best to not take generalized suspicion personally.
You should just be your normal self & treat customers as equals. Being defensive can lead to more distrust. Fawning/obsequiousness won't inspire trust. They may feel you're trying to hide something they won't like.
Dignified humility is apt to indicate you won't compromise your dignity with dishonesty.
Enthusiasm can help persuade people to buy, but you shouldn't try to persuade people to be enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is better without begging or pushiness.
I advocated using Branded Customer Service in "Give Customers The Variety They Want Even If They Don't Expect It" http://www.voy.com/31049/1385.html
Part of your customer service brand should be interacting with & serving people as valued individuals. I don't mean repeating anything like "Your call is very important to us".
I won't get into a lesson of interpersonal communication here. I'm sure you can find lessons in other venues.
I recommend Chapter Eight, Habit 5: First Seek to Understand, Then To Be Understood in "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change" by Stephen R. Covey.
It can be very hard to find a caring person who will just listen without negative judgments, interruptions & not seeming to be distracted or wishing to be anywhere else. At times, people don't want or need advice. Just talking gets them thinking & they may discover solutions they missed before.
The Platinum Rule
To some extent, superior customer service is like The Golden Rule - "Do to/for others as you would have them do to/for you."
Platinum Rule: "Treat others how they want to be treated." It starts with First Seek to Understand, Then To Be Understood. When you understand & are concerned about how others feel, you can help them get & keep what they want.
Zig Ziglar often advocated this - "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
I emphasize it like this (paraphrased) - You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get ENOUGH OF what they want.
What many people try to find isn't physical. They can get products from businesses. They can get personal service only from people.
This commentary from Dave Ross (who?) is somewhat related to this topic: So Who Has Your Credit Card Information This Time? By Dave Ross http://mynorthwest.com/813/2432470/So-who-has-your-credit-card-information-this-time
Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.
Copyright 2014 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here-
https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/
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