Ben & Jerrys Uses Routine Letters to Sweeten Relations with Customers

Americas love affair with numbingly rich ice cream may have finally plateaued.
Health worries and changing tastes have apparently cut the breakneck growth of
super-premium ice creams. Yet, Ben & Jerrys Homemade, premier purveyor of the
super-premiums, remains one of the countrys most visible ice cream companies.
In growing from a 12-flavor mini parlor in Burlington, Vermont, into a Fortune 500
company called a national treasure, Ben & Jerrys has been showered with
publicity. The flood of press notices flows not so much from its rapid ascent or its
funky flavor hits like Chunky Monkey, Cherry Garcia, and its latest concoction,
Dilberts World Totally Nuts (butter almond ice cream with roasted hazelnuts,
praline pecans, and white fudge-coated almonds). Of great media interest is the
New Age business philosophy of founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. Unlike
most entrepreneurs, their aim is to build a successful business but, at the same
time, be a force for social change.
Despite a falloff in its rate of growth, Ben & Jerrys continues to strive to operate in
a way that improves local and global quality of life. It contributes 7 percent of its
pretax profits to charitable causes, ranging from cash grants for Vermont
community groups to support for national progressive grassroots causes. Equally
important is its mission to create career opportunities, financial rewards, and a funfilled work environment for employees.
Such a visible company with a popular national product and a strong social stance
naturally generates a lot of correspondence. Customer letters typically fall into
three categories: (1) fan mail, (2) information requests, and (3) claims. Fan mail
contains praise and testimonials: Tried the new Cherry Gracia Frozen Yogurt and .
I want to go to Vermont and shake your sticky hands. Information requests may
involve questions about ingredients or food processing, and some letters comment
on Ben & Jerrys social positions. Claim letters generally contain a complaint and
require immediate response. Responding to customer letters in all three categories
is a critical element in maintaining customer goodwill and market position for Ben &
Jerrys.
Customer letters arriving at Ben & Jerrys get special attention from Alice Blachly,
one of the consumer affairs coordinators. To fan letters, Blachly responds with
handwritten cards or printed letters that promote good feelings and cement a longlasting bond between Ben & Jerrys and its satisfied consumers. To letters with
questions, Blachly locates the information and responds. For example, a consumer
worried that cottonseed oil, formerly contained in the nut-butter portion of
Rainforest Crunch ice cream, might be contaminated by pesticides. Blachly checked
with company quality assurance experts and also investigated articles about

cottonseed oil before responding. Other consumers might wonder about Ben &
Jerrys position on the treatment of cows by Vermont dairy farmers.
However, letters with consumer complaints, such as My pint didnt have quite
enough cookie dough, get top priority. We have trained our consumers to expect
the best, says Blachly, so they are disappointed when something goes wrong. And
we are disappointed, too. We refund the purchase price, and we explain what
caused the problem, if we know.
Critical Thinking

When customers write to Ben & Jerrys for information and the response must
contain both positive and negative news, what strategy should the
respondent follow?
If a customer writes to complain about something for which Ben & Jerrys is
not responsible (such as ice in frozen yogurt), should the response letter
contain an apology? Why or why not?
Why is letter-writing an important function for a company like Ben & Jerrys?

Applying your Skills at Ben & Jerrys

Alice Blachly, customer affairs coordinator at Ben & Jerrys, is overloaded with work.
She asks you, her assistant, to help out and hands you a stack of letters. The top
one is from a customer, Diane Gruber who complains that she didnt get quite
enough cookie and chocolate chunks in her last pint. She also wants to know
whether Ben & Jerrys stand on peace.