How Many Different Ways Does This Say Disconnect?
Bob McCarty at Bob McCarty Writes sent me an email today thanking me for using his photos in my recent post about the tragic shooting in Kirkwood, MO and suggesting that since I was in marketing I might be interested in his photos of an Ameren UE billboard.
As he notes on his blog, this billboard which is partialy obscured by hanging cable and phone lines, is part of the $1billion Power On program that has as one of its components a “substantial underground cabling effort.”
The program apparently was initiated following numerous power outages over the last several years throughout the AmerenUE service area. We live in AmerenUE land and have been through several multi-day power outages resulting from trees falling on power lines. I have written about these adventures in the context of gratitude for the hot coffee and free Wi-fi at Panera Bread.
However, Bob’s photos illustrate the other aspect of those power outages: power lines disconnecting the company from its customers.
During both power outages that we experienced (one in the depth of winter and one in the summer heat) AmerenUE was completely inept at communicating with its powerless customers. During the first outage, when one was finally able to reach AmerenUE, the first choice granted by the automated system was to make a payment. It went downhill from there.
In a world of technology the friendly folks at AmerenUE insisted day after day that they had no idea when crews would be working in my neighborhood as if the guys in the trucks got in them each morning and flipped a coin to decide where they were going to work that day. No schedules or plans here.
During the second outage, similar disconnect. At the end of our ordeal we received an automated call informing us that crews would be in our neighborhood that very afternoon after our neighbors had phoned to tell us that the lights were on and the crews were leaving.
As I read the press release tonight about Project On which is a three year program(I must have missed it in July…..damn wires!) I was struck by four especially disconnected statements by AmerenUE:
- Thomas Voss, Ameren UE President and CEO states: “We know what out customers want. When they flip the switch they want their lights to come on.” Now, this is what I call keen customer insight.
- Voss is appointing a FULL TIME project manager for the{$1 billion} project. Well, I think that is probably warranted….500,000 residents without power in November 2006. Yes, this is a full time job for a company that has 1.2mm customers.
- In April 2007, AmerenUE hired an “experienced consultant” to evaluate “its reliability and storm response.” Hmmmm, well 1.2 million customers and a storm, half a million without power I would have to say unreliable. No charge.
- And maybe the “forward look statement” clause is my favorite: ” Statements in this release not based on historical facts are considered “forward-looking” and, accordingly, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed. Although such forward-looking statements have been made in good faith and are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that the expected results will be achieved. These statements include (without limitation) statements as to future expectations, beliefs, plans, strategies, objectives, events, conditions, and financial performance.” Sorry, about all those things we just said….well, maybe/maybe not. But we are interested in a dialogue with our customers. Press 1 to pay your bill.
So Bob, thanks for the photo heads up of yet another company that disconnects with their customers. Unfortunately, we don’t have a choice about doing business with this one.
How I Got SMaRT
And if you want to get SMaRT* too, please take a look:
Last week I wrote that I was re-committing to blogging. This week I am sustaining the effort, pun intended.
A few months ago Mary Hunt, noted authority on marketing to women and author of In Women We Trust and a blog with the same name, asked Toby Bloomberg and me to join her in launching a new blog, Smart Solutions for Sustainable Businesses and help enlist the power of social media to amplify the blog’s message: Standards is smart; no standards is not smart…..
“The marketplace is moving from “Green” to “Sustainable” to “Prove it” - this is a greenwash-free world where Product Life Cycle Assessments and Third Party Audits are the norm. Smart Solutions is about who is doing the best job, what standards do investors care about and what will consumers trust?
Everything will be openly discussed in this blog. We’ve reached out to market developers, operational experts, business leaders and consumer advocates - all working to create a sustainable planet as well as a sustainable new, global economy.”
Please take a moment to visit Smart Solutions for Sustainable Business . Mary Hunt is the editor and the contributing editors, Denny Darragh , Ginny Dyson , Mike Italiano , Diane MacEachern, Doug Pierce, Coral Rose , Leanne Tobias are discussing the relevant issues, sustainable mortgage based securities, sustainable marketing, sustainability in the corporate culture at new standards of excellence.
To say Mary is passionate about this would be an understatement…..check out her site, Ecolutionary Selling e-book on Ecolutionary Selling.
Also you can catch her speaking at Blogher Busines 08 , NYC in April. Toby will be presenting at Blogher Business also as will Yvonne Divita, Susie Gardner (check out her new book!) and lots of other really smart women.
Mary’s passion is contagious and thanks to her expertise (and patience) I have gone from, “Well yes I care about green” to understanding what it is I need to care about and importantly how to tell green from greenwash.
So, Toby and I will be adding our marketing focused voices to the Sustainable Products Blog soon.
C’mon over and join the conversation!
*The Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability (MTS) is a non-profit public charity of leading environmental groups, governments, and companies working to achieve 90% sustainable products market penetration and stop irreversible climate change, by 2015.
In response to the need for quantifiable and verifiable Sustainable Standards, MTS developed SMaRT (Sustainable Materials Rating Technology). The standard is based on product Life Cycle Assessment across the product’s entire supply chain. Once documentation is gathered, Third Party Auditors review it for accuracy before certification is issued. For more on MTS go here.
links for 2008-02-19
HP:Your Customers Think You Are Hiding {The Atlantis and Apollo Motherboard Issue}
As Toby noted in her post Social Media Means Nothing If Your Internal Processes are Broken, HP has over 50 blogs. Quite a commitment to social media one would think. So what would be the value of social media to a company like HP? Visibility perhaps?
When we present to our clients or prospective clients about the value of social media we emphasize among other things the value of listening to customers, building relationships based upon transparency, and learning what is important to customers.
Shel Israel has a great interview with Michael Dell, who was able to snatch victory from the jaws of social media defeat, commonly known as Dell Hell. However, there has to be a real commitment to listening and building honest relationships with customers. Michael Dell’s answer to ” Question #5: How has blogging changed Dell’s culture?
It has reinforced how important it is to listen to our customers. And when we see an issue in real time we have only one choice and that is to solve our customer’s issue and quickly too.
At HP, the value of a customer relationship and the value of social media seem to be as unimportant as product quality….of course valuing customers and providing a high quality product typically go hand in hand.
Social media would really not be of value if a company did not value their customers and produce a high quality product. Unless the company believed that blogging about value and quality and positive customer experience is the same as having those attributes.
I recently wrote about my son Sam’s laptop that at this writing is still MIA. His school work is suffering since the whole reason for buying the HP to begin with was so that he could have his own laptop to take to school.
I have found that we are not alone with the known issue, the Atlantis and Apollo motherboard failure, (it seems to be known to everyone except the “case manager” whose name and direct phone number I did not even bother to write down after he told me that it was not a known issue).
“Why is HP Hiding the Atlantis and Apollo Motherboard Issue?” is being asked at the Notebook Review Forum. Avoiding a recall? Or are they just hiding?
Companies in a crisis seem to forget or maybe just don’t get 2 important facts about the wired world: #1 that they can no longer hide from their customers (or hide product problems) and that listening to customers and solving their issues is not really a choice. Just ask Michael Dell.
Or Sam Richmond. He’s pretty mortified to be on his mother’s blog but his mother just wanted to make the point that a real kid is going to school on Tuesday February 19th with out his laptop, DAY 65 without a working laptop.
links for 2008-02-16
-
The secret: there is no secret
-
via Matt Homan
4×4 Meme
Peter Kim tagged me a few weeks ago in the 4×4 meme and I am hoping that the expression “better late than never” can be invoked….if so, I will spare you the pain of listening to my excuses. Here goes….
4 Places I Have Been
- The Ahwanee, Yosemite National Park
- Simon & Garfunkel, The Concert in Central Park, NYC 1981
- Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial
- Pink’s Hot Dogs, LA
4 Jobs I Have Had
- Caseworker, City of St. Louis Department of Social Service (Between college and grad school).
- Pappagallo, ( sales person during college).
- Camp Counselor, St. Louis County Parks & Recreation (summer job during high school)
- Full time mother (1990-1994)
4 Favorite Foods
- Popcorn (especially with Snow Caps)
- Sushi
- Switzer’s Red Licorice
- Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
4 TV Shows My Son DVRs (Don’t tell but I have no idea how to use it and yet)
- The Office
- Seinfeld
- House
- Robert De Niro movies (Dunno, he just loves his movies)
Wow, am i boring or what?
Ok, I am tagging Cam Beck, Craig Lefebrve, Tish Grier ,and Beth Kanter
links for 2008-02-14
HP: Customer Experience Disconnect
In May 2007 I purchased my youngest son an HP Pavilion Notebook so that he would have a bright shiny new laptop to start high school with in the fall. We looked at several different options but what tipped the scale towards HP was Eric Kintz. Eric and I had “connected” via our blogs but hearing him speak about HP’s commitment to customer centricity at the Forrester Marketing Forum in April 2007.
Here are some of the things Eric highlighted (Thanks Josh): The importance of integrating the customer into driving the business, measure and manage what matters to the customer, and inspire employees to drive customer centricity. He talked about their understanding that customer service is an important touch point and how HP is focusing on customer experience training.
So, here has been our experience. The brand new shiny laptop that Sam took to school everyday to take notes on and help him keep organized (hat tip to Microsoft OneNote) stopped working in late November. My older son spent HOURS on the phone with HP tech support (we won’t even talk about the nightmare of their off shore tech support). I am not sure of the details but it was agreed at the end of the conversation that although they had gotten it booted up, HP would send a box so that at the end of the semester, it could be returned to HP to really fix the problem.
The box arrived. No instructions or paperwork inside. Well, we would wait till the semester ended anyway since the computer was kind of working. Problem was, the computer died again right before Sam’s finals. I began calling HP. Well, what turned out to be a system wide continuing issue surfaced: they couldn’t find any record of the original phone call. Although they give you several different numbers every time you call and ask for your phone number, they never seem to be able to find the records.
Even when I returned a call in February to someone in their so called executive customer service they began their typical “do you have a {fill in the blank} number” interrogation…I stated my name and said, I am returning your call.
So, in December, they apologized for the “no directions” box and said they would send another one right out. Weeks went by. No box. I called again. No records of the call. We begin again. They will send a box and I add the new set of numbers to be collection.
They box arrives. Of course unfortunately, a new semester had begun and Sam had to start school without his laptop. The computer arrives at HP. A flurry of emails announces all this. The status report states: Atlantis and Apollo Motherboard issue. An email arrives saying that though they would like to return the laptop but they do not have the part. Several more weeks go by and finally the laptop arrives home. Yippee!
The enclosed letter from HP thanks me for choosing HP to repair {their inferior} product. It says that HP “created this repair program to ensure it is repaired to the original product specifications {could that be the problem?}.”
The letter goes on to say, “HP is committed to creating superior products which offer the highest standards of quality, durability and reliability.” Sounds like Eric’s talk.
The first problem is that this letter says that the problem was a bad LCD and that they had replaced it. NOTHING about the Atlantis and Apollo motherboard.
The second and larger problem was that Sam had his laptop on for about 3 hours when it stopped connecting to the internet exactly like it had before it died the last time. Huh?
I called HP. Of course. No records. I finally get an English speaking customer service person who first tells me that although they were very sorry, the motherboard unfortunately was not repaired and that we would have to send it back. As we talked a bit more he said that this was a “known issue.”
So I will digress a bit here to the issue of the known issue.
Known issue? Have you heard that term before. “Known to who exactly.” About six months ago I got a letter from the Ford Motor Company telling me there was a “known issue” with my son’s 2003 Ford Explorer and all other Explorers model year 1992-2004. It seems that there is a defect in the cruise control that causes it to “catch on fire”, “possibly to blow up.” It advises not to park the car near your home. OK, so the letter is dated August 2007. Exactly when did this issue become known? In 2005 when apparently the problem stopped? Kind of reminds me of “The Formula” in the Fight Club
Of course, though we now all know about the issue, none of the Ford dealers in the Missouri or Illinois metro have the part in stock.
With T-Mobile, although I have Wi-Fi at home, in November I noticed that they were counting my Wi-fi at home minutes as anytime minutes. After being transferred all over the T-Mobile system just to find someone who even knew what I was talking about, he promised he was putting in a “help desk” ticket to investigate because it was not a “known issue.” Long story short, 2 1/2 months later, after dozens of phone calls from me (I have a collection of names and employee numbers) they decided it was in fact a “known issue”. As of this month, I still had to spend 45 minutes on the phone with billing straightening out the mess.
On another issue, that t-mobile says is not a “known issue” and not covered by the one year warranty,” the track ball falls out of my Blackberry Curve,I have been waiting 5 days for a “manager” to call me back within 3 business days.
I asked them about their announced upcoming pro-rated termination fees thinking that I would rather get an iPhone than buy a new Blackberry from t-mobile given their “too bad so sad” attitude. They didn’t know anything about it. $200 to cancel one phone contract, $600 to cancel all three. Thanks, it may be worth it.
Back to HP and the known issue of the Apollo and Atlantic motherboard. The rep said that he would “escalate” the problem (meaning he would overnight the return box) and that we should have the laptop back with a repaired motherboard in about 7 days. That was January 22nd. He gave me a whole new set of tracking numbers. He apologized and said if it happened again they had a program that might replace the unit; had to malfunction three times, not two.
Off it went. It was at this point that I emailed Eric Kintz and finally got a response by leaving a comment on his moderated blog. He put me in touch with the friendly folks at executive customer service that I mentioned above. Suffice it to say, that did not solve the problem. I was assigned a “case manager” who promised that his job was to provide one-to-one assistance in solving my problem.
What did that mean exactly? He said he would look into the availability of the “part.” He assured me there was not a motherboard known issue. Despite the fact that someone else at HP had said those exact words and the fact that it is all over the web, all over the HP Forums, and being blogged about by those experiencing the almost identical treatment that we have received.
KD Paine writes that she was a lifelong fan and is now a permanent skeptic. Political Thinking has posted some of his correspondence with HP.
Well one way he dealt with it is they removed the statement regarding the Atlantis and Appollo Motherboard from my “ticket” and replaced it with something about a service enhancement program. I think it is a warranty extension.
Does that mean that they will keep fixing the defect every time it breaks, forever and ever?? How special!
But the problem with my problem is that it is really my son Sam’s problem. He does not have his much needed laptop to take to school. After spending over $1200 at Best Buy on this HP computer just six months prior to its collapse I am left with no choice at this point but to buy him a new laptop. It will be a Mac.
Why buy a Mac? Take HP’s Eric Kintz’ three points from his Forrester talk and then think of Apple.
- Integrate the customer into driving the business
- Measure and manage what matters to the customer
- Inspire employees to care about the customer
I have heard representatives from HP, Sprint, Sony and many others speak at WOMMA and Forrester conferences about customer centricity and improving customer experience. I have experienced just the opposite customer experience.
Although I have never heard Apple speak on the topic at any of these venues, I have experienced Apple customer focus. I bought a MacBook following my negative experience with my Sony Vaio. If I have a question, I can call up and get an answer. If something isn’t working right, I can call AppleCare or take my MacBook to the GeniusBar.
There are free workshops offered in the Apple Store on various topics to enhance the user experience. If you need one-to-one help for $100 you can get private instruction once a week for a year with one of the inspired Apple employees who always give you just a little more than you ask for….instead of a lot less.
Bruce Temkin, the VP and Principal Analyst at Forrester who covers customer experience at Forrester recently quoted Morpheus from the Matrix in his blog post highlighting the disconnect between what their research indicates is the importance that theyplace on customer experience and reality: “Sooner or later you’re going to realize, just as I did, there’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path”
Let me put this in the most personal of terms. HP, my son Sam needs a computer. Isn’t that what we paid for?
Perspective: Senseless Shootings in Kirkwood, MO
What were you doing last Thursday evening at 7PM? An ordinary night probably for most of us ordinary people.
There was a city council meeting at the Kirkwood, Missouri City Hall, A zoning meeting. Ordinary stuff. And then something far out of the ordinary, something mind numbing happened in a town that describes itself as “where community and spirit meet.”
A gunman who had recently lost a lawsuit against the city of Kirkwood who had banned him from speaking at city council meetings, opened fire, killing five people before he was shot to death. The mayor, Mike Swoboda was wounded and is in critical condition. Suburban Journal reporter Todd Smith was shot in the hand.
Those killed were Police Officer William Biggs, Police Officer Tom Ballman, Councilwoman Connie Karr, Councilman Mike Lynch and Public Works Director Kenneth Yost. I didn’t know any of them but I would imagine they were not expecting that on February 7th that they had a rendezvous with death.
Officer Biggs was on his way to get a pizza when he crossed paths with the shooter. One minute he was probably thinking ordinary pizza thoughts as he headed to IMO’s. The next minute he was gunned down but managed the extraordinary as he died; he pushed the alert button on his radio and probably saved many lives in the community of Kirkwood.
Officer Biggs died a hero; no doubt those who knew him and loved him and miss him would have preferred that he had lived an ordinary Kirkwood police officer.
We live in a town that borders Kirkwood. My sister raised her family there and her daughter, my niece, lives there now. Kirkwood IS a community. A community that does not Bowl Alone but seems to personify the currency of social capital: trust, community, involvement, neighbors, belonging. Kirkwood has annual festivals and a hundred year old football rivalry with neighboring Webster Groves that is the subject of a recent book, The Turkey Day Game.
As I read about the lives of those gunned down, they stood in stark, tragic contrast to the shooter who seemed to believe that the community was against him and that he was “at war” with Kirkwood.
According to his brother, he left a “suicide note” stating “the truth will come out in the end.”
The truth as I see it is captured by the words of the Deputy Mayor Thomas Griffin as reported in the New York Times : “This is a tragedy of untold magnitude.”
Earlier today I had to run a quick errand to Ace Hardware, just across Manchester less than a mile from home. My mother asked me to get her some lunch at the Daily Bread.
As I walked to my car I noticed a number of people walking across the parking lot towards Manchester. Then I noticed car lights; finally realizing as I got to my car that there were hundred of police cars from all over the city driving in a procession down Manchester Road.
I sat in my car for over a half an hour, traffic halted in every direction as the funeral procession for Officer Thomas F. Ballman drove from his home in Ballwin to Kirkwood City Park. I used my Blackberry camera to take the picture above. It was something to see….
Bob McCarty Writes has photos on Fickr of “the sights and sounds of Kirkwood the morning after the shooting.”
Redesigning, Recommitting and Writing
Not sure whether it was the move from Typepad to Wordpress, other social media hang outs, being preoccupied with a home construction project gone wild, or work, kids, mom, or any combination and/or permutation of these things, but I just kind of stopped regular blogging
I found myself writing imaginary blog posts in my head but not actually writing them. Oh, I missed blogging. I missed my blog. My blog, just didn’t feel like home to me any more.
So, I tried to lure myself back…maybe I would make blogging a New Years resolution. Write that as a blog post and declare it out loud. Didn’t happen.
I signed up for the Blogger Social. Surely that was something to blog about. But, still blogger’s block remained.
I searched for cures. There was great advice available: Darren Rouse had 25 tips for battling blogger’s block. Performancing had 12 Tips. Merlin Mann said to Hack Your Way Out. LifeClever had 10 Tips for beating blogger’s block.
The problem was I just couldn’t get comfortable with the blog design. Dot-Chris suggested we just start over. So, we did. And here I am blogging about it. It’s a start, right?
-
Subscribe to RPB
-
Marianne's Space
-
Marianne's Profiles
-
Facebook
Myspace
Twitter
delicious
Technorati
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Flickr