I'm happy to report that as of this posting, Hewlett Packard and the Fullers have reached an agreement in principle on a ceasefire. Nothing is final, but at last the stalemate has been broken and we should be receiving a comparable new computer in a few weeks. (For those unfamiliar with our HP problem, I direct you to this blog established by The Wife to chronicle our bizarre misadventure.)
Long story short: Our computer flat died several weeks ago. As it is still under warranty, we shipped it to HP for repair. Approximately 10 days later our computer was returned.
And it was still broken.
It was our view that in failing to repair the unit per the warranty, HP breached said warranty. When we called back to complain, HP said the only recourse was for us to send the computer back in for their techs to get another crack at it and hope for a different result.
A wise man once called that the very definition of insanity. Eventually, we reached an impasse: us demanding a new computer, HP insisting that the warranty be followed.
The above description of events leaves out the hours spent on the phone by my wife in rather mystifying conversations with HP's customer support staff. What broke the stalemate? Social media: virtual aqueducts.
After a well-worded email to HP, I befriended two HP-affiliated Twitter accounts. In a manner of speaking, I called them out in the Twittosphere for the shoddy service we received. We went back and forth, with several of my friends "Re-Tweeting" my posts to effectively multiply their reach, and thus the negative impact on HP. Less than 24 hours later, I was speaking with "Executive Customer Service," who now had a newfound interest in resolving the issue. Admittedly, HP no doubt dealt with much more difficult fires to extinguish that day than what to that point was still a relatively meager social media dust up, but this is certain: Smart companies know that this economy combined with the power of social media to turn escalating customer complaints into viral PR nightmares could spell disaster.
Social media is empowering customers to share their experiences in real time, to influence their friends and followers in favor or in opposition of brands. And since people are far more responsive to their friends than any advertisement, no matter how well-crafted, social media represents both an opportunity and a challenge for brands looking to break in to the arena.
In ancient Rome, aqueducts were a critical part of the survival of the empire: They ran potable water to cities and took wastewater away. Smart companies treat social media and online conversations the same way. First and foremost, they listen. They see what is being said, what customers are saying about their brand. That is the lifeblood of any company looking grow its loyalty; it is the potable water that allows a corporate empire to survive.
And similarly, as in my case, @HPCheer and @HPSupport used social media to quell a growing complaint from a rational, potentially influential disgruntled customer. In a sense, they took the "wastewater" away. (Side note: They deserve some credit here. They were the first people representing HP that made the customer service experience tolerable.)
The lessons of ignoring the structure of the new aqueducts are ubiquitous. This one is one of my favorites. Much like the Roman aqueducts that are still in place today, "social media" - in whatever form - is likely here to stay. That is, consumer-to-consumer and company-to-consumer communication is changing. It may not be Twitter or Facebook or any number of the other social networking sites that stands the test of time, but it is clear the days when companies held all the cards in controlling their brand are over.
You feel me?
AF
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