…is that they think they’re entitled to everything.
They think that Twitter can be used to express their disappointment with your products. They think that Facebook is a good way of getting in touch with your customer service department. They think that a good reason for a discount is that they once saw a special promotion that may or may not have ended months ago.
They think that they have the right to ask for more than you’re offering. They think that they have the right to try out your product before they buy it.
And here’s the problem, they’re right. For the first time, consumers are in control.
We’ve all heard the saying, the customer is always right. The internet has made that truer than ever before.
Sure, you can put a policy in place. You can say, we only deal with customer service issues that come in through this channel or that channel. You can say that you only offer discounts on your products for a limited time and after the deadline is up, too bad. You can say that our products are what they are, and we won’t change them for any one customer.
But your competitors are already giving in to every single customer request. And if you don’t follow, you risk losing business.