Put the customer in control

I believe so much customer dissatisfaction results from the fact that we (as customers) frequently have low power in relationships with the businesses which supply us.

Rather than them responding to our needs and wants they tell us what to do and let us know (generally in a peremptory fashion) what they will deign to provide us.

Since we know this characterises our relationship it forms the way we approach our product and service providers - we already have the s***s with them before we pick up the phone or visit their establishments. No wonder call centre staff are often so stressed!

I had yet another example today. I found a reference in another publication to a newly launched magazine which included a cover shot of the new magazine's September 08 edition. One of the cover articles looked really interesting so I set out to find a copy of the magazine.

After visiting, in vain, 4 or 5 newsagents I began to realise it was incredibly naive of me to believe that I could find a September edition magazine in early September (after all we already have the October, and in some cases November, issues on the newsstands!!!!).

What does one do in such a situation - visit the web of course! Once again naively I expected I could either find the article online or, worst case, find a way to order a back issue (sorry to labour the point but why is a September issues already a back-issue in September?) over the web.

In Australia in 2008 neither was possible. I could find on the publisher's web site a 1300 number to call but I couldn't find a way to track down the article or order a back issue.

I don't want to call a 1300 number. I never do - who knows, I might end up speaking to an 'offshore' call centre. I want to be able to use the power of the web to deliver information to my desk top when I want it. I dug around and eventually found an email address - hallelujah!

I belted off a quick email expressing my desire to obtain a September back issue of the magazine. To the credit of the publishers I received a cheery email the following morning from the publisher's assistant letting me know that they were grateful for my interest and they had passed on my query to their 'subscription service' who would be able to arrange a back issue for the bargain price of $8 (not significantly more than the newsstand price).

An hour or so later my inbox pinged with an email from the subscription service business informing me that if I wanted a back issue all I needed to do was call the 1300 number.

24 hours after my attempt had begun I was right back where I started. Their very strong message - 'it's our way or the highway!!'.

I wanted the issue badly enough to capitulate and do it their way and so I dialled the 1300 number and organised the magazine.

But I had a feeling of antipathy about the whole process and everyone involved in it. OK, so they aren't sophisticated enough to have a web ordering facility (or an online version of the article), but surely they could have been sensible enough to respond to an email from me with a return email along the lines of 'we'll get a magazine in the post to you if you just fax/email your credit card details to....". Or what about better yet, 'sign up on email for a 12 month subscription today and we'll send you copy of the September issue gratis'?

Instead they dis empowered me. They made me do it their way, rather than seeking to do it my way. Most businesses do this today, often unwittingly.

The businesses which are in tune with their customers needs and wants are the one which will win. It doesn't take much.