SENDING SIGNALS!

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

Biggest Customer Relations Mistake - YAHOO! - January 8th, 2013

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I just couldn't seem to get my yahoo email to function properly, so I clicked on their "Help" link, and received the following generic, callous, poorly-written, insulting message that I have seen in some years of customer service and customer relations management (CRM). YAHOO - You're getting very sloppy, and in dealing with consumers on an enormously-used platform, that sloppiness translates to a lack of caring or just plain stupidity. Perhaps some people will switch free mail services because of your gaffe. There are plenty of free email services in your market space, and after the same demographic:

"Yahoo Accounts is experiencing an unusually high volume of support inquiries at this time. We are working hard to resolve YOUR issues as fast as possible but please EXPECT a DELAY from our NORMAL RESPONSE times."

Notice how they referred to the problem as YOURS (meaning all of their customers), how they didn't even provide a place for me to type in what specific problem I had in mind, or any way in which I could even reach them. No time frame is given. No apology is given. No message of the nature of what is happening to them on a level which is colossal and disrupting all of their customers' service. I might switch to GMAIL, or AOL, or any other number of free email service providers.

They could have said this:

"We are experiencing a disruption in our service at this time, but please rest assured that our technicians and engineers are working to solve the problem. We appreciate your patience with us during this problem. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience which we know that this must be causing you. We appreciate your being a Yahoo client, and thank you for staying with us. We are optimistic that problem will be resolved within the next ____hours. Once again, please accept our apologies for any convenience, and we are working hard to solve the problem because you are important to us."

As my father once said to me over forty years ago, when the every US business owner had his or her pride, reputation and loyal customers on the line, "The customer is always right. If it weren't for customers we would not have any income. They are our partners in any success we may be fortunate enough to have."

My dad was quite correct. And this basic customer service philosophy helped maintain a higher standard of quality, mutual respect, civility and an overall higher business quality standard in all aspects of commerce. Words are very powerful. They can destroy or create. They can hurt or they can heal. Never underestimate the power of your words.

Following is a list of free email service providers, for your review and convenience:

FREE EMAIL HOSTING SERVICES

This List Was Compiled And Tested On 09.08.2012

http://www.mail.com/
http://www.webmail.co.za/
http://www.dcemail.com/
http://www.mail2world.com/ - Tremendous choice of varied themed domains.
http://www.mail.lycos.com/
http://www.aol.com
http://www.amplimail.com/
http://www.aussiemail.com.au/
http://www.care2.com/
http://www.fanmail.com/
http://email.kify.com/
http://www.mail.be/
http://free.mailbigfile.com/ - Specifically for mailing very large files.
http://www.myway.com/
http://www.vfemail.net/
http://usa-11.com/
http://www.mybestmail.com/

Thank you as always for reading me, re-tweeting me and engaging with me.

Douglas E. Castle for The Sending Signals Blog

Please Visit my Blogger bio, and take a look at all of my nifty CFI (CrowdFunding Incubator LLC) blogs. Our website, at http://www.CFICrowdFundingIncubator.com will be freshly launched on the web, and will have fully-interactive capabilities beyond those of any other crowdfunding or entrepreneurial website, too. - I'm braggin'

Saturday, September 15, 2012

JUST ANSWER - Personalized Customer Service [The Finest Example Of 'Customer-Centric' Service]

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CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUIRES DIALOG

After exhausting all of the possible combinations of search terms I could think of to "ask" Google and other search engines, I had become desperate to simply have my specific question answered. I was having a problem with my computer printer (an HP dinosaur), and I simply wanted someone to guide me through the process of fixing it. Sadly, the search engines merely provide information, but they don't provided a conversational forum wherein you can have an expert navigate you through a repair or installation process step by step.

I actually needed to have a conversation with another Human Being who could help me personally, and who could tell me if was doing things properly or merely compounding my problem and further corrupting my computer programming to the extent that it would either a) burst into flames, or b) stop operating, and exhibit the dreaded BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH ("BSOG," to those who have seen this hopeless, horrifying, inaccessible screen on their own computers).

I felt a bit like the inexperienced idiot-passenger on the airplane whose pilot and co-pilot have been knocked out by now-subdued terrorists, and who has to land (why me?) the airplane while receiving instructions from the tower...with the cold terror enhanced by the fuel gauge getting close to empty and the vessel rapidly losing altitude. I needed constant conversation -- instructions, feedback, empathy and encouragement -- from an experienced and articulate expert in the tower. I think that we've all seen a movie with this scenario written into the script.

Through the course of my five full hours of wandering through the one-sided automated Boolean desert of non-answers and insanely complex answers (usually with some Greek letters and equations thrown in to supplement the obscure jargon) written by high-tech experts for their brethren in advanced geekdom, I stumbled across a magic box just like the little box which appears below:

I wept with tears of joy, diluting my cup of coffee and shorting out my cellular telephone which had been programmed for speed dial to the Suicide Hotline for situations precisely like this one. Fortunately, I didn't need the coffee or the Hotline.

My technical issue was "Printers," and the little box actually opened up to a screen where I was given a choice of experts on duty, each with his or her customer satisfaction ratings, number of clients serviced (and a mini-biography) displayed. The expert whom I selected was Bernie K. At a cost of about $29.00 (which, by the way does not get paid to this company until you state (in another little box on another screen at the end of the process) that you are fully-satisfied with the answer which you received. Interestingly, the company offered me the ongoing option, throughout the session of switching experts if my selected expert and I were incompatible).

I took almost an hour of poor Bernie's precious time -- in retrospect, I was a tough case and I needed a great deal of repetition to fully understand what to do, as well as constant feedback and encouragement.

When my session was over and my computer printer was functioning, I was overjoyed. I have used this service repeatedly for other issues. Prices vary, but they are generally quite low, depending upon the complexity of your issue and the rating of the expert you choose to have work with you.

My experience was a case study in customer satisfaction, and Customer Experience Management. Here's why I chose to discuss it in this article in The Sending Signals Blog:

1) The service was focused entirely on me and my particular problem;

2) The expert provided comfort and reassurance as well as detailed instructions;

3) I felt a sense of communion with another Human Being -- this is a heck of a lot better than those "press '4' if you call if you wish to pay an outstanding bill..." numerical routing barriers to Human Contact which we are all too often faced with in dealing with large companies and utilities. There is nothing you can do if there is not a specific item on their routing menu that does not address your specific issue; if you are fortunate, there may be an option to speak with a customer representative during certain hours and usually after an indeterminate waiting period.

Note: The wonderful thing about a one-on-one interpersonal dialog with another Human Being is that answers can be crafted to suit your specific questions... instead of searching through endless lists of FAQs, other peoples' question threads, or limited menu options by the number.

Customer-Centric Service is the distillation of everything a customer service manager or service executive needs to know. This broad term [which I rather like] incorporates, subsumes and symbolizes:

Focusing on the customer as an individual Human Being;
Working to eliminate the customer's frustration, pain, discomfort or lack of hope;
Being patient, holding your temper, and addressing each issue raised by the customer;
Engaging with the customer in useful and positive feedback;
Being responsive and truly involved;
Being empathetic and concerned;
Continuously asking the customer if your efforts are helping him or her, knowing that you may have to adjust your course or tactics accordingly.

Customer service, at its very finest, involves truly understanding the customer's needs (and not merely guessing, or over-simplifying to suit your own agenda) through the careful observation and interpretation of signals (regardless of how subtle) being sent, and through constantly asking if you have truly satisfied that customer's needs.

Douglas E. Castle for The Sending Signals Blog and The Daily Burst Of Brilliance Blog