Jan 23, 2007 12:25 PM
18762 Views
This is a narration my experience with the process of getting connected with a Oriflame consultant based in Koramangla, through their office in Bangalore. I am sharing it here for want of a better placeholder.
I have been a steady user of Oriflame products, namely the foot care products and am addicted to them. But circumstances forced me to seek out a new consultant closer to my residence and then my ordeal started.
I got to understand from Oriflame office that I cannot get access to a ready list of consultants to help me make a choice. I would have to leave my number with the Oriflame office and they would pass it on to a consultant who would contact me for the order. I was very apprehensive of sharing my number but then my addiction with the product got the better of me and on Wednesday January 17, 07 I left my number and locality preference with the Oriflame office. I was informed that the consultant would connect with me within a few hours to a day.
Time passed and I did not receive a call from anybody. Come Saturday, when my mind was not bogged by work issues, I realized that I am yet to hear from the Oriflame folks. I called up the office and opened the conversation with the enquiry about how long it would take for a new consumer to connect with a consultant and buy their products. The gentleman who attended my call informed me a timeline which is between half an hour to one day. When I detailed my situation, he justified it with the following reason: We do not have power in our office today hence the delay. Bling! I closed the conversation because now I dont want their products or be associated with their consultants.
Some readers may ask, then why am I ranting about it here? Well I want somebody to hear out a vocal consumer! Thats all! And my points are:
- The benefits of direct marketing are plenty and so are the problems. The person who used to help me source the products earlier would pester me at the end of the month when her target was not being met and ignore me otherwise. This needs to be balanced if the consultants, who earn their living with this business, need to make it work for them and the consumers
- I am convinced that Oriflame has lost many consumers because somebody was not able to service them on time. Personally I have many choices in the same product space which are far cheaper too. If Oriflame folks have their ear to the ground, they would be able to rope in more consumers. Or atleast not generate dissatisfied consumers like me.
- On previous occassions I have sent a mail with some enquiries to the mail id given on their website and have not received a response till date. If organizations are investing in a website as the face of the organization, then it needs to be well managed too!
So the net result - I have learnt a lesson in consumer retention courtesy Oriflame.
