Comments on: Press 3 for more options (and other signs your social network is insincere)

By: Haim Toeg

Haim Toeg — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:56:21 +0000

Michael – thanks for an interesting post. There are two themes we can pick on from your post, first, many IVRs are designed explicitly to allow only the most stubborn customers penetrate its maze of endless options. Second, seems like Social CRM, or whatever else companies may call it, is the new magic pill, we just establish a group on linkedin, or facebook, tweet a few times and we’ll not have to worry about all those channels like phone, e-mails and such. In reality, going social will more likely than not expose and amplify the weaknesses in the service organization.

By: Rob Hilsen

Rob Hilsen — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:46:31 +0000

Thank you, Esteban, for using your presence on Twitter to alert me (and all of your “followers”) to this article and for reminding me Michael’s blog is a “must read” site for the customer-centric Web strategies set (if only Michael was on Twitter too*).

I remember a keynote presentation not too long ago when Michael recounted a story about leaving his daughter a voice message only to have his daughter say, “Dad, please…voice mail?”, the implication being no one of a certain age used voice mail anymore; she preferred other, more suitable communications channels (such as texting), as ways of keeping in contact with her friends and family and with the places she shopped.

Enthusiasm for the acquisition and use of new technologies is understandable and it stands to reason companies will make efforts to be where their customers and prospects are: telephone channels and on-line channels.

Michael’s case of one company’s enthusiastic embrace of social media is not about a company picking the wrong channel to support (or, as Bill Odell comments, “the endless efforts of the contact center to use IVR routing schemes do(ing) little to add value to customers seeking help”); it’s about earning customer trust and good way of doing this is by ensuring companies adequately support (all of) the communications channels they use with their customers. I do agree with Bill there are some pretty good applications (and some pretty bright people) available to help companies do just that.

*I wonder what Michael’s daughter would say about her father not being on Twitter.

By: Esteban Kolsky

Esteban Kolsky — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:42:27 +0000

This is what I miss the most about Gartner – being able to say truisms like that and be recognized for it, as opposed to being told I am antagonistic.

great post, and great point – and one that most people don’t focus on. just looking a the new and shiny does not make problems go away. nicely said.

By: Bill Odell

Bill Odell — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:33:25 +0000

Great post Michael. Those of us in the social CRM space often forget the demographic that is simply comfortable with using the phone and talking to a live person. Unfortunately the endless efforts of the contact center to use IVR routing schemes does little to add value to customers seeking help. In fact it seems as though this approach primarily serves the vendors. I like the idea of posting IVR routing information in a customer service community.

This approach simply recognizes that if the community can’t provide a solution, then there is a way to reach the vendoro for help. In the Helpstream solution we allow customers to open a case directly with the vendor through our community for exactly this reason. Adding the IVR information would be easy and give another access point to help.