Are Your New Communcation Tools Meeting Customer Expectations?

I love seeing companies push their own boundries, trying out new technology and channels to connect with their customers. However, I hate to see them not make full use of the tools they're trying. It happened to me yesterday with a surprise text message from my dentist.

Now, I've written about my dentist before. They seem to be at the forefront of amazing technology. However, when you're using new forms of communication to connect with customers, make sure you meet expectations. The text I got came very early in the day and was confirming an upcoming appointment. It was very simple. I just had to text back "C" to confirm my appointment or "R" to reschedule. I texted C and got back another text almost immediately thanking me, letting me know my appointment was confirmed and that they'd see me on the upcoming date. So, far so good. Except I had a question.

I had been waiting on them to call with some information before my appointment. They hadn't as of yet, so I figured if they were texting me I'd text back and ask them about it. As immediate as the automated responses were, something not fitting their plan took much longer, not matching expectations. I didn't hear back at all via text. They did call my house and leave a message at some point later in the day.

Texting is an immediate medium. They met that expectation when they replied immediately to my response. They didn't meet it at all once I used the medium the way many people do – to carry on a conversation. It left a bad taste in my mouth about a company I admired for being so forward thinking.

So, when you're using these new communication tools, be careful to make sure you meet expectations. You may think something like an automated texting confirmation system is a good solution. But if you're not using it the way your customers are, you're setting yourself up for failure.

Another example is aclient we just picked up had set up a Facebook page just to post job listings. Again – it wasn't meeting the expectations of the medium – it wasn't a place for conversations. If you're going to use these tools, you either have to meet customer expectations or work hard to set up new expectations.

How about you? Are you getting the best use out the tools you use? Where have you seen others not connecting in ways customers expect? And, more importantly, what have you learned from it?

Mike McClure, Indulging my texting sweet tooth