Why Brands Should “Hug Their Haters”: Jay Baer
Which-50’s Sahar Yazdani and Joe Brookes continue to report from the Uberflip Experience in Toronto. This time around they scored an audience with marketing guru Jay Baer who says, when it comes to CX, brands and customers have very different expectations…
The customer is not always right, but they must be heard — so says business strategist Jay Baer. To do this, companies need to flip their view of complaints as a problem and instead see them as a gift.
“People who complain are actually taking their time to tell us what we can do better and that’s a gift,” he told delegates to the recent Uberflip Experience Conference in Toronto.
There is also a huge disparity between how businesses see their customer service and how a customer sees it, according to Baer. He cited research suggesting 80 per cent of businesses believe they have exceptional customer service, while only eight per cent of the customers agree.
Shrinking this gap requires more attention to customer service. “Globally we spend about $US600 billion a year on marketing and about $US9 billion a year on customer service. That is probably a ratio that needs to be addressed.”
For marketers, great content is often compromised by the operational side of business, through poor customer service and complaint handling.
Baer says responding to complaints may be more important than resolving them. “No response is a response. To prospects who might become your next customers that silence is deafening.”
Baer affectionately refers to these complainers as “haters” and says businesses need to do more to address them. “Haters — the people that complain about your business — are not your problem. Ignoring them is.”
Two types of hate
He said complainers can be split into two categories: off-stage and on-stage. “Off-stage haters complain in private. They complain on the phone and via email.” While on-stage haters are usually younger and more tech savvy — taking to social media express their grievances.
“Off-stage complainers want an answer while on-stage want an audience”
According to Baer the key difference is off-stage complainers want an answer while on stage want an audience; “What they expect and what they want isn’t necessarily a response. It’s for all their friends to say oh that sucks, I’m so sorry for you”. That’s why online complaints are often outlandish, he said.
Research shows that only half of the on-stage complainers expect a reply. “In many cases they’re not complaining at a business, they’re complaining about a business,” says Baer.
Although there is a subtle and important difference, both complainers should be handled the same way, he said. And, importantly, Baer argued that on-stage complainers present a great new opportunity.
“This is the greatest opportunity to build customer advocacy that you can do right now, easily with very little additional cash,” Baer explained.
Answering customers online when they don’t expected it “blows their minds and wins their hearts” said Baer. This has the bonus of creating customer advocacy as well as retention. It’s hard for a customer not to get excited when a business finds and addresses a complaint that was never intended to solicit a response. “At any point in business … when you massively exceed expectations word of mouth becomes involuntary,” explained Baer.
Attention to on-stage complainers may become unavoidable as the ratio of off-stage to on-stage is shifting, according to Baer. “About 60 per cent of all complaints are still phone and email, but that ratio is changing very very quickly.” This change is because of the comparative ease of on-stage complaining and a shifting demographic.
“Eventually there’s not going to be any calls and it’s all going to be on-stage haters.”
Ratings and review sites are important and can’t be ignored, says Baer. “Eighty-seven per cent of customers trust, at least in some circumstances, as much as they trust friends and family members.”
The shift online means customer service now becomes a concern for marketers as well. Baer believes. “This is the new marketing. Customer service is the new marketing because as it shifts online it becomes part of the marketing story.”
Marketers need to be aware of customer service, and Baer sees the new task as critical: “Customer service is the number-one factor that impacts vendor trust.” Answering every customer, in every channel, every time — or, as Baer describes it, “hugging your haters’ — will prevent businesses from falling into the trap of blaming their customers.
Latest News
History Has Arrived: It’s The Cairns Crocodiles Inaugural Shortlist
Pen the acceptance speech and ready your best thongs and muumuu, because the Cairns Crocodiles shortlist has arrived.
IAS Launches First-To-Market Integration With Roblox To Provide 3D Immersive Measurement
Integral Ad Science, a global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced a market integration with Roblox, a global immersive platform for connection and communication. Available for advertising campaigns on Roblox later this year, IAS’s Viewability and Invalid Traffic (IVT) Measurement products will provide advertisers increased transparency into the quality of their Immersive Ads within […]
Fast And Furious: Top Gear Australia Launch Thrilled Motorheads, Car Entusiasts And Guests
B&T is still no closer to knowing who the new Stig is, except that she is a woman and a ridiculously fast.
TV Ratings (02/05/2024): Seven’s The 1% Club Wins The Night
The 1% club did not live up to its name when it comes to TV ratings last night.
TRA Welcomes Raft Of New Hires; Bolstering Expertise Across Markets
Insights and research agency TRA announces slew of new hires. Still no news on the return of marble wash denim, however.
CX Lavender Hires Boston Consulting Group’s Kim Verbrugghe as Chief Strategy Officer
CX Lavender announces new strategy hire and channels 'acoustic folk act at local RSL' for the publicity pic.
Opinion: Community standards, will they be the death of us?
This columnist is talking community standards. Sadly not those people who put dogs in trolleys in supermarkets.
Tegel gets heads bobbing with new free-range chicken platform
Sure, there's a lot of moral considerations when buying a chook. Yet, not as baffling as buying eggs or canned tuna.
Study: 66% of Aussie men believe masculinity is under attack
Two-thirds of Aussie blokes say masculinity's under attack. That said, sales of Solo lemon drink appear robust.
‘Equal Writes’: Canyon reveals new campaign and refreshed brand for women and non-binary writers
As this brand redesign again proves, nothing beats black on white. Well, white on black in this instance.
Icon Agency bolsters consumer and integrated offer with major hires
Icon Agency unveils new recruits. As press photo confirms office moustache competition now a lay-down misère.
Clemenger launches agricultural graduate program
Has Farmer Wants A Wife triggered an interest in dagging & hay balers? This grads program may resonate.
Levi’s Appoint UM As Global Media Agency For $217m Account
Levi's are the jeans for rockstars, models & the cool kids. Although that's not stopped dads from ruining their image.
QMS Nabs Sean Rigby From oOh!media
Things set to get spicy at the next Outdoor Media Association dinner and dance as a rival gets poached.
Bumble Reveals New Brand Identity To Usher In New Era Of Dating
It's ironic that all the dating apps market themselves as having no weirdos, freaks or mummy's boys like their rivals.
Stay In The House From Up! Airbnb Introduces Icons
Airbnb is now letting people stay in "iconic" places that sadly doesn't include the house from Silence Of The Lambs.
Changing The Conversation: The Role Of Media In Ending Violence Against Women
Governments are finally waking up to the DV crisis. Here, B&T chats with Jasmin Bedir on the role media can play.
“If You Want To Listen To Something Else, Go For It”: Fifi Box On Blocking Out The Noise & Focussing On What Works
No one is at the coal face of Melbourne radio like Fifi Box. Here, she chats with B&T without coughing up a lung.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Ferrari Signs Landmark New Title Sponsor
B&T continuing our series on sports sponsorships. And, yet again, there's little good news for the ten pin bowlers.
Choose A Path Less Trodden This Cannes In Cairns
Not since Wonka opened the factory has there been such a hot ticket in town. Here's how to make the most of Cairns.
Cannes In Cairns MC Keeva Stratton Shares Her Top Session Picks
Quip boss calls out her highlights of the Cannes agenda. We're assuming B&T staff b-boy demonstration was an oversight.
Here Are The Agencies That Made AFR’s Best Places To Work List And What The Industry Can Learn From Them
Did your office not make the list? Make sure your boss shouts at least two schooners at office drinks come Friday.
Get Ready, B&T’s Best Of The Best Is Back With The Top Holding Company Executive Leaders – Creative!
Want to know who the Grandest of the Grand Poobahs in the industry are? Look no further than this exhaustive list.
How A Glittering Campaign Helped The Australian Museum Sell 400,000 Tickets
B&T thoroughly enjoyed the Ramses exhibition at The Australian Museum, despite thinking we were going to the Archibald.
TV Ratings (30/04/2024): A “Shoey” Straight From A Fish’s Mouth Launches The Cheap Seats Into 2024
Last night's TV saw horny farmers beat Lego nerds, who beat fame-obsessed home cooks, who beat a chap with a large fish.
Spotlight Extends Partnership With Starlight Children’s Foundation
B&T always happy to promote the excellent work of the Starlight Foundation. Less so the Starfish Fanciers Foundation.
Amazon’s Advertising Quarterly Revenue Soars To $11.8bn
There are so many Amazon couriers visiting B&T headquarters at the moment our office dog doesn't know who to maul first.
VML Wellington Welcomes Jacob McGregor As Pou Ārahi Māori
McGregor set to lead cultural competency and safety at VML Wellington in important new gig.
“They Grow Up So Fast”: Simon Fowler On Five Years Of ABEL
Abel's CEO talks lessons learned from the agency's first five years. Including staff nicking all the Nespresso capsules.
Kyle & Jackie O Urge Melbourne To Pick A Side
Who can stop Kyle & Jackie O's indelible march into Melbourne radio? Is Peter 'Moony' Moon waiting by the phone?
Future & Taika Waititi Feature In Striking New Global Belvedere Campaign
Not only does drinking vodka make you cool like these dudes, it also has great weight loss properties for the bone idle.
The Fall Of Bonza: A Case Study In How To, And Not To, React In A Crisis
Does the collapse of yet another budget airline hark back to a gentler time of 17 hours spent on a Greyhound bus?
Opinion: Agencies, Be Unique – Stop Using The Word “Unique!”
Trinity P3's Ellie Angell says agencies are overusing the word unique. You could add omnichannel & holisitic to that.
Ex Marketing & Advertising Exec Releases Melanoma Memoir
Ex-adlander Anne Gately has penned a tome to skin cancer. Which is a handy reminder to check your moles, people.
Mamamia Appoint Danni Wright As New Head Of Strategy
Danni Wright takes up Mamamia's strategy reins with a feng shui expert called over positioning of office chaise lounge.
From The Bureau: Championing Competency & Cross-Industry Collaboration
The IAB's Jonas Jaanimagi calls for more specialisation in adtech. Meaning you'll understand it less than you already do.