Jeff Jarvis wrote What Would Google Do in 2008.
I have just begun reading the book about how Google sees the world. That says more about me than Jarvis. I always have a long list of books that I intend to read and then a new book comes out, or I notice one that has been around for a bit, and read that instead of the next one on my list.
On my Kindle reader App I have five books by Ben Macintyre.
I don't know what Google would do that but it is certainly what Goldie would do.
The premise of WWGD is that the web, and in particular companies like Google, has changed how companies engage with customers. There are also lessons for politicians, public bodies and all of us.
Jarvis begins with recounting his customer experience with Dell.
Jarvis wasn't the only person to complain publicly about the quality of Dell's products or their poor customer service. Yet, his posts on Dell galvanised many customers and led eventually to the company changing for the better.
Does this mean that we should not only complain directly when something is wrong but go public and shame the company that we are dealing with?
In the last few months, I have experienced poor customer service from several companies. This has ranged from minor incompetence to financial mistakes. The people you speak to on the phone are always polite and try to fix it. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.
My preference is to deal with things privately. This partly because of my nature and partly because of the job I do. When you work in public relations, it seems wrong to publicly go after a company. I certainly want to give them a chance to sort out the problem before I write about it on this blog.
Having said all that, there is one company which is so frustrating in their responses that perhaps as a good customer I have a duty to shame them.
I have dealt with this branded company for years. Their financial products are excellent and customer service has always been spot on. Unfortunately, for the last seven months I have been a customer of their media services. The pricing structure is absurd compared to competitors, the customer service below average and the experience with them disappointing.
You may have guessed who they are. For now, I shall keep them anonymous. But that isn't what Jeff Jarvis would do...
