Week 3 Post 1: Business Communication

As a consumer ready to hand over money for a business’s product, nothing is more frustrating than getting silence from that business.  It delays you accomplishing your goals, sheds a negative light on that company, and makes you unsure of if you will get what you want out of the transaction.  It’s even worse when your options to go to a competitor are limited.  I encountered this just last year while filing for guardianship of my nephew.  One of the steps that had to be completed before my court date was serving official notice and copies of all the court documents to my sister in law (my brother is deceased, so I didn’t have to serve him).  As she’s in a city that’s not close and I have no contacts in, I had to hire a process server to handle the task for me.  I set about searching for one online and was immediately presented with a handful of agencies that served her area, and started scouring their websites for ones that looked like some care and attention went into them (a company that puts effort into a good presentation is a good sign for a good product).  I found a few, and then started looking for contact information.  Many of them required you to call, and I have to say, I hate phones.  Plus, with a time difference between here and there, calling meant either getting up early or calling during work hours (which I really wasn’t supposed to do).  Ugh.  I did, however, find one with an email address!  I sent a quick email asking about fees and what they needed and if they were able to complete the proof of service document the court required.  And a day or so later, I got an email asking me to call.  Ugh again.

I found some time to sneak away from work and made my call, and it was answered by a gruff man who barked off what he needed, how he needed it, and where to send it to.  He did not have time for my questions.  It was an unpleasant experience.  Nevertheless, I sent off my documents with my contact information in case they had a problem…and nothing.  For several weeks it was radio silence on my phone and at my mailbox waiting for the proof of service document.  Were my documents lost in the mail?  My sister in law still hadn’t been served (she knew the forms were coming).  I had to pay by money order and the online system showing if it’d been cashed or not returned no information.  Ugh.  So I called again.  And was again greeted by the gruff man who had no time for me and my questions.  His response was basically that he doesn’t pay attention to what envelopes come in; he just hands them to “his guy” and it’s out of his hands.  A little bit of "Oh yeah, I did see your envelope" would have gone a long way!  It was so frustrating and I was just left hoping that the job would be done and I’d get my form in time for my court date.  And that I hadn’t just thrown $125 down the drain.

In the meantime, I called another process server in the area just to have a backup in case the first was a bust.  I left a message, and didn’t hear back for two weeks.

And then one day, a happy little envelope addressed in my handwriting was in my mailbox (I had sent them a self-addressed envelope to eliminate any chance of issues returning the form).  It was the finalized proof of service document!  Finally!  And then I hustled it off to the courthouse in time for my scheduled hearing.

Overall, I wasn’t expecting much from a process server as they generally don’t have the best reputation.  But, this agency went above and beyond in being difficult to communicate with, even when I just had a basic inquiry.  Perhaps the emotions were tightened a bit because of the looming court date and paperwork anxieties (there was A LOT of paperwork and five states involved), but overall I hope to never have to deal with another process server again.

Admittedly, I am a fan of written communication and love businesses that allow me to communicate that way.  I don't feel right stepping away from work to handle personal calls, and being able to send an email lets me be more productive in handling my matters at night.  Another way that we can communicate with a business is through social media - either through reviews, posts, or direct messaging.  With the exception of direct messaging, what you say is out there for all to see - good or bad.  Had a problem with an order?  Tweet it!  Want to make a suggestion about a way to improve a product?  @ it!  Just want to tell them they're doing a good job?  Tag it!  And, any company that cares about their reputation will act quickly to respond.  Social media makes it easier to communicate with a business because it puts them on the spot, and you can often find support from other consumers who respond to you too.  Being put on the spot, especially when it's clear that you're not taking care of your customer, is certainly bad publicity for the company and consumers will notice.  Even before social media news channels have had consumer advocacy segments where they advocate on behalf of a viewer who has been wronged by a company.  And, quite often, the impending bad publicity on the evening news is what gets that company to straighten out and resolve the complaint - often with little effort on the part of the consumer advocate.  Funny how that works.

Reviews are also a good way to get the attention of a company.  So much of Amazon's business model rides on their 5 star rating system - anything that is below 4 stars or so is not worth buying to many people.  Reviews are also a great way for potential customers to understand how the product works, potential issues, and more.  Plus, smart companies know that by checking their reviews and making problems right they can win back a customer.  But me personally?  I really don't leave reviews.  I'm just not chatty like that.  However, when a product is wildly different than explained or does not work as intended I will may leave a few words as a warning to other potential customers if my concerns haven't already been said.  I'm always very to the point and factual with my reviews, and explain how the discrepancy affected me.  Being emotional doesn't solve much, and it doesn't give the company concrete information to use to improve.

When it comes to my own business, I respond quickly to all communication that needs a response.  Someone have a question?  I'll answer it.  Someone have a problem?  I'll let them know I'll fix it.  Customers want to be heard, especially when they feel that their money has been wasted.  Because of this I am very mindful of their feedback, especially when it's not great, and also take it as an opportunity to improve.  For this class I'll be using my stained glass business as my guinea pig and while my social media posts have gotten very little "negative" attention, if they did I would be all over it.  And, depending on the circumstances I would try to leave those comments visible to all so that other users can see me working to solve it and give great customer service.  Should someone complain about a piece arriving broken I'd discuss repair with them, and also make a mental note to address my packaging methods.  I care very much about everyone enjoying my work and keeping a good name for myself, so every interaction with a customer is a learning opportunity.