Apathy

It is often said that we end up with the politicians we deserve. It seems to me that we end up with the businesses we deserve as well.

I am always appalled at the extent to which businesses and brands seem fine with the fact that they more frequently disappoint their customers (or potential customers) than delight them, but maybe we are partially to blame.

Why do we, as customers, put up with the mistreatment we receive at the hands of businesses who are really there to serve us?

We are an apathetic bunch - particularly here in Australia. We deserve better but never demand it. We put up with crap, and certainly whinge about it to our mates, but we never really seem to punish those that dish it out by withdrawing our custom.

When was the last time someone really enjoyed spending an hour on hold to a Telstra call centre trying to sort out a problem which should never have arisen in the first place? Yet how many people will be in the queue to get one of the first iPhones flying out of Telstra's door?

The positive flip side of this is that businesses who don't disappoint; who truly do focus on their customers and give them something valuable and different; who stand out from the crowd and who delight their customers (as nudie did when it first started - alas no more), create customer evangelists who will spread the message and help build the business.

Hail the power of word-of-mouth.