Part I: The Good and The Bad

While I usually focus on B2B occasionally I need to unload as a consumer, especially when I encounter three very different experiences I faced as customers. One good, the other truly bad, and the third, well, that was down right ugly.

There seems to be two trends in customer service I am running into consistently these days. An example of the plus side is Godaddy, from the moment you engage with them to after the interaction is complete, you are made to feel that you not only count, but that your business matters and is the focus of their operation. In small ways and in big ways.

Right from the start you can see the difference; while you may have to wait, you are told how long you may be on hold. This in itself nothing new, but the fact that it is accurate is; and then comes the differentiator: they give you the option of NOT listening to annoying muzak they cheaped out on. If you ever had to suffer through SOLO’s auto attended, then have to sit through their obnoxious and offensive musak for what seems like days on end, only to be greeted by someone who seems to be nothing more than a parrot reading from a bad script. A script that does not include you or your needs, and when finally it becomes painfully clear that they can’t (or won’t) help you, they pass you up to the next level of incompetence.

At Godaddy they take time to understand what the issue is and then proactively move to help you. When they can’t, they go and investigate and then come back with the answer, or alternatives.  Please understand, I do not work for Godaddy or paid by them, but after being abused by companies who choke on the word customer and only see you as a receivable.

At the end of the call with SOLO they say the most lame and hollow thing: “is there anything else I can help you with?”. As though they have helped in anyway up to that point. While they say the same at Godaddy, it has meaning, and to back it up, they send a survey no matter how big or small the issue may have been, as does PayPal.  SOLO does not, while it would be easy to think that they just don’t care, I think it also is a fact that they know the truth, so why waste time confirming it with the customer.

I understand the need for profit and efficiencies, but considering the small cost difference in providing superior customer care and experience, it is hard to understand why more people who rely on customers for their profits don’t make the effort.

But this was just the Good and the Bad, Thursday we’ll look at the Ugly.

What’s in Your Pipeline?
Tibor Shanto