Difference between revisions of "Michael's Projects"
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One approach to customer empowerment, advocated notably by [[Doc Searls]], is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_Relationship_Management Vendor Relationship Management] (VRM), which aims to equip customers to be independent leaders rather than captive followers in their relationships with vendors. But VRM focuses on increasing the customer's power with respect to the vendors, rather than looking at how the vendor or service provider relates to the customers. | One approach to customer empowerment, advocated notably by [[Doc Searls]], is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_Relationship_Management Vendor Relationship Management] (VRM), which aims to equip customers to be independent leaders rather than captive followers in their relationships with vendors. But VRM focuses on increasing the customer's power with respect to the vendors, rather than looking at how the vendor or service provider relates to the customers. | ||
| − | From the vendor's point of view, the logic of commercial relationships always intervenes to limit customer service. For example, after-sales service is a cost which companies inevitably seek to reduce. Thus telephone assistance is often a paying service, or is delocalized to overseas [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_center call centers], or is replaced by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IVR Interactive Voice Response] (IVR). How can we imagine a limitless improvement in customer service in the face of real-life economic constraints? We have to go outside of the box of commercial logic with the help of an abstract concept which I call "Total Customer Service." | + | From the vendor's point of view, the logic of commercial relationships always intervenes to limit customer service. For example, after-sales service is a cost which companies inevitably seek to reduce. Thus telephone assistance is often a paying service, or is delocalized to overseas [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_center call centers], or is replaced by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IVR Interactive Voice Response] (IVR). How can we imagine a limitless improvement in customer service in the face of real-life economic constraints? We have to go outside of the box of commercial logic with the help of an abstract concept, an ideal, which I call "Total Customer Service." |
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| + | The ideal of unlimited customer service is inherent in the marketing of a Convivial Tool. If we want to design a household appliance to be easily repaired by its owner, we must also design the after-sales cycle: long-term availability of spare parts, usable documentation, online assistance and so on. The better and more complete this design, the more it approaches Total Customer Service. But the logic of such an approach tends to conflict with the commercial interest of the vendor: the sale of new appliances declines as the durability is improved, and paying maintenance services disappear as customers become above to repair everything themselves. | ||
(to be continued...) | (to be continued...) | ||
[[Category:Projects]] | [[Category:Projects]] | ||
