Is creating a great customer experience a high priority in your business? According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), it should be at the top of your list. In “These Small Business Trends Look to Shape 2024” the SBA writes:

“Customer experience is everything. Price and product quality are important, but the concept of the “customer experience economy” reigns supreme. What does that mean for your business? Creating a positive customer experience at every level, from research to point of sale. Meet the customer where they are, whether that’s online or in-person, and personalize their journey as much as possible.”

Maybe you, like me, put off calling customer service or reaching out regarding an issue because you assume it is going to be a hassle and will piss you off?

Unfortunately, this is my (and probably your) experience much of the time. 

Contact form failure

If you use a contact form, please make sure it works. 

And also make sure you check your junk folder. 

I filled out a form two separate times a week apart and never got a response. As time was running out to learn what my options were for a ticket I had bought months in advance, I finally had to reach out to the top person in the organization for resolution because there wasn’t a phone number or email address for anyone else. 

There was also a chatbot option, but in the process it asked me for a credit card to help me resolve my problem and I canceled out. That was just weird.

Barriers to cancelation 

I had been with my email marketing service provider for over a decade. It was a premium provider that many of the thought leaders I followed used and recommended. I was happy with it for a while, and then they did something that irritated me. Instead of pursuing a remedy, I just fumed. Months turned into years, and I realize this is totally on me because they didn’t know I was upset. 

I stopped using the software and didn’t cancel because I was concerned about losing my data. More months went by. 

Then, I decided I didn’t care and tried to cancel the service. The process was tedious and asked a lot of questions. They offered me a very cheap price to pause my account, which would save my data and give me a chance to think about the decision more, so I did that. When they asked me why I was pausing my account, I told them everything I was irritated about. The response I received irritated me even more

When I finally went to cancel my account for good, I was asked even more questions and received even more emails. I was polite but firm. My account is now canceled. 

If a customer wants to cancel, try to fix it once, and then let them go. This experience was the equivalent of my provider lying on the floor and grabbing my foot, trying to get me to not walk out the door. 

I also recommend you and a few others test the technology you have in place for customer experience. Please confirm that it works, doesn’t antagonize the customer, and also has a way to get to a human should someone need to. 

Photo by Berkeley Communications on Unsplash