Comments on: The 2 Rules of Customer Support http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/14/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/ I bake games. Indie style. Thu, 16 May 2013 13:23:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Ansi-spam Support http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/14/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/comment-page-1/#comment-22056 Ansi-spam Support Thu, 23 Nov 2006 03:57:47 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/13/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/#comment-22056 Had a customer (spending $20,000 a month with our company), complain that A) our price was to high, and B) that the customer was always right, so we should lower it. Before you jump to conclusions, their prior vendor was charging more than double what we were, and their services were failing, whereas we were error free. NOT our "opinion" but as stated by the customer! So, opportunity knocks - if we saving them more than $20k a month, and providing better service - where are they coming from? Overseas outsourcing! Wow - didn't see that one coming. Some overseas company "claimed" they could provide what we were for one quarter the price. So our customer was willing to "compromise" and stay will us if we cut our prices in half. Now that you know the full background - guess what our management did... They said it couldn't be done paying U.S. wages (we're all in the U.S.), and since they customer's "right", if it's a budget problem, and they can't afford U.S. employees anymore, they understand. Well, six months later, they were paying $0.25 on the dollar and having an overseas company doing the work. Things have degraded for them, but they're saving a ton of cash... And I'm not working for below minimum wage (what it would have taken to pull that off and keep the customer). When I first saw what was going on, I said - no way - the customer's not "right", they're NUTS. Well, the customer was right, about their desire to lower expenses below what we could perform the work for. And they weren't nuts, they just could use U.S. labor to do the work. Learn something new every day, not matter how strange it may sound at first. Had a customer (spending $20,000 a month with our company), complain that A) our price was to high, and B) that the customer was always right, so we should lower it.

Before you jump to conclusions, their prior vendor was charging more than double what we were, and their services were failing, whereas we were error free. NOT our “opinion” but as stated by the customer!

So, opportunity knocks – if we saving them more than $20k a month, and providing better service – where are they coming from?

Overseas outsourcing! Wow – didn’t see that one coming. Some overseas company “claimed” they could provide what we were for one quarter the price. So our customer was willing to “compromise” and stay will us if we cut our prices in half.

Now that you know the full background – guess what our management did… They said it couldn’t be done paying U.S. wages (we’re all in the U.S.), and since they customer’s “right”, if it’s a budget problem, and they can’t afford U.S. employees anymore, they understand.

Well, six months later, they were paying $0.25 on the dollar and having an overseas company doing the work. Things have degraded for them, but they’re saving a ton of cash… And I’m not working for below minimum wage (what it would have taken to pull that off and keep the customer).

When I first saw what was going on, I said – no way – the customer’s not “right”, they’re NUTS.

Well, the customer was right, about their desire to lower expenses below what we could perform the work for. And they weren’t nuts, they just could use U.S. labor to do the work.

Learn something new every day, not matter how strange it may sound at first.

]]> By: Juuso - Game Producer http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/14/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/comment-page-1/#comment-13136 Juuso - Game Producer Tue, 26 Sep 2006 06:48:33 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/13/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/#comment-13136 Yeh... It's like: "keep your mouth shut, and let the game speak for you". Yeh… It’s like: “keep your mouth shut, and let the game speak for you”.

]]> By: ZeHa http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/14/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/comment-page-1/#comment-13114 ZeHa Mon, 25 Sep 2006 20:28:13 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/13/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/#comment-13114 Well my first sentence is a bit strange. "THAT reminds me of..." -> the word THAT refers to the case where the original author said "don't answer in anger". Well my first sentence is a bit strange. “THAT reminds me of…” -> the word THAT refers to the case where the original author said “don’t answer in anger”.

]]> By: ZeHa http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/14/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/comment-page-1/#comment-13113 ZeHa Mon, 25 Sep 2006 20:27:04 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/13/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/#comment-13113 That reminds me of a film director who does all those recent computer game to film conversions... I saw some threads on the internet where he defends his (really bad) films and that was sooo embarassing ;) never do that, never answer in your own forum like that (e.g. "but the game is indeed the work of a genious! We added that and that feature and it was something completely new that now one ever did before so shut up" (and in reality that feature is indeed new but it's also the cause for the game to suck ;) ) In the end you'll look like a clown or something ;) That reminds me of a film director who does all those recent computer game to film conversions…

I saw some threads on the internet where he defends his (really bad) films and that was sooo embarassing ;) never do that, never answer in your own forum like that (e.g. “but the game is indeed the work of a genious! We added that and that feature and it was something completely new that now one ever did before so shut up” (and in reality that feature is indeed new but it’s also the cause for the game to suck ;) )

In the end you’ll look like a clown or something ;)

]]> By: Birisi http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/14/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/comment-page-1/#comment-2679 Birisi Tue, 23 May 2006 18:10:05 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2006/05/13/the-2-rules-of-customer-support/#comment-2679 Some customer service professionals believe that the customer is not always right. According to them this assumption is very dangerous and leads to many problems. Customers may sometimes be wrong without being aware of it. What we need to do is to show the better way to them. If we assume they are always right, we can't really help them. But I understand what you are trying to say, and you are right. I suggest everyone to read Ron Zemke's book "Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service". Some customer service professionals believe that the customer is not always right. According to them this assumption is very dangerous and leads to many problems. Customers may sometimes be wrong without being aware of it. What we need to do is to show the better way to them. If we assume they are always right, we can’t really help them.

But I understand what you are trying to say, and you are right.

I suggest everyone to read Ron Zemke’s book “Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service”.

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