Customer Communities Can Be Great For Supporting Customer, Or Really, Really Anger Provoking

Over the last decade more and more companies have launched online communities, because of the cost savings, particularly if you can get customers to help each other and answer each other's questions.

Some HAVE been effective. Many more have ended up with even angrier customers, who turn against the company, or end up venting their increased anger in those forums and bulletin boards.

What You MUST Do With Your Customer Communities To Succeed

• You must be able to create a core group of people who are loyal to your company, and LOVE helping others with respect to your products. They must be active, and helpful. If you have to provide them with some rewards to help, do that. If you can gamify it, do that.
• If your products do not inspire loyalty, don't bother. Apple is a positive example. Their products are owned by people who love them, love to share with others. You need these advocates on your forums and communities, because not only will they participate, but they often have incredible knowledge about the products.
• You must have some staff/employee presence to help out and answer questions when other customers do not. That has a cost. If you can't budget or allocate personnel to do this, don't bother.
• Similarly, forums and communities need to have active, regular moderating. Spam needs to be eliminated or removed. Rules need to be enforced. Why? Because your customers will blame YOU if the community is damaged by spam posts, or nasty behavior.
• Have a management or executive presence. It's important that at least occasionally, senior staff participate. It doesn't have to be regular, but you'd be amazed at how powerful an occasional post from the CEO is. Consider having a special area, just for the CEO to say hello, thank people, and offer product tips.

Do It Right Or Don't Do Customer Communities

Seriously. Build the community, let people know why it's valuable to them, but be involved. Nothing is more frustrating to a customer than to post a question, either pre-sale or after-sale, and be ignored, and that is currently the norm, even for companies like Google and Amazon.

The 7 habits paradigm presented by Covey is based on the concept of the maturity continuum.

This is the natural law of growth, an incremental, sequential progression to personal and interpersonal effectiveness and is the cornerstone of the seven habits

There are 3 levels which are:

• Dependence – The concept that YOU take care of me. I depend on you to survive and to achieve things.
• Independence – The concept that I can look after myself. I rely solely on myself, I no longer need assistance.
• Interdependence – The concept that WE can do things. That our talents and abilities combined create something greater.

The value of self-awareness Humans have a uniquely valuable ability to think about their own thought process. It allows us to stand apart and see ourselves – our self paradigm if you like – and determines our own attitude and behaviour, and how we see other people.

How you feel about yourself determines the image that you project onto others. Until you consider how your actions appear to them, you cannot evaluate why they think and respond the way that they do.

If our only vision of ourselves is from the social mirror, then our perception of ourselves is tainted by projections of other individuals weaknesses rather than a reflection of your own actions.

The reflection of the current social paradigm is that we are largely determined by conditioning and conditions:

• Genetic Determinism – A genetic inheritance from your parents
• Psychic Determinism – Your upbringing is responsible
• Environmental Determinism - Something around you is determining your response

To Whom It May Concern:

We appreciate all types of feedback.  We welcome our customers to submit concerns, quetions and of course compliments when appropriate.  

As a company we do our very best to make each customer feel appreciated, respected and looked after.

If there is ever a question or request we make sure to address that issue in a timely manner.  

We service over 1000 homes each year in Texas and we are proud of our A rating with the BBB, our 1000's of local references and our strong reputation from the past 15 years.

The complaint below saddens our heart to think one of our homeowners feel this strongly about her experience.  As the owner, I made several trips to communicate and listen to all her questions, concerns and complaints.  We went back to the house and addressed all specified areas in question.  

There are times when you simply can't make a customer 100% happy and that is when you try a bit harder.  

In this scenario the owner had some valid concerns in reference to touch ups and some unreasonble and outlandish accusations.

We will continue to operate with the highest of integrity and continue to treat each home as if it were our own.

If you have any questions about our service or this particular situation please call me on my direct line at 281.250.8773.

We hate to see one weird "review" push our customers one way or another.

Sincerely,

Blake, Owner

Thanks everyone for the caring thoughts and words.

In response to the fish tank question- the shelf that was broke in the entry way - when it hit the floor, it flung glass everywhere as far as the living room, and some landed into the refugium of my salt water tank which is in the entry way, once the tank filter pulled up the piece of glass as it was not heavy, it sucked it up into the tubing to recirculate water for air flow, and it got plugged up with the peice of glass, meaning the the fish were not getting fresh air, and the tank started to over flow because to other side was still pumping water out.  So lack of water, due to it pumping out and overflowing the refugium, plus no recirculated water to bring air back to the upper tank.  Thats how the fish tank was damaged.  One broken Ikea shelf with glass shelf inserts.

In response to the person that forwarded my comment to the company - Thank you, I to have been fighting with them to have the work correctly done, one of their employees stated that he was no longer coming back, so I went to the owner / manager, he is coming to "touch-up" this upcoming Saturday.  Its more then touch-ups and I have told him that several times.  I am not sure he really understands the work that was done, but Saturday he will see it.  I hope that explains more then.

In any case - an update to the situation.  The owner called stated that he got news that I had filed a complaint.  And asked if I still wanted him to come out.  I told him yes, because I already paid in full (even thought their website said that the will not accept final payment until the customer is completely satisfied - they took the payment without any problems).   During this call the owner whom has never even set foot into my home to see whats going on stated he did not believe me that any of my complaints are true.  I offered him proof and that I would show him, and he said we would discuss is Saturday when he came out.  Thanks to the storm, we got disconnected, or I got hung up on, but I will give the benefit of doubt here because the storm was really bad and we were both on cell phones.   

He did call back, but I did not get the telephone call, just a scrambled voice mail.  I have opted not to call back and am waiting for Saturday at 830 when his painter and him (owner) come out to correct the problem with the job itself.  I am glad though that he is seemingly trying to right a major wrong at least with the quality of work. 

Once Saturday is over, I will update here with the input and if at least half of the problem is resolved.  But in all honesty, that half, isn't the part that hurts the most.  It is the loss that hurts more then the bad paint job.  Either way, I would not recommend this company to my worst enemy though watching my enemies life turned upside down might be entertaining, it would not be worth the pain from the reprocussions.

I would update with pictures of the work - but I no longer have a computer at home to do it.  As it disappeared when the painters left the door unlocked (that apparently is the homeowners responsibility to make sure that contractors lock the door when they leave even if you are not home). 

I just hope that my children's teachers do not expect anything on a computer for awhile for school as it will be awhile before I can get another computer for the house.

Cross your fingers that this works and that my house looks much better after Saturday.

 OHHH the queen of rebutts pop an email. bet that will scare them!!!! Come on babe

Sorry for your loss but you should have removed the birds from the home if you knew the paints fumes were so toxic that you had to rely on the painters opening all the window and doors plus turning on all the fans. And I am not sure on how they clogged your fish tank filter.

I popped them an email with your complaint. We will see if that helps!