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How To Lose Customers
Well, this is a bit of an interesting post. As part of a prospecting effort for DMIdeas I have signed up for a few email newsletters, etc. Starting last night at around 4:30PM I began receiving customer responses to an email from this particular prospect; here’s what happened:
- Prospect created a "group" on their own mail server called clients@
PROSPECTNAME.com - Prospect used a well know, and reputable, blast provider to create an email blast to their entire list.
Nothing wrong yet…but then:
- Prospect sends the test blast (without any personalization or opt out information) to the clients@
PROSPECTNAME.com group. - This "blast" of a single email is then FORWARDED by their system to the entire clients@
PROSPECTNAME.com group. - One of the users in the group has an auto-reply out-of-office enabled.
Still no problem…until:
- The FROM: address for the blast was … Yep, you guessed it … clients@
PROSPECTNAME.com. - This caused that first out-of office to get sent to the entire group.
- Since that original email, there have been more than 150 messages from the members of the group about
PROSPECTNAME’s inability to know what they’re doing, about someone "hacking" their email and sending messages, etc…
It was an interesting view into the types of people that are in certain kinds of businesses. Their lack of knowledge about the internet, etc.
The WORST is yet to come, however:
PROSPECTNAMErepresentative A begins to send messages to each of the respondents who’re asking to opt-out saying that they’ll be removed, but, their reply is going to the created group too…- Then representative B sent out the message following the break… making things worse!
Consumers Like Email!
MarketingVox has a story today, about the continuing preference of consumers for email for commercial correspondence. Here is a brief synopsis of the results, click over to the MarketingVox article for their take, or the original at Habeas, or the MarketingCharts opinion.
- 67% of respondents prefer email as a communications channel over
other online vehicles, and 65% say they believe that will remain the
preference in five years. - Consumer opinion of the future importance of email registers far
above future expectations for video conferencing (19%), instant
messaging (17%), SMS text messages (12%) and Web meetings (12%). - 65% of the demographic ages 18-34 – those most comfortable with IM,
SMS and emerging communications methods – say they will likely favor
email to communicate with businesses in five years.
Online Threats
- 69% of those surveyed expressed concern about being victimized by
email fraud scams, an increase from the 62% finding in the 2007 Habeas
report. - 43% of respondents voice concern over the spam and virus threat to
mobile devices, up from 2007’s 36% – and a reflection of the increasing
use of the "mobile inbox" through smartphone and internet-enabled phone
devices. - As many as 35% of those surveyed do not know what to look for when
trying to sift through emails that might potentially be dangerous.