Open For Business or Just Closing

open
Ever fallen down a Google black hole? You know, when you know what you want and you set on a mission to find it, and despite a fruitless search, you just can’t stop looking in the vain hope that you will eventually come across it?
That’s exactly what I thought I was throwing myself into when began looking in to booking a conference weekend recently.
In a turn up for the books, and the conference weekend, I stumbled across the answer to all of my problems fairly quickly – my search led me to UniqueHotels4You*.
It ticked all the boxes – a very professional website, beautiful images, easy to access information. In one quick glance I concluded that this company would find the perfect venue for the conference
and it was going to be fantastic. I was delighted.
I clicked through to their ‘Contact Us’ tab and found three numbers listed – two direct numbers for the company directors, Sarah* and Kim* and then, another, unnamed, number.
Below the numbers there was a short line that boasted something quite rare – Sarah and Kim would be happy to discuss my event planning at ANY TIME.
You can probably imagine what ensued.
First up, I tried Sarah. The number range through to an answer machine; “Hello, this is Sarah… I’m now out of the office until Thursday 8th January…”
OK. No problem. I would try Kim on the second number. Again, the call went through to an answer machine; ‘Hello, this is Sarah… I’m now out of the office until Thursday 8th January…’
Curious. Perhaps Kim was on the third number? Once more, I dialled….
…and yes, you guessed it, once more I was greeted with ‘Hello, this is Sarah… I’m now out of the office until Thursday 8th January…’
My hopes were dashed. Clearly, I was not going to be ticking off ‘find conference venue’ from my to-do list that day. Or, at least, not with the help of UniqueHotels4You.
I don’t begrudge Sarah and Kim a holiday; especially after Christmas. I’m sure they were having a great time relaxing on a tropical beach, umbrellas in their drinks, or zipping down beautiful mountains at an exclusive ski resort – that’s fine. I am very happy for them; however, their thinking in regards to their ‘Contact Us’ page baffles me.
Why have three numbers and two directors listed if all roads lead to one firmly closed door?
It’s also completely incongruous with the professional image that they have clearly tried so hard to create; the website was so impressive, but they fell at the last, most crucial, hurdle!
Why would such a seemingly professional business be closed during what must surely be one of the busiest weeks of the year? I got the message loud and clear: WE ARE CLOSED!
How many hours have you spent browsing online, looking for the perfect gift, or even hotel, only to find that you’re unable to actually hand over the money and make the purchase, or get in touch
with anyone who can answer that decider question? How many times have you been enjoying a last drink after an excellent meal, in a lovely restaurant, and have witnessed staff cleaning/packing up or generally ignoring your existence?
How many times, after dialling a number in the late afternoon, have you been made to feel unwelcome by the tone of the receptionist, specialist or supplier to the extent that you can almost hear the words ‘you want what? It’s 4.45pm!’?
The thing is, your customer doesn’t lower his/her expectations during the twilight of the working day – I’m sure you know this.
Offering excellent customer service regardless of the time is something that many businesses fall short on – but it’s worth paying attention to. How much business is lost in that last hour of the day? Or over holiday periods?
It’s worth considering how you can ensure that you invite your customer back or give them the warm welcome they deserve during these times in particular.
With the ever increasing dominance of social media and the use of search engines, if you have a website…
…and I’m assuming you do, then your business is open 24 hours a day, whether you like it or not.
So, how will you deal with the enquiries that come in when you’re not at the end of the phone? If you want the business then you’ll have to be available, or you’ll have get back to your customer within a very short time-frame – but please ensure that THE CUSTOMER KNOWS THAT!
If you REALLY want the business you’ll make it easy for the customer to come back to you, to call again. Think outside the box. Offer incentives, and make the customer interested enough to actually want to speak to you or try again for your personal contact.
Whether your business is a physical premises or online, make sure that EVERY customer is valued and appreciated, whether it is 9am, 4.55pm or 10.55pm.
Open means open.
jonathan-winchester