Jeff: Another against-the-grain move is your use of email. The first thing the average entrepreneur does when they start a business, even if they are the only employee, is set up email accounts such as admin@, info@, service@, sales@ to try to make the company seem larger and more established than it is.
Edward: My dad and I started Road ID in his basement in 1999. We were the only employees, and every email came to us. So we replied directly to every email. Sure, we were worried about the perception of our size, but at no point did we think we shouldn't do business like people.
I'm always shocked when I receive an email from noreply@. Why would you do that? Why would you send an email and make it hard for the recipient to reply?
We encourage people to reach out to us. Customers aren't just important because they buy stuff; they're important because they are closer to your product than anyone else. They can point out issues, help improve your website and systems, and generate the next great idea.
Jeff: I assume that's why order confirmations and ship confirmations come from EdwardW@. That always fools me; I see an email from Edward Wimmer in my inbox and think it's something from you and not your order processing system.
Edward: Those emails are from me: Though you ordered from a business, real people run that business. Wouldn't you rather do business with people than with a faceless corporate entity?
Jeff: Do you actually get people who recommend new products or suggest ways you can improve? I don't mean complaints--I mean constructive suggestions.
Edward: Absolutely.
I once read an interview with Amazon's Jeff Bezos in which he was asked if the purchase of Zappos was an attempt to incorporate the Zappos customer service philosophy. In summary, he said no, Zappos does have a great customer service philosophy; they will get out the yellow pages to help a caller find a pizza place. But the Amazon customer service philosophy is to seek out and eliminate the cause of any and all customer service actions.
I don't see those two goals as mutually exclusive: You can deliver bang-on customer service by eliminating the root cause of problems, but at the same time you can deliver an experience that makes people feel they have done business with a real person.
We're extremely available on our website and on social media, but our goal is to make it so you don't have to reach out to us. Want to reach out? Great! Have to? Hopefully not.
Jeff: This isn't customer service related; then again, maybe it is. You have a lifetime guarantee on the stainless-steel ID; as I think you put it on your site, you challenge customers to try to wear them out (short of using hand grenades).
That goes against the common thinking with low-price-point products, in which planned obsolescence is designed to generate future sales.
Edward: Obviously, we take a different approach. Instead of hoping customers will need to replace their IDs, we focus on adding products to our line that people will want to own. That's why we introduced a product line with a 24/7, 365-day emergency response system that allows customers to keep their IDs up to date with comprehensive information.
Also, keep in mind our market is very large. Though we've grown significantly, there is still a boatload of opportunity out there.
That's why we're not focused on generating tons of repeat sales. We're focused on growing our market. When a customer finally realizes they need an ID, they tell other people. One customer generates multiple customers.
And if someday we do completely saturate our demographic, rather than be upset we'll probably plant the flag and say, "Job well done." Our dream is that wearing an ID for active people is as common as strapping on a seat belt is for drivers.
Jeff: That's a pretty difficult target. Safety isn't exactly cool.
Edward: Years ago, seat belts and bike helmets weren't cool. Those are large paradigm shifts that only happened recently.
Jeff: No doubt. When I was younger (admittedly that was a long time ago) the last thing I wanted to do was wear a bike helmet. To me, only dorks wore helmets. Same with seat belts. Now I feel naked without a helmet and not wearing a seat belt feels creepy.
Edward: We think the same shift is occurring in fitness sports and outdoor activities. It's our dream that someday you won't leave the house to run or bike or hike without an ID, whether that ID is a Road ID or not.
Currently, we're at the forefront of that movement, and if we stay there, we'll be excited and proud to have played a role in helping to change that paradigm.
Check out other articles in this series:
