Do you rely so heavily on FAQ’s that you are turning off current and potential customers? Based on research that Powerfeedback has done, as well as my own personal experiences, I say yes!

I will share with you just one personal experience, though I could easily convey many more.

About a week ago I signed up for the digital version of the New York Times. I was able to use a discount option and I thought that I was going to receive the iPad and iPhone version. When I tried to access the iPad version it said that my username and password were incorrect. I then contacted the New York Times, and about 24 hours later (yes, it took that long!) I received a response.

In all of their responses to me they kept sending me links to FAQ pages and form fed responses. They obviously did not read all of the text in my notes as I said that it was to much hassle too proceed, and that I would just cancel. They seemed unfazed, or they just did not care, so, I unsubscribed.

As reported by Reuters today, based on a study conducted by Consumer Reports, consumers, in growing numbers, are not happy with retailers. Though the New York Times is not a “retailer” in the same sense that Walmart is, nonetheless, they are in the business of customer service, and sadly they failed.

Powerfeedback does a tremendous amount of work in customer satisfaction, and while we salute clients who devote the resources to hear what the audience has to say, we also counsel them to make sure they also respond in a meaningful way. Unfortunately the New York Times has not yet learned this lesson.

If you are going to rely on FAQ’s and other form material, you are risking the future of your business. Personalized attention is not inexpensive, but it garners long term and profitable relationships.