Cashier's Customer Service is Important - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s dumb marketing move goes to Wawa!


For those of you who don’t know what or who Wawa is, it is a convenience store located in PA and NJ. They do a lot of the right advertising and promotions to get the constant flow of people. They have definitely made a name for themselves in these neck of the woods. They also have a lot of die hard fans but there is one thing that has stuck out to me when I’m in line at Wawa.


Their customer service is lacking.


Convenience stores are just that, convenient and they get you in and out quickly with your goods in the bag. But is that the only thing we want?

Here is the scenario I’ve seen multiple times:

The cashier rings someone up, hands them their change and before that customer has their money back in a wallet or before they grab their purchase off of the counter the cashier is ringing up the next person. This not only makes it awkward for the two customers, it is just plain ol' bad customer service to do that. This customer is more than likely a repeat customer too.


This just disgusts me when I’m the next person in line. It makes ME feel like I’m being rude and pushy. I’ve said to a cashier before, “I can wait” and they look at me like I have two heads. Unfortunately, our society has made us think that we just want fast service, not good service. Well friends, society is dead wrong and it hasn’t been the first time. As customers, we will pay for good service because it’s rare to find.


Lesson Learned: As a CEO or manager, shop your store like your customers would. Pay attention to the little things in customer service. They add up quickly. If you see a problem over and over again that means that something must be done. It might be training; it might come down to saying something to just one employee. But you must must must pay attention to your customer service. Your bottom line will thank you.

Gift Certificate Marketing, Don't Forget the Follow Through - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Move goes to Mango Moon.

There’s a new craze for half off gift certificates for local companies. As a marketer, I think it is great because these small companies, whether they are a restaurant, a gym, or a retail store, can gain some major exposure by partnering up with websites like Groupon.com, and HalfOffDepot.com.

So why am I awarding Mango Moon Restaurant this award if they used one of these websites to gain exposure? It was in their follow through. Gift certificates are a way to get people in the door, but you can not forget the follow through.

I had friends of mine go to their restaurant and use all of the gift certificate except $4. And they didn’t give them the balance for a return visit, not $4 in cash; it should have been $4 to use at their restaurant for another visit. It could have been in the form of a business card someone fills out, or even just printed on their receipt. Sure, $4 might seem like they shouldn’t honor it, and plus they already ate for ½ price with the purchase of this gift certificate. But the kicker, Mango Moon could have had return customers with that $4, and they would have spent much more than that! As soon as my friends told me this last night, that’s when I realized I needed to tell everyone out there with a business. (Note: Have you had this experience? Tell us about it below!!)

They blew their chance! Since I wasn’t there, I don’t know if it was just a server that made this decision, but it should have been communicated to everyone on the staff to honor anything leftover on these certificates. The first step with Groupon, or Half Off Depot, is to gain a customer. They accomplished this. The second step, get them to come back! Isn’t that what you want with all of your customers? So, now did their ½ off gift certificate work to gain them business? I have to say NO, because they didn’t follow through on something small and seemingly insignificant.

Lesson Learned: The small stuff counts! Even though your customers are getting an amazing deal the first time around, and might be cutting into your costs, you have to think about the future. How much will your customers be worth the next time they visit, and the next time and the next time? Your customers, and potentially loyal customers, are sitting at a table in your restaurant. They are already there, waiting to be reeled in! Don’t let them get away.

And remember, as an owner you need to communicate to your staff what you are doing marketing wise, so that they will be able to follow through for you. Make them feel part of the team, and part of the life of the business.

Customer Service Makes or Breaks a Company - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Move goes to Verizon!

My experience with Verizon was not the most pleasant and I was only trying to transfer service from one location to another. Here is how the conversation went (without exact wording):

- “Thank you for contacting Verizon. Can I have your phone number?”
- “It’s 609- _ _ _ - _ _ _ _”
- “You’re calling the Pennsylvania office, I will transfer you to NJ.”
Transferred…
- “Hello, Can I have your phone number?”
- “609- _ _ _ - _ _ _ _”
- “Thank you, what can I do for you?”
- “I’d like to change the location of my internet service, I’m moving tomorrow.”
- “Ok, Can I have your previous address?”
- “It was 2728 _____ Ave, Philadelphia.”
- “You’re calling the NJ office, I will have to transfer you.”
And before I could say anything I was transferred around like a ping pong ball.

While I’m being transferred, I patiently wait and not understanding why I keep getting transferred. So I hung up, and called 3 more times in the process I was transferred about 6 more times. As with many households these days, we don’t have a landline, so our main form of contact is our cell phone. That’s why my number is still considered a NJ number.

When I called for the final time, after they asked me my phone number I stated, “I will give you my phone number, but please don’t transfer me. I’m located in Philadelphia, PA and I have internet with Verizon in PA. I don’t want to talk to NJ at all.” After my long statement of making it 100% clear I didn’t want to talk to their NJ office, I finally got what I needed.

Verizon has failed at a few things in my book. First of all, they have not updated their ways of looking up a customer, and thus creating more hassle. What if I initially lived in CA? Would they have transferred me to the CA office? Why do they have even account numbers if they don’t use them?

Secondly, the customer service representatives should not lead off with “What is your phone number?” They need to lead off with “Hello, how can I help you?” or “Where Can I direct your call?” Then proceed with the account number, not the phone number of their customer. Personalization is key, even if it’s just leading off with a different question.

Lesson Learned: Remember to evaluate your company. Are you user friendly? Are you up to date on your practices? Are you making your customer service representative’s jobs harder and/or limiting because of rules and regulations? Look at your company like a customer, not an employee, with a magnifying glass. You could be missing the boat on something simple, but very important. And don’t forget that if customers don’t like your customer service they will find it somewhere else.

Customer Service Can Sink Your Business - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Move goes to Holland America (cruises).

Most PR executives, and their marketing department, would be excited to get a full article in AARP's magazine considering it has one of the largest circulations of any publication. But I don't think there is joy being felt on the executive deck of the Holland American Cruise line. A recent article highlighted (link above) the travails of a couple that had a terrible experience. One that even the most inexperienced management team would have realized was wrong to have allowed it to happen.

They forgot the unwritten rule of customer service. When a problem arises go out of your way to provide great service to your customer they will tell dozens of people. Handle it atrociously and they will tell hundreds. In this case the amateur marketers at Holland America Cruises manage to have it exposed to millions, through AARP's publication of this incident. Millions learned of their less than caring attitude towards the customer. The cost to them would have been far less if they had been empathetic, courteous, fair … and smart. So with ship horns blasting, we award them this month's "Dumb Marketing Move" award. They went out of their way to earn it.

Lesson Learned: Never underestimate the reach, impact and overall effect of the quality of your customer service, be it positive or negative.

Keep Your Emotions out of Company Reviews - Dumb Marketing Move

This week’s Dumb Marketing Move goes to Ocean Avenue Books!

In today’s world of social networking anything that is said about your business is forever on the web, good or bad. Unfortunately, Diane Goodman of Ocean Avenue Books found out the hard way by making a Dumb Marketing Move.

She took a criticism on Yelp.com to heart. [From Wikipedia - Yelp. is a Web 2.0 company that operates a social networking, user review, and local search web site. Over 25 million people access Yelp's website each month, putting it in the top 100 of U.S. Internet web sites] Especially as a small business owner your business is your heart and soul, and you only want people to say glowing things but that’s not the real world.

Goodman, sole owner and employee, read a harsh review of her store "This place is a TOTAL MESS," wrote somebody who went by the handle Sean C. "I think this place needs to close down for a few days and do a thorough cleaning and organization and get rid of all the crap!" and she decided to reply to the reviewer. Here is their Yelp Page. This is where it turns bad, she told the reviewer to say it to her face and many other words that a business owner should never say to a customer. It just escalated from there all the way to her getting booked for battery! This might be an extreme case, but this proves it happens. Read the full story at Inc.com: You’ve been Yelped! http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100201/youve-been-yelped.html

Lesson Learned: Social Media puts your company in front of potential customers, and it’s a great tool when used correctly. If you feel the need to reply to a bad review, remove your emotions and reply as if they are in your store. Take it even further, apologize and address the problem. When someone complains, that means there might be a deeper problem and it SHOULD be addressed. It also shows your customers and potential customers that you are worthy of their business. But also remember, people are more likely to complain than to compliment!

Voice Mail Abuse

Voice mail abuse is when it is set up and goes on and on with questions or directions, press 1 for this, you press 1, press 1 for this and 2 for that and 3 for something else. You press 3, press 1 for another option, and 2 for another, and so on and so on. You get my point.

Well when all you want to do is to talk to a human, this is really a form of verbal abuse. Voice mail fills a need, but not to the extent some companies take it. Management may think it is being helpful, but in reality, when you start cursing a computer driven voice, you know they've gone to far and the expense they save may not make up for the business and ill will they create. But this voice mail excess has led to a startling new marketing idea, humans answering the phone! It is amazing how the old can become the "new."

Communicating To Your Customers

Main Entry: cur·mud·geon
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)kər-ˈmə-jən\
Function: noun
1 archaic : miser
2 : a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man

Curmmie Speaks on Websites and Customer Service

The Marketing Curmudgeon shares his thoughts on website and customer service.



Main Entry: cur·mud·geon
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)kər-ˈmə-jən\
Function: noun
1 archaic : miser
2 : a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man

Dumbest Marketing Move of the Week, 12/11/09

Comcast Cable TV - Customer ServiceI recently received one of those automated calls saying that I was behind in my payment. As it was, I had been traveling and had just mailed payment to them that morning. I decided to call and try to talk to someone in the billing/customer service department to advise them of this.

That is when I got a recording saying that if I wanted to talk to a "customer assistance" person rather than deal online it would cost me $4.95. My first thought was this was incredulous or perhaps it was a trick by Direct TV to recruit me as a customer. But no, it was a Comcast rule, so I went to the web and found that their online customer support system doesn't work well with those of us who use a MAC. 20 minutes later I finally found a way to send them an e-mail explaining this situation and expressing my dismay with their version of being "User Friendly." Follow up calls , when I could reach a human contact said I had misunderstood the message.

Thus I eagerly nominate Comcast for the honor of the Dumbest Marketing Move of the week, month, year, decade or century...take your choice.