Why consistency and continuity of service is important

Castries, St. Lucia, where the people rely on our Fair Trade

Shopping for essentials

As consumers, when we are out shopping we have an expectation of what we can buy. We do not like to be disappointed to find that what we want we can no longer get.

At our local supermarket I have had some disappointments recently. I rather liked their own-brand baked beans, but they have obviously changed their supplier and now although the label and packaging look the same, the product is different and inferior. However the price is the same.

At the same supermarket, I rather liked their Fair Trade tea. We try to support Fair Trade in our household as do so many.  The supermarket, the one owned by Walmart, seems to have stopped stocking their own-label Fair Trade tea or indeed anyone else’s. I have to go elsewhere to “do my bit” with regard to tea.

Retiring iGoogle

Then again I really find iGoogle useful. It aggregates so much of my stuff, and yet iGoogle is being retired next year. From their comment we can see that they are not really offering anything else as a proper substitute. I do not pay Google anything currently, but maybe they could make iGoogle subscription based and keep it on. I do give them the use of my stuff in return for the use of theirs.

Maybe I could use an assortment of Google’s other products, but it is a bit like being told you must wear a digital watch rather than an analogue one. So many people prefer analogue, and so many people might want all their web-based stuff in one place, which is not on their phone. And yes, I like my Android phone, but I am not alone in feeling abandoned

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Choices spoiled

People like choice, and having made a choice they do not like to be told they cannot have their preferred offering any more.

Of course commercial decisions have to be made and if there is a fall in demand we cannot expect to always get what we like. Perhaps the supermarket and Google felt they had to make changes on commercial grounds, but it is important to offer customers a viable alternative.

Be consistent

As long as a product or service is popular, our customers and clients should have a reasonable expectation that we will carry on supplying it. We must take into account their preferences and cater for minor differences as far as we can. We should not chop-and-change because it confuses our customers and our audience prospects. Chopping-and-changing would make us look unreliable.

If I like to buy something regularly and rely on a supplier, I don’t like to find that I cannot get it any more, or to have to go elsewhere, because I may take all my custom to that other place.

Do you miss being able to buy something you always liked in the past?