The Ungolden Rule: Customer Relations
by Randall McCarley
September 15th, 2006
Everyone knows the “golden rule”. It’s the one that says to treat others as you would have them treat you. Lately I’ve been coming across articles that say “stop doing that!” They say to treat your customers the way they want to be treated.
It sounds simple but it can be hard to do, especially if you don’t know how they want to be treated. And it gets harder if the way they want to be treated is insulting to you.
But this isn’t about you, it’s about them. And making sure they are happy. So happy they tell their friends, family and associates.
I used to teach customer service and one of the most critical parts was identifying personality types and then implementing how to deal with them.
The first type is the apathetic customer. They are always “ok” but never great or bad. These people live in a perpetual state of gray and represent about 80% of your clientele. They are easy to get along with and even easier to forget.
These are your most dangerous customers simply because they won’t tell you if they are dissatisfied and they have almost no loyalty. They often shop out of convenience.
Turning an apathetic customer into a happy customer is about details. Look for ways to go the extra mile for them to show them that you care. These people like upsells because they don’t like to admit when they need help. Don’t be pushy; just try suggesting something to see how they react. Try to remember their previous order and ask them how it worked out. Slow and steady is key.
Emotional customers have a difficult time expressing what they want or what is wrong. When they get upset they may cry or cause a scene. They may say things like “you aren’t listening to me” and the more you try to solve their problem the more upset they get.
Emotional customers just want a space to vent. If you take the time to listen to them and just let them get it out of their system the “problem” will usually disappear. At the very least the customer will calm down enough for you to help them.
Demanding customers know what they want, how they want it and when they want it - usually right now! The bad thing about these people is they are often rude and will cut you off when speaking. The great thing about these people is they will tell you exactly how to satisfy them and they will always let you know how satisfied they are and why. Think of them as the “vocal minority” of your customer base.
Demanding customers tend to be very hard on employees. The employee is usually trying to satisfy you and is thrown off when these people cut them off or otherwise prevent them from “just doing their job”.
Tip: Demanding customers love speed and efficiency.
The last customer type is the unsure customer. These people may know what they want but not how to get there or they may not even be sure what it is they really want! This is a touchy situation. You need to find a way to educate them without overwhelming them. Ask questions to get to the root of what they are trying to accomplish. The most important thing is to not make these people feel stupid or rushed. Take your time - they are worth it!
So now you know how to identify these customer types and work with them in the real world but what about the digital world? And what does customer service have to do with marketing - especially online marketing?
Take a look at your web site. Which customer types does it appeal to? Most sites are built with a very vanilla customer in mind. They may have great content but a lousy customer experience. Some have cool toys or look great but lack critical content.
Here are some tips for generating better customer service online:
Apathetic customers are usually forgetful so the best way to ensure these people keep coming back is by giving them ways to remember you. “Bookmark this page” links can help a lot. So can follow-up marketing via email for customers that have already made purchases. Offering upsells based on current purchases can improve the experience as well. For example if they are buying a cooking appliance offer a recipe book dedicated to using that appliance.
Emotional customers are the most difficult to appeal to online. Just by the nature of the technology there is a certain impersonal feel that turns emotional customers off. The best way to appeal to these people is with your site design - it needs to “feel right” to them. This brings in many technical aspects that are somewhat subjective like color theory into play and working with a professional designer is strongly encouraged. Keep in mind these people are intuitive by nature so there should be a clear, reassuring flow to your process. And trust is more important with emotional customers than the others. They want to feel connected.
Demanding customers just want to get strait to what they are looking for. Offering links to your most popular pages or “related links” can help. A good search solution is essential. How the site navigation is built is critical. Apply shortcuts where appropriate and never hold these people hostage to surveys or other “annoyances”. Make sure everything is clearly labeled and delivers as promised. Give them a way to get in and out as fast as possible. Mostly, you just need to make sure your web site isn’t in the way of their purchase. Demanding customers can play hell on your site statistics when you look at issues like “stickiness” like “pages viewed” and “time spent on site” but demanding customers show up ready to spend.
Unsure customers must be guided through the site and the sales process. More advanced sites often appeal to unsure customers through demographics which is only partially successful. They build customer types based on age, gender and attitudes but often overlook the issue of motivation. And answering motivation is the key to helping these people out. Find a way to identify their real needs and then explain each advantage of your product or service to win these customers over. It’s all about education. Blogs are great tools for this. It’s important to note that unsure customers are not timmid but they may confuse easily and abandon the site if they don’t know what to do next.
What kind of customer are you? ;)
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