Don't call us; we'll call you - maybe

Bad service is a huge turn-off, whether it's face-to-face or on the World Wide Web. Poor customer service is not a new topic, in fact it's very well covered on- and off-line, so I'm at a loss as to why so many companies worldwide are still failing dismally at the basics.

What is your excuse?

Is it that you don't understand how easy it is to give a fantastic customer experience? Is it that you think your product or service is so fantastic that your levels of service don't matter?

Maybe the truth is you just don't care. Perhaps you're just in the same boat as your customers, suffering from a lack of relevant, useful information.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and give you some helpful, easy and inexpensive ways to improve your customer experience. Hopefully some of it will have an impact and, maybe the next time I'm looking for information, I won't struggle as much as I have over the past week.

Three easy steps to improving your customer experience

Let me talk to you

There are a lot of companies which are making it really clear that they don't want you bothering them. How many websites have you visited lately which are either devoid of contact details, make them really hard to find, or make you wade through reams of information to find their telephone number?

This is very frustrating. You read all about the product, think it's the answer to your prayers, but search as hard as you like, you don't find a telephone number anywhere on its website.

Instead you get a generic "Let us contact you" form to complete. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you get a note afterwards to say the company received your request and someone will contact you shortly.

"Great!" you think, and look at your phone, expecting it to ring almost immediately.

The odds are high if the company ever does call, you have already moved on and purchased its competitor's product.

So, easy step number 1:Give me your contact details in an easy-to-find place on your website or on your advertisement, and then let me phone you. Have a human being on the other end of the phone who will take my call, and can and will answer any questions I have. If you have a contact form - include your email address so I can ensure that contact has been made. Don't forget to put your social media links clearly visible on the page.

Talk to me clearly in a language I'll understand

Let's get practical.

Over the past week, I've been researching medical aid schemes so I visited the websites of the majority of schemes in South Africa. While I can see they are trying to make an effort to simplify explanations, the majority have gone for a more-is-less approach. There is just too much information and a lot of it filled with too much jargon.

Summaries are good. Show the benefits across the various product/service offering on one page, highlighting the major differences between the options. Opening six or seven pages and having to switch back and forth between them is annoying, confusing and frustrating.

I did find one or two sites that gave me the information I was looking for and I did get all excited - only to find I had to fill in a form and hope someone will call.

It's not only the medical aid companies which are battling to talk to their clients in a clear, concise, and easy-to-understand commentary; this is a common problem across the web.

Let's summarise easy step 2: Explain things simply and clearly to your customers in a language everyone can understand. Give them the important basic facts upfront - list the benefits of buying or belonging - and then give them the option to read on for more in-depth information. Try to keep the in-depth information understandable as well.

"Call me" versus "Don't call me ever again"

Now this is a very obvious one. It's really just common courtesy. If you tell people you're going to call them shortly - DO IT. If you don't, they think you're not taking them seriously and you won't value their business.

If customers have queries and it's taking a bit longer than expected to find the information, give them a call with an update, assure them you are working to find a solution and then revert back to them as soon as possible with an answer.

Conversely, if you're one of the hundreds of cellphone providers which is trying to sell me yet another contract because I qualified for it - leave me alone. I shouldn't have to tell the same company four times in one week that I am not interested. Oh yes, and lose my number; don't call me again - ever.

Here is easy step 3: Call if you say you will. Go away if asked to go away. Always be polite and come up with solutions, rather than more problems, for your customers.

Follow these three easy steps and you will be well on your to creating a much better customer experience which might even lead to more customer conversions.