You’ve seen the ads that tout rock-bottom prices. They’re peppered with the familiar, bright red explosions that say prices cannot get any lower. The newsprint page is jammed with products so there’s no white space to be found. All this says “inexpensive” in marketing vernacular.
When you respond to the promise of severe discounts on any product or service, what do you expect when you show up at a store that specializes in discounts? A showroom decked in expensive furniture – or bare-bones metal shelves that wobble when you lean on them?
And, the sales reps that greet you – do they make eye contact and approach you with a big smile or do they grunt something in your general direction before they scurry away?
For sure, when you shop for the lowest price, you sacrifice other things that are important and cost business owners’ money, like customer service and product quality. But, that’s to be expected, right? Umm… maybe not.
Contrary to traditional thinking, low price and either exceptional customer service or great product/service quality can be achieved and done well. Three of three is next to impossible according to business theory, so as a WISP owner and operator, decide which two to choose to drive your operation to wild success.
Are Your Subscribers Price- and Customer Service-Conscious?
If there’s more than one broadband provider in your area or your community isn’t wealthy, your subscribers could be in the market for the lowest price. The best way to find out is to ask them to prioritize price, network quality and customer service during post-service surveys, social media or other means.
If you learn that your subscribers are price-quality customer service conscious or competitive pressures are impacting the quality of your network, how do you give subscribers what they want and drive your WISP to dominate the market?
Be Great at Two and Consistent with the Third
When you think of low or competitive price and great customer service, several brands come to mind including McDonald’s. Each of the low-price, fast-serving burger restaurants averages $2.6 million in sales each year serving burgers that the majority of U.S. consumers ranked as the worst in quality in 2014.
How does this happen? The price is low, service is fast and friendly, and these two ingredients are enough to keep their customers coming back. Even if the product’s quality isn’t the highest, there is consistency between McDonald’s franchises, so you know that you’re getting a similar burger and fries in Miami Beach, Florida and in Fargo, North Dakota.
So, how do you use the McDonald’s formula to deliver great price and customer service to your subscribers?
The lesson to be learned here is that if you’re customer-focused and deliver the price and customer service that subscribers want, the broadband you offer doesn’t have to be perfect. But, that doesn’t mean that your broadband can be unavailable or so bad that your subscribers can’t watch their streaming videos 98 out of 100 days. When your internet does go out, respond fast to correct the problem and update your subscribers on your progress and when the problem is fixed.
In other words, focus on the customer and giving them the best value no matter which ingredients you provide, and your subscribers will be happy to pay their bills every month. If your subscribers prefer exceptional customer service and a quality network, look for the next Visp.net blog to find out how to leverage quality and service and win big.
