The Marketleap Report
Volume II, Issue #14 - Part 1, August 21st, 2002

ADDUMb and DUMber
By Keith Boswell

The last issue regarding the poor state of customer service and relations hit close to home judging from the amount of reader response we received. Because of the amount of feedback about the article and the questions that arose about email tracking, we are splitting this week's Report into two messages to make it easier to digest.

A second part will follow that goes into the details behind email tracking and the capabilities that marketers have to track a campaigns success. Thanks to all of you who sent in responses, we had so many we were unable to use them all.

It seems I'm not crazy after all. Many of you wrote in to say that you see service and attitudes getting worse. I was encouraged to get a response from India suggesting that good customer service is a key component in their growing economy. And we were lucky enough to get a response from AdBumb, the original reason I wrote the article. I think my favorite response was the simplest.

Hear Hear.
-Laurence Straughair

Thanks for the support Laurence. I just try to call it like I see it - Umpire 101 and such. Now you can read the real gem, the response from Pesach at ADBUMb. It brings a smile to my face.

Regarding Keith's complaint that he wasn't unsubscribe from the Adbumb list. I'm amazed that he is complaining that I was attempting to get to the bottom of the problem, and find exactly why he was unable to unsubscribe. Unfortunately, it turned out that Keith seems to be mildly illiterate and couldn't read the simple instructions that said clearly "click here to unsubscribe." What really blows my mind, is that he claims he contact me to unsubscribe, when in fact, I contacted him to find out if there was a technical problem, and when seemed insulted that he didn't understand about clear-pixel tracking, he then wanted to unsubscribe.

He is also complaining that my response was tinged with sarcasm, but at the same time he once enjoyed reading the newsletter - for the same reason it seems. This is a great example of someone who doesn't mind reading about other people's stupidities, but when they themselves realize they aren't so bright, they get upset. But he has a right to be a virtual retard if he wants.

I do however applaud him getting his frustrations out in his own column! That is what my newsletter is all about - exposing the truth in our industry and examining things with a little bit of humor. As for customer service, is he completely clueless? He should read my newsletter a little more carefully next time, because we never promise customer service for the readers, since they aren't really paying at all. Grow up Keith, and maybe you'll stop working at Kinkos by next summer.

Take care,
-Pesach Lattin

Sarcasm and satire are wonderful tools when it comes to reviewing the news and industries we work in. I consider myself an active practitioner. When it comes to maintaining relationships between consumers (newsletter readers) and providers (newsletter writers) sarcasm sours the tone quickly. Relationships drive business.

To be reduced to calling names to try and vindicate oneself is a playground tactic used by those too feeble minded to own up to their errors. I have no need to disrespect Pesach anymore than he disrespects himself, his company and his newsletter. Read the last issue to catch up on this particular email chain. Let's move on to greener fields.

Hi,

Well, in India things are reversed. I never remember going to a McDonalds and ever being treated in this manner.

The Indian society in general is moving towards respecting customers and providing good customer service. This is also a reaction to the vast choice of goods and services that an average Indian is now exposed to unlike a few years back.

But yes, as for the web, customer service has a long way to go here. There have been cases when people have transferred money using internet banking, only to realize that the transaction never took place and only after sending some frantic emails to the customer service team do they get feedback!

But, the booming CRM centers are an indication of the increased focus on customer service. The Indian call center market which is divided into two segments domestic call centers and international call centers is growing. Domestic is growing at 35% per year and International is growing at 60% per year. Till recently, call centers meant only voice-based customer support but today these centers are even capable of entertaining customer enquiries through online chat as well as phone.

Best Regards,
-Harpreet Gondal

What a relief to know that there are countries that are moving in the opposite direction of the United States when it comes to respecting customers. It should give hope to us all. It's also a reminder that we shouldn't accept poor service if we have alternatives.

Keith,

You are not alone. And, like the dentist reference you made, you hit a nerve! The customer service levels have definitely deteriorated in almost every aspect of business we deal with daily. I've noticed it more and more lately. At first, I thought it was a symptom of my age - you know, getting older and less tolerant of things that used to simply be written off as "the way it is". I've found myself thinking that "kids these days" and shivering when I realize that I sound like my parents when I was a teenager. But I've come to realize that it's not that at all. And it's not just younger workers either. My wife and I had a long discussion about the lowering of customer service levels just the other night, and how disparate the levels are depending on the type of business. We recently had our house renovated and could see customer service from many different angles.

Business owners that installed our hardwood floor and countertop were very focused on making sure we were satisfied, including prompt responses to phone calls to them and personal visits to the house to inspect the work. The larger the amount we spent, the better the service (no surprise there). But the larger the organization, the worse the customer service. I found myself drawn away from the super-sized do-it-yourself stores to the local hardware and paint stores because they took a real interest in what I needed. Why is that? It has to be that many factors are driving it, from the focus on profitability at large corporations (like mine) driving training budgets down, to people not realizing the lifetime value of a customer - or more specifically, not being educated about it, or more likely, not caring about it since they may not have a direct stake in it. At least not one that they understand.

Many customer service people don't seem to know that keeping a customer satisfied today results in a healthy company that will continue to employ them tomorrow and into the future. Is that their fault or the fault of the mega-corporation they work for? I can cite specific examples of customer service making a big difference in my attitude: 1) Land's End - first experience was fantastic and they have maintained me as a customer for over 18 years. 2) Montgomery Ward: irritated me so much over a minor credit card issue that I swore never to buy from them again and bad-mouth them at every chance I got. Their local store closed and I am sure it had to do with the total lack of customer service.

I've noticed the same with my web suppliers. The last five or six contracts that I've signed have been with smaller firms where I felt that I was getting the attention as an important customer. Even though my purchasing department was unhappy that it wasn't the lowest bid, I didn't care. You get what you pay for, so paying a little more shouldn't be viewed as a crime by cost-cutting curmudgeons.

Sorry for rambling, but you can tell that this issue is a sore spot for me too. If the Customer Service populace that we are so frustrated with would only listen to Mr. Spock: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few - or the one."

-Obi-Fred

Obi-Fred, I'm worried we'll have to resort to using the Jedi mind trick to get the service we expect. Good experiences remind you of what could be and what you expect. Negative ones turn the stomach like bad milk.

Hi There!
Greetings from Australia, I totally agree with your observation about loss of customer service mentality, and in the last 10 years since I have been visiting the USA I have noticed a dramatic drop in many areas.

The US was always way ahead of Australia in attitudes related to customer service, especially in the restaurant industry, however my last few trips have shown things to be very different.

Aircraft cabin crew are no longer attentive in economy, bank queues have to be seen to be believed, call centres have replaced real people, and health care has become a processing exercise. And everywhere we wait - at red lights, in supermarket aisles, on the phone, on the net, for a hospital bed.

Life has become a series of passwords, pin words and account numbers. God help us if we are having a bad day and get it wrong.

I grew up in the bush and I'm going back as soon as I can! The prospects may be less financial but you can't put a price on the freedom of wide open space, no crowds, peace and quiet and an open road with no red lights for a 1000km!

Regards
-Patricia Reed

I guess the thing that strikes me the most about this whole topic is that many in the United States seem blissfully ignorant of how much we are slipping beneath the waves of the international economy. Service companies in the US lead yearly sales but service isn't a priority for most of them. They feel as if they have their market wrapped up simply with their prices or their convenience.

The technology economy is still growing but the US has seen the number of computer related degrees steadily decline since the 1980's. Have some of us in the United States set the cruise control and lost the drive to keep pace with the rest of the world?

Keith,

I do agree with you about the lack of customer service. I recently dumped a company service's because one of their representatives wouldn't give me email support because I was from México, so he wasn't sure (he said) if I was a legitimate business -well, they had charged my credit card monthly, hadn't they? Obviously, I was outraged. Not only was that rude, but also racist. Somebody else will get my money from now on.

However, I must say that I don't completely agree with you about AdBumb. I think their email was well intentioned, though maybe their way to do it wasn't the best. Also, it is noticeable that this person hasn't got enough training to handle clients.

It's easy to blame the people behind the counter -or the machine, for that matter- for the poor service. But I think the real blame should go to the bosses who offer bad training and poor information to their people. How are these people supposed to attend you if they don't know what the business is about, or understand what your real problem is?

If you want your staff to offer great customer service, then train your people, talk to them to see what's going on, go behind the counter -or the computer- and answer some questions yourself. You will spot the problems before your clients leave to give their money to someone else.

Regards
-Ricardo d'Argence

I agree with you that AdBumb's message was probably well intentioned. The issue for me came down to their approach. For me it's an invasion of privacy to ask why I haven't opened something they sent me. It's okay to solicit my feedback and look for ways to improve the newsletter. The two are completely different messages. One steps into my world and accuses me of something. The other is a genuine request to improve the quality of a publication.

As marketers in a growing field, we are responsible for setting precedence and respecting those we market to. We're getting directly in front of our consumers through the computer, something that TV, radio, and print cannot achieve. Privacy is a sensitive subject that can't be taken lightly or dismissed for the sake of quick gains.

I also agree that it's easy to blame the person behind the counter when they aren't responsible for the level of training they received. The ironic part about this is that Pesach from AdBumb is the owner of his business. He's setting an example for his employees, leading them through whatever fog they stumbled into.

Any additional thoughts? Have any of you had good experiences? We're trying to bring some balance to the force. Drop us an email if you have anything else you want to add to this conversation.