Problems that are successfully solved can be the basis for a strong customer relationship. But an unresolved problem can haunt a company for a long time.
Author and DM consultant Jim Rosenfield shared a personal anecdote on that topic during a keynote address at the New England Association of Direct Marketing's annual conference in Burlington, MA, yesterday.
During an April 1989 stay at the Melbourne Grand Hyatt in Australia, Rosenfield became stuck in one of the hotel's elevators for close to an hour. When he was finally freed, he explained his displeasure to the assistant manager and suggested that the hotel should do something to make up for the mishap.
The manager's unconcerned response? "We'll buy you a drink."
Rosenfield vowed never to stay at the hotel again, but he did get a chance to get revenge. Ten years later, he was speaking at a direct marketing conference in Australia to an audience of over 1,000 people – at the Melbourne Grand Hyatt. "I was able to tell the story in the place where it actually happened," he said.
Marketers should always consider problem solving a priority, said Rosenfield, because people will tell up to another 15 people about a bad experience. And, he noted, that problem is multiplied by the Internet.
"It's not the problem, it's what you do about it," he said.
