This story falls under the familiar phrase: "you just can't make this stuff up."

One day I received a call from a client asking that we remove their contact number from the purchase receipt that is issued to customers by our e-commerce software. Thinking this was a very odd request, I inquired why.

I was told "customers keep calling."

I probed again. "Isn't that a good thing?" 

The response was equally as shocking. "Customers are calling to change their orders, inquire about shipping status, and we just don't want to hear from them." I had to pick my jaw off of the floor.

So, the client's proposed solution to the volume of inbound calls was to remove the telephone number from the receipt rather than develop a new process to streamline client inquiries.

In case any business manager doesn't know (and apparently some do not), the proper solution to customer inquiries is to improve the product and process -- not to become unreachable. 

If you ever find yourself thinking of hiding from your customers or potential customers, please call us before you go out of business. We can help improve products, enhance user experiences, and streamline back office processes. Customer feedback and inquiries are the lifeline of any business; they tell you what's working and what is not before it's just too late.

As the song goes … "things that make you go hmmm."