dream | act | succeed

In this modern 21st century someone could assume that the basics of marketing and customer service should have long reached even the smallest and most unimportant companies in existence. But we are wrong when we think that it’s the smaller companies that still have to learn their lesson. No, in fact it’s the other way around.

The smaller the company, the better the customer experience.

I’m one of the best customers you can probably imagine. I pay my bills, I am willing to pay more for a good service, I don’t complain and I just want to be let alone. But how does it come that some companies still seem to try their very best in order to loose even customers like me?

We all have a phone these days and with my new iPhone coming, I decided to have a look at my current mobile phone tariff and checked if that is still the state of the art, or if I could make some changes. Well, I realized that I am paying way too much for the service I get. But that’s not a surprise. I just don’t care, actually. Well, until now. Because if there is one thing I can’t handle it is this, getting treated unfairly.

As a long term customer of this company, I had never any intention to leave. Why should I, everything worked brilliantly. But after chatting with the customer service of that company, honestly, I was speechless. What in the world do they think who they are!? I pay way too much for my current tariff and there is an offer on their website which I definitely like. The problem, for me as a long term customer, I don’t get the cheap offer, no, instead I get the same contract for 120€ more. What is that? A joke!? But when confronting them with this issue and telling them that I could also just end the contract and go somewhere else? That person didn’t even care. Well, at least the second attempt reaching out to them via phone was a bit better, at least the person understood the issue and even described it an unfair situation, mentioning that I am a customer of that company since 2012.

Am I the only one not understanding this company strategy? They could have also given me an alternative option, I would have taken it and that is the end of the story. But no! Instead they have chosen to show me how much they care about loyal long therm customers and literally advised me to either accept the situation as it is, or end the contract, which would lead me directly into the hands of their competition.

Mhh, maybe they can afford such a behavior, but I just don’t understand. They are destroying their own reputation and starting off this chain reaction of events. What were thinking that I do? Shut the fuck up and pay more than all the others!? Hell no! That’s not going to happen. This customer experience sucks! If they don’t want to keep customers, fine! But why are they acting in such a way? Because they think people are depended on them?

Well, actually I have a business phone which I am allowed to use for my private life as well. Meaning that I do not even need to have a private phone after all. The world doesn’t end tomorrow when I cancel my current contract. But it’s not the money that strikes me, or the time wasted for this nonsense. No, it’s the pain I feel, realizing how bad those companies are organized and how little their employees can change about the situation.

Recently this very company has started a new customer service commercial and sure, someone in the marketing department made a good job with doing that. But however expensive the marketing campaigns might be, they will never reach their goal if customers are still going to experience situations like this.

Nobody said that it is easy and it isn’t easy after all. But come on! We are all human beings that know exactly how we feel about certain situations in life. It’s just so sad, seeing how purely those companies are organized. But enough of that.

What can we learn out of this?

The customers are the most important part of the equation. Without customers you ain’t gonna sell anything! Therefore, focus on your customers and try to think like them. Understand the problems and feelings that they have. Understand how they will feel, getting treated like this. And then simply find a solution that works for all! And don’t tell me that there is no solution! There is always a solution!

See you next time!