Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I picked up the phone and called someone about their service. I didn’t visit their website, I didn’t search on google to read about their industry; frankly, I didn’t care what their digital presence was like. I needed the service they offered (insurance, in this case), and I realized that as a local business, they probably wouldn’t have the resources to build out a complex online footprint.

Picking up the phone is only the first step

I was greeted by a voice, friendly enough to make me feel like I had called the right place. However, when I asked my first (and very basic) question, I was quite surprised that she was unable to answer it. Instead, she took down my phone number and indicated that someone would be giving me a call to discuss their services. Thirty-six hours later, I have heard nothing.

Why does this bother me so much?

Google didn’t just change search

Search engines have changed the availability of information. This changes consumer expectations. If I can type a query into a machine, and get back hundreds of thousands of potential answers within a fraction of a second, then this speed and depth of knowledge becomes a part of my shopping and researching experience. When the receptionist I spoke to didn’t have any information to share with me, friction was added to the transaction.

Responsiveness isn’t only critical on facebook

Social networks and instant messengers have added a layer of speed that was never before present in asynchronous communication. When I was told that someone would get in touch with me, I didn’t expect that it would take days. While it is commonly stressed to organizations who choose to engage on social networks that they must be responsive within a much shorter timeframe, I realized that this expectation has now transcended digital communications.

In a world where Rogers Rob responds to tweets within hours, We will get back to you within two business days doesn’t quite feel the same anymore.

How to fix the disconnect

It is impractical to expect everyone to have a depth or breadth of knowledge to compete with a search engine. It’s equally unrealistic for small businesses to have instant responsiveness on all possible channels. But here are a few ideas on how businesses can succeed on this new playing field.

• Know your business: Do your best to make sure that your staff understands as much of your business as possible. Your receptionists, who may have once simply been there to route calls, are now the equivalent of your homepage. How can you make them friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and trustworthy?
• Know your competitors’ business: Google doesn’t just know what you do… it knows what everyone does. Assume that your potential customers have done their research before talking to you. You can’t achieve the breadth of knowledge that the search engines have, but you can do your best to know more about your competitors’ offerings than your customers do.
• Leverage channels of convenience: A sales call can take awhile, and people are busy. I get that. But we’ve got more communication channels now. If booking calls is going to take awhile, get some more information from your potential clients. Grab an email address and start the conversation that way… What about a text message to arrange a convenient time for us to talk? Be creative.. just let me know that you haven’t forgotten about me.
• Set expectations: When you have to get back to someone, set clear expectations about when and how they will hear back. Any lack of clarity here leads to unease. I know that there are more than a handful of other insurance companies within a few keystrokes … the longer I wait, the more likely I am to get in touch with someone else. If it is going to take a couple days to respond to me, say so.
• Exceed expectations: Whenever possible, do better than you’ve promised. Set the expectation and then aim to shatter it. This is where humans stand apart from machines… when Google serves up the perfect search result, we don’t feel emotional about it. When a friendly salesperson goes out of their way to help you, you feel it. If your business involves more person-to-person interaction than person-to-computer, leverage the fact that you’re human! Aim to make those emotional connections.

A lot of this information sounds like common sense…. probably available in decades-old guides on basic sales and customer service practices. But in a world where access to information and conversation are continually accelerating, revisiting how you’re handling your communication is more critical than ever before.