Look after your ‘lazy’ customers

Like everyone, I am looking to make any savings I can in these times of the credit crunch. Judging by the number of emails, direct mail and cold telephone calls I have received in the last three months, it is obvious that companies are looking to take full advantage of this consumer mindset. I am constantly bombarded with offers, discounts and complicated saver deals on a daily basis via email, telephone and direct mail; ‘register online and save £20 a year’, ‘order now and get a £10 shopping voucher.’

Despite these temptations, I immediately delete ‘save now’ emails, recycle direct mail without reading it and hang up when cold called. I acknowledge that the grass is probably greener on the other side and that savings could be made by filling out a form online or speaking to customer service after listening to ‘Greensleeves’ for 20 minutes using a 0845 number. But there are two reasons I don’t do this. Firstly, I don’t have the time to compare all these offers and secondly, I am a ‘lazy’ customer.

I have been with the same utility company for 7 years and bank for over 20 years. There is rationale for this long term loyalty; these companies are known quantities. They provide a good product or service cross- channel and they treat me like a valued customer. If I have a problem, they fix it.

It is a simple equation, look after me and I am literally willing to pay a premium for this. For me, there is a risk involved in time, money and possible inconvenience, in becoming someone’s new customer for the sake of few pounds. In other words, I am less likely to switch service providers even if there are savings to be made elsewhere. These factors have a direct impact on my behaviour as a consumer.

For example, I recently switched mobile phone provider, the main reason for this was the awful customer experience I had with them for ten months. The entire time I had to deal with an unhelpful customer service department when there were technical problems connecting to their mobile phone service. The only solution offered was a request to pay more money to upgrade my phone. When the contract came to an end, the company still had the nerve to ask me to renew my contract. Not only was it confusing how they could believe I may wish to renew, but there were no offers of compensation and not even an apology. My experience lead me to discuss it with friends, two of them have now been influenced not to sign up with this particular mobile phone provider. See previous blog on the importance of cross-channel focus on customers.

However, the story could have been different if I had received prompt customer service and a quick resolution of the problem. The package was not the cheapest, but it was relatively comparable to other similar mobile phone packages on the market. Consequently, as a ‘lazy’ customer, I probably would have signed another 18 month contract without much thought.

I would like to use my bank as an exapmle of good cross-channel customer experience. They have always been helpful and last year, my current account fell victim to online fraud. My bank’s response was swift. They spoke to the police on my behalf, and vouched for my character, and within three days my funds were replaced. There are some better savings rates and current accounts out there, but I am unlikely to switch because of their impeccable customer service. Why take a risk and change?

I still find it difficult to understand why goods and service providers are paying no heed to the importance of the overall customer experience for their long-term customers. Companies should remember that ‘lazy’ customers like me make up a large bulk of their customer base. Existing customers can only add to a company’s profit. It is easier to sell to existing customers than generate new ones and finding new customers is time consuming and costly.

Of course if there is a fantastic deal out there I will pay attention, but it has to be worth my while to invest the time. Generally, I am happy in my customer laziness until prompted to take action. A strong prompt can include receiving poor customer service. Companies should remember that in these competitive times,  ’lazy’ customers can easily be turned into angry ones and angry customers, even lazy ones like me, do not tend to stay customers for long!