Power Report: Why local companies need to listen to consumers

If there's one thing this job has revealed, it's what consumers want, or more to the point, what they don't want. It's much the same thing people want from all their relationships: honesty, respect and fair play. I have to wonder why it seems so hard for so many businesses to get it right.

It's hardly rocket science. Sure, some of it may require a bit of time, effort and (heaven forbid) money, but it's all doable, basic stuff. It may hurt financially in the short term to be the kind of company that doesn't shortchange or dupe its customers just to turn a profit, but the long-term rewards in customer retention and brand loyalty are priceless.

If I look back at all the customer service horror stories in which I've been asked to intervene, there's a common thread. Even though complaints come from readers of different ages, race and income, from different towns and cities and from across a range of industries, they have a shared and universal theme: the need to be heard.

The trouble for business is that by the time they come to me, they're not only angry, but far less receptive to compromise. Not to mention the damage they've done to the brand already through word of mouth and social media.

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So for businesses that wish to win, retain and, dare I say, delight consumers, this is what they want you to do:

• Write in plain language. Forget the legalese. You are dealing with a customer, not a hostile corporate;

• Get to know your customer and bear their needs in mind before you implement new policies. Use common sense. FNB learnt this the hard way recently after its over-60 clients balked at being excluded from earning eBucks unless they downloaded and used the bank's app. Following an outcry (much of it aired in this column) FNB has now backtracked on the app requirement for "senior clients";

• Respond. Say you're sorry they feel let down. Say you'll look into it. Then look into it and get back to them - timeously. However the consumer is engaging with you, whether on Facebook or Twitter or e-mail or call centre, always respond. Hire more staff if you have to. Ignoring a complaint or query makes a consumer feel helpless, and helpless people often resort to desperate and damaging measures;

• Assume the customer is correct. Sure, some might try to rip you off but they are in the minority. Don't devise policies to deal with the crooked minority;

• If and when you're in the wrong, own up to it, and fall on your sword if you have to. Don't try to spin your way out of it. It's demeaning and insincere;

• Make your customers' lives easier, even in areas that don't relate to your core business. If thieves are stealing handbags from distracted shoppers in your stores, put warning stickers on trolleys; if they're stealing out of unsafe gym lockers, change the lockers;

• Don't make customers jump through hoops to participate in loyalty programmes. Simplify things;

• Make a difference. If you can activate sound on all ATM keyboards to make life easier for those with poor eyesight, do so. A Standard Bank customer has been lobbying the bank for this since 2011, with no joy;

• Keep your labelling and marketing honest;

• Don't be slow to act. FNB has just launched an innovative solution that prompts noncompliant business owners to upload outstanding Fica documents when they log in. But Fica has been around for years, with business customers subjected to gross incompetence among banking staff;

• Use your Facebook and Twitter accounts to engage, talk to and respond to consumers. If you're going to treat your social media accounts as tedious add-ons to your call centre, you're dead in the water. It's not called social for nothing. Share useful information, like troubleshooting tips, ways to save, and product safety recalls.

Detail on Samsung's exploding Note 7 is inexplicably scant on Samsung Mobile SA's Twitter feed. When a new mobile device (and its replacement) is burning people and being banned on airlines the world over, it's smart to prioritise that over recipes and marketing gumpf;

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• Train your staff. First teach empathy; then the ins and outs of the Consumer Protection Act. Six years after the act came into being, it's beyond unacceptable for any staff member, from the CEO down (and particularly those in the consumer goods and services sector), not to know the basics. And stop treating call centres, in-house or external, as afterthoughts. They're often the first and only engagement customers have with your brand;

• Never tell a consumer they can't escalate a complaint internally. And if they reach the very top and still find no joy, it's your duty to refer them to the industry ombud;

• Follow Google's mantra: "Don't be evil." The organisation's code of conduct, it is reported, is best known for this line, which was also included in the 2004 filing for its initial public offering. In the preface to the code, Google says that over and above providing users unbiased access to information, focusing on their needs and giving them the best products and services, it's about "doing the right thing ... following the law, acting honorably and treating each other with respect".

Sure, many will view this with scepticism, arguing that Google doesn't always live up to it. But it's certainly bolder and more aspirational than the tired platitudes of "putting our customers first", and it sends a strong, no-nonsense message to staff.

As much as business should follow the letter of the Consumer Protection Act, honouring the spirit of the law is just as important. The act is one of the most wide-reaching pieces of consumer legislation out there and offers a unique blueprint for suppliers.

It puts consumers firmly at the centre of business. Exactly where they should be.

sub_head_start Contact Megan Power sub_head_end

E-mail: consumer@sundaytimes.co.za

Follow Megan on Twitter: @Power_Report

Please note: Other than in exceptional circumstances, readers sending me complaints must be willing to be identified and photographed.

Tune in to Power98.7's "Power Breakfast" (DStv audio channel 889) at 8.50am tomorrow to hear more from Megan