Would you take the NextByte?

Is the consumer always right? Of course not, but as customers we expect brands to listen, respond and react positively to our needs.

As consumers, when we have feedback of any kind, we want it to be heard by a real person who responds with language we can understand. Most of all, we want the conversation to be two way, regardless of how important the brand considers the issue. Do this right and expect brand loyalty, do this wrong… well you know the ending.

Recently I went into a NextByte store in Sydney’s CBD to purchase iLife, the photo/video/music editing suite for Mac. I was aware that iLife ’11 was coming but was unsure of its arrival date. After enquiring with the friendly sales rep I was informed it wasn’t available until 2011. Disappointed, but in need of the software, I purchased the ’09 version.

A week later iLife ’11 was available in NextByte stores. My email to NextByte went like this:

Hi,

I was recently in your store (12th October) and enquired about when iLife ‘11 was coming out. The customer service rep informed me it wasn’t likely to be until 2011. I bought the software. Literally 1-2 weeks later the new version was released. I can’t begin to inform you how disappointed and cheated I felt.

I would like to return my software and have it upgraded to ‘11 version and be refunded accordingly. Will this be a problem?

Thanks and regards,
Dave

Within 15 minutes of sending that email, the store manager phoned me to discuss the situation. Thankfully he was honest, transparent and accommodating. What I liked about his approach was:

1. He read the customer concern and responded immediately.
2. Instead of replying by email, he picked up the phone and gave me the human touch that I required.
3. He told me exactly the way it is with Apple Inc. software (they’re not informed of release dates any earlier then the public)… and this was acceptable to me.
4. He then offered alternatives for me to return and upgrade the software, which I happily accepted.
5. He prevented me (the customer) negatively broadcasting my experience online.

The web today makes it far more important then ever for brands to understand basic best practice principles when communicating to consumers. Word-of-mouth has long been considered one of the most influential forms of communication in society. It is considered more believable, trustworthy, and far more credible then paid advertising. Consumers sharing product information through word-of-mouth are less likely to have an ulterior motive thus recipients of this information are more likely to be influenced by this content and their buying decisions will reflect this.

With social networks such as facebook, youtube, twitter, and myspace available, consumers now have dedicated mediums in which to communicate in, reaching and influencing audiences on mass. Consumers are far more likely to stumble upon other consumer conversations that have been posted online, and be influenced by them. Online word-of-mouth has become far more powerful then ever before thanks to its’ uncompromising ability to saturate audiences on a global level in such short spaces of time.

If brands aren’t managing their reputation online they are not in a position to positively influence outcomes. There are far too many examples where brands have ignored social noise and the impacts have been devastating.

In this NextByte example, had they handled it differently this event could have resulted in not only me never walking inside a NextByte store again, but me sharing my negative experience with my network and influencing their decisions on where not to buy Mac products.

Thankfully NextByte reacted in a professional and human way. As a result my brand loyalty remains with them. Oh, and yes, I will definitely be taking the NextByte!

Dave Drury
November 2010

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