Some (many) businesses make changes to online systems, and produce all kinds of problems for customers. But instead of being upfront, they stonewall their customers, leading to both failed service and wasted time. A recent example of this arises from my online subscription to the Wall Street Journal. After years of working very well, suddenly my password is rejected on a random day to day basis, with the latest denial occurring on Tuesday, December 25. The Journal’s “online chat help” staff proclaims nothing changed, but that cannot possibly be true – machines do not include gremlins as components. Therefore, lumps of coal should grace the offices and/or kiosks of the decision makers at the Journal.
In contrast, Crain’s Chicago Business did the right thing. It made changes to its systems and warned its customers with an email in advance of putting the changes into action, as shown below. In a perfect world, Crain’s would ensure a seamless change, but at least it’s owning up to change, in advance. Kudos to Crain’s for at least making that effort. It is sad and telling that the most service providers today are so very sloppy that Crain’s actions are noteworthy.
We are always looking for ways to deliver the news you want when you expect it. To that end, we are upgrading our technology and this means that our email address is changing. Since you’ve signed up to receive email newsletters or other correspondence from us, we want to make sure you continue to get those messages after the switch, which will take place next week. Please let us know if you suddenly stop receiving emails from us so we can work to get any issues fixed as quickly as possible to make sure you don’t miss a bit of valuable information.To better ensure you continue receiving email from Crain’s Chicago Business, please add our email address to your contacts list or follow these simple instructions.If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at customerservice@XXXXXXX.com [Xs inserted by blogger to protect Crain’s]. Thank you. David Snyder Publisher
Comments