ShareThisBy SUE STOCK
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Through the course of this experiment, I got 90 e-mail messages, 45 letters and a couple of boxes of samples.
Companies that responded in a timely, personal manner made me feel good about the company. Some that didn't fell to the bottom of my personal favorites list.
One company that got it right was yogurt maker Dannon.
Not only did Dannon send coupons worth $3.39, but the letter-writer answered my inquiry about why Dannon doesn't make chocolate yogurt. (The acidity of the yogurt cultures affects the chocolate flavor.)
That personal touch meant a lot to me as a consumer, and as it turns out, is quite intentional.
Dannon has a call center that handles the 10,000 to 15,000 consumer calls, letters and e-mail messages it receives each month, spokesman Michael Neuwirth said. The staff is trained to handle questions ranging from current promotions to nutritional information to possible allergens.
"If it's hardest to attract new customers, we'd better do a good job of retaining our current customers," Neuwirth said.
"There's no point in attracting new customers today if you're going to lose them tomorrow."
Dog-toy maker Nylabone sent the most personal response, asking me about a previous customer-service episode I had had with the company in January. (Just for the record, they went above and beyond then, too, sending me several free toys when I expressed sadness that my family dog's favorite toy had been discontinued.)
Haagen-Dazs also got high marks. The company was pleased to hear that coffee ice cream is my favorite flavor and thanked me for commenting on a recent Food Network competition to create a Haagen-Dazs flavor.
Many smaller companies also passed the test. Cape Cod Potato Chips invited me to go on a factory tour if I'm ever in Hyannis, Mass.
If only I could speak as highly of all 100 companies.
It turns out that some companies have strict policies limiting how many times they send coupons to customers.
Land O' Lakes wouldn't send me any because I had already received my annual allotment of coupons, and Quaker and Birds Eye told me this was my one and only shot.
I guess I understand. But repeat requests could mean that customers are loyal to the company's products: Isn't that a good thing?
At least those companies gave me an answer. Seventeen didn't respond at all, and some that did left much to be desired.
Procter & Gamble gave the most impersonal response.
Two weeks after my inquiry, I got an e-mail message that began, "Thank you for your e-mail. Unfortunately, because of technical difficulties and high volume, we are unable to answer your message."
That made me wonder why they had bothered to reply at all.
Wendy's sent a very nice snail-mail letter rejecting my request. I wondered why they didn't just put a coupon in the envelope if they were going to spend the money to send it.
Frozen pizza maker Red Baron demonstrated its lack of attention to detail. Even though my letter began "We love your frozen pizzas...," its response said, in part, "I do apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused you."
The company sent me a replacement coupon, apparently thinking that I was complaining about a defective product. Despite the coupon, my feelings toward the company were not improved.
A lesson could be learned from Stacy's Pita Chips. Even though it rejected my request, I felt good because of the personal response I received.
"Customers like you keep us energized to do what we do everyday. ... Although we do not have coupons for our products yet, we do hope to have them available for our customers in the future," the letter read.
The lesson is that customer service can be hit or miss, but I applaud the companies that make the effort to get it right.
In the end, I hope they are rewarded with healthier finances and corporate longevity. I will reward them with my business.
