Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:
Only ask for what you need
And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…
A big complaint customers often have is when companies waste their time asking for irrelevant and unneeded information.
Here’s a good example of this. This company offers a handy resource (for no charge) to their readers. Then they ask for a lot of information that is not necessary at this stage of their sales cycle. (It might be nice to have this information but it is not necessary.)
By doing this they put an obstacle between their readers (potential customers) and the “free” resource. They take their reader’s time and they invade their privacy. They do this because they are focused on what they want, not on giving their readers a good experience.
How many potential customers are they losing because of this? How many more might they get if they made it easier, faster and less invasive?
Other articles you might like:
- Thank your customers when they make your job easier
- Customer Service Toolkit Now Available
- Amazing Customer Service Resource: WBSOnline.com
- Amazing Service Resource: ManagementHelp
- Sometimes “no” is the right answer
The interesting part is the white paper is supposedly about best practices to engage with customers via social media — hindered by a list of questions barring the white paper from going viral.
It would be better to give the white paper away, encourage others to give it away, and close the white paper with a call to action to engage with them. Instead, they want to ask for permission to call or email you with a sales pitch.
Exactly right Jim. They miss the point because they are (seemingly) focused on what they want (information) rather than on giving people an experience that will lead them to wanting to learn more about how this company might help them.