My Son Learns About Online Customer Service
My husband and I gave our son an iPod Shuffle.
Of course, he was thrilled, and has already spent quite a few of his dollars — and mine — filling it up with songs only a 10-year old boy can love (i.e. the theme from Pokemon).
He’s also discovered my MarCom Strategist podcasts on iTunes. “Man, mom! Your podcasts are maxed out on popularity. Sweeeeet.”
(Yes, I am way cool, LOL.)
For some reason, however, he couldn’t subscribe to my podcast or any podcast — and neither of us could figure out why.
So he emailed technical support. (Note to consumer sites: not everyone knows what “enterprise” means, especially 10-year old boys.)
He received an auto-responder reply that read, “We’ll respond to your email in 48 hours.”
Now I’m a Windows gal who has become a quasi Apple convert after getting sucked into the Apple store vortex and falling instantly in love with . . . everything.
The vortex is how my son got the Shuffle — it was a 10-second impluse buy, hahahaha.
But given their $15 billion in cash, and their penchant for upending industries with way cool products, don’t you think Apple could spring for a few more technical support people who can answer the email support lines in 24 hours or less?
Imagine the result if Steve Jobs focused on that little problem. Wow.
About the author: Dianna Huff
A B2B web marketing expert, Dianna helps B2B companies grow through SEO, marketing writing, and social media. A frequent speaker, Dianna has been quoted in numerous blogs, books, and articles; her client list includes large and small B2B companies across the U.S. Follow her on Twitter @diannahuff. To receive her e-course on creating great B2B marketing content, subscribe to her e-newsletter, The MarCom Strategist.
December 26th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Dianna,
I often think about this. I wish more companies with the huge revenues would amp up the customer support. However, most companies just focus on the quantitative benefits of 24-7 tech support, and usually the benefits don’t measure up. Qualitatively, however, it would really help the company brand.
December 27th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Shama, Yes, I agree!