omer service is an option //
Either you have a strategy in place or you are paying for a mistake.
The introduction of 800 numbers revolutionized the way that large brands communicated with their customers. A consumer could instantly and without charge contact a company to complain about a service or product.
It was not just fodder to create an endless number of New Yorker comics. Others, like Google, saw it as an unnecessary expense and avoided it. The companies that were successful in the group with no support spent their money on improving the user experience.
Both choices are justifiable. It’s expensive to provide great customer service, but it is also free. It’s because it is the cheapest and easiest way to keep a customer.
It is expensive and difficult to build a new auto company. Rivian’s strategy is to be the most honest and diligent car company ever. The phone is answered in just one ring. A helpful person will actually help. They work overtime to fix things. Ask them if you see someone who is a Rivian.
Discourse, a much smaller company that supports its software through a humane, interactive, and effective community approach. This is not as costly as towing a car, but it helps build customer loyalty and generates decent margins.
It’s delightful to see that great companies, like PSAudio, are following suit, and using Discourse as a tool to connect with customers and provide support. It offers a level of protection that many companies find difficult to match.
Firstbase, an upstart company that aims to serve founders of startups, has lost its way. Firstbase takes up to five business days before they respond to an inquiry, their UX stinks, and they act as if they don’t really care. Firstbase, unlike Google, is in a cost-cutting phase. They know that it’s broken.
Cost cutting is not the way to success.
The expectation of consumers is that businesses will be engaged. You can be a soloist but the instant communication will still make you look bad if your support is poor.
