"Art as Philosophy"
Lessons in Love and Business
A short time ago I had the idea of doing a series of blogs on my service provider saga - using a troubled marriage as my metaphor. See Divorcing a service provider
The inquiry led me to reflect on an even earlier question - asking if business realized that what they want is for customers to fall in love with them/their products. I have wondered what the difference is between loving a business and loving a person.
What was it that bothered me so about these troubled provider relationships? The relationships with the people within them was somehow separate from the organization itself. Talking to the customer service rep or technician is like talking to an ear attached to a box and wondering why it doesn't result in a desirable solution. The box is really not equipped with what is needed to move into action to bring a solution closer. And the business itself seem elusive and far removed from the customer it serves. It reminds me of governments who sent people off to fight wars. The soldiers accept the job of being in the trenches - put in harms way for the sake of the ideals and interest of those that are charged with governing.
The more I saw PR/marketing messages that contradicted my experience the less credibility the company/brand had...the more it eroded their social capital. Why? Similar strategies have been employed by other companies when they were facing their biggest scandals.
Take for example the campaign of TV and print ads Dow ran after the Union Carbide (i.e. Dow) disaster at Bhopal
The Bhopal disaster or Bhopal gas tragedy was an industrial disaster that took place at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in the Indian city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. At midnight on 3 December 1984, the plant released an estimated 42 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, exposing more than 500,000 people to MIC and other chemicals. The first official immediate death toll was 2,259. The government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.[1] Others estimate 8,000-10,000 died within 72 hours and 25,000 have since died from gas-related diseases.
This the campaign Dow ran
This is the one that reflected how many overlooked people felt about that brand campaign
Which is the truth? Probably depends on the position you take to squint at it.
My purpose here now is to share a few things I have come to realize.
1. Hating or loving a business is a bit like hating/loving a country. It is a whole different matter from hating/loving the people in that place or organization. Taken one on one you would probably find them to be delightful, but objectified and hidden behind the labels - organization or country that reality is much less than clear.
2. Continuing to pay money for a service when when there is no love for the provider builds resentment. So policies that limit competition do not seem to benefit the customer. It creates a history that makes reconciliation unlikely, but on the other hand can play a positive role in spurring innovation....not merely improving a product but to replace/reshape a whole sector.
3. It is love that makes one want to work to improve a relationship. Without it there is no desire to even pay attention - it is easier to walk away. And so the interest in a new service provider or new solution commands attention.
And so with that - I notice I have more attention invested in finding alternative solutions than I do continuing to explore dissatisfaction with prior providers. Because the bottom line is that I do not see reason to believe that the organization is interested my truth as much as it is in its the perception of its brand by those who may not yet have come to know them.
It seems there is more to customer retention than meets the eye.
The inquiry led me to reflect on an even earlier question - asking if business realized that what they want is for customers to fall in love with them/their products. I have wondered what the difference is between loving a business and loving a person.
What was it that bothered me so about these troubled provider relationships? The relationships with the people within them was somehow separate from the organization itself. Talking to the customer service rep or technician is like talking to an ear attached to a box and wondering why it doesn't result in a desirable solution. The box is really not equipped with what is needed to move into action to bring a solution closer. And the business itself seem elusive and far removed from the customer it serves. It reminds me of governments who sent people off to fight wars. The soldiers accept the job of being in the trenches - put in harms way for the sake of the ideals and interest of those that are charged with governing.
The more I saw PR/marketing messages that contradicted my experience the less credibility the company/brand had...the more it eroded their social capital. Why? Similar strategies have been employed by other companies when they were facing their biggest scandals.
Take for example the campaign of TV and print ads Dow ran after the Union Carbide (i.e. Dow) disaster at Bhopal
The Bhopal disaster or Bhopal gas tragedy was an industrial disaster that took place at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in the Indian city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. At midnight on 3 December 1984, the plant released an estimated 42 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, exposing more than 500,000 people to MIC and other chemicals. The first official immediate death toll was 2,259. The government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.[1] Others estimate 8,000-10,000 died within 72 hours and 25,000 have since died from gas-related diseases.
This the campaign Dow ran
This is the one that reflected how many overlooked people felt about that brand campaign
Which is the truth? Probably depends on the position you take to squint at it.
My purpose here now is to share a few things I have come to realize.
1. Hating or loving a business is a bit like hating/loving a country. It is a whole different matter from hating/loving the people in that place or organization. Taken one on one you would probably find them to be delightful, but objectified and hidden behind the labels - organization or country that reality is much less than clear.
2. Continuing to pay money for a service when when there is no love for the provider builds resentment. So policies that limit competition do not seem to benefit the customer. It creates a history that makes reconciliation unlikely, but on the other hand can play a positive role in spurring innovation....not merely improving a product but to replace/reshape a whole sector.
3. It is love that makes one want to work to improve a relationship. Without it there is no desire to even pay attention - it is easier to walk away. And so the interest in a new service provider or new solution commands attention.
And so with that - I notice I have more attention invested in finding alternative solutions than I do continuing to explore dissatisfaction with prior providers. Because the bottom line is that I do not see reason to believe that the organization is interested my truth as much as it is in its the perception of its brand by those who may not yet have come to know them.
It seems there is more to customer retention than meets the eye.
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