Now get rid of that attitude!

If I were to be a change agent for Indian marketing, what are some things I would change?

Frankly, I would change just one thing and that is the grossly uncaring, casual and dismissive attitude that almost all Indian marketers demonstrate when it comes to dealing with their customers in any form or forum.

When almost all goods and services are in parity today, the one element that can and should distinguish a winner from an also-ran must be the quality of the service that is provided pre-, during and post-sale.

Just one example will suffice: air travel.

Right from the ease of ticketing, especially online (with a corollary of the ease of redeeming frequent flier miles … most airlines make you go through hoops … and why, may I ask, should miles ever expire?), to the treatment while checking in, to the in-flight service, cleanliness of the plane, treatment of passengers in case there is a delay, to baggage retrieval, the airline has many opportunities to signal its attitude to its customers. How many actually use these opportunities to inspire loyalty and good word-of-mouth? In fact, most do not even bother to acknowledge, let alone act upon, written feedback that is often asked for while in the plane.

Extend this to telephony providers (ask at your peril the call centre executive to explain a bill or change a service … I once had a caller tune put on to my landline without my asking for it, and when I found out and asked them to remove it, not only did they charge me for it but said it would take three weeks to remove); department stores where, despite long lines at checkout, many tills remain closed (so unlike Tesco’s “plus two” policy, which mandates that a new till must be opened if there are more than two people in a checkout line); restaurants (servers not knowing the dishes on the menu, or shoddy service, or demanding a tip when a service charge has already been levied); even clean toilets at a petrol station (nothing could be more parity than petrol!); after-sales service for electronics or automobiles; replacement policies if a product is found to be defective … the list is endless.

Today, everyone parrots the words “customer engagement” and “customer delight” without being in the slightest way serious about ensuring that anyone in any way responsible for customer satisfaction has internalised and practises them. The reason is not hard to find: Customer service is hard work! It’s much easier to put an ad on TV promising the moon.

“Engagement” by definition is two-way; there must be ongoing mutual benefit and this means a pro-active approach to decoding what will delight customers, continuous improvement, attention to detail and accountability up and down the line. These are what “customer delight” really comprises.

Which marketer can, hand on heart, say he has these at the core of his marketing strategy? How many marketers actually probe the delight or otherwise of their customers? Going by the example of the feedback forms above, the answer is obvious.

Philip B Crosby once said: “The difference between the best and the worst platoon in the army is not equipment or location. It is attitude.” Apply this to marketing companies and see the difference.

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