Zoe Darla Seigel, Abyssinian Princess
Alexandra here… your reporter at large, covering great customer service or the lack thereof. There is definitely an important lesson in this for your luxury real estate marketing practice.
Recently, I was in the process of ordering flea meds for our cats online from a company with whom I had previously done business. The website was not working, so I picked up the phone and called them. They were extremely busy and could not take my order. But, they did promise to call back in five minutes.
As I sat at my desk waiting for the return call, I noticed another web site advertising the same products. I clicked on it, and found, much to my delight, that the same exact pet meds were half price. So, I placed the order. The original company never called back. Typically, it is easy to get upset when you are waiting to be called back. Now, I just say “thank you” and move on. But, do keep this in mind, when you think of the visitors you painstakingly attract to you luxury real estate website.
This past Saturday, I called the local store of a national retailer to purchase a Dutch oven (on sale for 2 days only) for a Texas chili recipe I was cooking. They were busy at the store. The gal who answered the phone was rude. But, she asked for my number, and promised to call back in five minutes. It is Tuesday night as I write this post, and I have still not heard back. Meanwhile, I located the same item online with free shipping at a better price. In an effort to give feedback (because this is one of my favorite stores), I sent an email to the store’s headquarters.
Today, I received a reply email that expressed appreciation for my feedback. They gave me an incident number and that was all it said. What does one do with an incident number? Are they going to do anything to win my business back? The last sentence in my note was, “because of my respect for your company and my past experience, I am writing this to you. However, you have made it very easy for me to shop elsewhere”. They just lost my business and I gained an incident number. Can anyone use an incident number?
So every time your call or email inquiries are not responded to as promised, don’t get mad. Just go on clicking. There is always someone willing to give you the service you are looking for. But, do remember that all the money you spend to acquire web visitors and phone call from prospective clients will go down the proverbial drain if you do not respond to your email or call people back. Your competition is just a click away.
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