Chapter 14 Consumer Relations

1. Consumer Relations Objectives
v Keeping old consumers: most sales are made to establish consumers, to keep them happy, and to respond to consumers' concerns.
v Attracting new customers: every business must work constantly to develop new consumers. The prices and quality of competing products are similar.
v Marketing new items or services: customer relations techniques can influence the sale of new products.
v Expediting complaint handling: few companies are free of complaints. Consumes protest when appliances do not work, errors are made in billing, or deliveries are not made on time.
v Reducing costs: to most campanies, an educated consumer is the best consumer.
2. Consumer Generated Media
Publicity to consumers about the products and services revolved around the mass media. The internet has given the consumer a voice in town through blogs, message board, public discussions, forums, online opinion, etc.
3. Office of the Ombudperson
Research indicates that only 4 percent of dissatisfied consumers will ever complain. There are many others with the same complaint who never say anything. At many companies, the most immediate response to complaints has been the establishment of ombudspersons offices. The term describes officials that investigate complaints about abuses committed by public officials.
4. The Consumer Movement
Legislation to protect consumers first emerged in the united states in 1872, when congress enacted the Criminal Frauds Statute to protect consumers against corporate abuses. By the early 1960s, the movement had become stronger and more unified. President John kennedy proposed that consumers have their own bills of rights containing four basic principles:
v The right to safety
v The right to be informed
v The right to choose
v The right to be heard
5. Federal Consumer Agencies
There are many agencies for consumers such as: Justice Department, Federal trade Commision, Food and Drug Administration. ….
6. Consumer Activists on the Internet
The consumerism movement has attracted a host of activists in recent years. Consumers union was formed in 1936 to test products across a wide spectrum of industries.