Articles

Letting Customers Speak to You

Earlier this year we bought a PC from online retailer Dabs; unfortunately they delivered the wrong product. As we needed to return it and get the right one quickly we paid a visit to their website to find out how to speak to their customer services team. It would be fair to expect this to be a simple process of going to a 'Contact Us' page and looking for their Address and telephone details; perhaps supported by a FAQ, or contact form.

Dabs do not provide a telephone number throughout their website. It's not hidden away in a shady part of their architecture - they simply do not provide a number; for anything. This lack led to a protracted e-mail discussion with a nameless member of their support team; who we affectionately nicknamed HAL.

Interestingly, a Google search for 'Dabs telephone number' reveals many UGC sites with bitter and scathing attacks on Dabs from disgruntled customers (one described how to find out the personal telephone number of the CEO). Before we started looking for the number we held Dabs in high opinion, but their omission led us to read many scathing reviews and bad brand rap.

Although Dabs have obviously made a conscious decision not to provide a number (probably for cost and easy issue tracking) they face a potential brand thrashing because of it. Customers are more likely to switch brands because of other customers opinion, no matter how attached to the brand they were originally. This behaviour was clearly demonstrated in AOL's 'Brand Value' research in late 2004.

A good 'Contact Us' page should allow users to simply do just that. It should:

• Help the website owners channel and audit enquiries efficiently
• Display links to related information (i.e. FAQ's) to help answer a query
• Provide address, telephone and map details that relate to a user's enquiry
• Detail response management policies
• Be straightforward and easy to use
• Comply with appropriate accessibility guidelines and data protection legislation

An example of a contact form that appears simple yet works for a complex organisation is one we created for Siemens Communications. It's short, allows users to submit a mix of queries (both qualitative and quantitive), it provides links to related sites, maps and telephone numbers and details what will happen to the enquiry once it's been submitted.

Getting an edge through customer service no longer means keeping customers satisfied; it means delighting customers; going beyond the basic level to offer an exceptional experience. To engage with customers the minimum online standard is a decent 'Contact Us' page and associated enquiry management. Companies like Dabs, that don't let their customers speak to them, do so at their peril.

Author Details: Christopher Johns is the Commercial Director of Aardvark Media Limited. 38 Years old. He has worked in the digital marketplace for over 11 years.

Company Details: Aardvark Media is a digital agency with a technical focus. Established in 1996 it has relationships with companies both large and small for the delivery of their internet strategies. Clients include Siemens, International Private Equity Services Limited, Generali International, Squaremeal, Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, Novus Leisure and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

For more information on this article or Aardvark Media, please contact us on+44 (0) 20 7582 7711.

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