eric rochow

I am big on customer service. Its a big part of my job.

I’ve watched as Netflix has tried to slay the Blockbuster dragon, and now they have moved things up a notch. They have eliminated email customer service and built a call center in Oregon because, people in Oregon are polite.

From an article in the NY Times:

He [Michael Osier] settled on the greater Portland area because of the genial attitude on the part of most service workers.

“In hotels and coffee shops and the airport, it’s amazing how consistent people are in their politeness and empathy,” said Mr. Osier, who is based at Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif. “There’s an operational language in the industry that people are so jaded about — phrases like ‘due to high caller volume.’ We’re very consciously trying to counter that mentality.”

This is quite different from many companies that try to drive you to their website to solve problems

“Everyone else is making it almost impossible to find a human”, says Tom Adams of Adams Media Research

To me,Verizon is the epitome of poor customer service, and they consistently try to keep you from reaching a human being. I’m still trying to resolve a payment made to my Verizon account 3 months ago. After many calls, I’ve found that if I am speaking to a person in the NYC area, its not nearly as pleasant or productive as when I speak to someone in their phone center in Florida.

The Netflix service reps have wide latitude in resolving problems, the Verizon reps can’t do everything you need done, the company is so balkanized.

I haven’t had to call Netflix, ( I am a subscriber ) but its good to know at least some companies get it. Perhaps when the internet/phone service market gets even more competitive, Verizon might get it.