Few days back, I had a cold call from an entertainment service I have been using for over a year.

Now, I’m a very satisfied customer and hence keep recommending the service to my friends and relatives. In fact, they have me hooked on to their service so well that I act like a salesman for them.

Isn’t that a dream situation for any company? Getting customers pumped up about their products / services so the customers lead to more customers?

Here’s how the company did everything right: from superior marketing to superior service but failed at the contact center stage.

The Scene

A few people who I recommend do ask me to get more details about the service. One friend asked me to get more details next time someone from their side calls me as he is definitely interested in buying the service.

So this is the situation when I got the cold call. This cold call was about some new offers on subscription renewal. Since I had renewed my subscription only a month ago I declined. However, I asked the personnel about a new account – for my friend.

What would have been the reaction at any sane business development department?

“Sure sir, here are the details, blah blah, could you give me your friend’s number so we can contact him”

Or

“I’m sorry sir that’s new account department, hang on let me transfer you to the concerned person”

Now, did the girl who called me do either of the above logical responses?

No!

She went on a talking spree with her teammates regarding “new account for customer’s friend” and (my goodness!) none of her teammates were in a position to answer her queries! All this, while hanging on to the phone where I can hear every word of what they are discussing among themselves.

Finally, a “sophisticated” senior level person came online and asked me what I wanted. She listened and promised the concerned person will call me in half an hour. 3 days have passed since the promise and I still haven’t heard from them.

And they have lost, among other things, a sale.

Whose Fault Is It?

The fault lies not with the customer care personnel. They do their work as much as they are told. In fact, I’m thankful that the girl took the trouble of asking for details that does not concern her department.

The fault lies with the managers who do the thinking etc. Dept A is handling renewals; dept B is handling new accounts so each is focused on individual goals. However, they seemed to have forgotten that beyond these micro goals there is a macro goal: making a sale.

It is the management’s responsibility to equip every representative to be in a position of helping to close a sale (or get a lead). By not taking care of this basic marketing principle they have lost a sale here. I can only imagine how many such sales they would have lost like this.

I have always wondered why, despite being such an amazing entertainment platform famous across the world, this service is so less popular in my city. Now I guess I know the answer.

Losing the Sale is Easy

I like strangers calling me up as long as they can talk to me and solve my problems. If I had to spend some money within my reach sure I’ll do it. But if strangers call me up and say I need to spend my money right away without as much as speaking about my problems (much less solving them) it’ll not take me more than a second to say “I’m not interested.”

I’m fascinated by the way these people lose the sale for their organizations. I wonder who put the notion in their minds that calling up and talking to a prospect on the phone like narrating a late-night infomercial will get them the sale.

And the person who gave told them to ignore the prospect’s questions and continue to read the script about the product.

I’m sure many of us have gone shopping for a size-10 shoe and laughed out hearts out when we heard the salesman say: “wo do not have 10 sir but we have size 8 and 9”

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