Tell President Obama I’ll take his call in a minute

Posted on | July 28, 2009 | Comments Off

Accessibility is important.

It’s a kind of gold star of customer service, isn’t it? I’m sure it’s really thrilling when you complain about Facebook on your blog and find a response from Mark Zuckerburg in the comments the next day.

But accessibility, like everything else in marketing and in life, only works when it’s real.

The Obama Administration has created a special page on LinkedIn where small businesses are invited to weigh in on the issue of health insurance. They faithfully promise that they will read every single response, too — in fact, President Obama said that during his Weekly Address last week.

Do you see the problem with that?

The question was posted three days ago and there are already 1258 replies there. That doesn’t include whatever is getting posted on HealthReform.gov or on WhiteHouse.gov or even sent to the White House via web based form from the Contact page.

But you rarely, if ever, get a response to your pearls of wisdom. The odds of getting your comment selected by the President to quote in some address or other (like that nameless New Jersey-based small business owner he mentioned last weekend) are about a bazillion to one.

It doesn’t feel like your input is reaching its target, even if it is … at least, theoretically.

It doesn’t feel like you have made a real difference, regardless of how many times and on how many issues you weigh in.

And, as a result of all that, it doesn’t feel as if the Obama Administration is particularly accessible at all — in spite of their fondness for social media sites.

And, since it doesn’t feel as if the President is really accessible, it might actually make you just a bit angry every time you hear him or some other member of his administration says that he is or they are.

Let’s face it: accessible would be Rahm Emmanuel replying to this blog post. (sorry, fans, it ain’t happenin’!)

Now, to be fair, there aren’t enough bodies in the White House or enough hours in the day for them to really read and be responsive to everything everybody sends them. Or, maybe there are but only if the people in the White House didn’t have anything better to do.

But, if they can’t, then they shouldn’t say that they do.

Similarly, if you tell your customers that you are big on customer service, that they are really important to you, and that you are accessible and available to them …

… only they find, once they decide you’re the one, that they can’t get you on the phone, then your accessibility is a sham.

If you are not available to people, that might cost you business.

If you say you are available when you’re not, that will cost you a reputation because it’ll piss people off.

Personally, I think it would be best if you were accessible and available to your customers and your potential customers but I’m not going to tell you what to do.

I’ll just say this: don’t say you are if you’re not.


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