The Power of One Email
Had an experience this past week which made me reconsider how important a single email can be.
I belong to a wine club, you know, the kind that ship you a different wine each month? Its a lot of fun to have it show up on your doorstep. I love opening the box and then trying something new! However, this month my shipment didn't show up. They usually appear towards the beginning of the month and I hadn't gotten anything by the 20th. I finally decided to call and see if there was a problem. The customer service politely explained there had been a delay in shipping my product. They did not explain what caused this delay but added I would receive my shipment on the 26th. (I'd also like to add they did not apologize for the delay, they just told me the arrival date.) After hanging up, I wondered if I would receive an automated email of some kind, alerting me that my New Years Champagne (yup, that's what they called it) would not arrive 'til almost February. But nothing showed up in my inbox.
It really bothered me that this company didn't bother sending even a one line email. They just let it go. I guess they assumed their customers wouldn't notice the two week gap. Its not like they didn't have my information, either. I get an email each month telling me I've been billed. More than a week seems like a pretty long time when you are expecting a shipment... especially one that's time-sensitive. Not that I won't find another occasion to drink champagne, but it was the principle of the thing.
I wonder how many customers called in, possibly angry, about the delay of their wine. It seems to me that an email (which costs nothing to send) might have saved them a lot of headache and kept a number of clients, like me, perfectly content. I wonder if they even considered sending an email, or am I just so tethered to the internet that my concept of common sense didn't occur to them?
Either way, this incident impressed upon me the power of a single email, or lack thereof. In fact, this situation has actually made me consider going with a different wine club when my account ends. So those of you who deal in e-commerce, remember that a simple note, sent at no cost, to a dozen or more clients can make a big difference. And personally, as a business owner, if that email kept back even one angry phone call, I think its worth it.
Do you have a story like this? Do you think my evaluation of the situation is too harsh? Have you ever had a make-or-break moment in regards to a single email? Share it with me! I'd also like to point out that this was the inspiration for #72 Wait a Minute Mr. Postman in my 100 Top Internet Blunders made by Businesses that I posted last week.
Image by .Tags: Customer Service, Delay, E-Commerce, Email, Shipping, Wine
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:16 am
I don’t think you’re overreacting at all in your estimation of events. The old model of business seems to be that if you’ve screwed up (or if something’s happened that people are going to blame you for), you should hope that nobody notices, deal with complaints as they come, and only act if someone threatens you. (And for all that’s holy, phrase all problems as something that happened to you!)
Imagine how much positive word of mouth this wine club would have received if they’d gone a step beyond simply notifying you and sent out an email that said “We’re really sorry, but a shipping issue has delayed January’s shipment. We don’t expect the delay to be more than two weeks. As an expression of our gratitude for your patience, respond to this message and we’ll extend your subscription by a month.”
Low cost (I wonder how many would respond), but it would go a long way toward keeping and/or good will.
February 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Chris,
I love your possible solution to this problem! I totally agree that doing something a little above and beyond always seems to make a difference in the end. Then they’ve won themselves good word-of-mouth publicity instead of bad, like I’ve done here.
Funny side note: this company sent me an online survey today, that was fun to take.
April 12th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Kat – this is right in line with the quote I recently posted:
It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.
- Moliere
I’ve consulted and ran several e-commerce initiatives. It amazes me how little people running things actually “think” – not just about the customer experience, but about what THEY are not doing within it.
Do you have a monthly membership that you sell? You better send a personal email to each “member” thanking them for signing up.
Did you screw up an order? Do WHATEVER IT TAKES to make it right. Be transparent and explain what happened, why, and what you plan to do about it.
It’s really simple actually, but I think laziness gets in the way far too often.
Keep the great content and stories coming!