Re: The next big thing.. Why not service for the poor neglected

From: Max Mckeown <max_at_maverickandstrong.com>
Date: Thu 22 Feb 2001 15:35:00 -0600

MAX MCKEOWN <max_at_maverickandstrong.com> WROTE:

> How about service innovation?

> - Fashion retailers that allows you to chat online with
> clothing advisors, have your orders available in store,
> links from fashion stories to complete purchase sets
> available in customised boxes

> And so it goes on: Too little imagination, Too much
> senseless tech and Too much greed and fear.

TO WHICH BRANDI JASMINE <brandi_at_brandijasmine.com> REPLIED:

>Oh Max, how delightfully Utopian! <g>

>Bottom line: Costs too much. One of my biggest personal
>beefs is with the lack of customer service commitment
>in the ISP business. I don't know about in the US but
>In Canada, the top 10 have absolutely abdicated
>responsibility in this area. It's disgusting. They are
>all paying a lot of lip service to it, but all of them
>have oversold their high-speed services and it is
>common to get busy signals for tech support for hours
>on end, and to be left in the "on hold queue" for 90
>minutes before you get a level-one tech who barely
>knows how to surf himself. And that's on a good day.

>There is a definite opportunity here for companies to
>fill the gap. One of my newer clients is a company that
>is outsourcing technical support. But they are *not* of
>the "no-work, low-staff, highly-automated, set it,
>forget it and retire to Bermuda early" mind set which
>is so prevalent these days. The kinds of businesses you
>are talking about are labor and start-up cost
>intensive. Look for web customer service to get worse
>before it gets better (with a few notable exceptions).

That's exactly my point! That it would be delightful for
e-customers and for the companies that serve them..
That's the value exchange that keeps the world economy
growing.

The trouble is (again and again) that this is too simple to
have faith in for too many companies. Really serving the
e-customer is more profitable and more secure than
attempting to con or coerce.

Talk again soon I am sure.

Max
www.maxmckeown.com - e-customers and the people that serve them



Received on Thu Feb 22 2001 - 15:35:00 CST