DYK # 21: Did you know that Insights to Action that’s lacking the ‘Action’ part results in rather poor customer experiences?”
It’s “Did you know …” time again and this month we’re sticking to our topic of Insights to Action (I2A) for one last time, in our DKY # 21 “Did you know that Insights to Action that’s lacking the ‘Action’ part results in rather poor customer experiences?”
We’ve spoken about several elements of I2A previously, from the
Summarizing it nicely in our 3 minute video explaining I2A and the 3 distinct ways of acting on feedback.
So today we’re exploring what it looks like for customers, when you DON’T act on your customer feedback! With some real life examples, highlighting the importance of putting a solid I2A framework in place.
Let’s explore 2 real life examples: Hotels and Transport.
I’m sure we can all relate to some experiences in that space.
1. Transport
I did a bit of traveling this year and therefore needed to use a well known ride share service a lot more than usual. I was also in another country, with another currency, which made decluttering payments (in NZD) and matching invoices (in AUD) a fun exercise. (but that’s a separate experience)
I came across a couple of trips that were more expensive than I recalled them to be. So I embarked on the journey of finding the cause for this. And what a journey it was.
No email address or phone number to be found anywhere, and the app was little help. Most feedback options related to providing feedback on the driver. I didn’t know whether the driver was the reason for the extra charges or not, so I didn’t want to rate the driver poorly. I wanted to provide feedback on my overall experience, and enquire about the reason for the additional charges.
No way.
I ended up doing something I don’t typically do. I went on social media and complained! Via private message to the company, not publicly, but still. Within a few minutes I got a response and a refund. Done.
WHY did I have to jump through hoops and get frustrated to get the refund? By the way, I still don’t know the reason for the additional charges. It makes me wonder if they tried their luck squeezing some extra money out of customers, hoping no one will be bothered to complain…?
2. Hotels
Second example, I’m still traveling, and encountered another unpleasant experience that could have easily been avoided.
I stayed at a hotel, had a lovely stay, the room, staff and service were great. However, shortly after I returned home I found a $6 charge on my credit card. I know it’s not much, but I didn’t know what it was for. So I embarked on the journey of discovering the cause of the charge. Again, what a journey it was.
I found no email address online, and again, the website only allowed me to provide very specific feedback on predefined topics, none of which suited my use case.
So I choose one of the many options to enquire about the credit card charge. And… absolutely nothing happened. I waited and waited, and did what worked for me in the above example, I went to social media. Unfortunately, again, NOTHING happened.
After another few days (to be honest, I wasn't in a good mood), I tried again, slightly more agitated this time.
Long story short, after several attempts and a grumpy message I finally got a response and a refund. Apparently, it was a mistake. !?
Imaging that customer experience.
So what happened here?
Both businesses failed to have a very basic communication channel and contact options set up. And they failed to respond to my feedback. We all know that things don’t always go to plan, but it’s how we handle these mishaps that matters.
The basics of I2A are:
Acknowledge the customer issue / query and respond to the customer (service recovery)
Fix the underlying root cause (operational or strategic)
Most businesses have a close loop process set up (service recovery) but it seems I stumbled across 2 well known brands that failed to have that process set up. Across several channels I may add.
Coming to “fixing” the problem, your guess is as good as mine, but I’d say chances are they’re continuing as is.
Providing refunds to customers is only the start, you need to fix the underlying issues. Why did my ride sharing service charge me more, and why did I have a random charge on my credit card from the hotel?
Those are customer experiences. We design them, and we continuously improve them.
If you fail to acknowledge this, you’re in trouble.
I sincerely hope that both businesses are actively working on addressing those issues for future customers. Yes, it comes at a cost, but so does brand damage and refund payments.
And my last famous words on this:
Customer feedback is a gift. It doesn’t always come in survey form. But it is a gift as it helps you understand improvement opportunities for your customer and your business. So embrace it, and use it. That’s what it’s there for.
If you feel like you’d like to chat about your I2A framework to avoid scenarios like these, don’t be shy to get in touch 🙂
#CX #customerexperience #VoC #customerfeedback #I2A #InsightsToAction #customerservice