Changing subscriber complaints into profits

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Nov, 1988 by Eliot Schein

Speed of response notwithstanding, the way you respond has plenty to do with how well you get your positive message across. In theory, every outgoing correspondence of any kind that you send to any of your subscribers should include some offer or other way you can make some profit. For example, when you send out renewal letters, you are trying to generate a renewal. Send an invoice, and you're trying to generate not only cash, but additional renewals or extensions as well. When you send responses to subscriber complaints, you should automatically enclose a special offer to produce renewals or ancillary product sales. There is no reason why this can't be a normal part of complaint response.

Many publishers have specialized forms to help fulfillment people zero in on specialized solutions. Check-boxes can easily be referred to in order to communicate (inbound and outbound) problems and solutions to subscribers. In fact, if you're not satisfied with the subscriber service personnel at your fulfillment house, you should definitely set up a system of multipart subscriber service memos and letters. Right away! By making the fulfillment personnel's job easier, more palatable and comprehensible, you significantly lessen the likelihood of encountering big trouble (cancellations and letters to attorneys general, for example).

Telephone complaints really give the astute publisher an opportunity to cash in. Needless to say, the sweeter the operators are who serve the incoming calls, the better the result from the contact. Here's one classic, wonderful line overheard a few months ago in Des Moines: "We're very sorry to have inconvenienced you, and if you don't mind I'm going to add a free issue of [the magazine] to your subscription. It's our small way of trying to compensate you for your trouble. And, if you'd like to renew your subscription now, I can add another free issue, just to thank you for your support."

You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! Nothing builds business better than keeping customers happy. These "good faith" bonuses increase your standing in the minds of your subscribers, while they increase your renewal percentages.

One effective means to nip complaint mail in the bud can seem like "asking for it." Position a renewal effort in your series, the gist of which is to solicit a response from the subscriber should there be any problem with service. You've seen this strategy used by others. It's a tactic that tries to generate an order rather than a complaint. Usually it's easier for the subscriber to give in and renew than to compose a treatise of complaints.

At worst, you'll get some legitimate complaints. This material you should review--personally. You'll no doubt learn how to improve service. In fact, it's a good idea to have your fulfillment house regularly forward complaint mail to you. You'll learn more, and you fulfillment people will have to do a tighter job--they'll know you are watching! Complaint mail is really the only true correspondence (including letters to the editor) you have with your subscribers. This dialog must be used as a profitable source of "act-upon" information. It is, after all, subscriber service requests that become the indicator of performance of your printer, fulfillment house, mailing house and postal methodologies.