Negative experiences leave a bigger mark on customers; excellent service and effective response delight

Accompanied by his wife and two young children, 53-year-old university professor Vinicius Prates Bueno took advantage of a free break on a Sunday afternoon to go to a department store to buy several items of clothing for his family. When it was time to pay, he was hooked by the offer of a good discount if he opened a "quick" registration, according to what the cashier told him. The promise of speed was not fulfilled. Under pressure from their restless children and with the time of their next appointment approaching, the family gave up on the purchase and left the store with a story of frustration to tell.

"The plan to take advantage of a free break to do all the basic clothing shopping we needed together turned into an irritating frustration, and we became somewhat hostile towards the store," reported the teacher, who also said he had told "three or four friends" about the incident.

Research indicates that, in consumer relationships, customers tend to share their negative experiences more than their positive ones. According to a study by the Temkin Group (now Qualtrics XM Institute), episodes of dissatisfaction tend to be shared with up to three times more people than reports of good experiences.

In addition to being shared more, negative testimonials have a greater impact on people's purchasing decisions. According to a study by Harvard Business Review, a negative experience can influence a purchasing decision two to three times more than a positive one. And, according to research by the BrightLocal platform, 86% of consumers trust these testimonials more than advertising by brands themselves.

Speed

The coordinator of the Retail Center and Retail Lab at the Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing de São Paulo (ESPM-SP) , Ricardo Pastore, stated that, when seeking to offer good "user experiences" (User Experience, or "UX"), through "omnichannel" - integration of multiple channels and platforms, in-person and online, for interacting with the customer -, one of the biggest challenges for companies is meeting the increasing rush of consumers.

Technological advances integrated into everyday life mean that people have increasing expectations of speed in all stages of consumer relations: from access to purchasing options to product delivery, including the payment process and quick responses to possible complaints or queries.

In this context, as highlighted by Suzane Veloso, vice president of Marketing at the consultancy firm Falconi, companies and brands "need to delight". Brand delight can be generated by excellent products and services, clear and effective responses, engaging aesthetic and playful experiences, anticipation of desires or, ideally, by a combination of these factors.

No matter how much they expand their seduction arsenal, companies cannot, however, lose sight of the fact that, for customer satisfaction to be lasting, valuing people's time by providing simple, practical and fast service, whenever necessary, is essential.

Synergy

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly present in interactions between brands and consumers, bringing, in many cases, significant improvements in terms of practicality, speed and efficiency - elements that directly benefit the customer.

As with any technological advancement, however, it is essential that managers are careful to ensure that the adoption of new tools does not mask internal problems within the organization. AI alone is not capable of promoting active and systemic listening to customer concerns or resolving bottlenecks in processes and corporate culture.

"AI alone cannot solve problems such as poor integration and organizational synergy," warned Roberto Kanter, a professor at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) who specializes in retail. According to him, companies that are unable to understand their customers and respond to them quickly are not taking full advantage of the potential of new technologies - and they also run the risk of creating new problems by using them in a disjointed way.

Game theory

An experience like the one Vinicius had - in which the store prioritizes data extraction (through registrations) or the creation of links (such as mileage programs or brand cards) in situations where agility is essential for customer satisfaction - reveals an imbalance in the organizational culture and in the incentives that guide the service and sales teams.

David Kallas, a consultant and professor at Insper , analyzed this type of behavior in light of Game Theory. According to him, when the goal is to build an ongoing relationship, the pursuit of customer engagement with the brand should not come at the expense of a smooth and satisfactory consumer experience.

Surprise

Attention to the customer's real interest, which was lacking in the case of Professor Vinicius, prevailed in a recent episode reported by biologist Angelita Ramos, 51. Upon receiving a medicine at home, Angelita realized that she had made a mistake when making the online purchase. The medicine she had ordered and that was delivered was not exactly the one prescribed by the doctor.

Before calling the pharmacy, she said she took a deep breath, imagining that she would have to work or that the refund would take a long time to be issued. But she was surprised by how quickly the solution was resolved. "All it took was a quick phone call," said Angelita. "I returned the medicine box by mail and, within two days, the refund appeared in my account."

Even though it was not an error on the part of the pharmacy or its online sales system, the call center was able to provide a solution to the problem without delay or cost to the consumer. A good move by the drugstore chain, which has since become the biologist's favorite.