Why Poor Customer Service is Poor Marketing (Both go Hand-In-Hand)

It was just a few years ago that I was a college student. Ahh… the times of no Friday classes, unending Costco Top Ramen packages, and… flight mishaps.

For all of the fellow out-of-state and international students out there, college often felt like a world tour. Hopping from plane to plane every semester just to have some time to spend time with your family and discuss all the college drama with your hometown homies.

My hometown is Austin, Texas and a few years ago, I was freshman at Indiana University. Approximately 1,064 miles from each other, for the first 2 years of college, my flights home and vice versa always included 1-2 layovers. Layovers suck yada yada yada, but hey! I’m no Karen, a layover is no biggie — can’t complain about things I can’t control (me complaining about the current 112 degree weather in Texas as I type this with my sweat covered fingers).

At some point, when I became a junior, one US airline had found my vulnerable being on Facebook and had perfectly targeted me with an ad saying “AUSTIN TO INDIANAPOLIS, DIRECT FLIGHTS NOW AVAILABLE”.

Let me tell you, when I saw this, I was so happy I. threw the biggest college rager you could possibly imagine 🍻🎉 (I am lying I texted my mother a screenshot and dancing emojis).

So today was the day, I was going to hop on the plane in Indianapolis to Austin, a whopping 2.5 hour travel time. You’re telling me I can watch 2 episodes of the Kdrama I was bingeingand poof! I’m back home? I was ecstatic.

I ended up in Disney World.

I feel nothing, I'm Dead Inside GIF

I feel nothing, I'm Dead Inside GIF

So much went wrong. Instead of scarfing down my favorite Tex-Mex restaraunt, I was alone with Mickey ears on with a half melted Mickey vanilla stick streaming down my right hand just slightly slower than the tears on my face.

You see, the nightmare airport experience happened to me. My flight was delayed due to a missing flight attendant, so then at some point I was informed it was canceled, sothe I had to fight my way onto a flight to Atlanta to then go to Austin, the flight to Austin was canceled again, I ended up in Orlando and was offered to fly from there to San Diego then back to Austin. Which, let’s reflect on that… essentially, as traveling can often be, it was a mess.

So why do I bring this up? I refuse to take that airline ever again. Being mistreated, and having to directly endure the consequences of their own lack of organization, I have no urge to put myself in a situation like that ever again. Call it dramatic, call it petty, but we all have that one customer service experience that gets your heart beating just a bit faster. This was mine.

No matter what marketing campaign this airline does, I will never forget the customer service I was provided.

Many businesses make the mistake of thinking that customer service exists in a silo separate from marketing. However, customer service and marketing are deeply intertwined. Similar to this situation, customer service can have a big impact on a customer's perception of a brand, and that perception can greatly affect marketing efforts. The following is common sense, so really quick, here are 5 quick points that are important to always remember:

1. Customer service can affect a customer's perception of a brand. If a customer has a positive experience with customer service, they are more likely to view the brand positively and recommend it to others. Providing excellent customer service can lead to positive word-of-mouth marketing from satisfied customers.
2. Customer service interactions can provide valuable data and insights for marketing teams to better understand their audience and improve their messaging. For example, if customers frequently ask the same questions about a product, that could indicate a need for clearer messaging or better product documentation.
3. Customer service can help retain customers and increase brand loyalty , reducing churn and improving customer lifetime value. When customers receive excellent customer service, they are more likely to remain loyal to a brand and continue to make purchases
4. Customer service can help improve customer satisfaction scores, which can be used as a marketing tool to attract new customers. When a brand has high customer satisfaction scores, they can use that as a selling point to attract new customers.

Essentially, all of this business speak aside — people like nice experiences. People enjoy experiences that don’t hinder happiness, that make them feel like a human. And in the midst of everything else your organization does, at the end of the day it is your customer service that interacts directly with the customer.

Customer service is an essential part of an effective marketing strategy. In a scope larget than excellent customer service for the sake of happy customers, brands can improve their reputation, retain customers, and ultimately drive more sales. Connecting your people is important, empower your people to collaborate through software tools, set the example, and ultimately, a happy team means happier customers.

Happy building!

P.S. when I got to Austin, my luggage was in San Diego. 🙃