Are We Part of the Problem?
Where your business is
part of a group of one or more service providers and something goes wrong, who
takes accountability for finding out the cause?
Most simply check their area & say it’s “not my problem”. Case closed…
In the age of the internet, services or products are now
being delivered by more than one provider as part of a team. A typical example is apps for smartphones
which we can download from an “App Store”.
These are usually developed by one organisation but sold via another’s “App
Store”. In my case, I use an Apple
smartphone, so I download from Apple’s iTunes Store.
What we start to find is that, in the case of Apple, they make
the product available under their store (and name), but advise buyers that any
problems should be resolved with developers.
On more than one occasion, I’ve had the developer respond that it’s an
“Apple Problem” and vice-versa. Perhaps
other readers have had similar experiences with Apple or other vendors.
In the end, it’s the CUSTOMER who has to resolve things with
everyone blaming everyone else. Imagine
how that makes them feel about your site/store/product and how much you value
their business.
If I sell something associated with my name, I’m partly
responsible if that product goes wrong.
No matter what the clever lawyers say, a customer has bought a product
or service in good faith (note the
stress here) through me and no amount of law will detract from the fact that
the customer, whose purchase price pays my (and my lawyer’s) salary associates
my brand name with that product. If I see
a lot of complaints about a supplier’s product/service tainting my site, I
start thinking about whether I want my brand and reputation associated with
that supplier.
Equally,
if my product doesn’t work because of some tricky new change to the store, it’s
partly my responsibility to talk to the
store owner to fix the problem.
If it goes wrong, the customer’s only interest is in getting
it fixed as quickly as possible. “Blame
games” or “buck passing” may make the developer/store owner feel better, but
will the customer come back to them for more (unless they're a monopoly
provider)?
Thanks to the “depersonalisation” that the internet
provides, we’re growing up with a generation unaccustomed to dealing with “real
people”. What they see is simply a name
and email address/customer number on a screen.
They're unlikely to meet them face-to-face. Some internet stores don't even provide
telephone numbers so that dissatisfied customers can't even call to
complain. I’ve certainly seen complaints
about this in online reviews.
We mustn’t forget that, just as the internet gives us the
ability to be “faceless” whilst we sell, it also gives customers a louder voice
that reaches more potential buyers.
The solution? In one word:
accountability – if it’s OUR site, WE are partly responsible. Those who fail to grasp this will be the
first to find that their business disappears.
Just as the internet provides “anonymity”, so it provides the ability
for dissatisfied consumers to reach thousands of people and impact our
reputation. Those who survive will be
the ones who understand and act on this.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Career, Customer Care, Financial, Selling, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 08:57
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