Too Successful?
8, Mar, 2012We use a desktop sharing provider/meeting manager owned by a large router company. The monthly fee was kind of steep for us at the time we started with them, so for a long time we only had one account and shared it. Well now, thanks to our customers and a *lot* of hard work on our part, we can justify more than one account. I thought
“Great- I just go to the part of their site to add more hosts and pay there.” No such luck. At the very last step, after spending 15 minutes entering information, I was informed I couldn’t do it because I didn’t have enough hosts. Full stop. Nothing more. No more information on how to raise the limits. No phone number. No link for additional information. I threw up my hands and set it aside. Six months later I tried again. Same results. I set it aside again. This time, though, I went looking for a phone number, a link, anything that would tell me how to add more hosts. No joy. These people did not want to be contacted.
Today I tried again to find contact information so I could give them more money. Finally, buried at the bottom of an email contact form that wanted 18 different pieces of unrelated information, in 8-point type, I found a phone number. Hallelujah!
I called the number and got to a salesman after only two or three phone trees, and he took my order. Then something happened that just made my jaw drop. I said to the fellow “You know, I’ve been trying to give you more business for over a year and it’s been very, very difficult.” Then I politely explained the process I’d been through and do you know what he did? He said “We used to have the number prominently displayed, but”… are you ready for this? “we got too many calls.” I was dumfounded. He clearly didn’t get it.
My message today: If *anyone* out there has trouble reaching us, for whatever reason (except to sell me a timeshare in Bermuda), and *especially* to give us more business, please let me know. My name is Matthew Hardin and I run the engineering group, I’m a founder, and I sit on the Board of Directors. My direct number is 650-963-7602. We *want* you to call. We *want* your business and we’ll even take your call to get it.
I hope Symas never gets so successful that we ask you not to call. Or make it difficult to pay us. If we do, please smack me. Hard.
- Posted by Symas in in