Words are important.
The words we use reflect our thoughts. And influence what others think and feel.
And it follows that the words
used in organisations reflect their cultural mind-set. And that culture then influences the
behaviour of people who are part of it.
That’s why, when I’m a customer, I’m interested
in the words the company uses to describe me.
So here are 15 examples of words I’d rather
not be used to describe me:
1.
Caller – a term
often used in call centres to describe people telephoning. When this is the case, the management
information will also usually refer to ‘calls received’.
2.
Applicant – term used
to describe a person who has applied for a product or service.
3.
Account-holder – a common
phrase used in banking and financial services to describe someone who has a
product with the organisation.
4.
Insured – term used
to describe someone who has an insurance product.
5.
Cover – a term sometimes
used in restaurants, reflecting the number of available seats.
6.
Complainant
– word used to describe a person who is complaining.
I know these first few aren’t particularly derogatory. You might even say they’re benign. The problem is that they de-personalise me, and
every other customer. I’m not a caller,
I’m a real person, a customer – and the success of your business ultimately depends
on your relationship with me, and other customers. Don’t forget who I am by using alternative
words. It’s easier to accept losing a
call or caller than it is losing a customer.
But there are others that are more derogatory, and interestingly
generally apply to potential customers before they buy;
7.
A Punter – this phrase was originally
used to describe customers at the racecourses tracks but has extended in use to
mean anyone who could be persuaded to part with their money.
8.
Prospect – someone who is
interested in the product or service and needs to be influenced to buy it.
9. Be-backs -
customers in many sectors that after an initial conversation promise to come
back and buy but never do.
10. Cones – refers to
passengers on cruise ships. It
apparently references the ‘Saturday Night Live’ TV programme, in which ‘Coneheads’
were people who eat large quantities?
I definitely don’t want to be described like this. The use of the words is negative and / or
assumes that I should be influenced, taken advantage of.
But possibly the worst words are in car sales. Here’s a few examples:
11. Stroke – a time-waster who
really have no intention of buying.
12. Bumblebee – a person who can’t
decide between several cars.
13. Roach – someone with bad
credit.
14. Laydown – someone who is
willing to pay the advertised price for the care without trying for a
discount. This type of person is also
sometimes called a ‘grape’, as in “I stepped on a grape”.
And my final example was illustrated by Greg Smith,
Executive Director and Head of Goldman Sachs United States equity derivatives
business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
He revealed in an open resignation letter his discomfort with how
customers are referred to as ‘muppets’ i.e. stupid.
In his letter he said that culture was “always
a vital part of Goldman Sach’s success.
It once revolved around teamwork, integrity, a spirit of humility, and
always doing right by our clients.” He
went on to describe how it had instead become purely about making money and
that culturally this translated to pushing customers to buy products that made
most money for the business rather than what was best for them. Muppets, and other words and phrases,
illustrated perfectly how people thought about customers.
What words do people in your business use to describe
your customers? And are they likely to
positively influence behaviour so that they deliver an experience to customers
that will mean they come back again and again?
