7 Subtle Ways You’re Failing Your Customers

As an entrepreneur, you may be tempted to believe that the quickest way to keep your customers satisfied is always to deliver the best possible product or service. However, it’s fair to say the relationship with your customers is a lot more complicated than sending the right item out. In fact, your customers have high expectations as they interact with your business. Even though you may not have been able to flag obvious mistakes in your processes, failing to meet your customers’ expectations could have dramatic consequences. You might be turning potential customers away without even knowing it, or your strategy might discourage existing buyers to come back for future purchases. If you believe that your responsibility as a business is to maintain quality products and protect the privacy of your users’ data, you might have forgotten to improve some of your key interaction points with your audience.

Are you available to your customers?

1. Cross-service interactions are difficult

How many teams interact with your customers? It’s specifically this important question – and how you manage it – that can make or break of business. Medical practices, for instance, rely on Medical Director, a clinical management platform that is designed to streamline all patients interactions from the moment an appointment is booked to the healthcare payment. The result is quality services for all patients as every interaction is monitored and recorded, so that nothing can be omitted. Even without working in the medical sector, it’s obvious that keeping track of all interactions can not only save you a lot of time but also improves the customer experience from an order to the delivery of an item. If your marketing team, for instance, doesn’t know about a recent customer’s complaint, their ùarketing offer might fail to engage. Additionally, if you’re experience communication delays between teams, a 360° view solution could improve your processes.

2. Your customers are not kept in the loop

The latest GDPR changes have reasonably affected your marketing communications. In fact, many US businesses have decided to stop EU-visitors from accessing their websites until they can find a valuable solution to data management under the GDPR release. Besides, it’s fair to say that even American customers have been inspired by the concerns over data privacy and have taken back control of their data: From unsubscriptions to limited social media profiles, customers have made their views clear. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that, as a business, you can’t get in touch to let them know about your latest offers and products. Newsletters are just as relevant as they always were, assuming you don’t spam your customers. It’s a mistake to stop sending emails for fear that they are not effective. 44% of individuals buy direction from an email newsletter, so keeping your customers informed is a must!

3. You make it difficult to get in touch

A question about a product? Some unexpected issue during the transaction? Complaints about a defect product? It doesn’t matter why; your customers need to get in touch and talk to you. But how accessible are you? A lot of customers turn to social media in desperation when they can’t find a direct line of contact with a company. Digital-savvy customers prefer live chat options, as they can get an answer to their problems as they are visiting your website. In fact, 44% customers agree that finding a chat agent to answer questions in the middle of an online purchase is a convenient feature. It eliminates the pain of having to make a phone call and trying to explain your issue. But it’s more than additional functions; there is also a direct impact on your sales. Companies that offer a variety of contact options enjoy higher sales.

4. Your partner courier leaves much to be desired

Did you know that almost a quarter of customers actively avoid courier companies with whom they’ve had a bad experience? As a result, you can imagine how this affects your sales if you happen to work with a specific courier. Indeed, the delivery of the parcel belongs to the experience a customer has with your company, regardless of whether you’re in charge of the delivery or you outsource to a courier. Customers have no patience for companies that refuse to take responsibility for their delivery partners. Ultimately, your brand might suffer from negative repercussions as well as increased customer service complaints.

5. You ignore their interests

In the UK, the Brexit vote has divided the country between pro-EU Remainers and Eurosceptic Brexiters. As a result, some brands have experienced a backlash from half of their audience. For instance, Dyson’s products have been boycotted by enthusiastic Remainers, since the CEO shared his support for the Brexit process. Other brands have been caught in a public debate all over the world, whether it was because they showed support to a politician or because they chose to outsource production to a country with cheaper labour. The bottom line is that customers have a long memory and they are happy to abandon a brand they feel is working against their best interests.

6. Your customers don’t feel represented

Do you really understand your audience? Even if you choose not to engage is dividing debates, it doesn’t mean that your brand is in touch with its customers. In fact, almost two-thirds of customers don’t feel understood by their favourite retailers. From personalized experience to customer-specific offers, the reality shows that brands don’t listen to the customers. Minorities are the first to be misrepresented. It’s fair to say that customers are more complicated than the holistic marketing profiling tools might imply. The learning is that customers stay with a brand as long as they haven’t found a competitor who listens to them.  

7. You don’t look after your employees

Finally, while you may not think that employees matter when it comes to customer relationship, you need to consider that employees are a customer’s primary point of contact. Low paid employees and staff who are not treated fairly are more likely to pay less attention to the quality of their performance. Can you blame them? If you don’t value your staff, it’s fair to say your customers will be at the receiving end.

From better process management to happier staff, there are many factors that can transform your customers’ relationship for the better

Image credit:  Flickr.com

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