When it looked like Southern California might go up in smoke last month, Netflix was paying attention.
First came the email expressing sympathy for the disruption of the fires and informing me of the suspension of deliveries pending instructions from me. The email offered two ways to contact them — internet and toll free phone line — and reminded me that even if I couldn't watch a DVD they could stream movies to my computer (well, they can't stream movies to my computer yet because I work on a Mac, but I'm told they're working on it).
The link to the website gave me the opportunity to reactivate deliveries to my home immediately, divert deliveries to a new address, or call a toll free number for assistance.
When I reactivated my account, Netflix waived the remainder of that months fees and all fees the following month: "Please enjoy the service on us."
How did they know to do this?
They knew because they pay attention at Netflix.
They knew because they got the list of zip codes to which mail delivery was suspended by the US Postal Service.
They knew because they're aware that service is the single factor that differentiates Netflix from everyone else.
I can't imagine how much it would cost a Netflix competitor to get my business today.
What would it cost a competitor to get your steady customers' business?
What would it be worth to you (measured in the cost of attentive customer care) to put that customer acquisition figure out of their reach?
