Keeping Your Customers in the Loop – Even When There's Nothing New to Say

The other day, I was talking with my son about the importance of keeping customers updated, even if there’s no new information to share. It’s essential to let them know where things stand, especially when they’re waiting for an order or service to be completed.

Personally, when I order something, I want to be kept in the loop. I dislike having to call and ask, “Any idea when my order will be ready?”

Recently, I found myself in a situation where the communication from a business could have been a lot better. The product I received was fine, but the process to get there was pretty frustrating.

Here’s what happened: We needed some repairs done on our household furniture. The owner of the repair shop was friendly and helpful. He even offered to have the furniture cleaned after the repair, mentioning that it would take a few extra days since an external cleaner was involved. He estimated the whole process would take about a week, which sounded reasonable to us. We were in no rush and felt confident about the timeline.

A week passed without any updates. After about ten days, we called the shop to check in. The owner told us the repair was done, but the cleaner was sick and would “hopefully” get to our furniture soon. Honestly, it would have been a lot more reassuring if he had reached out to let us know about the delay and given us a new estimate. A simple, “I’ll check back in with you within a week” would have gone a long way. But that didn’t happen.

Another week went by, and I called again. He told me that the cleaner was finishing up, and the furniture would be ready for pickup the next day.

So, while I initially expected the job to take about a week, it actually took nearly three weeks. It wasn’t the wait itself that bothered me but the lack of communication about the changing timeline. If the shop owner had kept me updated (instead of me having to follow up), I wouldn’t have felt left in the dark about what was going on.

My advice to my son? Whenever you take on a customer order, start by giving them an idea of how long it might take. If you don’t have a firm timeline, that’s okay – offer a rough estimate and let them know you’ll update them if anything changes. For example, you might say, “I think this will take a couple of days to complete, but if it looks like it’ll be longer, I’ll let you know as soon as possible.”

Good communication is always an advantage. A business that keeps customers informed, even with minor updates, will stand out over one that doesn’t communicate as often or as effectively.