I know what you're probably thinking – how many more iPad posts do you have to read?
Well, on the Monday following the delivery of our iPad, the following email showed up:
This is the customer service that companies like Apple, Amazon, and so many other new media companies believe in – and where radio is so far behind.
Yes, it's about content. Yes, it's about delivery.
But it's also about taking care of listeners, making them feel welcome, and having a program in place that communicates that they matter.
After receiving our iPad and downloading more than 140 of our apps, it was time to play. So we checked out Pandora, NPR, USA Today, and others. The next day, we received this "welcome" email from Pandora's Tim Westergren:
You don't have to have monster budgets to provide a better experience. Note the use of the word "welcome" in both of these emails. Both brands embrace consumers, especially new ones.
When people sign up for your station's database, do they receive a welcome email that lets them know how to communicate with the programming department, as well as how to use and enjoy the station?
When listeners win a prize on your station, what happens? Do they pick it up in the front lobby, and is that the end of their interaction?
Is the receptionist properly trained to interface with these listeners (not "contest pigs," by the way, but core customers)?
Does your airstaff call winners after events to make sure they had a good time, to thank them for listening, and to find out whether everything worked the way it was advertised?
Is the phone in the air studio being answered professionally? (Is it being answered at all?) Are emails returned promptly and are they checked for content, spelling, and tone?
This could be a long list, but it starts with a customer satisfaction strategy that goes beyond playing the right music and talking about the hot topics.
What's in it for the listener? How does she feel when she's interacting with the touch points on your station?
If you're not sweating these details, I guarantee you that other media companies are.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
- Radio, It Oughta Be A Crime - November 25, 2024
- Baby, Please Don’t Go - November 22, 2024
- Why Radio Needs To Stop Chasing The Puck - November 21, 2024
This may be your best blog yet, Fred! It’s the basics of business (life) such as this that no one takes the time to think of!
Dave, thanks so much for the comment and for reading the blog. Sometimes it’s the little things.