It was a Sunday morning.
My wife and I had just returned from the local farmers market with bags full of food for the week.
“What do you want for breakfast?” I asked as I slid the last carton of eggs into the fridge.
Jo thought about it for a second, “steak and eggs.”
“Done.”
I slid the eggs back out and started to get everything ready.
I was just getting ready to drop the steaks in a pan when the lights flickered.
A second later, they turned off.
Then came the kettle, then the dishwasher.
Everything that was on in the kitchen simply powered down.
I walked out of the kitchen and tried the lights in the hall – nothing.
As I walked to the fuse box I got a nose full of the acrid burning smell you only get when an electric wire burns through.
I quickly turned off the main breaker and had to break the news to Jo.
“We’ve no electrics. Something has burned out and this isn’t something I can fix”.
10 minutes later we were on the phone with the emergency electrical line who assured us someone would be with us soon.
That was at 11 AM.
We waited until 6:30 PM for anyone to come.
In that 7 and a half-hour period, we heard nothing from the emergency electrician.
No updates, timelines, or expected arrival times – all despite calling back twice for updates.
Waiting for him to arrive was like being shackled to the house. We couldn’t go out as he could arrive “any minute” and we didn’t want to miss him.
So we sat in a gradually darkening room without heating for 7 and a half hours.
Now, if this wasn’t a necessary utility, I would have immediately suspended any business with the company and jumped ship to their nearest competitor.
But that wasn’t an option.
It got me thinking how many brands are losing customers simply because they don’t take the time to offer prompt updates on…
- Product development
- Time to completion
- Delivery times
A basic timeline for customers – even if it’s just there to manage their expectations – is a vital part of reducing churn and reducing the load on your customer support staff.
I’m taking this week to analyse the brands who do this super basic, but incredibly important, step – better than most
If you’re seeing high churn soon after a conversion is made, watch this space.
These brands could be able to teach you a basic lesson in managing expectations to keep customers happy.
You can sign up to get the full study when it’s done here.
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