They Call this Customer Service

Australia Post…part of everyday life. That is the slogan of the one and only Australia Post. Australia Post is proudly owned and operated by Australian. However, in the courier industry Australia Post has a lot of rivals from other private companies. Due to the fact that the increase in the competition in the courier industry and to maintain their popularity, for the last couple of months they have heavily advertised themselves to the public through all the media and hopefully the public will become their loyal customers.

In my previous sharing I stated that sometimes marketing takes more than just advertising. I also believe that customer experience is an integral part of marketing. In the current competitive business environment advertising without action means nothing. Massive campaign without strategy and better customer service will only waste your money.

I have an online business. As we know that online and mail order businesses become the main customers for Australia Post. A couple of days ago I went to the post office to dispatch my items. The sign in front of the office said “Operating hours: 11am-7pm”. I was waiting in front of the office at exactly 11am. Finally the gate opened and I directly gave my items to be dispatched. However, the officers told me to come at 11.30am in the future. He told me that they are not set up at 11am. Instead of apologizing for the delay caused, he made me feel guilty that I came at 11am.

I also helped my parents run their own restaurant in Jakarta. We opened at 8am and set everything up of course before 8am. Therefore, we would not disappoint or even told customer to come later if they come at 8am. In business we have to understand that customers have their own time table. What is the point of advertise your company if the only thing that you can give is bad experience. Now, I am more than happy to advertise the badness of Australia Post to the public after the experience.

In my point of view Australia Post has established for ages in Australia. Instead of using massive advertising, they should polish their system. Increase the brand loyalty instead of the brand awareness. I believe that the cost of losing an existing customer is more expensive than acquiring a new one. I am sure that most Australians still use Australia Post service. I think Australia Post should go back to university and study marketing.

Comments, opinions, and questions are more than welcome

David Herlambang

MarketingFirst