Is Your Customer Service Ready for the New World of Openness?

In a great example of how companies need evolve their customer service in the new world of openness, I wanted to share this story with you. My 8 year old son, Harry, loves to draw planes. In fact, that's all he likes to draw. After drawing a couple of hundred pictures over the last six months, Harry had a great idea. He'd send one of his favorite drawings to Boeing and ask them if they'd like to build his new jet he designed. He was so passionate about it and must have rewritten the letter a dozen times. We sent it off. You can only imagine what happened.

Yep. We got the form letter, above. It's the standard fare that most legal departments send out to make sure they aren't at risk of any IP infringement issues. As a business owner, I get it. It is logical. But, my sense is that companies who don't figure out how to do customer service and innovation in the world of openness will, in the short-run, stunt their growth and, in the long-run cease to exist. And, if you don't ave any customers you certainly don't need customer service.

Some brave companies are venturing into the deep end to figure this out. Zappos, Best Buy, Nokia, Starbucks and Dell have all set up web sites to accept customer input in new and open ways. These are the leaders of the revolution. They are the early winners in the first days of the age of openness.

Now, I have a moral dilemma. Do I show the letter to Harry and kill his dream of being an airplane designer or throw it away and tell him I didn't receive anything so he keeps his artistic passion alive.

What would you do?

Comments

[Chad]

Throw it away. Maybe by the time he has finished his PhD in aeronautical engineering they'll be more open to his ideas.

[bill]

I'd write the letter that they should have written. "Thank you for your marvelous idea. We were very impressed by your energy and creativity, and honored that you thought of us. We wish that we had the opportunity to put your design into action, but we're unable to do so - today. But in the future -- we'll see!"

[Kotani]

John,
I tried to comment on your article, but it keep closing down.

In the days when Boeing was truly Boeing, and the people running the Company had a care for the Company, the employees and our customers (airlines, military and the flying public); we had a camaraderie at the Company that was characterized and cherished as a "Family Atmosphere". A decade and half ago, that "Family Atmosphere" was trashed when the new folks came in and began running the place.

These people have an agenda that has changed the Boeing "Family" to the Boeing "Team". Before that, an old adage that was first coined around the end of WWII was constantly on the lips of the "Family" of employees and upon the lips of our loyal and even rabid customers. "If it's not Boeing, I'm not going!" We do build a great product, but this phrase is rarely heard today.

Today, everyone in the aviation industry knows Boeing and its reputation (the good, the mediocre and the not so hot). But, in today's generations, you can ask people if they know about Boeing and the majority of them will give you a blank look or tell you they think it might be a Pogo-stick. I do believe this comes from a lack of care and profound commitment to the growth of the company and the illumination of the Boeing brand before the public. In other words, we lack the impetus, ownership or gut-wrenching desire to drive our customer relations the way it was done when Boeing was Boeing. Many good past leaders of the Boeing Company would not recognize it today.

In regard to your Son's drawing and expectations and aspirations: I do want to encourage him to keep his dream alive. Even if he never worked for Boeing, there are many major and minor aerospace companies out there who will appreciate his drive, desire and skills. Many an aerospace engineer or pilot today started with his arm hanging out the window of Dad's car, flying his hand and noting how the wind and speed affected the lift as he changed the formation of the airfoil he created with his hand.

In defense of the person who replied to your Son's efforts and correspondence; the Company does get a cascade of mail every day, and if the person who answered your Son's letter was following whatever corporate policy was/is in place, they probably followed it "to the letter". This does not excuse the fact that your Son received a trite, standard form letter from the Company that could deflate his current and future aspirations. Yes, the Company has to be very careful about copyright infringements. The Company has experienced this from both sides and it can cost millions of dollars to defend or to prosecute for copyright. This is still no excuse for allowing policy to drive customer relations into the ground.

Sadly, without a major effort on someone's part who may have the ear of Jim McNerney, the Boeing CEO; he will never hear about this or have a chance to consider the implications this could have with our customers as well as with you and your Son. There are so many people to insulate him from the common goings on of the depths of the Company and from the concerns of the people who just might fly on our airplanes; that, if he even gets a whisper of it, he will assign the task off to someone else to have them handle it. He may already have.

The blogs answers you have received in reply to your article are from sincere Boeing employees and even from some well-placed people in the company. There is still passion among the people at Boeing. We just have to dig deeper today that we once did.

Perhaps if we could revive the "Family" culture at Boeing, we might also revive the "customer relations" that the Company was once known for. It would certainly arouse the spirits of the employees and give them a new outlook on their relations with the Company and our customers.

As well, your Son's letter and artwork along with your blog may just be the impetus to start a new day at Boeing. Who knows!?!

You are welcome to post my letter in your blog, if you so desire. Just sign me as "Kotani"

Thanks,
Kotani Hansensonnen

[Bradley Jacobsen]

It's a shame more companies are just that-all business. Just more reasons to distrust and boycott big corporations stuck in the old world of closedness. Maybe one day, actual people will work there instead of computers that spit out canned letters.

[fildawg]

I think you show the letter to your son. Use it as a teaching opportunity and show him what 'good' companies (Zappos, etc..) are doing. Here's your chance to mold him into someone who will grow and drive a business that will treat people with respect. While it may hurt a little now, this could be a life lesson that will give him strong values in the future.

Please update and let us know your decision and what happens.

[star trek online credits]

Companies need to develop a new world to open up their customer service, stimulate their passion, this is very important, the author of the very right. Support his view.

[Kamila]

Thank you very much for this easy to follow guide, it was very usefull.
http://www.filecatch.com/trends/ch/04-08-2010.html

[Jordan Hydro]

This will be great for brand advertisers, as they will be able to reap the rewards of all the equity they have built up. Many policies (including the new Google trademark policy) work in favor of affiliates and resellers, while this goes back to Google roots and is benefiting the user experience and connecting them directly with the brand they are looking for.