As most of you know, I am (or would like to be) semi-retired. When I started writing these columns almost five years ago, I had been in business for only a few months. After I retired from IBM (and a couple of start-up companies in RTP), I just wanted some peace and quiet. Helping out folks a few days a week, keeping up with my computing hobby, and getting to buy some computer toys seemed like a good idea. However, it's grown over the years, and I often work five or six days a week now. Its not 8 hours each day, but I am out on the road often enough.
Having been a long-time manager at IBM, I try to manage my business and my life well. One of the goals is to minimize aggravation. I do pretty well at that, but sometimes its bound to happen. One very positive aspect of my column here is that I can vent (within limits), and have in the past on various subjects including park removal and beach rocks. So, here is something that aggravates me a bit.
I often get very upset at the response when I send email to a company enquiring about a problem or situation. Now, you have to understand that I like email very much as a communications medium. With email you can read or write when your time permits - as opposed to my cell phone that never stops ringing. With email you always have a copy of the conversation that you can file away. Email also allows you to compose the message and proofread it to clear up vague wording or cutting out something that you perhaps should not say. (A minor pet peeve is that few people seem to proofread or spellcheck their emails). I often send fairly long and detailed emails to vendors, and expect at least some attention to be paid in return.
Many companies have now abandoned email customer support, perceived as being too expensive. But they won't admit to that - what they do instead is to employ computer programs that read the email, attempt to figure out what it is about, and send back a canned reply. Usually these programs just search for a few key words or phrases.
I recently sent an email to a major software corporation with some fairly detailed questions concerning product rebates. The return email sounded something like this: "Thank you for your enquiry. It is a lovely day here in Bangalore, and we enjoy getting your emails. Oh, yes, we do have rebates. We hope you try them. Have a nice day." It was signed "Peggy", but I have serious doubts that that was her name - perhaps it was the program's name!
Now, I am of course being a bit facetious. But the return email obviously did not address any of my questions at all. There is no possible way that my email could have been read by a human being and get the response that it did. But, there is no path of escalation - phone numbers or emails to humans at these companies are very hard to come by. I will try some other method to get my questions answered.
And, yet, there is sometimes hope. Last week I sent an email to a manufacturer of car headlights. I wanted something a cut above, yet still fully legal. I received a response very quickly, and it was obviously written by someone who had actually read (and understood) my request for information. The response was definitely custom-written, not a canned response.
I was informed of the differences between the various products in their product line in quite a bit of technical detail. Somehow the author seemed to perceive my technical skill level (which is obviously not "novice") and provided exactly the type of information I was looking for. She even cited the downside of the recommended product (shorter life), rather than attempt to spin it (gloss over it).
So, good things can sometimes happen. Perhaps the difference was that in one case they wanted to make the sale, the other being after-sale wasn't worth their time. Perhaps. Thanks for listening!
Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport - Oak Island area. You can visit his Website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail questions or column ideas to him at bsc@bobseidel.com. For specific inquiries, please call Bob Seidel Consulting, LLC at 278-1007.