Y!Q and F’n Yahoos
Okay, you may have noticed those Y!Q contextual search tags on the post pages here and on InsideMicrosoft. I was hoping to use Y!Q to let you guys see other posts on Blog News Channel that relate to the one you’re reading. So far, while I’m mostly pleased with the results on InsideGoogle, the InsideMicrosoft implementation is atrocious, with lots of errors, despite the exact same code (literally, I copied and pasted). So, I e-mailed Yahoo, which is so excited about Y!Q, it is offering 5 grand to whomever designs the best implementation.
I hate autoresponders!
When a customer sends you a support request, an autoresponder says:
- We don’t care
- We’re not listening
- We might get back to you, eventually, or not
- We no longer have an obligation to get back to you, because this covers all our bases
- Don’t wait up
I would prefer waiting two weeks for a response, or even no response at all, to an autoresponder. Autoresponders are worse than under-trained call centers, it just shows a lack of effort.
And don’t think I’m singling out Yahoo. Tons of companies make this stupid, anti-helpful customer-dissatisfying feature all the time. Hey, corporate eggheads: No one likes it!
So, thanks Yahoo, for your insightful response. My call is very important to you? I had no idea! I realize I have a better chance getting help by blogging about it than using your support link, so here I go. If I don’t hear back by Thursday, I’m giving up on your product, which I had such high hopes for. Since Yahoo support isn’t listening, I have to hope Jeremy Zawodny is.
Yahoos.
/rant
UPDATE: Good old Jeremy Zawodny. I knew I could count on him.
Of course, it says a lot if your support department, which is paid to do this job, can’t deliver as effectively as Jeremy, who is not paid to support every Yahoo product under the sun. Given situations like this one, I’d say its a given that blog-friendly companies like Yahoo should start forcing their support guys to troll the blogosphere for customers in need of assistance.
FYI I’ve sent Google 5 emails during one year of Gmail beta testing. So far I’ve got 5 moronic autoresponses and 0 response. Needless to say that before reporting a bug I spent time RTFM’ing etc..
Comment by OL | May 24, 2005
Autoresponders make me feel like the company is saying #4 (We no longer have an obligation to get back to you…), but not the others. I think you be reaching a little bit.
Autoresponders also let me know the email didn’t get lost in the ether and the company at least has it in their lap.
Comment by Hashim | May 24, 2005
Nathan, I have to respectfully disagree with you. I think poorly of any company that DOESN’T have an autoresponder!
I think good autoresponders have the following characteristics:
1) They acknowledge that the e-mail was received (e.g., sent to a valid address)
2) They let me know (honestly and accurately) if and when I can expect a response from a human.
3) They thank me for my interest or query.
#2 is the most important. I’d like to know off the bat whether I can expect a real response within hours, days or never, which’ll help me react accordingly.
Comment by Adam | May 24, 2005
Auto-Responders, Y!Q, and F’ing Yahoos
Yes, I am listening, Nathan. But I saw your posting just before heading to SDForum this morning. I also hate autoresponders. Want proof? See the post I wrote about Feedback Forms in the Age of Weblogs over a year ago. I think that Yahoo needs to get be…
Trackback by Jeremy Zawodny's blog | May 25, 2005
Well, the biggest problem with the autoresponder I received was this quote:
Anyone who gets that message is thinking, “What if they never get back to me? I have a non-working product running on my site, and I have no idea if anyone is ever going to help me.”
Autoresponders have their place, but not in support requests. Any support department worth their salt should be able to email me back within 24 hours, making an autoresponse unnecessary. If it can’t, its understaffed.
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | May 25, 2005
[…] n what he called “another triumph for the blogosphere” (and what I call “how the blogosphere does customer service better“), Jason […]
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