Creepy interaction or Good customer experience
Posted by posted by Francis @ 11/05/2009 08:40:00 AM
A few years ago, when I learned how AJAX worked, I immediately figured-out that, once you have reached a web site, every action you perform while using the site can be tracked by the site owner. That you didn't need to submit a form to send information to the server. This is a behaviour that you can plainly see when you use GMail.However, yesterday, I surprised by this behaviour. I was shopping around for an online service. I found a place that seemed to qualify and was ready to make a purchase. I proceeded to the checkout page and started filling the form. I was almost done when I noticed some of the small print at the bottom of the page. After reading this, I realized that I didn't really understand what I was buying so I just closed the page without submitting the form.
A couple hours later, I got an email:
I can see from our records that you attempted to place an order with *service provider* today, but for some reason you ran into difficulties and the order was not completed.When you understand how the web works and you think about this. This is not super surprising. The checkout form was using AJAX to send the data in the checkout form as I was typing instead of waiting for me to push the submit button. When their system noticed that I never completed the purchase, it kicked-in an automated response.
To apologise for any problems you may have experienced, here's a special link to receive 50% off the usual cost of our *service*!
The problem is that this is completely unexpected. It creeps me out a little that they recorded what I typed as I typed it. I had a feeling that we had an understanding: As long as I don't press the proceed button, you don't know anything about me.
Even if I was a little creeped-out, I did reply to the email and asked them a question about this fine-print text that I didn't understand and they responded quickly and provided me with a good experience overall.
But the question remains, is this behaviour creepy or is it a good customer experience?
6 Comments:
Do not know their intent, but this seems a smart way of improving the quality of customer service: let's make sure the technology isn't in the way and let's help our customers when this happens.
This seems more or less the equivalent of when shopping physically for something and once at the cash, for watever reason, you give up something you wanted to buy. The customer focused cashier should ask you if they cannot help you further...
I am probably not paranoid enough...
That's a very interesting situation. I agree that to some extent it's great customer service, but imagine how scary that would have seemed to someone without a solid understand of how AJAX and the internet in general works.
I think at the very least they have to compromise some of the "magic" by being more up-front with users. A message like "hey, we're keeping track of your purchase details as you fill them out" would cut some of the surprise out of the subsequent email, and could even be advertised as a feature (which it is).
"I didn't understand and they responded quickly and provided me with a good experience overall."
I guess this is the answer :)
It might look creepy because we are not used to this, now it still can work either way. It can work for their favor as in your case. And it can also work against them for people who looking for a bargain of 50% if you know what I mean :). (Excuse my new-acquired skills of thinking about all ways of abusing software systems)
Sherif, I think that I agree with you. The took the steps necessary to close the sale. In the end, this is a better experience because they were able to address my hesitation.
I think that what freaked me the most is that this is the payment page where you put your credit card. I had not filled that in yet so I know they didn't get it. But still, it is a little creepy.
Maybe some sort of modeless notification when I typed in my email address to show that they did get it might have alleviated the surprise.
Did you take the discount?
I did not take the discount. After reading reviews online, I was not so sure anymore.
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