This drives me MAD. Rant AND praise, all in one...and I invite you to join in

Let me make this quick and to the point...

Nothing makes me rage with vein popping madness and yet, at the same time, sheer delight...more than this one thing.

It's what boils my blood and makes me feel all warm and cozy at the same time.

What is it?

Customer service.

Some folks just don't get it...literally.

I wish more people could focus on it, and improve it, and not put profit before people.

An example...

I get follow up emails saying... "before you decide, I want you to know that I am here for you. I want to personally help you with this thing, and I've always been that way..."

And yet, you drop them emails...and they never reply.

Sure, they'll help...but you better pay up first

In my first few years of this game, I've only seen a handful of people deliver 1st class, world class customer service. I know there's more out there, but I couldn't possibly find them all unless I spend all day buying or enquiring about products and services.

The one person that really stands out when it comes to customer service is:

Sam Stephens (creator of DLGuard software)

Sam never lets a ticket go past 24hrs.
Sam replies to forum threads on his site.
Sam doesn't stop until you are rocking.

When (of if) you ever have an issue, you KNOW that Sam is on to it. You can tell, just by the nature and speed of his replies, that he cares about his reputation, brand and business to his core.

It shows, folks, it really shows.

My point? I've consistently gone back to Sam's software and always choose his program over others (and there ARE LOTS of others)...because of this level of support.

And this aint no small outfit either, so there's no "but when you're running a big biz you have to outsource your customer service and wash your hands of it" BS going on here.

Sure, not all of us want to provide that personal touch, but if you're gonna sell to people of any number, would it kill you to fulfill your claims of so called support, and make sure whoever becomes the "face" of your company, deals with your customers quickly, with empathy and with knowledge and respect?

Don't worry though, if your customer service sucks, you're not alone...even Google has terrible customer service.

(P.S - This rant/thread has nothing to do with Google, that was just an example)

P.P.S - As I say, there are others out there, but I wanted to give an example of someone who deserves the praise.

For example, Jason Fladlien shows a personal touch that few others do at his income bracket...by simply having a reply to email/autoresponder set up. Ever seen those "do-not-reply" emails? How does that make you feel? Does it connect you to the person, or make you feel like you're being "sold by the big machine?"

When you can personally reply to messages, that gives you a personal sense of trust and service that reaches beyond guarantees and policies. Jason cares, and this shows it.