I don’t know what happened to companies actually wanting your business, rather than turning you away, I really don’t. It’s something that I see more and more of and I just don’t get it.
This is the tale of a company (Company “A”) losing business and not even caring. It begins with my search for a task management system to use for a ginormous project that I’m overseeing for a client.
I’m working with a client who has a huge project that involves a lot of people and TONS of moving pieces. I am tasked with ensuring that everything goes smoothly, which involves making sure that all of the people on our end are doing what they need to be doing, that all of the people on many other ends are doing what they need to be doing, and that all of the things that need to be happening actually end up happening. You know, the usual day to day superhero kind of stuff. No problem, you just need to have the right tools. And this project is going to take some serious organizational tools.
And a cape. Yes, I need a cape.
There are lots of team task management programs out there. I’ve worked with some of them. I’ve liked some of them, others not so much. It all depends on what you need and your personal preference. I’ve got to get something into place quick like a bunny, so I contact two companies that I have already worked with. One, Company “A”, I had only worked with a little bit, so I’m not an expert at what they can do. But from the little bit of experience I had with them – wowza, their platform seems really robust and I was super excited to take it out for a test drive. Another, Company “P”, I had a lot of experience with. I didn’t know that they would be the best solution, but I was very familiar with them and I knew from experience that their Customer Care is absolutely stellar.
Two solid choices, but let’s throw yet another company into the mix, Company “F”. I knew nothing about them, but I wanted to try something new and not be biased by things that I was already familiar with.
No problems getting set up with the test drive with Company “P”. They were happy to assist in any way they could. No problems getting set up with the test drive with the new Company “F”. They bent over backward to make sure everything was wonderful.
But trying to get set up with Company “A”, the company that I thought was going to have “the right stuff”, everything we needed – it was like trying to get a bill through Congress. There was a very confusing issue and I needed a little bit of help getting it set up. Now mind you, I had this very same issue with Companies “P” and “F” and they cheerfully helped me through it in no time at all. Yeah, maybe it was me, but hey, everyone else was happy to help me. 🙂
I emailed Company “A”, because there is no way to reach them by phone, which should have been my first warning to run far away. I explained my dilemma in detail and provided a link to the documentation on their website about the issue I was having trouble with and explained that I didn’t understand it, that I needed help with it and could someone please call me to help me with it, as I was very interested in test-driving this for my client and we would be making a decision this week.
Now this is THE company that I want to go with. I’ve seen what their stuff can do, I WANT to choose them. I await a reply.
I received an email response back from them. They did not address me by name, they addressed me by part of my email address. Not my whole email address, part of it. Strange, and a tiny bit insulting, but that’s okay – I understand as much as anyone how names and email addresses can get transposed in prospect records. Okay, no problem.
But that’s the first kiss of death.
Then they told me that they do not provide phone support. No phone support? For such a robust platform? How can there be no phone support? They said they would be happy to help me by email. Okay. I’m open to any kind of help I can get, and again, I really want them to be the one we go with. But no phone support?
The second kiss of death.
They then suggested that I take a look at a link that they thoughtfully provided for me. The link was the SAME link that I sent to them, the link to the documentation that I told them that I did not understand in the first place.
The third kiss of death.
My reply to Company “A” was that it’s because of support like this that we would be going with a different solution, one that took the time to phone me and go over things. I told them that I was another potential customer lost due to poor customer service.
Their reply to me, again not addressed to my name, but to half my email address, said, and I quote:
“Thank you for your response and your feedback! If you ever wish to come back to {Company “A”} in the future please don’t hesitate to reach out.”
Okay, so that’s apathy. And ignorance. “If you ever wish to come back”? We were never a customer. We simply wanted to become a customer.
And there’s the fourth kiss of death.
How many kisses of death do I need? Only one, really, but this was for a client, so I wasn’t going to get into a pissing contest with them. LOL
I TRIED, I tried, to use them. They made it impossible. They made it impossible because the person over there who got my inquiry didn’t feel like working. And now my client has signed up with Client “P” and they are loving using them. Which is awesome as well. They’re a great company.
I find it maddening that I expended time and energy trying to use a company that clearly didn’t care whether or not I or my client existed. I will never again make that mistake. I thought I was acting in the best interest of my client. I didn’t want to act in haste or rule someone out because they weren’t warm and fuzzy with me.
But what did it get me (and my client)? Days of delay when we could have been moving forward in a productive direction. All because I knew they were a robust solution and I wanted to use them. There are other robust solutions- in every area of business. Never forget that. I found another one. They treat us like gold.
Here’s my lesson to you in all this – stay true to yourself, your clients, and your values. Don’t let anyone try to take you for a ride or give you less than 5-star service. There are too many service providers out there, literally clamoring for your business – do not settle for less.
Cheers! 🍷
Jeryl
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