Results of our test are not encouraging. Of the 41 companies we attempted to contact via online forms or contact email addresses listed on company websites, 79% never responded.

RTO Online recently completed it's second rent to own industry-wide study of E-customer service.

RTO Online, posing as a consumer, used the "Contact Us" pages of 41 Rent to Own company websites to request information on renting a computer. We used jdmcknight@hotmail.com (account now cancelled) and the alias John McKnight for all inquiries.

The purpose of our study was to measure how well rent to own companies respond to online consumer inquiries.

Rent Way responded faster than any other company. First, an auto responder sent a message that a Rent Way representative would be in touch promptly (see the message below). Then, only seven minutes later, a personal email was sent in direct response to the inquiry. A textbook example of customer service at it's best.

RTO Online recognizes the entire Rent Way customer service team for their extraordinary attention to the needs of customers. Hopefully, these skills will not be lost with the Rent A Center merger. Look for more in the January 2007 issue of RTO Magazine.

The inquiry we sent was very simple; "Please send me information about renting a computer," signed John McKnight. For wheel rental companies, the message was modified to "Please send me information about leasing wheels." We tracked the amount of time that passed between the inquiry and the response.

Results were not encouraging. Of the 41 companies we attempted to contact via online forms or contact email addresses listed on company websites:

• 79% never responded to the inquiry.

• Only 2 of the sites utilized auto responders (automatic email replies that let a potential customer know that the email was received).

Of the 9 companies that did respond

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

• Only 6 included a company phone number.

• Only 5 of the responses included the name of the company.

• Only 3 companies responded with a sales pitch that would encourage the customer to visit or call the store.

• 30% of the companies that responded to our inquiry took more than 24 hours to respond.

• The fastest response was 7 minutes (Rent Way).

• The slowest response was 75 hours.

• Less than half of the companies responding, did so within 4 hours.

Other:

• 29% used online contact forms versus 71% using email contact lists.

• One third of responses ended up in Hotmail's Junk email box.

• One company never responded to the inquiry but began sending bi-weekly email offers.

Even though Rent Way took the prize, overall, smaller companies performed better than large ones. Only one of the 5 largest rent to own companies in North America have responded to the inquiries as of press time.

To demonstrate the vast difference between the "best and worst" E-customer service, below are examples of automated responses to our online inquiries. These two auto responder emails were received in response to the same email inquiry; "Please send me information about renting a computer."

The best auto response from a website inquiry was from Rent Way:

Dear John McKnight

Thank you for visiting the RentWay web site - we appreciate your interest!
A RentWay representative will be in touch with you as soon as possible,
but if you would like to contact a store near you immediately, please call
us at 1-800-RENTWAY.

At RentWay, we're more than a rental-purchase store, we're your neighbors,
friends and family. We're dedicated to keeping the best and most popular
products in stock for you, our customer. If you would like to receive
e-mail notices about our new products, promotions and specials, be sure to
sign up at www.rentway.com - if you haven't done so already!

Our family looks forward to helping you take care of yours!

Please do not respond to this e-mail. It was automatically generated. For
more information about RentWay visit http://www.rentway.com.
 

The worst was from a top 10 independently owned rental purchase company in the United States:

I will be out from Monday 10/9 through Friday 10/13
If you have a problem that needs handling before I get
back, talk to D***** A****, as appropriate, or send mail to
support@**********. No mail will be forwarded from my account. I will
answer mail as I am able on Monday 10/16, when I return.

If you send me mail about a problem and it subsequently gets fixed, please send
me another message so I know that I don't have to worry about it.

*****

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. 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 computer," how you respond and how fast you respond can be the difference between gaining or losing a valuable customer.

To see if your company was included in the E-customer service report, call RTO Online at
866-786-7547. We'll share the results free of charge.