NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Google's Customer Support Dilemma Intensifies
Google's Customer Support Dilemma Intensifies
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000666.html
Greetings. With sales support and technical support issues
surrounding Google's launch of their new Nexus One Android phone
rather vividly in the spotlight right now, this seems like an
appropriate time to revisit a recurring theme of significant interest
to me, the topic of Google's customer support in general
( http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000664.html ).
This is most assuredly not a simple matter, and any attempt to paint
this subject as suitable for easy solutions or quickie analysis is
doomed to be pretty much useless or even counterproductive. So this
is going to be a rather long piece. Sorry about that, Chief.
Regular readers know that I've discussed this topic various times in
the past in relation to different aspects of the perceived problems.
I'll try to avoid repeating at length here what I've previously said
and recommended in those prior postings -- here are links to a couple
of these for backstory reference:
Google's "Failure to Communicate" vs. User Support
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000509.html
"Google Ombudsman" (Part II)
http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000510.html
An initially unexpected result of my various writings on Google
support problems has been a continuing flow of Google-related issues
being sent to me by frustrated Google users, including concerns
ranging from trivial to serious.
A common thread is that most of these users claim to have been unable
to obtain an adequate response (or in many cases, any non-automated
response at all) from Google in reaction to their concerns. These
users then start Google Searching on the topic of Google support
problems, find my essays, and start forwarding their problems to me!
It's gotten to the point where it's rare for a day to go by without my
receiving at least one such e-mail from an upset or concerned Google
user. But this does provide me with some interesting insights.
Obviously, I'm not in a position to directly act on Google-related
issues. But I do try to help when I can.
Sometimes it's just a matter of clearing up misinformation. Google
conspiracy theories float around the Net like flotsam and jetsam, and
concerned users often are all too willing to buy into "assume the
worst" scenarios.
A common example of this is persons who feel that Google is purposely
and unfairly censoring or otherwise damaging their sites' "search
ranking reputation" on Google. But at least in my experience, every
example of this brought to my attention by concerned site owners has
had an innocent explanation.
Sites can be bumped or flagged when they become infected by malware
that Google detects. Such infections can occur in ways that the site
owner isn't even aware of, resulting in loud (but inaccurate) protests
that "my site is clean!"
Another example is sites who have indulged -- sometimes at the urging
of less than scrupulous "Search Engine Optimization" (SEO) firms -- in
site design practices aimed at boosting their sites' Google search
results rankings, but that violate Google's Webmaster guidelines
(which are quite explicit and well documented).
In my experience, Google tries very hard to maintain the "purity" of
natural search results and to avoid inappropriate bias in those
results.
Anyway, you get the idea -- some of the Google problem queries that I
receive are pretty easy to deal with via just a bit of relevant
information, understanding, and the willingness to appreciate that
people get upset about situations where they can't seem to get anyone
to respond to their concerns in what they consider to be a useful
manner.
Another class of users who come to me with Google issues have genuine
operational problems. Perhaps they've been trying to get what they
consider to be a specific, privacy-problematic photo removed from
Google Street View. Or maybe they're having an issue with Google
Voice that is causing them call problems, or perhaps merchant-related
ad or Google Checkout issues.
In some cases I'll have information readily available that can help,
but other times I go digging for it around the Net, and occasionally
I'll need to make some direct queries via my own channels to try help
these folks.
The bottom line is that the vast majority of them seem to be thrilled
that someone is at least paying attention to their problems.
A key point -- nothing seems to irritate people with Google-related
issues more than the perception that they are being ignored, and that
their concerns are just falling into automated black holes when
submitted to Google Help forms.
There are all sorts of official Google Help Forums of course, but
these seem to frustrate many people rather than help them in even
common situations. They often seem to run pretty much in an
"automatic" mode, with user contributed suggestions (sometimes useful,
sometimes just plain wrong) mixed in with everything else, and
frequently no formal Google presence other than perhaps a Google
employee who pops in occasionally with a comparatively isolated
comment.
Again, the perception of a "black hole" related to posted or submitted
Google-associated customer service problems runs rampant in the e-mail
that I receive on Google topics, with users complaining that they have
no confidence that concerns submitted to Google will receive any kind
of useful and relevant response or resolution at all from Google in
any given case.
There's another class of complaint that is perhaps the toughest to
deal with, people who have policy-related concerns with Google (and
often, with search engines in general). This can include (for
example) persons or firms who feel that false information about them
consistently ranks to the top of search results and that they have no
way to correct or even respond to what they feel is damaging
misinformation.
This is a very tough nut to crack -- particularly since search engines
in general do not control the content of the external sites that they
index. I've discussed this particular class of policy concerns
previously (including in "Search Engine Dispute Notifications: Request
For Comments" - http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000253.html ) and
won't go into it more now, since in my opinion the topic resides at the
outer edge of more conventional customer support issues, but that's
not to diminish its importance in any way.
The folks over at Blendtec ( http://www.blendtec.com/willitblend )
run a really fun site, with a vast collection of videos showing their
"nuclear" blenders pulverizing an incredible range of objects.
"Will it Blend?" is their very appropriate slogan. ("iPhone smoke.
Don't breath this!")
Over at Google, it could be argued that the slogan "Will it Scale?" is
equally venerated -- and with good reason.
Google is dealing with unbelievably vast numbers of users, most of
whom pay exactly zero to Google -- nuthin' -- to use Google services.
I have long sensed that Google is aware at various levels of their
customer support problems, but has felt stymied about deploying
solutions given perceived cost and scale issues, particularly when
dealing with a mostly non-paying user base. That's just my opinion,
of course, I'm certainly not speaking for Google.
The issue of paying vs. non-paying users is an interesting one. To be
sure, most Google users don't pay Google in the same sense that they
authorize a payment to their ISP every month. Yet Google's primary
ad-supported business model is based on the concept that those
non-paying users still represent a revenue stream via their ad clicks.
And Google is now a central part of many millions of lives -- whether
paying customers or not -- so simply because so many Google services
are positioned as "free" to most users does not obviate Google of
reasonable and effective support responsibilities.
Is it practical to offer the vast universe of "free" Google users the
same level of support as received by, say, paying Google Apps users?
Perhaps not, but I would argue that the current state of Google
customer service is increasingly unacceptable to Google's users in
general, and damaging to Google as well.
The apparent lack of foresight in this sphere relating to the Nexus
One launch seems surprising -- direct sales of a complex physical
product can easily be predicted to need significant consumer
hand-holding. But Google can fix the most obvious aspects of this
particular issue pretty easily, even if they need to resort to
contracting with outside customer service phone banks to help with
pre- and post-sales Nexus One (and future direct sales devices)
issues.
In contrast, the broader Google support issues beyond the immediate
Nexus One story are likely not so easily solved. But I do feel that
they are solvable in practical ways.
At the macro level, a "triaged" approach to user concerns is crucial.
The "Ombudsman" concept that I have previously explored (as linked
above) could be an important aspect of this.
Another critical element of a successful customer service structure is
a formalized system for dealing with queries of all types that
reduces, or ideally eliminates, the "black hole complaint form" effect
that is so incredibly upsetting to users with Google-related issues.
This would require the allocation of significant manpower and the
spending of not insignificant amounts of money. So be it. Trying to
finesse around this matter indefinitely is likely leading to even more
problems for everyone involved.
There are various ways to structure such an improved support
environment to help keep the scaling issues under control. One
possibility -- and I'm not necessarily recommending this, but only
pointing it out as perhaps worthy of discussion -- would be to charge
a small "per incident" fee (to otherwise non-paying Google users) for
expedited responses to problem issues. This would encourage such
users to use available self-help resources when possible, but still
provide a practical path for more assistance as appropriate.
Google has attracted some of the best technical talent in the world.
In many ways it's the new Bell Labs of its day, and I've long held
Bell Labs in very high esteem indeed.
Google's employees include among the most intelligent and perceptive
persons I know -- individuals who are also genuinely concerned about a
broad range of issues and how Google impacts them. It's a popular
misconception to assume that Google is all about money. They're a
very powerful business to be sure, but the Google corporate ethos --
as I perceive it -- genuinely is concerned with a much broader range
of humanistic concerns beyond the financial bottom line. Perceptions
of Google skewed by negative customer service experiences is likely
acting to obscure this fact -- and that's a genuine shame -- but not
an intractable one.
If Google tasks its collective talent with the challenge of providing
world-class customer service, I have absolutely no doubt that they can
set an extremely positive example in this regard for the entire
Internet.
No, it won't be easy. But it's very much worth doing, not just for
the sake of Google's users, but for Google itself, and for the broader
Internet community as well.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren@vortex.com
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
- People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
- Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, GCTIP - Global Coalition
for Transparent Internet Performance - http://www.gctip.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein