I don’t want to talk to you
When I shop, I really don't like to talk to anyone from sales until I understand what it is I want. Then, I only want to talk with them to fulfill the order. That is why when I go to the store, I get frustrated when the commissioned sales person asks if there is anything they can help me find. (But, admittedly, I am a hypocrite, because I also get a little upset when they don't flock to me the instant I need them).
So, because of this attitude of mine... this complicated dichotomy of how I view people should interact with me, I prefer to do much of my research and shopping online. I get to be all by myself until I need someone and then I get to engage the sales staff when I am ready.
The real problem I have with so much online shopping places is the lack of proper communication options for me. I personally don't want to talk with a sales person on the phone. I don't want to call. I don't want to get a call back. I am on the internet because I want privacy. I want to be a part of my own little world until which point I am willing to purchase and give you my personal information.
When I shop, I want an instant chat button... you know, you can get them for cheap... in some cases, free. I want to be able to contact the reseller for a couple of questions online. If that is not available, I'll settle for an email, but I don't want a response that says, "We received your email, give us a call and we'll discuss." There was a reason I sent the email in the first place... I didn't want to talk to you.
With the internet comes 24 hour shopping. What that means is that when people are working in the middle of the day, they want to have 24 hour access to the companies they buy from. People understand that this is not always possible, so they are willing to send an email and wait until the next night after work to get a response.
Here's the deal. Let me talk to you the way I want to. If I don't want to call, don't make me. If you do, you may just lose my business.
For my clients, however, if you want a call, you have my number. Call anytime. If it is too late in the night, you'll know because I just won't answer the phone. But, you may be surprised to get a "hello" at 1am and again at 8am the next morning. If you want to text me, let me know and I'll set you up with my Skype account. If you want to use a social networking tool, fine, no problem. Your are my client, you get to choose how we communicate. I will never be too busy to talk to you the way you want to communicate.
You're the boss so you get to choose the communication method.
Corey Smith
Co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free
Corey Smith is a businessman, writer, technology fanatic, graphic designer and web developer.
He is the webmaster for CopierCatalog.com, the Chief Web Architect for Dealer Marketing Systems, the Editor in Chief for OfficeProductNews.net and the VP of Technology for Seybold Scientific.
You can find him on Twitter, FriendFeed, and LinkedIn.
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Corey, you bring up some interesting points, and I can say my wife and I am a fickle shoppers at points like this. It is funny watching my wife at a restaurant, for instance. The wait staff has to be on-point, not hovering but present when needed - so I make sure to tip well...
I would contend that certain sales models don't lend themselves well to certain customer-types. For instance, we value a relationship with a customer and e-mail does not typically allow that type of relationship to be built.
It can be a usefool asynchronous method of communication (so you don't have to play voicemail tag), but it is definitely a one-dimensional tool...
While I enjoy blogging, e-mailing (15000 e-mails processed in 5 months), phone calls (well over 4000 minutes per month) as a means of communication I have learned the hard way nothing replaces an in person conversation as long as both party's are respectful of each other.
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