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If someone gives you their email address, use it wisely.

OK here is a marketing related scenario that is just happening to me right now... as I wrote this article so to speak....

I bought something last week, I bought by telephone rather than on-line as I wanted to discuss aspects of the product before buying it.

I was a little disappointed that I could not get the product there and then, collect it that day or get it delivered the next day when I knew I would be available to receive it.

Instead the product was to be delivered in the next 4 days by a carrier. No problem so far.

One of the questions asked when I was placing the order was a request for my email address. No problem there.

"What will they use my email address for", I ask myself.

Perhaps to let me know when new versions are out or additional products in that family etc.

Aha, perhaps they will let me know exactly when the item is scheduled for delivery because we all have lives to lead and cannot sit about waiting for things to arrive.

Not a bit of it. The product arrived two working days after it was ordered, a total elapsed time of 4 days as a weekend was in the middle. I very nearly missed it completely. It was being sent to a domestic address, and we all work, so are not always there.

A note was pushed through the door, "the packet will be at our local depot for the next 5 days for you to collect after which it will be returned to the sender".

Wonderful I have now waited from Friday until Tuesday and guess what,

The holding "depot" is further away than the company I bought the item from!

The modern world is truly a thing of wonder!

But I gave them my email address and the carrier has a tracking system, why could their procedure not include sending me the tracking number as soon as it was generated so I would know when my item was to be delivered and could arrange someone to be there to receive it?

OK I know that this is not as easy as 1,2,3.. but it sure would have made me feel a little more wanted.... There I was, the potential for being made a fool staring me in the face, the company I bought from had my money, because they already took payment from my credit card, and now my product is on its way back to them as well, albeit slowly.

Punter 0/10 Company 10/10 :-(

Well as it happens and as I am a lucky chap, a quick call to the carrier revealed the driver was still in the area and not long afterward I was united with my purchase, great.... but just imagine how irritated I could have been.

Do you do anything that directly benefits your customers with their data?

Most companies routinely gather data about their clients and prospects.

Do they do anything of value for these people with that data, or do they just intend sometime to bombard their targets with adverts which may be perceived as junk?

So what does your company do with the data it gathers?

I came across an American company years ago whose computer system would automatically generate fax copies of purchase orders which it would fax direct to each supplier, saving days over the post and streamlining their ordering process by cutting out delay.

That was before email was widely available.

When the Faxed versions proved reliable enough, they stopped sending paper copies altogether and realised greater savings on paper, handling and postage. Having their computer send the faxes in low cost time added to their savings.

When buying a computer from a well known direct selling manufacturer I received emails telling me when my computer apparently custom built for me, (rubbish I know) was to be despatched.

It set my mind at rest that my data was being used somehow for my benefit as well as theirs.

[Author mark@sticky-marketing.net date 10/03/01]