Surface Ripples

No Reply @...

Has anyone ever noticed how often they receive emails from a service or product provider with an email address containing the words “no reply”?

One of the most telling aspects about the way many organisations serve their customers is the proliferation of “no reply” email addresses. Suppose the customer has a question about the message they have received? What do they do then?

One potential answer would be to call their relationship manager (if they have one).  They may also be lucky enough to have contact details for a “friendly” member of staff who has helped them out in the past.  Why is this necessary though?  The effect will be that staff who have other things to do now find themselves engaged in dealing with queries arising from unclear messages from some nameless, faceless source.

The reply from the provider would almost certainly be along the lines of “use our Customer Helpline/Service Desk, or look in our FAQ directory”.  Organisations that complain of lack of customer engagement are often the guiltiest of not facilitating two-way communication.

Similar to those whose customer “helpline” plays continuous recordings of, “Your call is important, please wait and the next available agent will answer you as soon as possible,” the “no reply” email address seems like a convoluted attempt to limit the very engagement organisations say they want.

One of the risks of dealing with others is that they will, inevitably, have questions when you send them a message advising of an imminent change. If they can’t reply to the source of the message, they will get annoyed and start complaining which is exactly what we don’t want.

One answer to this is, where an advisory message comes from a “no reply” address, the message contains a link to a source of further information if so needed.

Doubtless someone will come up with the response that that all knowing Fountain of Wisdom (AI) will soon be able to take over many of these tasks. Don’t let’s forget, however, that humans are social animals and will very quickly work out if they are dealing with a “robot”. This can only make the service or product provider look worse in their eyes. 

Dealing with people is never easy, but are we compounding our problems by using “no reply” as an easy way out?

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience 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.  

Labels: Customer Care, Productivity, Selling, Teamwork

posted by William Martin @ 09:23