Hell yes, I Want Customer Service

This post is in response to social networking strategist and expert Jay Deragon’s post titled Do We Really Want Customer Service?

Granted, we may actually PREFER life if every service to which we subscribed and gizmo we bought functioned the way it was intended — nay, the way we hoped in our semi-euphoric state just before we signed the deal, paid cash for our new “toy.” But that would be what people call Utopia, a land where there is no crime and everything works the way it was designed.

For that matter, we might ask, “Do we really want doctors?” or lawyers, or teachers, umpires, line-judges, prisons, mechanics, body-shops, dishwashers, replacement bulbs, or divorce courts. Things break. That’s the nature of the beast, and we have to learn to live with it.

If we didn’t need customer service, there would be no need for doctors to help cure cancer or keep us well, lawyers to help right the injustices against us, teachers to impart knowledge, umpires to call base-runners out at third, line-judges to decide if the serve was in or out, prisons to incarcerate criminals, mechanics to fix our cars when they break, and the list goes on…

Therefore, when things do happen, when life throws a curve-ball, there needs to be someone there to help us get back to where we desire to be. Rather than wishing the services a company provides be different, we need to accept that there will always be something we would change, and be open to measures those companies are taking to make “customer service” less painful.

Marguerite Reardon of CNET writes: Comcast has hired 15,000 new customer service agents and technicians over the past 18 months to help the company answer calls and provide service to customers. It has also rolled out new high-tech diagnostic tools for agents in the field and at call centers to help better assess problems. Comcast has also started re-dispatching field technicians if it looks like a certain technician may not be able to get to his next appointment.

Customer service agents are also starting to work on Saturdays and Sundays to schedule and serve customers when it’s most convenient for them. And it’s offering real time online chat services so that customers can talk live with a customer account executive.

Kudos to Comcast, which even has a team that monitors the blogosphere, and immediately addresses customers’ concerns or problems. Click here to see what we mean. Working to make the customer service issue less painless for customers should be on the front burner of every major company in the business-world today.

And I think other large companies like Verizon are also hiring teams of people to monitor blogs. So, Jay, in answer to your question, do we want customer service, my answer is Hell yes, but I want it to be faster, easier, and less painless than ever before!

How ’bout it

Lowe’s Home Improvement Doesn’t “Get it!”

A couple of weeks ago, we went out to Lowe’s to purchase a wrought-iron patio table and four matching chairs. I had stayed outside at the car while my wife went into the store to check out the selection. After a few minutes, I went in to find her. I started walking down the main isle of the store, and then asked an associate who worked there where the patio furniture was.

“Back there,” he said, pointing in the direction from which he had come. That was it. Nothing else. Sure it was easy enough to find, but I was about to be a PAYING CUSTOMER! As I found my wife, she told me that she had already been helped, and the guy wasn’t too happy about it. “Oh, yeah, I must have just passed him,” I said and began to relate the story to her of the events which had just taken place.

He brought the table and chairs out to us from the back, and then disappeared. Were we supposed to proceed to the check out pushing the flatbed cart, or would he come back to take care of us the way we expected?

As we stood there making snide remarks to one another, I began to plan my next blog entry and considered speaking to the manager. The associate finally returned and wheeled the cart to the register for us to pay. Once there, he turned and said, “If you need help loading this, there’s a guy out in the parking lot wearing a straw hat. He’ll help you.” And with that he returned to the hidden recesses of the store — where those pesky customers couldn’t harass him!

So, I paid for our items and then headed out the door to find the “guy with a straw hat.” After two or three minutes of standing there waiting with my Honda CRV right next to the cart, he finally strolled across the parking lot and toward me.

“The guy inside said that you’d help us load this in our car,” I said to him.

“Yeah,” he replied and continued to walk inside the store. By this time, I was really starting to lose my patience.

When he again emerged, I again asked him to help me load the furniture in our car. “You want to put it in there??” he asked incredulously.

“We can tie the table on the roof, if you have some twine or rope,” I suggested. And what happened next was what really sent me over.

“We do have twine on that cart over there,” he said, pointing to a wheeled cart with a box of twine on it. And I waited for him to volunteer to get it. But by this time, my wife was ready to leave, and said, “Mark, you just go get it.” So I did, complaining verbally the whole way there and back to the car.

We finally crammed the four chairs into the front seat and got the table tied onto the roof of the car. I managed to cram myself into the child booster seat in the back, on top of two 40-pound bags of top soil. It was quite a sight.

The ride home, I considered that the associates at places like Wal-Mart and Lowe’s really need to get back into the business of SERVING THE CUSTOMER, not just putting time in to get a paycheck. Maybe they should read The Emergence of The Relationship Economy!

How ’bout it?

Comcast Tries, but technical difficulties and inexperience hurt customer satisfaction

Because we were given a Mac Powerbook Pro several months ago, we’ve been spending the majority of our days at coffee shops (Panera) and other places we could get Wi-Fi. Just two weeks ago, we decided to get an aircard from Verizon Wireless which would provide me with internet access wherever my cell phone in-service.

For a time, it was incredible! I was able to connect to the internet with my laptop from the living room, the back deck, the front porch, but the problem was that the connection through the aircard was just too slow. I guess I had gotten used to the “lightning-fast speeds” which Comcast boasts.

So I decided to make the switch to a wireless connection at home. I made the appointment for a Comcast tech to come out and install a wireless modem with router Tuesday — four days later — between 8 am and 11.

The technician, who was a contractor, called shortly after 10 and said he’d be at the house at 10:30. He might have been off by a few minutes, but he did arrive before the “window” closed at 11.

Everything was going as planned, albeit a little more slowly than expected, until I was told we had “too much” signal to our modem. The tech said he would put on a splitter in the box to cut down the signal. His intention prompted me to “watch him like a hawk,” since he wanted to make our service something less than it already was.

After numerous phone calls dispatch and other people – all of which were strictly related to providing me with wireless – he told me that our cable and our neighbor’s cable should have been run in separately, and that that he would have to come back with a supervisor later in the day, since he had six appointments scheduled from 12 to 3:00.

He made sure that I was going to be at home for the next 2 ½ hours, and said he’d come back possibly with a supervisor. Again, I was considering whether I really wanted to rely both professionally and personally on the internet service he provided. Before he left, he made sure that I was able to access the internet from my desktop, so for that, I was grateful.

Around 2:00, the technician called me to tell me that I should could give him a call after I picked up my son at 3:00. I told him that I would take care of having him picked up by a friend, and that he could come as soon as he was able to – hoping that he would bring someone who had a little more experience than himself.

As of 5:25, and though I’ve watched TV, showered, done laundry, mowed the lawn, and made dinner, I’m still waiting…

However, when I called Comcast at 6:00 to make sure that he was still coming, I was assured by Chris Thompson, that “He’s on his last job and will be headed [my] way as soon as he’s finished.”

The tech did arrive as promised, and a full hour later, I was up and running wirelessly. He left the house at approximately 8:35 pm. Kudos to him for his perseverance and determination, but right now, we’re not all that pleased with the customer service provided by Comcast.

Maybe with more training for the techs, they would be able to arrive during the scheduled window and perform the scheduled service in a timely manner.

How ’bout it?

Working with Apple to solve YOUR problems

I was sent the link to this blog, and I was truly inspired by it — since I now am a MacLover after almost 20 years of PC experience.

Please note, however, I didn’t write one word of the following link.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/05/working-with–1.html

How ’bout it?

Using the Communications Factor

With all the demands on our attention, we have to prepare ourselves to penetrate the filters and “walls” others have erected. In the networking world, it is called having your elevator pitch perfected. The elevator pitch is what having your story trimmed down to a clear, concise 45-50 second speech which makes the people you’re talking to REALLY WANT to learn more about you and your business.

The reason it’s called an elevator pitch is because it needs to be long enough and short enough that you can tell about yourself and your business during the elevator ride from the lobby to the top floor, where you intend to meet your next big client. Most of the time, you only have 30-45 seconds before people “check out” on you and start doing other things mentally.

The elevator pitch needs to have enough detail to make people want to contact you either via phone, email or, in best cases, by appointment to sit down and talk with you over a cup of coffee or lunch. Just like movie trailers, the elevator pitch needs to provide enough information to intrigue the audience and make them want to follow up with you, but it shouldn’t take two hours to present the “deal.”

Think of your elevator pitch as an advertisement for your business; you need to promote yourself/ your business, without becoming pushy. Pushiness doesn’t work. More often than not, you will find yourself sitting alone at a networking meeting with people trying to avoid you if you become labeled as only wanting to sell your services.

Your pitch should provide the information clearly and effectively, leaving little room for someone to misinterpret your words — and message — as he replays it in his/her mind after you’ve left.

Focus on what it is you do. Be clear. Be concise. Show people how you can help them. Taylor your message to your audience. And check out my other blog by clicking here.

How ’bout it?

Britain’s Got Talent! This YouTube clip is pretty good!

This clip seems to start out making fun of the guy, but by the end, personally, I was shocked and surprised by what I was seeing.

How ’bout it?

A Reverse Mortgage May Be the Answer!

Mortgage broker Harry Gordon takes on the problem which is common to many seniors - kids are grown and have moved away, leaving their typically large homes virtually empty. There is a relatively new type of loan called a “REVERSE MORTGAGE” which can provide many seniors with the supplemental income they need and want during their golden years.

Most people know what a mortgage is, but few know about a reverse mortgage. Harry Gordon of Lake Tahoe Mortgage indeed knows the concept of the reverse mortgage. He is called the “ Reverse Mortgage Guru.”

The reverse mortgage is a relatively new type of loan against the value of a home, which provides payments to the owner over the course of his/her lifetime.

What is a “reverse mortgage?” With a regular mortgage, the would-be home-owner can incur debt with which to purchase a home, which would provide equity.

With a reverse mortgage, the home’s equity provides owners with income. The bank would actually pay the home-owner monthly. When there was income and little or no equity, a regular mortgage provides the home-which leads to equity.

Later in life, the equity of the home, with a reverse mortgage, can provide the income which will allow people to retire.

Most seniors have worked diligently over the years to pay off their mortgages, and the thought of another mortgage – or even a reverse mortgage – makes them cringe. Rather than making a mortgage payment, the home-owner would receive money for the home, so it is impossible to lose your home. Simply put, the home’s value is the only asset that can be tapped to pay the reverse mortgage debt balance. If a home’s value does drop below the amount owed on the reverse mortgage, the lender must absorb the loss and look to HUD for reimbursement.

Why shouldn’t you take out a home-equity loan or a second mortgage?

In a word, no. Suppose you own a $250,000 home outright with no mortgage debt. If you were to take out a $100,000, 15-year mortgage at eight percent, you would take on monthly payments of $956. Most government or high-grade corporate bonds yield between five and six percent, so even if the senior invested the $100,000 immediately, the return would be short of the monthly mortgage payment. Additionally, the return from stocks or bonds is considered by the IRS to be income and is, therefore, taxable. Though the reverse mortgage is “income,” it is non-taxable.

Anyone can receive a reverse mortgage, provided he/she meets a few stipulations. First the required age to get a reverse mortgage is 62. The home on which one gets the reverse mortgage must be the principal residence. Essentially, one must live in the home for at least six months of the year. Additionally, the home must be a single family, a 2- to 4-unit building, or a federally approved condo or planned unit development. The home must qualify to satisfy any existing liens. Any debt or liens must be paid off at the time of the reverse mortgage settlement.

Harry Gordon, a reverse mortgage guru, can provide seniors with supplemental income with the reverse mortgage. There is no possibility of losing one’s home as a result of obtaining a reverse mortgage. There is no need to repay any portion of the loan as long as one lives in the home.

Contact Information:

HARRY GORDON, CMPS
www.reversemortgagecoach.net

www.LakeTahoeMortgage.net
HarryG@LakeTahoeMortgage.net

Where is All this Activity Going?

Pundits have said that the internet is a tool, but without focus and a clear purpose, it is a tool in the hands of a monkey. Sure the monkey can use it, but without knowledge of how best to use it, the benefits of the internet and social networks can never be realized.

However, with direction and purpose, the internet can become the best thing since sliced bread. Transferring information and bringing to light items or events which are important to you can be broadcast to millions if not billions rather than to only a few (or even many) via email. The rivers of conversation converge and swell into tremendous waves of influence, but only if there is someone on the front lines of The Emerging Relationship Economy to decide which conversations most likely will bring about change.

In the past, if you weren’t happy with the service or products of, say, a restaurant, you had two options: either you could find somewhere else to go, or wind up staying at home and cooking for yourself and your family.

With the internet, there is little hope of doing that. The ubiquitousness of the net and the wide-spread adoption of hundreds of thousands of applications creates a world in which there is almost no chance of creating something similar enough to the net that it will be as widely adopted.

Early adopters of social networking websites have witnessed a proliferation of “copycat” sites which offer a slightly different flavor than the largest networking platforms. YouTube has attempted to encourage networking, as have other businesses and platforms.

The internet needs to have people who will constantly be on the lookout for new trends in the marketplace and technologies. The key is to keep your ear to the ground and be aware of what’s going on around you.

The Relationship Economy. What’s the most important factor?

Is Your Home Safe From What Happened Here???

A friend from church went home and discovered her toilet exploded with raw sewage from her neighborhood. Apparently, Karl Dean, Nashville’s Mayor, and his office need to work on making better use of The Relationship Economy.

Click this link to view the story from WSMV News.