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Today is a very exciting day for Questar as we launch not only our new website but also our new blog. It is our hope that this blog will be a casual setting to discuss the newest findings in customer experience management, employee engagement, leadership and many other topics that can help make your business more profitable and successful. We would like this blog to be an interactive experience for our readers. Our experts will be responding to your questions and comments, taking your suggestions for future blog topics and posting surveys.
As you can see, below we have entries from our previous blog that was solely about customer experience management. There are a lot of great topics, so if you have time check it out.
http://www.alertpedia.com/recalls.php
Recently the FDA warned consumers not to eat Nestle Toll House pre-packaged, refrigerated cookie dough and this got me wondering what responsibility retailers have for product safety.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm167908.htm
As a concerned parent I did not check if my batch of Nestle Toll House dough was affected, I just tossed it all.
The typical consumer reacts to a product recall with concern and worry but no action. A recent Rutgers’ Food Policy Institute (FPI) study showed that many Americans fail to check their homes for recalled food products. Only about 60 percent of the studied sample reported ever having looked for recalled food in their homes, and only 10 percent said they had ever found a recalled food product. www.foodpolicy.rutgers.edu
So what should retailers do? Most retail organizations already have the most important tool at their disposal for protecting consumers: data. Imagine if the loyalty card most grocers have is promoted and used not as a marketing tool but as a product safety service. If I received a phone call or email message from a retailer telling me the specific product I purchased has been subject to a recall and that I should discard it or bring it in for a replacement, I would be a very loyal customer. I would certainly favor the retailer who promoted this service over those that did not. In addition, it would motivate me to sign up for and use their loyalty card. Currently, I see no benefit in using these loyalty programs and avoid them out of fear that I will receive unwanted marketing.
If, on the other hand, participating in a loyalty program resulted in receiving information critical to me and my family, this is a clear win/win for me and the retailers. The retailer gets more customer loyalty and more customers participating in the loyalty card programs; consumers can be confident that they are being looked out for and their safety is being protected.
Would you sign up for a loyalty card if it was marketed as a product safety service? I would.
-Tom McGoldrick
This is a true story. My friend Jane runs a small business and recently experienced the following:
Jane’s phone rings. 
Jane: Hi, this is Jane with company xyz.
Sales guy: Can I speak to your manager?
Jane: Who is calling?
Sales guy: I just need to speak to your manager.
Jane: Who are you and what is this in reference to?
Sales guy: This is Mike. I have an important call for your manager.
Jane: What is it regarding?
Sales guy: None of your business. Now just connect me to your manager.
Jane: I don’t think so.
Sale guy: Tell your manager I called and want to talk to him about his office supplies.
Jane: Good-bye
Remember, Jane runs this business and the business managers report to her. In addition, she is the person responsible for buying office supplies and has never heard of this sales person or his company. In the course of one five-minute phone call, this sales person blew his and his company’s chance of doing business with Jane’s company.
This sales person’s mistakes are too obvious to bother talking about. However, there is a larger question at stake: Does the company he represents know how he is treating their prospects? Do you know how your front-line employees treat your prospects and customers?
I would be curious to hear your stories about bad experiences you have encountered with sales people attempting to get your business.
-Tom McGoldrick
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My dad is a huge fan of internet radio but got tired of listening to it on his PC. After visiting his daughter’s home and experiencing the quality of internet radio when played through a stereo system, he decided that it was a toy he had to have. Taking the lead from my sister, he bought an Apple Airport from a local big box retailer. The product was very easy to install and worked as advertised for about 4 months, and then stopped working.
This is where the story gets interesting. He took the Airport back to the big box retailer. They told him that they would have to ship it back to Apple where they would test it and may or may not send him a new Airport. Not liking this answer he took the Airport to our local Apple store. He showed the product to the staff at the Apple store, explained that he did not buy it there, and asked if they could help. The store was very busy, as it always is, however a staff member walked right up to him, promised to help and basically scoffed at the reaction from Mr. Big Box. He asked my dad to wait for one of their technical wizards to be available to help. After spending ten interesting minutes walking around the store, the same staff member asked him if he had been seen yet. When he learned that my dad was still waiting, he apologized and decided to just exchange his Airport for a new one.
My dad who has been teetering towards the Apple camp due to their design and ease of use is now an Apple convert and will probably buy his next computer from them.
Because of the staff reaction over the return of a $100 device, Mr. Big Box and Microsoft have lost a customer and Apple has gained one.
Now more than ever, no one can afford to lose a customer. What are you doing to ensure that your customers are happy and loyal?
-Tom McGoldrick
Photo credit: Christopher Chan (Flickr)
