Real world influences on virtual world practices!

KENNEDY THE CIA AND A FLOOR MANAGER –


There are a few companies that I have dealt with online that remind me of those I'd rather forget or do what Kennedy tried to do to the CIA in the Bay of Pigs incident, that of utterly destroying them.

It reminded me that although we as customers may sometimes get taken up with all the fantastic global digital commerce technology, there are still those lone individuals taking calls just waiting to ruin your day.

In business they say that you only have 1 chance to impress your customers and this is very true in the real world (I’ll show you why I believe that’s not the case on the Internet later on) for example; Let’s say you see a pair of shoes or a beautiful stainless steel designer cutlery set that you so badly desire you gaze at them as if they are your betrothed!

Mr. Ignorant, the floor manager is such a pain in the ass that you wish he would choke on his lunch so the nice guy could take his place and give you the service you desire. In all truth unless these items are limited to that store alone you would probably go elsewhere right? So would I, and it appears that these similar floor managerial tactics are implemented on the Internet.


CYBER-STIFFY – FINGER ITCHY –


Great, you’re excited. You’ve just found a great web site in the top 10 of the search engines that will give you what your itchy credit card fingers have been waiting for. You place your order and contact the company. People don’t give you what you asked for, they ignore your emails for whatever reason and this is after they have your money in their coffers.

So to in the real world when you try to get some half-descent customer service. They put you on hold, they’re ill prepared to deal with your query and when they get around to pronouncing one of their own product lines they tell you it’s out of stock.

Would you stick around for that abuse? No? Well what if you really needed that item? Ask yourself; "Did I really look around before I came here?" Sometimes when we really desire a product or service we will spend that little extra cash to get what we want and this is one of the fundamental reasons I believe online businesses have a better chance of success and to make money online if they’re ready to sell an idea to their customers that they are ready to deliver on of course.


THE BUSINESS SECRET OF IMPRESSIONS –


Here’s the secret: In business first impressions last because the first memory is the most definitive mental marker that one has as a reference point to a communication but, you have more than 1 chance to impress your customers online. Why?

Online everything is interactive and is updated faster. Customers are added to databases at astounding rates per minute as opposed to tracking door-to-door sales per week or month. You can correct mistakes quicker, update entire product ranges instantaneously.

The main advantage of the Internet over the bricks and mortar store is one of speed. Product delivery is virtually instant (for electronic downloads), payment details are received within seconds therefore one can acquire massive sums of money quicker in a shorter time span.


GEORGE JETSON OR NON-TECHNICAL TONY? –


I was at an editorial meeting one week in September 2002 explaining away the wonders of fully automated online credit card order processing systems and the like. One of my colleagues who hates computers (because of some allergic reaction to keyboards and typing) coyly remarked, “Computers are not where they said they would be when they said they would be if you know what I mean!”

I looked at him like a puzzled cartoon character and he elaborated, albeit somewhat disappointingly, “We should be able to walk into any store, call up a pound of potatoes on a machine and get immediate service with change!” I humbly asked him if he’d ever received that type of swift service on the telephone or in any department store in the last 7 decades he’d lived on this planet. He replied “Well no…!”

He then launched into an attack on computer maintenance and power outages chirping; “These bloody things. If the power goes out you’ve had it. They need power to run and if the electricity goes kaput what do you do?” I jested that you could say exactly the same thing about a hungry man and there was a muffled chuckle from the corner of the office near the street-facing window!

Humanity is known for facing new challenges and adapting to those situations and if one refuses to move with the times then the times will leave one behind.


CONCLUSION AND SOLUTION –


Just like my colleague and a few others of the humanoid species who have an aversion to learning anything even suspect of being remotely different, they will take this mindset wherever they travel. So to will the ignorant floor manager if his company goes online.

There is vast room for improvement on the Internet as technology as well as business practices develop, becoming more efficient and harmonious with the customers requirements and I am glad that I am in the relatively early stages of e-commerce to perfect these techniques and benefit from a young fertile marketplace.

The solution is simple. Follow the examples of customers and retailers in the real world who know how to buy and sell wisely for if you can translate and adapt your human situation, there is a lot of money to be made from building a foundation based on real world influences contributing to cyber/virtual-world practices.

Haidon Carter





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© Haidon Carter 2002 Copyright © 2002 P2MN. All rights reserved.

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With the way that I understand things, I definitely need to read what you have written more than once. I absolutely enjoyed the sarcasm in your writing voice though. If a person were not from this country and English were their second language (depending upon their fluency of course), that person would probably understand very little about what you were saying. So much information to make useful though. I would suggest to anybody to go shopping online with a desire to know if the business is credible or not. E-commerce has already changed the way people do business worldwide and will continue to threaten it as well. For their shall be no good, without evil.:)