Just Below the Surface…

(I preface this blog entry by pointing out how amazing the world of communications is now! I had a very experienced Toyota/car industry expert call me out on my first paragraph stating that it was based on media hype and I humbly admit that I don’t know all the facts of the recall or of the company’s stability. So, he’s absolutely right! I shouldn’t be stating facts that I don’t know are true. I stand corrected and hold myself responsible for my actions. I am leaving my first paragraph in so you can see what I’m referring to but I appreciate his corrections! I guess there are two lessons in this blog entry - starting with how amazing Wed 2.0 is and how not only do we have the power now to hold a company accountable but have the power to hold each other accountable as well.)

[ Just below the surface lays a company in shambles! We've all heard about the Toyota recalls - the largest auto recall in American history. It has devastated the company. Did you know that Toyota knew about the safety issues and had no intentions of fixing them until the US DOT held their feet to the fire? Props to the US DOT for calling them out! ]

My gripe is not necessarily about the cars and the recall but more how Toyota is handling it. I watched the AMAZING Olympic opening ceremonies last night and Toyota ran an ad (which I have seen several times at this point) that carries the message "trust us again; we’re doing everything we can to make this right." As you can tell, I’m less than convinced. Why? Because before you go outward with a message that you’ve changed and are making things right and that you care about us as customers (I own a Toyota 4Runner - not one involved in the recalls but I’m still a customer), you need to sell that idea to your employees - especially your CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE!!!!

So, the millions you’re spending on that ad is in short, a complete waste of money - at least from what I’ve seen firsthand. Unfortunately, my 2004 4Runner’s 4WD died about a month ago. It only has 66,000 miles on it and it’s just out of warranty. I took it to Sloane Toyota in Devon, PA and was confronted with immediate attitude when I asked (kindly, might I add) "why would a truck’s 4WD just die if it has been used according to the user’s manual, maintained to the book and is young in 4Runner/4WD terms?" The "customer service rep" responded (looking at his computer the entire time) that he’s "never seen this happen on a 4Runner with 60,000 miles" but "things just happen - especially if they haven’t been maintained properly." So, as my temperature rose from his complete indifference, I explained that the truck has been well maintained and that I’ve seen many forums online that have users experiencing the same issues. His response - "don’t talk to me about the Internet. There’s all sorts of loons out there gabbing about everything from this to that." I calmly explained that those "loons" are HIS customers!

So, after I left (mad as hell and about $2000 poorer), I called Toyota Corporate to see if they could help absorb some of the cost since the truck was just out of  warranty and the service tech at the dealership said "it shouldn’t have gone" and encouraged me to call corporate. After a 45 minute wait on hold, I got yet another indifferent voice on the other side of the phone that tried to poke holes my story. It was like she was waiting for that "gotcha" moment to say "sorry, we can’t do anything for you."

She told me she’d speak with the dealer and call me back (which she did two days later). When she did, she basically said, "nope, there’s nothing we can do…sorry" and tried to end the call as fast as possible. It was like an insurance adjuster doing everything they can do not to pay the claim.

So, here I am, my truck is still not 100% right. I paid over $1800 in parts and labor just to have the 4wd work only some of the time and was treated as if I was trying to pull one over on Toyota - at the dealer AND corporate level.

So I refer you back to the ad I saw last night during the Olympics. The one that they spent millions on to convince me, a Toyota owner, that they’re going to make things right and gain my trust again. Now I know that that doesn’t’ mean they’re going to start paying for every little issue every Toyota owner is having – nor, in my case, did I want them to (I wanted them to absorb only some of the cost). But what I did believe the ad to mean is that at a very minimum, their customer service reps at the dealer and corporate level would be a) professional b) compassionate c) recognize that these are their customers and try to satisfy them even if they can’t provide the solution the customer is requesting. But NOPE! It seems like it’s business as usual at Toyota and dare I say it, maybe they’re even more indifferent due to the flood of angry customers they have to deal with as a result of their negligence.

So, I use this as a case study and you should too! If you’re selling me on the fact that you care about me as customer, you better sell your employees on it first. Because the Toyota employees that I encountered, clearly don’t believe in that ad that corporate is spending millions on it to convince me to believe! If they don’t believe, I certainly don’t believe! I’m actually even more disenfranchised now than ever before!

Okay….so this isn’t just a rant about my bad experience with Toyota, it’s a lessons learned for all business owners and marketing directors! Your great ideas, messaging, well placed and timed ads mean NOTHING if your own people don’t believe it. Sell it internally first then go outwards with the message. Or, you too, will be like Toyota and have an online war of “loons” waged against you as a result.

This to me is a very sad case. I’m disappointed in Toyota and they should be in themselves. Their customer service reps need to be trained or fired.

This is Meg Ferguson, a marketing expert and consumer just like you, encouraging you to use the power of Wed 2.0. Your voices are being heard! While Toyota might not hear my specific story it is just one of the hundreds of thousands if not millions that they’re being bombarded with. There is a groundswell and it is powerful. Embrace it!

Don’t tell me the economy is bad!

My husband and I had the rare chance to get away this weekend to Colorado where we visited a small diner that we’ve frequented on previous trips. We love the small town, slower paced feel of the place and everything from the decor to the service makes you feel that time has slowed for a bit. We’ve always had fairly friendly service and food has always been great.

We dropped in this past Sunday right before we headed off to the airport and the place was packed! We stood there for about five minutes before a server even acknowledged us (the entire place is about 500 sq ft by the way) and when we were finally seated the server was quick to tell us that they’re “very busy so expect to wait.”

Okay, so, being from the east coast, that’s hard to do. We want everything yesterday and expect prompt and courteous- or at least a cup of coffee. We waited about 20 minutes before we stood up to leave. The server quickly came over seemingly annoyed and without an apology, asked if she could take our order. Pressed for time and hungry we decided to stay. But as I stewed over my French toast (which is some of the best I’ve ever had - and I’m a French toast connoisseur), I watched about four other couples come in, stand, wait to be acknowledged and walk out. I watched another family of four who was actually seated get up and walk out.

As a business owner and a marketer, I wanted to stand up and scream! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE???!!! In this day and age, to let business just walk out the door??? In this day and age, people are willing to spend their money at your establishment and you’re annoyed that you’re too busy??! POP! That was my head exploding!

Okay, so there were a number of factors. 1) They were clearly understaffed (but it was a Sunday morning and this was a BREAKFAST joint). 2) There could have been an issue behind the scenes with appliances, people, etc not working to capacity. 3) ……… 3)……um……..3)…….yeah, can’t think of a third. Because outside of issue number 2, there was no excuse for the servers attitude. They might have been understaffed. Three people could have called out sick. They could have been frazzled, over worked, stressed but it’s not the customer’s fault!! In fact, most people were in a relaxed state, out for a nice Sunday breakfast and would have most likely accepted sitting for a few extra minutes with a cup of coffee and an apologetic but courteous server. I know I would have! 

My point being is that service is still number one! You can be the lowest price or have the best French toast but I will tell you this, we will never go back to that diner. There is no excuse for poor service. If you’re a business owner (and it wasn’t clear to me if the owner was there that day or not), you need to focus your efforts on training your staff in customer service! There is no excuse for poor customer service and in this day an age, it is even less tolerable.

Don’t tell me economy is bad when a small diner in a small Podunk town can’t handle a little business without an attitude!

Tell me your customer service nightmare stories?

Don’t Forget About Your Website. Make it Work!

I circulated a survey last week to my friends, colleagues, and clients asking their uses for social media. With all the hype about social media (and well deserved hype might I add), I wanted to gauge whether people were shifting their behaviors with regards to online fact finding. While most of the responses were no surprise, one question brought the most interesting results. When asked "Where do you go online to find out more about a company?," 100% of the respondents said "their website."

Okay, so these results didn’t split the atom and certainly don’t reflect the views of more than about 100 people but I found it most interesting. I fear that companies are starting to invest disproportionate amounts of time and money diving into the social networking world and neglecting their mainstay - their website. Don’t get me wrong, social networking is here to stay and should be a part of your marketing strategy but your website is still very important and it is still the "front door" to your business. It has to be maintained, updated, studied for visitor trends, and reflective at all times of your company’s products and/or services. But most of all, it has to work!

So what does that mean? A website that "works" means it compels people enough to take some sort of action whether it be they pick up the phone and call or fill out your contact us form or request a quote or sign up for your e-newsletter and/or coupons. A website that works is not static. It is not purely informative with pleasing colors and graphics. A website does not have to sell (unless you’re selling product directly from the site). A website is dynamic. It is engaging. It answers the question "why would I do business with this company as opposed to their competitor?" It provides just enough information to the visitor to prompt the visitor to act!

Listen, you’ve invested a lot of time and money not only into your site but into driving traffic to your site via all of your marketing efforts. Make sure your website "works!" It’s still the first place a potential customer/client will go to find out about you.

Only after you’ve created a website that works should you consider using tags, social networking bookmarks and ratings, blogs, and other forms of social networking along side your website. Hire a vendor that understands how all of these forms of marketing work together and you can’t lose!

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Until next week, this is Meg Ferguson from Vision House Marketing saying have an effective and efficient day!