[NOTE: This version differs a bit from the version that appeared in the FijiTimes print edition. I had made some changes but apparently missed the deadline.]
I’m feeling pretty certain there’s a general misunderstanding going on locally when it comes to using the Internet for business communications. Too many organisations seem to be under the impression that just having a website will immediately catapult themselves into a futuristic vortex where “business will never be the same”, customers will love everything they do and world peace can be achieved with nothing more than the click of a mouse. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it’s not going to happen.
The Consumer Council of Fiji launched their own new website this week (www.consumersfiji.org) and for the first time, the general public has access to a method for filing consumer complaints online. That’s certainly something of value and a welcome addition to Fiji’s online presence for anyone that has ever felt ripped off by a business. The section for filing consumer complaints is extremely useful. They even have pre-filled categories for the local companies people love to hate most. That can be useful for the real repetitive complainers.
One thing that I did notice, however, was the absence of a contact email address and even a general contact form on the Consumer Council’s website. I wouldn’t use the very long complaints form to have a basic question answered so I felt a bit lost and wondered how the most important online communication channel, namely email, wasn’t considered here. This is not necessarily unusual in Fiji. For many organisations, both large and small, having an online presence must feel more like a chore and a cost centre in the expense column of a business plan than something which provides real value. If this is the case, it’s no wonder that a general online disappointment follows those businesses around. I do see genuine interest in many local businesses wanting to do things online but either the lack of knowledge, budget or initiative is preventing them from making it happen.
The whole experience got me wondering how enthusiastic some organisations were in embracing the online channel for communications. I figured it would be pretty easy to run a simple test to see who was taking it seriously and who wasn’t quite living up to the speed of the world around us. Email was the obvious method to test so that’s what we did one afternoon in the office. We sent an email to 25 local businesses and organisations asking for a very simple piece of information.
Our email said: “Bula, I'd like to know the name of your CEO and your company's mailing address please. Thank you very much.”
Then we waited to see how many companies would respond and how long it would take. Four days later, I’m still waiting for 18 of them. Do the math. Ouch.
This column is not about poking fun at the businesses which did not respond, though. It hardly matters who they are, either. A few of these companies were very technology-focused organisations, in fact, and that surprised me.
I do have to take a moment and acknowledge the lightning-fast responsiveness of Yaqara Group Limited in this test. They replied to our query in five minutes, happily giving us the information we requested and they were ultra-friendly about it, too. Another listed company on the South Pacific Stock Exchange responded within an acceptable four and half hours but instead of answering the question, asked us why we needed this information. When we responded that we were just collecting the data, we never heard back from them again. In a sense, that’s worse than never responding at all. Is it a secret who company CEOs are?
It’s going to become more essential for the growth of Fiji’s online business industry that the most basic of customer service activities be adhered to. If businesses do not want to talk to their customers or stakeholders, they probably shouldn’t have a published website or an email address. In fact, think of the money that can be saved by disconnecting their telephones too. In all seriousness, responding to online queries is not an optional activity.
There is, in essence, a unwritten contract put in place when a business launches a website. The contract states that the business is available for contact online to answer product, service and general questions properly and in a timely manner. A single email by a single customer can define the future of a business relationship. I’ve often felt that unlike an offline interaction which might be more likely to be forgotten by a customer, an ignored email has the tendency to hang around on someone’s computer, constantly serving as a reminder to an ignored request.
There is also a lesson here. Does your company or organisation have a email policy in place to guide responses within a certain amount of time? If not, why not? Start with 24 hours or better yet, set up an automated-reply so the sender knows that somebody received something. That’s a good start as long as follow up takes place. It’s also a good idea to ensure that more than one person receive emails sent from websites or to generic company emails. That way, if a person is out on sick leave or leaves a company’s employment, the message will still be received.
My daughter walked up to me this week and actually said, “Daddy, do you remember when the world was black and white?”. Up until that point, my day had been going pretty well and her question threw me off-guard. She was making a comment referencing the fact that in her mind, I can be a bit out-of-touch some of the time. This is amusing to me because as I drive around with her in the back seat and Johnny Cash playing on the radio, I always assumed I was fairly cool. Instead, I’m more like the business ignoring the simple email. A bit out of touch, behind the times and destined by others to be considered old-school. There’s no way that’s good enough for any business out there. I wish “DAUGHTERS” was a category on the Consumer Councils complaint form.
From FijiTimes 17 May 2008
Jonathan Segal is the Managing Director and CEO of Oceanic Communications (www.oceanic.com.fj), an advertising, marketing and technology agency in Suva. Feel free to send comments and topic suggestions to talanoa@oceanic.com.fj
