Why marketing should make the user manuals

I love this post: How we treat customers. 

The gist of it is that there is far too much time, emphasis and marketing spent on trying to win new customers/clients and not enough caring about those that are already retained. The user manual is a really poignant example of this. Prospects receive the most beautiful, well crafted brochure or slick ads on why they should buy a specific product. Yet, once they purchase (and the credit card transaction is done), the next document they receive is typically the most boring, hard to read, visually upsetting user manual on how this product actually works or should be put together.

Now, if only the marketing people took over the responsibility of creating this manual, it (like the brochure) could look like a work of art. And, customers would continue to have that same feel good emotional attachment about the product, after they purchased it.

The 50,000 foot concept of this post is also insightful. Why don’t more companies provide the same love and attention to people after they become customers as they do before hand?

I’m not going to answer that. Because, I think it is just too damn obvious. But, what I’d like to do instead is roll of a number of companies/industries that do this real well, to separate themselves from the pack. Here are five:

1.) Williams Sonoma – We had a high end coffee maker that was jammed after owning it for one year. We had no receipt, or even box for it. My wife took it back and they volunteered to replace it with the same one, brand spanking new.  I’ve heard about three other stories like this. That company cares about its customers.

2.) Mandarin Oriental Hotels – Have you ever stayed at one? Guarantee that any request you have will be followed up with at least two calls to make sure what you received is to your liking.

3.) Empire Car Service – I’ve written about Empire in a past blog nine months ago. Nothing’s changed. Always on time. Always impeccably clean cars and always the best service in the industry.

4.) Singapore Airlines – Unlike any other airline I’ve ever flown, they make you question whether you’d really like to ever get off the flight.

5.) Eos Wireless – Very good wireless iPod speakers system. They got my order wrong. Yet, were so attentive and focused on solving the problem that I’m now writing about how this negative issue turned into a completely positive situation.

I’d love to hear about any other companies you’ve experienced who fit into this minority category. Let’s keep this list growing…

Comments

[Michael D.]

I believe Amazon's customer service for current buyers is flawless and the most compelling marketing I have seen from any retailer in years.

[Trish]

Jansport - let me send them a backpack that was 20 years old and they replaced all the zippers and put seam tape on all the ragged seams.

Build a Bear - had a bear that a dog ripped the head off. They couldn't fix it so they sent a brand new one with a full outfit, along with a note of discharge from the Build a Bear hospital - all at no charge.

Cabelas - my boyfriend took in old rain gear - four years old they no longer made and provided store credit toward a new set.

[Steve Shannon]

I stayed at a Mandarin Oriental in June and to my surprise, when the maid saw me come out of my room she addressed me by name. I quickly figured out that she had a list on her cart, but it was a nice touch, and did show how much the entire hotel cared about my experience there. You can bet I'll be booking with them again.

[ed]

Nice additions. Thanks.

[Steve]

Enterprise Rent-a-Car: their paperwork is slightly cumbersome and could be streamlined, but their staff has always been extremely courteous, accomodating to my needs, and if they goof, they fix it, not hassle and no charge. For example, on two occasions, they ran out of the size car I'd requested, but then simply upgraded me, with no charge, to the next size up--before I even had to ask.

Royal Carribean--sure, the ships are nice, but the real reason we keep going back is that the entire staff, from housekeeping to cruise director, acts as if their entire reason for being their is to make *our* vacation the best it can be.

And I'd echo a previous poster's comments that Amazon customer service has been effortless to navigate and very responsive to customer concerns.