Customer service - you'd think it would be all the more important these days, wouldn't you? Well, here's a rant about the great, the good, the bad and the downright bloody awful ...
Let's start at the bottom and work up - I'll get the bloody awful out of the way first. Have you noticed the way that some companies have 'support' and 'premium support'? Here's an example - the hosting company that we have used since 1999. Yes, for eleven years.
During those eleven years, we have paid them, every month, a four figure sum. (We host a lot of websites). We also buy, and renew, domain names through them. You can do the math; I don't want to, it's too scary. (But I bet the sum would buy a nice BMW, if not a condo).
Their hosting is just fine, but there's always going to be an occasional glitch and when there is, you contact support, right? They have regular support and premium support. As a customer of eleven years, I'm damned if I'm going to pay even more for their premium nonsense. We put in an online ticket - ignored. So we phone...
I did this just the other day and the 'technician' truly said to me "If you'll just shut up for a minute..."
Yep.
I could go on with a lot of stories but let's leave it at that for now.
So let's move on to the bad, who also have this two-tier system. They are a provider of social networks. We have only been using them for about three years but again, we're talking about a four figure monthly sum.
I have no problem with them at all on the phone ... but that's because they don't offer phone support. At all. It's all online through a ticket system. Put in a ticket and - great - you immediately get an auto response saying that they're looking into your 'issue'. Bollocks.
You update your ticket three times a day and finally get a standard, suitable-for-three-year-olds response two or three weeks later.
But ... let's go on to the good and the great!
You'll notice that I haven't mentioned the names of the bad and the bloody awful - as yet ... but the good and the great deserve bouquets - lots!
Typepad - Six Apart ...
You guys are good! Recently, I had a login problem. It was my own stupid fault, actually. Remember those four figure sums I was talking about? Well, for Typepad, on which we run several blogs - we pay $15 per month.
When I had a problem, I didn't even go to their (free) support system - I just tweeted. Very quickly, the problem was solved. Now that's good customer service! They would definitely be the great if it wasn't for Tweetdeck.
Tweetdeck is free! I use it to run about forty Twitter accounts for clients. Yesterday, I had a problem. I put in a ticket ... ho hum ... here we go... but I was wrong. Within a very short period of time, they had solved the problem.
Who do I love?
During those eleven years, we have paid them, every month, a four figure sum. (We host a lot of websites). We also buy, and renew, domain names through them. You can do the math; I don't want to, it's too scary. (But I bet the sum would buy a nice BMW, if not a condo).
Their hosting is just fine, but there's always going to be an occasional glitch and when there is, you contact support, right? They have regular support and premium support. As a customer of eleven years, I'm damned if I'm going to pay even more for their premium nonsense. We put in an online ticket - ignored. So we phone...
I did this just the other day and the 'technician' truly said to me "If you'll just shut up for a minute..."
Yep.
I could go on with a lot of stories but let's leave it at that for now.
So let's move on to the bad, who also have this two-tier system. They are a provider of social networks. We have only been using them for about three years but again, we're talking about a four figure monthly sum.
I have no problem with them at all on the phone ... but that's because they don't offer phone support. At all. It's all online through a ticket system. Put in a ticket and - great - you immediately get an auto response saying that they're looking into your 'issue'. Bollocks.
You update your ticket three times a day and finally get a standard, suitable-for-three-year-olds response two or three weeks later.
But ... let's go on to the good and the great!
You'll notice that I haven't mentioned the names of the bad and the bloody awful - as yet ... but the good and the great deserve bouquets - lots!
Typepad - Six Apart ...
You guys are good! Recently, I had a login problem. It was my own stupid fault, actually. Remember those four figure sums I was talking about? Well, for Typepad, on which we run several blogs - we pay $15 per month.
When I had a problem, I didn't even go to their (free) support system - I just tweeted. Very quickly, the problem was solved. Now that's good customer service! They would definitely be the great if it wasn't for Tweetdeck.
Tweetdeck is free! I use it to run about forty Twitter accounts for clients. Yesterday, I had a problem. I put in a ticket ... ho hum ... here we go... but I was wrong. Within a very short period of time, they had solved the problem.
Who do I love?
Comments