A Person’s Name Is Their Favorite Word…Don’t Mess It Up!
The importance of having accurate customer information.
I recently received an e-announcement from Ford – Owner Advantage Rewards. Usually, these contain coupons for $X amount off a car service or a free oil change for my vehicle. I like receiving these updates and the savings they offer will come in handy the next time I take my car into the dealership.
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago my husband and I bought a new car, a Hyundai Sonata. We purchased a lot of add-ons / upgrades for it – the remote start being my favorite by the way. Five days after buying our car I received this in my inbox. It’s a “Thank You” e-mail from Ford for joining their Owner Advantage Rewards at the dealership where we bought our car. It includes a confirmation link to “Say yes to receiving information via e-mail.” Sweet, more special offers!
But there’s one thing wrong.
It came to me at my e-mail address, but it’s made out to my husband. What?! We gave the dealership both of our e-mails and contact information so why did I receive an e-mail that should have been sent to my husband? Overall it’s not a big deal and I know that people make mistakes when entering information, but this small oversight highlights the importance of getting it right from the get go.
When marketing to people on a long-term basis, customer relationship management is the key to success. The first step in this process is make sure you’re collecting information that will be useful down-the-road (name, DOB, cell number, e-mail, address, sex, marital status, etc.). Secondly, track what your customers are buying so you can provide them relevant offers in the future. Finally, make sure the information you collect is entered properly and that you do not send out information too often…or even not often enough.
A small mistake like the one I received from Ford is not going to make me search out a new dealership, but in a world where customer service seems to be on the decline, getting a person’s name right doesn’t seem too much to ask. A quick reply to this e-mail should do the trick…I hope!