How many times have you received an email or piece of correspondence and, while well intentioned, the message was lost for a simple reason?
It was not honest.
I recently received an email from my favorite sports team. They are trying to improve customer service and have made some dramatic efforts around staffing and brainstorming that I feel will be positive. I received an email this morning from my new member relations person introducing herself. (This is good). It opened with:
“Good morning! I hope you are having a great week and you enjoyed the game last Sunday!”
Seems innocuous enough, right? Sadly, this past Sunday was an abysmal performance on the field. Possibly the most depressing game I have ever attended. Our team is collapsing and it is very difficult to find a silver lining. Add to that there were problems with the Point of Sale terminals in concessions (again) which made even getting an adult beverage to help dull the pain a chore. Now this concessions issue has been a problem all season. This came on the heels of being invoiced for next season with a due date three days before Christmas!
Now I get it, my seats are a luxury item. I also get that businesses need to bill for their goods and services and I appreciate the reach out that was done by my new ‘concierge’ of sorts. The problem is that it rings hollow as it ignores the ‘elephant in the room.’
I had a miserable time Sunday as did almost everyone.
You have read my posts before or watched my videos about “Elephant Hunting.” (If you haven’t you should). By ignoring the truth of the situation, my new contact seems disconnected and uninformed. I feel no real connection to her as she clearly was not there Sunday (or does not care about it as much as I do. (Note: None of these things may be true, but that is what I feel with that soft opening).
When communicating with your customers, be honest. Attack their objections aggressively. DO NOT allow the elephant to hang out in your room. Hunt his big backside down and address him and you will gain respect and attention.