1.The airline thing is bum deal, certainly, but the cable company story is what really gets me. In my area, I've had *nightmare* stories involving Comcast -- too many to even list. And now that we've been switched to Time Warner due to some sort of market-buyout deal, I don't see things as being any better. (Note, too, that we were indeed "switched to" Time Warner, as opposed to actually choosing to switch companies. Such is the monopolistic and controlling nature of the cable business, I guess.)

As far as the cable companies customer service folks are concerned, it's like they don't even *try* to do their jobs well. In 90 percent of my interactions with both companies, most of which seemed routine, my experiences were horrid.

My point: I feel your (and your wife's and her friend's) pain. </rant>

2.Hi Shel,

I'm hoping this comment makes it through because about every other try, typing in the indicated word in the appropriate case, I get an error message stating I've typed in the wrong word. Resubmitting doesn't get any better result.

That aside, like Mike, I feel your pain. I think we all have had at least one experience in the airport where gate personnel either are uninformed or unwilling to share communication about delays or help too much with booking problems and the "customer service" desks (always seem to be located at the farthest reaches of the airport) aren't much better.

I can also say that I've had my major issue with Verizon as they steam-rolled through our neighborhood as close to unannounced as they could manage tearing up lawns and driveways installing their FIOS fiber optic network. They left behind ungodly messes for people who did not ask for their service (and who have a choice with local cable and satellite service), and afterward were not likely to want to reward Verizon with their business. It's a great story, including my own somewhat successful outreach to local media, politicians to hold Verizon publicly accountable, that I won't go into, but it speaks to your point.

Verizon could have avoided much of the media coverage, the state legislator-sponsored town hall, and the barrage of complaints to every level of government and regulating agency, horrible word-of-mouth (in fact, that's how angry consumers were directed to the list of numbers to call), and could have had a much more successful launch of the FIOS service (including my business) had they just had a modicum of PR sensibility in the installation process.

True, the work was done by sub-contractors but the view is that Verizon hid behind that wall and claimed it was all their fault. In the end, it's Verizon's product, Verizon's image. They needed to ensure the front line was fully trained in communicating what was coming, what it meant to property owners, when it was going to happen (and not two days in advance), and how to lodge concerns or complaints during the process. They needed to empower the sub-contractor to offer the proper amends instead of letting the consumer force them into settlements, or be prepared to address those themselves directly.

Wouldn't be worth commenting here so much if, as a little research uncovers, the same story wasn't replayed over and over again as they moved their installation project from Texas, to Tampa, to Leesburg, VA, to my community, and on to the next community, following the same strategy with the same results -- bad media, local legislators getting involved and holding town halls, consumers banding together. Boggle the mind.

I don't know that PR needs to direct the process, but their counsel is badly needed. Then again, the PR rep for Verizon, Harry Mitchell, was the stereotypical PR flack, trying to spin the issue onto the sub-contractor and even the consumer, rather than have Verizon step and honestly take responsibility.
michael clendenin

3.I'm not quite sure why the internal or external PR representatives are not the first people called when there is an issue such as all of the computers for a major airline at a major airport down. It seems to me that the traditional viewpoint of PR as simply publicity hounds still rings true. I'm hoping that the push with social media and new technologies will open corporations eyes to the fact that PR can step in during these times and truly RELATE to the PUBLIC.

I also can't understand the legality of cable monopolies throughout regions of the U.S....but that is another story ;)

4.Spot on Shel. There is nothing worse than working day-in and day-out to prove what a great service or benefit your organization provides, only to walk through your call center and hear your company?s service reps saying ?no? to a customer. Growing brand awareness, gaining positive coverage and promoting transparency are often the focus of our efforts, but as communicators, we should also remember to look inward to see how we can make a difference in the way customers perceive our organization. Bringing a hundred customers to your company is only a communications victory if those same customers leave with a positive experience.

5.I'm going to say that I somewhat agree with the points presented. True, too often a customer service rep is short on answers/patience/manners etc. BUT, the industry standard for customer service is sub-standard to begin with. These "reps" are paid peanuts and often instructed to never give-in to a customers demands unless the customer is threatening to discontinue using the product. In the case of the internet, with no competition to switch to (which to me sounds unreal, as I live in Canada and have no less than three companies to select from) the rep isn't overly concerned about losing customers because they have nowhere to go. Also, these people are fielding complaints from the moment they get to their call station to the second they take their headsets off from people who aren't necessarily practiced in the fine art of "reasonable conversation." After a while, one would tend to develop a thickskin to the relative abuses, and, as a result, not care in the least that someone who could really use a little extra help gets it or not. Sorry for sounding off (and I don't work in the call-centre industry) but I think that the overall attitude of the consumer when it comes to a break in service or a delay at the airport and HOW they approach it is the reason that customer-service reps don't bend over backwards for the needs of the individual consumer.

6.Sorry, Ryan, but I can't really excuse a company on this point because the "industry standard for customer service is substandard." I like to think I'm pretty reasonable and only go to the extent that I did with Verizon in my previous comment because the customer service was so poor, not the other way around. And besides, if PR were allowed a role, a voice, that would help companies, and industries, bring that sub-standard standard up to some kind of acceptable level of reasonable conversation.

I think it comes down to money. Companies can't give up the mind-set "don't give them anything." In the end, they end up "giving" more away to compensate for the initial problem and the aggravation they put customers through. I suppose they feel that by that time there are fewer customers to deal with as most of us get exasperated, throw our hands up, shrug and walk away, a hostage to the substandard standard.

7.I have noticed over the years that if a company has really cool commercials the customer service stinks. The emphasis is on making the sale. Dell is good example but not the only good example. Two years ago I sat and listen to people complain about their customer service. I had recently watched one of their commercials that made Dell look like the computer to buy. And they touted their 24/7 customer service. The promises were the opposite of the actual customer response.

8.Strangely enough, I've been a Comcast customer for 4 years & I've no complaint. When I installed it myself, there was a problem, & I called the 800 number. The person I spoke to walked me through his tests of the connection, determined that it was at the pole where our cable connection is, & scheduled a repairman to be there next day. The guy came next day, fixed the problem at the pole, checked the connection in our house (& replaced a splitter & some cable running to my pc), & all no charge. It worked, & except for the week after Katrina (when there was no electricity Anywhere whithin 60 miles north, east, or west, & none south until you crossed the Gulf to Mexico) I've had no probs. Of course, the entire infrastructure was built 40 years ago by the company Comcast bought over a decade ago, so that might be part of it.

I've heard so many horror stories about all cable & phone companies, I feel most fortunate! And, thank goodness, I don't have to fly on business, & I fly Southwest every couple of years when I fly at all. Cheap & ontime.
Love & Peace, Clarence

9.Shel,
Customer experience with products and services is arguably the biggest force behind the creation of consumer expression about brands, including expression that manifests in media, or consumer-generated media. Therefore, the customer-service team is inherently a powerful media department. To quote my colleague Pete Blackshaw, the big difference here is that this media department manages media impressions both good and bad for the brand, or positive and negative GRPs, in media-geek speak. But preferably, everyone in an organization would consider himself part of the customer-service team, and, by extension, the new media team.
Cheers,
Max Kalehoff

10.Shel,

I wish I could tell you I was surprised. I recently purchased a new home and tried to get cable installed. After three visits, they had only managed to install one room, and even then, according to the supervisor who eventually came out, it had been done wrong. I spent two hours on the phone asking for 'someone who wanted to save this account.'

I never found one and when I asked for a supervisor it took her three hours to call me back. By the time she had, I had already switched to satellite.

I retained my RoadRunner business connection for my Internet service and let my business rep know how unhappy I was with the service at the consumer offices, further explaining that I was responsible for quality training at a call center at my fortune 100 company.

Only then did I receive any attention. I got a call from three high-level managers at Time Warner trying to save the account. the highest even gave me her cell phone number in case I wanted to give them another chance...

Unfortunately, that ship had already sailed.

Mark Heise