There are days when I wish I had some super power that
allowed me to sense when someone was about to make a nasty high-tech
mistake. Then I could swoop in, act as translator and ombudsman and
save countless hours and dollars on my client’s behalf. Instead,
though, I am forced to field the early morning phone calls where a client
explains how some software upgrade or network change has reduced their
computer systems to nothing more than a pile of worthless wires and
switches, worth more for its copper content than anything else.
Can you tell I have had a spate of these occurrences lately? I recently
absorbed a number of clients from a friend and fellow consultant, and
many of my first calls have been spent repairing some error or omission
– most that were only peripherally the client’s fault. While
I have been unable to develop some sort of high-tech “Spidey Sense,”
I can, at least, solve these new client’s problems and make every
effort to insure it never happens again.
Hold the phone
A few days ago I got a call from one of these new clients, explaining
how their DSL had stopped functioning. I didn’t really expect
any large problems, as it is usually just a loose cable or a router
that needs resetting. When I arrived, though, I started to hear about
an “upgrade” that had been offered by their DSL provider.
The client had accepted it over the phone and all was thought to be
well. Of course, on the day the change was supposed to take place, the
entire system stopped working.
As I write, the problem has still not been resolved, but all information
points to a botched transfer or install of the new service. Hours spent
talking to Tier 1 and Tier 2 support showed me that even they were confused
over what was occurring. Never a good sign. What is even worse, I believe
the client was sold something they never really needed in the first
place. Since they are a professional office, it appears that a salesperson
called with the offer to upgrade to a faster version of DSL. In reality,
this small office is fine with a standard DSL line, but your average
user, through no fault of their own, often thinks that bigger, or in
this case, faster, is always better.
This was the first mistake in this process. Had I worked with the client
previously I would have instructed them to always contact me before
making a big change like this so we could talk over any possible implications.
I highly recommend you do the same with your clients. Give them enough
advice and training so they can tell when they are outside of their
areas of expertise. Reinforce with your clients that they can call you
whenever they have questions as it is always better (and cheaper for
them) to ask questions BEFORE pressing the button than after. Again,
I really wish I had those super powers. In this case, there was nothing
I could do to avoid the mistake being made on the front end.
Just say no!
While the client may have made an uninformed decision that initiated
the problem, I place the most blame on the sales person who made the
cold call and convinced them to upgrade. I wasn’t privy to the
call, but I can imagine the type of tactics used. A small minority of
salespeople will do anything to make a sale, even selling something
that the client doesn’t need. Their uncaring actions have ended
up costing my client hundreds of dollars.
Of course, the worst mistake of this entire situation was failing to
deliver what they had sold the client. Had the switch taken place smoothly,
neither the client nor I would have been any wiser. Sure, he would have
been paying more money every month for something he really wasn’t
using, but he would have had a working network. Now, through no fault
of his own, he is suffering this customer service nightmare and I can
do very little to help. I am acting as a translator and a middleman
to try and resolve the issue, but the problem in this case isn’t
so much technical as bureaucratic.
It is very frustrating to have been unable to prevent this problem,
or to help solve it quickly. In most cases, though, I can only help
those who seek my assistance. The best you can do is to prepare your
clients so they don’t suffer similar issues. Perhaps you know
of somewhere I can visit to develop my high-tech super hero skills.
After this week I need them even more than usual.
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