I was recently reminded just how amazing and dedicated American small businesses are and what a privilege it is to lead a great one. Of course, as is often the case, it was a non-example that brought this to my attention. Not by a small business, but by a used-to-be small LMS company that has lost its way. I was reminded of some of the challenges that come a bit too often with big business efficiency and “success.”
The LMS company that I’m referring to was one I often recommended to clients. That is, until they were acquired by a big corporate partner and their quality of service took a nosedive. Thinking about it still turns my stomach.
Here’s the series of events that took place, followed by some of my own personal reflections:
- When I started using this company’s services about five years ago, they were responsive, interested in my needs as their valued customer, and really were differentiated from many competitors by their great customer service.
- A couple of years ago, this great startup was acquired by a HUGE behemoth company (…think Amazon, Facebook, SAP, etc.). In some ways, I suppose this was the ultimate stamp of approval for this small startup with less than 50 employees, that had won so many clients during its short sprint to LMS stardom that it was attractive to such a big market player. And while I’m sure the owners and shareholders likely experienced great financial benefit from the acquisition, customers like me experienced significant loss.
- First, there was a marked change in support for smaller clients. They used to offer services to companies needing as few as 25 licenses—now they start at 150.
- Next, the price dramatically increased. The per-license fees for new clients jumped almost 100% within the first year.
- Then, when I started an inquiry (over a year ago now, in the middle of their acquisition pain), I realized that customer service was also declining.
- Instead of the one-call fix-all I was accustomed to, I experienced delays getting through to a live person, and the person who had taken such good care of me before, had to check with multiple levels of management about my request.
- A year later, I called back to follow up on the same unresolved issue, and was told that since the acquisition, they weren’t able to act on this kind of request the way they could prior to the acquisition. After more conversation in which I expressed my frustration, I asked to speak with someone else in the organization that would be empowered to help address my reasonable request that was just outside of their “policy.” The support person agreed to copy me in an email to the regional manager with my request.
- I received a nice email from the manager copied on my escalation request, and he informed me that while he was happy to meet with me, there was little he thought he could do to bypass the policy.
- We met briefly. He’d been with the company for seven years. After a brief overview of my challenges, together we mourned the acquisition that had taken away so much from the company they used to be. In the name of efficiency and profit, the company lost their focus on customer experience (particularly for smaller customers).
- He offered to send my request forward, but told me it wouldn’t be supported. I thanked him for not wasting my time and offered to be part of a customer advocate team if/when the company ever figured out they were losing customers (and worse, a positive reputation for service).
- Oh, and then he also shared they were raising their rates again.
- I said goodbye to him and my loyalty to that company. A company that’s now characterized by their disservice rather than their service.
So now, I’m grieving the loss of what used to be one of the better LMS providers I had the pleasure of working with. I do have other companies we work with and recommend. (And if you are a small to medium-sized company, yes, we can help you with an LMS solution for as little as 10 users! Just contact us here.)
A few reflections from this experience:
- Customer disservice is ugly. He handled the situation as best as could be expected. Of course, while finding a way to empathize with the customer is a good soft skill to have, I’d never want to hear a company representative siding with a disgruntled customer against the company. But if the employee is expected to support company policy, the onus is on the company to “Do the Right Thing” for the customer. When a company stops supporting that principle, it’s not long before you’re left with a workforce that doesn’t care at best, and at worst feels like they’ve sold their soul because of the dysfunctional practices that are required to work there. Wells Fargo anyone?
- Dysfunctional service is a choice. I felt worse for the employees that worked there than I did for me. Working for a company that it’s hard to believe in is the worst. If we are good at what we do, and take pride in our work, most people have a choice of where we work. Choose wisely, and if you are part of a company that you can’t believe in, choose differently!
- Our Motto is “Building trust, Creating value, Driving innovation…” What I felt I was experiencing with that company was “Build our business, Create customer challenges, Drive to the bottom line.” I heard loud and clear what was the most important part of their business. And it wasn’t me as their customer. I’ve never felt more pride in our company’s motto.
- I really love being part of the solution for businesses of all sizes. When I have these types of encounters now, one way I keep myself calm in the middle of the dysfunction is to let them know that “We can help you with that.” Most don’t take me up on it, but it keeps me focused on something positive (the differences we make for our clients), and things I can change (where I choose to do business), rather than on things I can’t change (this company or their poor policy).
Your Turn: What do you do to remind yourself to stay calm when you are experiencing poor customer service first-hand? Unfortunately we all have stories to share! What have you chosen to learn from the painful experience? Take a minute to drop us a comment!
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