The Importance of the Customer's Brain and the Feeling of Being "In Control"
In general, the anger we experience during service interactions — anger that arises because we can't control the situation — is only increasing. The subway stops in the middle of the tunnel, but the conductor stubbornly keeps silent. In such a case, the problem you're up against is that your subconscious wants to know what is happening. If an announcement comes at a moment like that, you can retake control of the situation. But if it doesn't, uncertainty, stress, and anger all rise at once. (p. 197)
Human emotion becomes anxious when we can't "control" our situation. Stress from uncertainty sets in, and as time passes that anxiety can tip over into anger.
Considering this kind of human emotion matters in customer marketing too. Telling customers what they need to know at each step, giving them the sense of relief that they are in control of the situation, is essential for customer satisfaction.
That's why the captain's role during air travel is so important. When the captain explains the situation well at takeoff or landing, passengers feel they are in control and are satisfied. But if the captain casually announces that they've entered the runway for takeoff and then stays silent for a long time afterward, people start to boil. The author says a short line from the captain — "There are still 5 aircraft ahead of us, so it'll be about 10 minutes before we take off" — is enough to satisfy customers.
When you order from Amazon.com, you get an order confirmation with a possible delivery date. And when it actually ships, you get a notice that "it just shipped." All of this gives the customer the feeling that they are in control of the whole process. But even now there are plenty of companies that meet customers with "stone-faced silence."
Giving the customer the feeling of being "in control" of the situation — that's the basic of customer service.
▶ Yeh Byung-il's Economy Note - Twitter: @yehbyungil / Facebook: www.facebook.com/yehbyungil
