The Kindness of Strangers

Aug 15, 2000 -- We were desperate. We had designed and programmed a Web page that was behaving badly and could not figure out what was causing the problem. After many hours of trying to fix it, I turned to one of my favorite sources for advice, CNET's Builder Buzz.

CNET's Builder Buzz presents forums or message boards for topics such as Web business, programming, scripting, site architecture and design. I browsed one of the boards and found myself following a thread by Kevin Scholl. I sent him an e-mail in which I explained the problem and gave him the URL (uniform resource locator) or Web address. I offered to pay him.

I received a response from him the next day. He apologized for the delay. (This makes me laugh: I was on the brink of becoming a beggar, turned to a complete stranger for help and he apologizes.) Kevin had taken a look at my source code and told me what I needed to do to fix the problem. In my last e to him I said, "I was serious about my offer to pay you for your time. I cannot thank you enough."

And this is what he said to me:

"Bah! No problem. Only took a couple of minutes. :) Feel free to ask if you have other things such as this. It's what the Builder Buzz is all about!"

I was reminded of the line Vivien Leigh delivered as Blanche DuBois, the spinsteresque, neurotic, Southern Belle in "A Streetcar Named Desire." She's offered an arm of an elderly doctor as she's led away to the institution, "a place populated by 'strangers' . . . where real human contacts will once again be severed."

Blanche said to the doctor, "Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

The institution filmsite.org's reviewer Tim Dirks describes is an apt analogy for many Web sites: a place populated by strangers where human contact is severed.

True kindness is unexpected.

It shouldn't be. By adding a forum to your site, you enable customers to post questions or suggestions, and find an answer to their problems. From a marketing standpoint, forums represent several opportunities. Engineering, sales and marketing can monitor the forums to find out what customers are doing and respond to posts. If they don’t, you'll be missing out on a great opportunity to do insightful customer research.

Providing a forum can also help you service and retain customers as Oldsmobile discovered when it sponsored a nightly celebrity chat series and accompanying message board on America Online. (I’m not suggesting you hire a celebrity for a chat series, but I don’t think a chat with one of your experts is a laughable idea.)

The celebrity chat helped Oldsmobile revitalize a stodgy brand, and users actually went to the message board to talk about the cars. When Olds marketing managers in Detroit checked in to answer questions, they found other customers had beaten them to it. Members of the die-hard Olds community were promoting the car to skeptics and addressing the needs of dissatisfied Olds buyers.

Or what about customer service? Sometimes the only way to improve customer service is to change the model you use. Take after-sales support. The most frustrated customer has to be the one trying to solve a problem. Why? Because the manufacturer -- not the customer -- dictates the terms and the level of service. And that service is usually expensive and difficult to find. This is not the way to wow customers.

You can change that no-win model by offering a special section dedicated to after-sales support. It can include a FAQ (frequently asked questions), troubleshooting guides, message board and online tech support request form that can be sent via e-mail to the after-sales department.

You don't want your competitors to have access to this section, so protect it with a password.

Customers will get to know the name of your after-sales service reps and won’t have to go through the standard set of 20 questions every time they need help. They'll also have a place to go 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to find an answer to their problem.

Never underestimate the power of community. (These eyeballs belong to Builder Buzz, thanks to Kevin.) As a way to generate traffic, repeat visits and good will, it’s pretty tough to beat.

Questions or comments? feedback@i-genuity.com

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About The Author

Mary A. Sicard is president of i-Genuity, the Click-Here Strategy and Services firm in Augusta, Georgia.

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