I'm constantly surprised by how many companies just don't bother getting back to people. You send them an email or fill out their contact form and... nothing. Silence. It's like launching a probe into a black hole and wondering if it'll ever send back a signal. Spoiler: it won't.
It blows my mind because for me, customer service is everything. If I'm looking for a plumber, electrician, or any other local service, the first thing I do is pull up Google Maps, find a few places nearby with good reviews, and send them a quick email or use their website's contact form. If I don't hear back within a day or two, I move right along to the next one. Simple as that. You'd be shocked how many businesses (especially here in Florida) never reply at all. And I find myself thinking, "How are you people still in business?"
I get it - some people hate phone calls and prefer to email. That's me too. But if you're not going to answer emails, then don't put an email address or contact form on your website. Be honest about it. Just say "calls only" and save everyone some frustration. There's nothing worse than thinking you've found the perfect company only to have them vanish into the void the moment you reach out.
Another thing that I've learned is that if they don't get back to you pre-sales to answer your questions or to put a quote together for you or help you out, they're definitely not going to get back to you after the sale when you need support.
After the last hurricane here, I went through this exact thing. I needed someone to replace a door on my house, and I contacted five different companies. Five. Out of those, only one actually responded. It was like playing the customer service lottery, except the prize was simply "someone who answers their email."
And look - I'll be the first to admit I wasn't always perfect about this either. When my business first started taking off, the flood of emails completely overwhelmed me. I was still focused on building new tutorials and trying to keep up with the demand, and I dropped the ball. A lot. I made more than a few people upset because I didn't get back to them right away.
Eventually I realized that customer service has to be front and center. These days it's the first thing I do every morning - well, after I make coffee, because let's be honest, without coffee nothing gets done. But after that, I make sure to handle support messages before anything else. Because if people are reaching out, it means they care enough to want to hear from you. And ignoring them is a fast way to make sure they stop.
In business, communication isn't optional - it's part of the job. And if you can't handle it yourself, get help, set up an auto-reply, hire someone, something. Don't just disappear like a cloaked Romulan warbird.
Because customers can't hire you if they can't reach you.
P.S. Speaking of, I just got back from a short trip. I was out of the office since Wednesday. So if you're waiting to hear back from me on something customer service related today, that's what I'll be doing for the next couple of hours. Cheers!
This is where monopolies or near-monopolies sting the most. They know they don't have to prioritize getting back to you. With the evaporation of honor throughout the land, companies in the cable, utility, and airline industries can just thumb their nose at you. Capitalism used to be about choice. Unfortunately, that has fallen by the wayside. As we've discussed before, online platforms hiding bad reviews has just made this worse.
Yeah, it's like my recent bad experience with Virgin Atlantic. I complained to both them and Delta because it's a Delta partner and I booked it through Delta. And Virgin Atlantic has yet to get back to me. And Delta's customer service rep responded and basically they were like, "Oh, well we'll pass this to the higher-ups." And that was it. So zero accountability.
Kevin Yip
@Reply 8 months ago
Sometimes you can't even email or phone because their mailboxes for their email and voice email are full -- because they are so busy with their day jobs that they can't even use their phones or computers. This could be common among ma & pa businesses in populated areas who may get a high volume of businesses but can't afford to hire anyone to answer phone calls and email.
If your first email is unanswered, send another email with the title "(SECOND EMAIL)." That usually works for me. The first email may have gone to spam. It takes some IT skill to set up a mailbox properly to filter out the spam, and some small business owners may not have that skill. They always see a long list of mail, most of which is spam. Make your email subject stand out with all caps and something like "NOT SPAM, PLS READ."
Regarding plumbers, electricians, or any local services, I always ask for recommendations from my neighbors, who will often give me their direct, often private number.
Kenneth A Thomas
@Reply 7 months ago
Richard It's especially disconcerting to me when I call a local Chamber of Commerce to complain about a business and they never respond.
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