"If an encyclopedia of rent to own terms is ever published, a picture of Larry Carrico's Rent One will be placed next to the term Customer Relations"

The rent to own industry prides itself on customer service. It is often said that no other industry spends as much time developing relationships with customers. We train constantly on techniques that insure we never miss a selling opportunity. Companies employ entire divisions to train staff on how to answer phones, greet customers, and communicate in a way the maximizes customer satisfaction and revenue. We decided to conduct an experiment to see if this world class commitment to customer care extends to e-shoppers; potential customers visiting rent to own websites. The results of our test range from a disturbing lack of attention, to an elegant virtual sales pitch that is a textbook example of rent to own customer care.

On Saturday, June 5th, between noon and 2:00 pm CST, RTO Online staff, posing as shoppers, used the "Contact Us" pages of 27 rent to own company websites to request information on renting big screen TV's (If the form required an address, we listed an address in a town where the company had an existing location. We used dvmaguire@hotmail.com (account now cancelled) and the alias David Maguire for all inquiries.

The inquiry we sent was very simple; "I need info on renting a big screen TV" signed David Maguire.

Of the 27 companies we attempted to contact via online forms or email:

• 66% (18) had not responded as of noon Wednesday CST, 96 hours after the inquiries were sent.

• None of the sites utilized auto responders (automatic email replies that let a potential customer know that the email was received).

• Two emails bounced because the email address on the contact page did not exist.

• One contact form had repeated errors and was unusable.

• One company had a "contact us" page with a picture of a living room suite and no contact information.

• One company had a "contact us" page that was actually a form to sign up for the company newsletter and had no space to enter notes or comments.

Of the 9 companies that did respond

• Only 3 included a link back to the company website.

• Only 2 included a company phone number.

• Only 3 of the responses included the name of the company.

• Only 1 company responded with a sales pitch that would encourage the customer to visit or call the store.

Interestingly, smaller companies performed better than large ones. None of the 5 largest rent to own companies in North America have responded to the inquiries as of press time.

First the good news
If an encyclopedia of rent to own terms is ever published, a picture of Larry Carrico's Rent One will be placed next to the term Customer Relations. On Rent One's contact page, only 3 email addresses are listed. Company owner, Larry Carrico (who's who), is listed first. We did not have high hopes for a quick response to a customer inquiry sent to the owner of one of the largest independent rent to own chains in the nation on a Saturday afternoon. We were wrong.

Rent One responded faster than any other company tested. 57 minutes flat! This initial response was followed up minutes later by a digital sales pitch that would make even the most hardened trainer weep with envy.

Below is an exact copy of the email received from Billy Davis, manager of Rent One's Blytheville Arkansas store in response to our inquiry. Keep in mind that Billy had only 9 words to go on; "I need info on renting a big screen TV" signed David Maguire.

This is a textbook example of never missing an opportunity to sell. After reading this email I could barely resist the urge to buy a plane ticket to Blytheville Arkansas and rent a TV from this Billy character who so obviously wants to give me "what I want-when I want it." Based on his performance I also know with unquestioning certainty that his store is now, or soon will be, the market leader in Northern Arkansas.

Honorable Mention goes to Scott at National Rental Centres Brockville, Ontario location. Scott responded in 1 hour and 20 minutes with relevant information and a contact phone number.

Following are the other responses we received. Company names and phone numbers, when given,  have been replaced with underscores. It should be noted that any response is better than no response. Compare the following responses.

Tips for email communication

1. DON'T USE ALL CAPS. An email in upper case is the internet equivalent of screaming at the top of your lungs. It is generally considered bad manners.
    

2. Be quick. Web surfers are an impatient lot. They want information now, not tomorrow or when it's convenient. An email is just like a phone call...don't put them on hold for 3 days. Email auto responders offer some level of instant gratification. They are easy to set up and are offered by most email providers. Companies that receive a large number of inquiries may want to invest in intelligent systems that scan incoming messages for keywords and phrases. These systems automatically respond with relevant information.
    

3. Just Talk. When answering email, carry on a conversation with the customer. Pretend they're standing in front of you and you have 2 minutes to rent them a TV.
    

4. Be personal. When possible, use the persons first name. It's good email etiquette and good salesmanship. Always sign an email with your full name.
    

5. Don't leave them hanging. The first rule of cyberspace "Always give them something to click." Never send a business email without a link to your website or relevant page. Think of it as the email equivalent of handing a departing shopper a brochure or business card. Also include a phone number and actual address.

Relationships require communication
With the vast majority of Americans online, more and more first impressions will be made via the web. Your website should be maintained with the same enthusiasm as your physical location. And email should be treated as a selling opportunity and handled with the same urgency as a customer on hold. When you've got mail from a person saying "I need info on renting a big screen TV"... how you respond and how fast you respond can be the difference between gaining or losing a valuable customer.