O.K. so I thought I was getting the hang of this blogging thing but now I am having second thoughts. I was feeling good about my first attempts and have been enjoying myself but something has happened, or rather not happened. Like many of you I have had a desire to have this experience be supplemented with a few sponsorship ads placed using Googles own AdSense. I have applied for an account but my application was denied for an incomplete name and address which I am sure I submitted. Every attempt to try again has met with failure. I sent back a reply e-mail but now have to wait another 4 days for a response.
Here then lies the test of a true modern day company – company service. It seems so lacking in this day and age. The subjective test of how well does a company do what it is supposed to do when it is doing what it is supposed to be doing and how well does it handle things when they go wrong.
I like companies that have easy access and an open ear to listen to its customers. It seems like such a simple little thing but few companies know how or even seemingly want to do right by their lifeblood – the customer. Many companies spend large amounts on feedback campaigns but you seldom see any real results from them. It’s sort of like when bosses ask ‘How are things going?’ you just know that anything other than “Great” is an unacceptable or unheard answer.
I have seen some creative request for feedback such as giving out pennies by a restaurant as patrons finished their meals that they could put in their choice of gumball machines as a way of casting a vote as to the quality of their meal. I have also seen far too lengthy surveys given using questions and responses that never really capture the true feelings of the respondent with nothing more in thanks than a million to one shot at some trivial prize.
But that covers the day to day, average business transactions that are made. What is a company willing to do when something goes wrong? When I have experienced something that has gone wrong to a large enough degree, I generally like to inform the company so that they might correct the problem. They might not be aware of it and with good intentions, things are made better. For many this is the final step in quality control for those things that may have slipped past all the other testing and checks to ensure a good product reaches their customers. Most are grateful for the information and will replace the damaged item quickly. Calling the local Coke producer to let them know of a can problem I had, or letting the Fritos people know of a recent bag of chips that was missing its seasoning, or commenting to the makers of Puffs tissues about a packaging issue I was noticing are all replied to with a sincere thank you and a coupon for replacement product.
On the other hand I have seen companies that have gotten defensive and combative when all you are trying to do is work through a problem and come to a mutual resolution. The worst example that still haunts me to think of it, was trying to work through a billing problem with AT&T. This occurred twice when trying to solve my Grandmother's account and one episode that lasted almost two years with an account at work. I went in with the best of intentions simply trying to correct a mistake made by AT&T and was met with sugary sweet remarks and promises of swift action resulting in nothing to being turned over to collections agency. I had the problems blamed on everything from people changes to Hurricane Katrina. I was lied to so many times that there is no credibility with them any more.
As a result I will not deal with AT&T for anything else, at all, ever again if I can help it. I tell that to anyone that will listen if the subject comes up. In looking for a new cell phone I was strongly considering Cingular but when they were bought by AT&T, there is just no way. Apple brought out the new iPhone but I won’t even look once, let alone twice because they made it exclusive to AT&T. (There is a lesson here about who you make friends with and even more importantly who you take on as a business partner.) The experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that they are one of the few companies that genuinely earns the phrase AT&T SUCKS.
In this whole affair I wanted to pass along the knowledge of the misguided customer service that was experienced but in all my efforts I could not find an outlet. I would have talked to the president if there was even a remote possibility of doing it. After the whole thing was completed however, I am pretty sure that it wouldn’t make any difference. The culture at AT&T is so bad that it seems beyond repair. It doesn’t matter what Jim Kramer of Mad Money thinks, bad customer service will eventually make an impact.
Now don’t get me wrong. I did run into a few well meaning employees and I think they were honest in their efforts to make amends, but they were powerless to do so. For the most part, the ones I had to deal with were incompetent in problem resolution and wholly inadequate in customer relations. And to have so many different departments that did not begin to know how to communicate with each other in this day and age is usually a sign of the coming end. It appeared on occasion that they deal with each other internally as poorly as they deal with the paying customer.
I know some of you have been with AT&T and have had nothing wrong to report and think that all is well and I am glad for that. I hope that you or anyone you know or ever will know ever in your life will never have to go through what I had to. It is just not worth it. As for me and anything I have a say in, there is no use for AT&T. I will not deal with them.
The point I am trying to make here is that all this bitterness towards one company came from an extended bad experience, and one at this point that can not be repaired. I know that the loss of one customer to them is nothing. But this one customer has a voice. And bad experiences are shared. I remember seeing a report somewhere that said a bad experience is shared 10 times where as a good experience is shared about three. The report also said that it is better and cheaper to keep a good customer than to acquire a new one. Sage advice.
I hope that my ratio of sharing is better than 10 to 3 of bad to good. In fact, I have tried over the years to find someone doing something good with which to praise and then trying to do so. Many places have the comment box or an 800 number to provide feedback and most of us will only use them when we find something wrong, but how many will try to find something right or praiseworthy to positively provide reinforcement for good service. If you note something good, take the time to pass it on. It can, and should make a difference. If it only affects the person you are praising, then it is still worth it.
So Google I await your response. I am hopeful and optimistic as I am with most companies. I give most the benefit of the doubt and several second chances. Please don’t disappoint. We’re all in this together. I’m pulling for ya.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
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