I was in the Post Office yesterday, and as I finished up with the package I was sending, the clerk asked if I wanted stamps, as they usually do.
No stamps were needed, but I get that. No problem being asked.
Then I was asked if I wanted a PO Box. This was not a problem per se – but I think it’s worth discussing a bit.
Now, before you tell me I’m being mean and the man was just doing his job, let’s run through how it went.
From his tone and the way he almost spit out the words with regret, he knew I didn’t want a PO Box. And he also knew asking was completely futile.
The end result is an employee being uncomfortable, the customer feeling uncomfortable, and certainly not the sale of a PO Box.
I’d guess this exact sequence is true in 99.99999% of Post Office transactions. The .00001? That person is there to get a PO Box anyway.
Now, I wasn’t in any kind of hurry, and ended up joking around with the guy about it, but you can be sure there are people who simply get annoyed.
Here’s the point – finally, I know:
A PO Box isn’t a random point-of-purchase item – it’s not an impulse buy. Why does the Post Office sell it like it is one, and double up the mistake by creating an unnecessary rift between customer and clerk?
Is anyone – even someone who didn’t mind – walking away from that talking about what a nice experience it was?
So what does this have to do with anything on the net?
Think about your website or social media presence – does it set out to try and shove your product down people’s throats, or to create an awareness, combined with a pleasant interaction that makes people want to come back?
