Is it possible to have a thank you fail? This past year I had to spend over $10,000 to fix a broken water pipe and to replace an old air conditioning system in my home. Stuff happens – I get it, especially in my house built in 1989.
The company that did the work for me has been my HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) supplier for at least 15 years. 2016 – 2017 was a good year for them as I kept them very busy.
Thank You Fails
When a package came to me from them, my wife opened it up, and before she got to see what was inside, I said, what do you expect a company will do to thank someone who has been a loyal customer for 15 years and who spent $10,000 last year?
Let’s see if they pass the marketing test of how to make your customer feel appreciated.
She said it is probably a gift card to a restaurant or something worth at least $100. I had the same idea – maybe they would consider $100 in some form as a token of their appreciation.
Inside was a cheap bag of candy and a preprinted note. It also included a survey and a business reply postcard from the company they hired to mail the bag of candy.
Really? Is this how you say thank you?
When Thank You Fails
As a marketing guy, I can’t help but provide some advice to my HVAC company.
- Have you ever heard of segmenting your customers? Maybe those who have been with you a long time and spent a lot of money, should get something different than everyone else? Perhaps those customers who represent 20% of your income should have been sent something of more value than the other 80%.
- What impression did you expect to send with a nickel bag of candy? Seriously, did you expect me to feel good about the work you did?
- Both my wife and I felt let down. Had they sent a handwritten note, I would have felt better that they took the time to connect with me. But sending me a cheap gift makes things worse. My emotional connection to this company is less than not greater than after opening this bag.
- The company in question isn’t a small company – they are one of the largest players in the world of HVAC in NC. Somebody must work in the customer service or marketing department and challenges this marketing fail.
By contrast, I had another experience with customer service this week. I went to complain at Whole Foods about a persistent issue I had with a certain type of salad greens. I explained my concern and they instantly gave me a gift card to reward me for helping them get better at what they do.
Their instincts weren’t to challenge me but to reward me. They had their assistant store manager call me to get even more details and to tell me to thank you for helping them learn from my experience. The most important difference between these two experience- is how they made me feel.
I felt Whole Foods cared about me and my issue. I felt let down by my HVAC company and their “thank you” was uncaring and insincere.
I felt let down by my HVAC company and their “thank you” was uncaring, insincere and I felt like “just a number.”
When you say thank you, the challenge is how a customer feels. Not the gift.
How are you saying thank you and how does it make your customers feel?
Need help rethinking how you say thank you? I have lots of ideas and experience with thoughtful, creative ways to show you care. Call me at 919 720 0995 or jeffslater@themarketingsage.com
Photo: Some guy named Jeffrey Slater
