Your Brilliant Marketing Means Nothing

Fun fact: all the clever marketing in the world won't make up for a shitty product or poor customer service.

Despite the best efforts of marketing, branding and advertising, an organization simple cannot overcome ineffectiveness within it's core competencies.

Although this would seem to be a common sense business ideology, many businesses fail to invest in product refinement and customer service training. Why is that?

How many companies can you think of who have made their service the marketing message? Off the top of my head: Southwest, Zappos...and that's about it without spending much time considering it.Want to guess where these companies rank in their respective industries?

Modern Consumers Demand Satisfaction

Our world is globally connected. We carry the power of the internet in our pockets. It is simply too easy for consumers to find your competitors if you do not provide them the service they expect.

What's more, they're more likely than ever to take to a virtual soapbox and decry your company. Why give them any reason to?

Companies must make money to exist, and I'm not suggesting businesses bow to the threat of virtual strong-arm tactics. However, most customer requests or complaints are usually well within the margin a business operates.

I used the example two weeks ago about Hainan Airlines and their shocking lack of customer service. I don't believe my requests were unreasonable (I was asking for their online quoted price over the phone, when their website went down), yet I didn't get my issue resolved, and I moved on to their direct competitor (Korean Airlines). It seems irrational that a business would operate in this way. What's more - I had heard nothing but POSITIVE things about Hainan Air. Perhaps it was an off-week for them.

To keep this short, businesses (particularly small to mid-sized businesses) need to invest more resources into their CRM, and in product/service refinement. If you sell ceiling tiles on the internet, invest in nothing but the highest quality tiles.

If you sell concert tickets online, then make sure customer relations management is a top priority. Positive customer experiences will lead to repeat customers, increasing their lifetime value. What's more, their virtual soapbox becomes their place to serve as a brand advocate. Which would you prefer?

The bottom line: Invest in strengthening your core competencies before opening up the marketing budget. If your customer experience is shoddy, you'll only do more harm than good by marketing to new consumers.