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Earl Adamy wrote:
> I'm amazed at the crap which is
> dispensed by the majors I've done business with including Dial Data and
> Telescan. On different occasions I sent simple filter code to each of them
> and asked why they didn't implement filters - neither replied.
>
This may be a bit off topic, so my apologies. Your experience in this case with
two well known vendors is typical of my own experience. I have yet to encounter
a single company in this industry that has consistently demonstrated that it
understands the concept of customer service. I know from reading many, many
posts to various groups (like yours) that it is not just me.
I was the owner of a small but successful company. Each employee received
instruction and training regarding the importance of customer service. It
wasn't just a theoretical concept. No matter what the cost, customer
satisfaction is far more effective than any advertising dollar ever spent.
Every complaint, question, suggestion, or compliment was handled in a courteous,
and most importantly, prompt manner. In what you described above, a simple
"Thank you, but we aren't going to use your suggestions because..." or "Thank
you, we are going to use your suggestion as a way of improving our service -
here's 3 mos. free as a token of our appreciation." would have made an
incredible contribution to customer loyalty. You couldn't buy advertising
anywhere for any price that would have been as effective as that simple
response.
The "service" I routinely encounter in this whole industry would have had me
firing employees had they been mine. I've sent email that said "I AM INTERESTED
IN BUYING YOUR PRODUCT , I just have a few questions. More than once, I
received a rude almost hostile response. On other occasions, no response. This
is extra surprising when you consider my stated intention to purchase.
This lack of customer concern isn't limited to the small, unheard of companies.
I had some problems with BMI (not the data, just the staff - promises not kept,
incompetent service, etc.). I articulated the whole sordid mess in a letter to
the Sales Mgr. No response. I subscribe to the Omega-list. TradeStation users
are requesting information about the expected date of completion of the Y2k
patch. Response? None. As a back up I requested product information from a
TradeStation competitor - Metastock. No response yet even though I told them
I'd buy it if my questions were answered to my satisfaction. What would the
combined advertising budget of these three companies be? Talk about misdirected
resources!
If ever there was an opportunity for a business, it would be in this industry.
If any existing (or new) company ever learns to grasp what *basic* customer
service is, they would go right to the top.
-Alan
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