So when was THAT funny? My teenage niece and nephew think it is and happily spend £4 on the ring tone…I don’t think they actually realise the controversial nature of the comedy.
So what is the value of silence in business? Specifically when dealing with customers.
It doesn’t matter if you are selling a product, providing support or running through a specification with a customer, sometimes silence is the best way to accomplish your goal.
Silence and listening is importing in communication as so often a client has a story or a point that will only be made if you don’t try to second guess them or hurry them along. If we interrupt, we make the story teller rush and they might muddle their point, and most importantly – we as consultants might miss valuable information.
Silence can also be seen as ignorance or lethargy though or even worse weakness. Silence without listening is not constructive.
If you think that your clients are happy with your work because you don’t hear any complaints, think again.
Silence is not a good way to measure customer satisfaction.
Online customers can be more vocal with their discontent, but forums can be cleaned out and bloggers/review posters can be silenced themselves or influenced.
But what you can never stop is mouth to mouth reviews, businesses talking to each other – this can be positive or negative depending on the company in question.
As a consultant, I get recommended in a positive way by clients and third party providers, I am quirky, occasionally outspoken but most of all a supportive problem solver for my clients. I keep in contact with my customers so they know they need never be silent. I will always be there to listen, good or bad.
The fastest way to get a reputation for being a bad company is to:
– send your customers around a electronic loop of voicemail, bad tunes and unrelated staff, when they try to contact you with a problem.
– ignore your customers, or treat them like they are the problem.
– outright lie, customers are not generally stupid and only have YOU as a company to keep an eye on whereas you as the company have many customers. They will notice if you trip up, and tell their friends.
– constantly change your terms of service in response to customer complaints, this is not what its for and soon enough your terms start reading like a rep sheet of why someone should never get involved with you.
– censor your customers opinions, as Princess Leia once said ‘The more you tighten your grip, *insert company here*, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.’
– only deliver approximately what the customer paid for when they complain (this also applies to refunds – why I love Amazon so much you know and trust them)
Once burnt, a client will be more suspicious of any company in the same field (I get suspicious of estate agents, mechanics and insurance companies personally) and it makes the next company on the list open to more fire as they ARE the ones listening and attending to the issue.
Bad companies poison the water for the rest of us (take Northern Rock – can you say you didn’t watch your own bank like a hawk when that fiasco went on? Fortunately, mine didn’t need to borrow any money) customers and companies alike.
That is the value of Silence.
