I've had 2 customer service experiences of note this past week which got me thinking about service levels in general. It strikes me that I can't remember a recent experience that was 'just OK'. For me, mediocre service, more often than not, is automatically stored away in my mental "poor service" bucket. There doesn't seem to be much of a middle ground anymore.
For the most part, the decision of whether or not I spend money comes down to two things: 1. do I get value and/or enjoyment out of the product/service I'm buying? and/or 2. do I feel good about supporting the company I'm spending money with? #1 (product value) without #2 (company affinity) is a recipe for disaster. There is usually very little loyalty in that scenario and as soon as an alternative appeared, customers would likely (and gladly) jump ship. #2 without #1 is a also a tough one. For example, there's a local "Asian Street Food" restaurant that has mediocre fare, but really pleasant employees. There is always a good vibe in the place, and I eat there every couple of weeks to support them as a local business. They're walking a tightrope, though...if service dips, even slightly, I would likely never return. On the flip side, if the food improves, even slightly, my patronage would increase significantly. I can only hope for the latter.
Which brings me to my industry...software...where the rules are, let's be honest, exactly the same.
Service Excellence: Squarespace. I recently switched my blogging platform from WordPress to Squarespace, who's progress as a company I have been following for a long time (somewhat jealously, as I had a similar business idea a few years back). The software isn't without its quirks, though, and I had some questions during my early adoption of the system. There were 2 aspects of Squarespace's service that I was impressed by. First, they set expectations perfectly. I initiated my question through their form-based ticketing system, which accurately estimated their response time. Secondly, I emailed back and forth with 2 different support reps, both of whom not only answered my questions, but also took the time to offer alternative ways of accomplishing what I was trying to do. Granted, my questions weren't that difficult, but how many times have you been provided with a "suggested link" that is of zero use? The tone of the responses were straightforward and "human"...it really felt that they were taking the time to answer my questions thoroughly. After my last interaction, I sent them an email to thank them for their high quality service. They responded in kind, thanking me for taking the time to acknowledge them. I felt really good about the entire interaction.
Service Mediocrity (a.k.a. unacceptable service): Adobe. Oh, Adobe. It's a good thing you have class-leading software products. Doing business with you really tests my patience. I'm a quite satisfied user of their Creative Suite bundle (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.) and was looking to upgrade from Creative Suite CS5 to CS6 last week. Not able to figure out how to easily make that happen through the website, I called their Sales line. To their credit, I was routed to the right person pretty quickly...but that's the last positive part of the experience. The Sales Rep found my existing license, quoted me a price, and completed the transaction by charging my credit card...all with a grumpy edge. The Rep appeared to be quite young, intelligent, and well spoken...but he obviously didn't care if I was a customer or not. Sad. Soon after, I received an email confirmation that contained a serial number to enter during the software installation process. Unfortunately, the serial number didn't work. I won't go through the entire saga, but three hours, multiple IM-based discussions with different Support Reps (with ridiculously underestimated "wait times"), and lots of (internal monologue) cuss words later, I had finally installed the #$!@ software. It turns out I unknowingly had 2 Adobe accounts associated with the same email address, and the problem was supposedly due to the fact that there were different mailing addresses on the accounts. This doesn't make sense to me since the initial Sales Rep had found my original CS5 license and upgraded it to CS6. What a mess. It is a good thing for Adobe that I (and countless other folks) haven't found a better alternative to their software.
I know it's a complicated undertaking to get customer/sales service right...especially for big companies like Adobe. But it's not easy for smaller companies like Squarespace to execute such high levels of service either. It takes money, resources, and a commitment up and down the chain of command to set the bar high. But it must be so.
Unfortunately, it seems that Adobe has simply accepted their mediocrity in customer service. Which is such a shame...and a dangerous place to be as everyone I know is valuing customer service more and more these days. Mediocrity is simply unacceptable. With such high quality products, Adobe has the opportunity to turn things around. Pair excellent products with excellent sales/support service levels and you will turn disgruntled customers like me into lifetime loyalists.