Graeme Russell // Kiwi Nonprofit Strategist - working with nonprofits to help build presence, understanding and support.
There's more to the nonprofit sector than sourcing donations and delivering a service - I help nonprofits see how they can connect and engage to raise their profile, assist staff with dealing with potential supporters and help the management team with governance issues.
Wondered where I've gotten to with my posts - don't fret I haven't run away with millions won in lotto, I'm still around, only I'm now posting mostly at CharityMatters, pop over and take a look....
Check out some of the latest posts
Charities and increased overheads
Like what you see - then subscribe to CharityMatters
Get this, I went to an “inconvenience” shop to grabb the couple of bits I needed – milk and bread, get to the counter, items rung on cash register, total $5.75, hand over eftpos card and assistant says “you have get something else, you need spent more”.
What, I ask.
Apparently I had to spend a minimum of $10 to use eftpos, asking why I get told it’s to cover the cost of renting the eftpos machine.
The assistant didn’t like it when I asked whether they thought that the margins they put on their items should in reality cover their overheads enough without making customers spend more than they want, or need to.
Rent, power, wages, rates, you name it are normally factored into all pricing, if a shop wants me to spend more than I want or need to in order to shop with them, I’ll leave the items on the counter and walk out.
Surely if there is a minimum purchase in order to use eftpos – I’m not talking using a credit card here, but a normal eftpos transaction, then they should at least have a note on the counter pointing this out.
I won’t be visiting this shop again.
Not only did they lose a sale, they lost a customer!
Ok, time for a wee rant.
On Saturday I phoned a company's hotline as I had an urgent problem that needed fixing, no one answered the phone so I left a message.
Monday morning and still no response, so more phone calls, this time to their landline and one to their mobile - result - nothing.
Monday afternoon - still waiting, so I sent an email - no reply. Sent a txt message to their mobile, no response.
Monday evening, another email, this one a little terse, pointing out that their service levels lead a lot to be desired. No response.
Tuesday morning, still waiting for a response. Phone again, put through to someone, got voice mail so left a message.
Thinking (foolishly) I might get somewhere if I posted a note on their Facebook - you guessed it, no response.
Tuesday evening - still no response, oh wait - there was at 10:03pm, an email apologising that they are too busy at this time and would I call at some time to discuss what is going on. I replied asking for them to phone me, I was over chasing them.
Wednesday morning, no response. More emails, more phone calls - still nothing.
So what to do, I can either send them more messages, phone them or perhaps head to their office and see if I could help them with their massive backlog in messages.
As I'm putting my shoes on to head out to see them, someone rings to apologise that they hadn't been in touch, but that they are really busy and don't always have time to follow up. Um, excuse me - too busy for your customers - give me a break, it's the customer who is keeping the business alive.
If any business is too busy to respond to customer enquiries then they have a big problem, and one which could be fixed - employ more staff, manage your time better, have dedicated staff to respond to enquiries.
If you're in business and have people trying to get hold of you - do you:
a) ignore them
b) respond in a timely manner in order to get (or retain) them
c) give excuses
d) wave goodbye to them as they head down the road to your competitor
If you want to retain your customers do the right thing by them and they'll stick with you, ignore them or treat them poorly and you're helping your competition grow their business - the choice is yours.
Sometime ago I wrote Self praise is no recommendation and still stand by what I said then, and more so now after some interaction with a company who say in their ‘pitch’ that they are “ … unparalleled in NZ.”
I was intrigued as they work in a similar field to me and I’d not come across them, and on doing some checking of their FaceBook and Twitter activity saw little that would give them the ability to ‘self rank’ themselves as being ‘ … unparalleled in NZ”.
Their website is riddled with typos, straight out spelling mistakes and even ‘platforms’ they refer to in their web content aren’t spelt in a way someone using them would spell them – Linked in vs LinkedIn, and last time I checked face book is facebook.
Maybe I’m wrong in thinking if you know what you are talking about you’d use the names right, I’m sure a builder doesn’t refer to a noggin as a nogg in.
One of their lead ‘consultants’ who specialises in ‘social’ hasn’t had any online presence in their ;own right’ since Feb 2009, they have however been doing online activity for others. Sure there’s nothing wrong with ghosting for others, but if you’re saying you’re ‘ … unparalleled … ‘ at least have some presence of your own online, people want to see what you’re doing for yourself as part of wanting to know what you can do for them.
Sour grapes? No, I’m just curious as to how people can say one thing, but not actually show any evidence that they are as good as they say they are.
Part of their response to my question - which I did phrase wrong – I asked about them being “best in the country”, when I should have asked about their assumption of being “ … unparalleled in NZ”, was
“when our social media consultant is the only consultant in NZ who manages 10-15 face book pages personally and has over 100, 000 followers over these pages and not paid FACEBOOK for any of them, and as some business write cheques to get their followers , there is an in depth experience level that can help any business do the same- and attract an audience of that level relevant to that organisatio ,coupled with the level of group members knowledge base, with MBA ‘s and Masters, IT degrees, etc in the team as whole – yes I do believe we are the best in the country –… “
Why am I bringing this up again? Simple if we’re working in an area of skill, whether it’s plumbing, banking, media – no matter what, don’t we owe it to ourselves to monitor ‘our sector’. I’m not an advocate for regulation – but when it comes to assertions of being “the best” or “unparalleled” I think we should be prepared to challenge those using such ‘monikers’ to stump up with some proof.
Anyway – really only wanted a wee rant at the end of the year. If you don’t agree with what I’ve said - rant away, like what I say – go on, say something nice.
Note: Although I maintain this blog I'm more likely found over on Charity Matters
Don't fret I haven't stopped blogging - it's just all my new stuff is now on Charity Matters - pop over take a look and please subscribe so you don't miss out on what I'm ranting, raving or generally just talking about.
I'll try and remember to post something here from time to time so you know I'm still in the land of the living.
