Earlier today, I received an email from Tesco inviting me to complete a short online survey. In exchange, I’d be entered into a draw to win £1,000. Perfectly reasonable. It related to an online order I’d placed a few weeks ago, so I thought—why not?
Listen to the post below.
I clicked the link, gave them five minutes of my time, answered their questions, ticked the boxes, even offered a few helpful comments. At the end of it, the form asked for my name and email address (fine), and then my ClubCard number.
That’s where everything stopped.
Now, my ClubCard number is some unwieldy 18 to 20-digit string hidden deep in a mobile app I barely use. I didn’t have it to hand. Worse still, Tesco wouldn’t let me submit the survey without it. That’s right: no ClubCard number, no entry. Five minutes wasted.
In their attempt to engage and reward loyalty, Tesco managed to do the opposite. I left frustrated, unappreciated, and certain that I won’t be wasting another moment filling out their feedback forms.
What’s the Real Problem?
It’s not the time spent. It’s the feeling of being taken for granted. They had my name. They had my email. They probably know exactly which ClubCard is attached to that transaction—yet they still forced me to provide the data they already have. It’s lazy design. It’s poor user experience. And it’s infuriating.
The Lesson for Small Businesses
This is exactly how not to treat your customers. Here’s what you should be doing instead:
1. Automate with Purpose
Use the data you already have to make life easier for the customer. Pre-fill forms. Link users to their accounts. Don’t make them dig through apps for details you can already see.
2. Respect Their Time
If you’re asking customers to give you feedback or participate in any engagement—make sure the process is smooth. Test it yourself. If a five-minute task turns into frustration, you’ve lost more than just a submission—you’ve lost trust.
3. Design for Humans, Not Systems
Just because a form can collect every piece of data under the sun doesn’t mean it should. Keep it relevant, short, and intuitive. Focus on what the user needs to complete the journey.
4. Make Feedback Easy
If you want feedback, remove friction. Allow partial entries, make the ClubCard optional, or better—auto-detect it via the email invite. The easier it is, the more responses you’ll get, and the better your customer sentiment will be.
When I replied to their email to explain my frustrations with their systems the email inbox that it was sent from was a no reply box and the email immediately come back saying my email won’t be read. It is just bloody absurd in this day and age when they want me to respond and provide feedback which they are not interested in. I guess this is a sign of the times.
Final Thought
In the race to be smarter, bigger firms often forget to be simpler. And that’s where small businesses can win. Put your customers first. Make things easy. And never, ever waste their time.
📬 Want help turning customer experience into competitive advantage?
Let’s talk about systems that work for your business (and your customers).
👉 www.therichardsmith.com | 📩 richard@therichardsmith.com