What
the Consumer REALLY Wants?
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ME:
I ASKED FOR AN ASPRIN NOT A PILL FOR MORE HEADACHE
THE DRUGSTORE KEEPER:
BUT MAM I GAVE YOU WHAT WAS ASKED FOR
ME: IF ONLY THE CONTENTS
WERE ORIGINAL
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The market is full
of cheaters not only in the pharmaceutical industry, but allover.
We as consumers don’t like to complain. Playing the blame game doesn’t
make us “ THE KING OF THE MARKET”. We also do praise those who are
worthy of it.
Take for example
the loyalty we show towards brands that comply with standards such
as REEBOK, JOHNSON-and-JOHNSON and 5-star Hotels such as Shangri-La.
But even as I take these names, I remember, that it is not the brand
that makes me loyal but it is the service that does so. And what
is a good service?
The answer to this
has been given various management gurus but for me as a layman,
I would say “GOOD SERVICE means: delivering without leaving a
scope for complaint”. So lets see why consumers complain -
There are many reasons
why your customer leaves with that look on his face while you wonder
what’s wrong…
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Reason
Number1
Quality
- The product
quality just does not match with the value that the customer
attaches to it, prior to purchase. For example, when one goes
out for a dining experience and gets food poisoning the day
after, no matter how much he might have loved the food, he
sure will blame the food quality.
Reason Number 2
Price
- The complaint that consumers voice when they
think that a product or service is overpriced, cannot be heard
but is loud enough to make an impact. The effect of that complaint
is non-expenditure and the result is decline in sales.
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Reason
Number 3
Quantity
- All those F&B companies - what do they think, they
can sell 20 gms of those thin crispy potato chips for the price
of 50 gms. Well a truly “ hungry for more” customer won’t spare
your conspiracy. What can the poor hungry customer do? Buy more?
NO! He will complain, most commonly by switching to another brand.
A clever every day example is seen in the vegetable market, a customer
will least bother to bargain with a seller who does not sell the
right quantity.
Having jotted down a few reasons
for consumer complaints, we might just have started thinking that
the customers complain only when dissatisfied. It is quite right
and logical to think so, but do contemplate.
Are all customer complaints logical,
or rather rational? Is dissatisfaction a result of product malfunctioning,
adulteration, lack of hygiene, overpricing and other NEED based
factors? The answer to this
question is an obvious NO.
A customer can not always show rational
behavior. Consumer complaints will not often be about the right
quantity or price or quality, but most of the times will be based
on THE EXPECTED. When a consumer raises his brows and twitches his
nose on opening a canned cola, its not because he smells toxins,
but because he does not get the EXPECTED cola experience - the service
experience. More than the product marketing is the service market
that comes across grudging consumers. And handling service complaints
is far more tough than that of a product. The greedy consumer finds
out ways to vent his anger and control...Let us see what he resorts
to -
Weapon 1
Consumer Courts:
These are special types of courts which can be approached on breach
of a consumer’s right or when a consumer wants his/her grievance
to be acted upon. When a furious consumer faces a significant loss,
he/she may file a case against the seller/dealer/company that led
to the loss. Consumer courts are resorted to in cases of black marketing,
adulteration, edibility of content, breach of contract and in cases
of violation of consumer rights.
Weapon 2
Word of
Mouth: An unhappy
or dissatisfied consumer will definitely voice his/her opinion to
others in his/her social circle. He may even create non-supportive
campaigns. An example can be cited of those vegetarian lovers who
will form a community against McDonald if they sight a beef piece
on their table while chewing on a veg sandwich.
Weapon 3
Social
Media: An emerging
tool for posting the written word against grievances, bad experiences
and cheats. Social media is paving a revolutionary path in spreading
caution against consumer frauds.
WHAT THE MARKETER
SHOULD LEARN FROM A COMPLAINT?
A marketer must take a complaint
as an opportunity to explore new avenues. When a consumer says he
would like more space for kids in a resort, a marketer must provide
for exclusive kid’s space in the resort….MOREOVER, he can contemplate
on a consumer complaint of less activities for kids and make provisions
for the same beforehand…
THAT’S BEING PROACTIVE..
Contributing Author: Shivangi
Sharma I am a subject matter expert equipped with a professional
masters degree in business management. I have a flare for writing
and am well placed in content writing industry. Besides articles
I also like creating poetry as well as designs sssharma27387@gmail.com
Note: The opinions
expressed in this article are that of the writer. www.contentwriter.in
is not responsible for the independent views of the writer.
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