Top Customer Service Speaker Says Beware Of Aversive Conditioning In Customer Service

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I was just pouring some dry creamer into my coffee when I noticed something for the second time.

I say the second time because the first time around, this perception didn't stick with me.

The creamer I bought, at a substantial discount at my grocery store, contains the same basic ingredients as the well known brand.

But it costs one-third of the famous brand's price.

Why doesn't EVERBODY buy the cheaper and "just as good" alternative?

Trust is one factor. We have been conditioned to believe a brand-name is more reliable, that it will deliver value, time and again.

But the creamer people, who probably sell the premium stuff at a deep discount for private labeling to retailers who plunk their own labels on the packages, also do something else to stack the deck.

The cheaper container has a screw-off cap, while the more costly has a convenient, pop-open and closed spout.

Functionally, this is a big deal.

If you have to go through two or more operations instead of one to cream your coffee, by twisting off and then spooning the product, you're being discouraged from preferring the cheaper, but harder to use, product.

This is aversive conditioning and you see it all the time in customer service. Rarely does it penetrate our consciousness that sellers are trying to make us "pay" for their discounted goodies with hassles, instead of dollars.

That customer service rep that says, "We'll make an exception, but only once!" is using aversive conditioning. She is training you to not ask for "exceptions" or special treatment in the future. She's giving you service, a reward, but she's bundling it with a punishment at the same time.

In most cars you can buy a climate control system that will be thermostatically operated and it will maintain a comfortable cabin temperature throughout your trip. But you have to pay extra for this.

If you don't, you'll get the same air conditioning unit with one exception: you'll have to keep adjusting the air manually, to remain comfortable.

You'll save a few bucks with the manually operated version, but you'll pay for it everyday with continuous pushing of buttons and spinning of dials.

What would it cost for manufacturers to offer the superior control system in every car? A minor amount, but why give it away when you can sell it at a premium?

Buy on the cheap, and you'll pay, one way or another. This is the tacit message that aversive conditioning sends to customers.

If you've ever left a transaction feeling compromised, slighted, or even moderately insulted or unappreciated, you may have been a victim of this tactic

What sellers don't understand is that they're breeding resentments that are below the threshold of consumer consciousness. The moment we find other sources that lavish ease of use on us, we'll switch our loyalties without looking back.

That's our own version of aversive conditioning, also known as "shock treatment."

Best-selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE and more than 875 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard"--the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.