fuzzyness

Service is not dead

16·Jul·07

I wonder sometimes if it’s just because I run a business of my own, and provide a service, that I’m so sensitive to the service provided by others. More and more, I’m stunned by simply appaling service – in shops, on the phone, over the web – I often can’t quite believe that some people care so little about the service they provide.

Examples abound, on a daily basis. Yesterday, for instance: at the swimming baths, I went up to the receptionist to ask a question about closing times. After trying to catch her attention for an age while she filed her nails, I finally managed to get half way through my question when she suddenly and without warning started talking to someone who’d walked up behind me. Words fail…

More particularly, service within the web development industry is often lacking. I’m lucky, I think, to know and collaborate with many excellent designers and developers who pull out all the stops. But recently I’ve been amazed by a series of encounters with developers or web ‘professionals’ (I use the term loosely…) that has rather shaken my faith in human nature, let alone my faith in decent service.

The day the service died?

1. Exhibit A

   I needed to subcontract a small piece of client-side scripting - a basic image swap actually, but with a more compex twist it was more cost-effective to ask someone else more skilled to undertake. I contacted a recommended guy by email, asked if he'd be willing to help, gave him the brief, told him the budget and informed him of the timescales. He got back to me that day, really pleased I'd contacted him, delighted to do the work, "just let me know when you're ready". Sorted. I let him know I'd contact him when the work was due to begin, and thanked him hugely for his time so far.

   Except when work was actually due to begin, and emailed to let him know - no response. Nothing. Hmmm… He's maybe on holiday? He didn't say. I left it a few days, then tried again, and also left a message on his answer phone (he didn't answer that either).

   So I contacted the people who'd referred him to me - apparently he'd been in their offices several times that week and was due back again the next day. I checked I had the correct contact details (I did) and asked them to ask him to contact me.

   Two weeks later - still no word, none. I got back to the referee again to ask if they'd mentioned it to him. Actually yes, they had, and his response was, "Oh yes, someone has been trying to contact me, asking me to do some pissy little job, I can't be arsed even answering, I've got better things to do."

2. Exhibit B

   I need to subcontract a couple of bits of PHP and database work for an upcoming job, and although the job wasn't due to begin for another 3 weeks I wanted to make sure I had my bases covered. I contacted a developer who I knew could easily do the job. After the usual brief, budget and timescales he got back to me fairly quickly with enthusiastic acceptance of the job, a few caveats which I was grateful for, a price quote, and a request to just let him know when we were ready to go. Excellent.

   1 week before the job was to begin, I contacted the developer again to confirm the start date of the project, and to ask a question regarding a technicality. I received a very terse response back, 2 days later, which didn't really answer the question (I'm sure he hadn't actually read the question…) and finished with "So, what's in this for me?" Huh?! "Erm, the fee you quoted me 2 weeks ago which we agreed on." "Ah, right, I'd forgotten all about that. Well, I won't be able to do it anyway as I've got a new job and won't have time. Good luck finding someone."

3. Exhibit C

   I needed to subcontract a couple of pieces of DOM scripting, which having been let down previously I needed completed in a week's time. I had a developer recommended to me who may be able to help. I contacted her and discussed the job, including the rather tight deadline - she told me that she'd definitely have a look over it that day, and get back to me and let me know either way, so that I had time to look elsewhere. Fantastic.

   So that day came and went - no response yet. And the next day. I fired an email over - no answer. I eventually got an email back 3 days later, telling me she hadn't actually had time to look at it yet. So, 2 days to deadline. Another day passed without an indication of even whether she could do it, let alone acceptance of the job. I sent another polite, but anxious email, and again, no reply. Finally I sent a text message (stupidly, in hindsight, I didn't want to pester too much…) which finally got a response - "No, I can't do it." This was the day before the deadline for the job.

Service is not dead! Hurray!!

So imagine my delight and (quite frankly) sheer elation when I received not 1 but 2 examples of stunning service from web developers this week.

1. Matt Richards from Lucid Moon

   Earlier this week, in desperation I did a Google for "freelance jquery developer" - how crazy is that?! First result - the personal website of Matt Richards. Hmmm… on the face of it, doesn't look too bad at all (how can that be?!).

   I dashed off an unhopeful, devil-may-care email, the equivalent of "I know you won't be able to help, but I'm desperate, it's worth a shot, surely not all web developers are complete unprofessional arseholes, etc". 5 minutes later - a favourable response! 5 minutes! And the response is - fantastic.

   "I'd love to help, give me a call to discuss the brief and I'll see what I can do."

   This is at 8pm. In the evening. The day of the deadline.

   I called him - very friendly, very professional, listening carefully to the brief whilst recommending enhancements or improvements of his own that I hadn't thought of. I mentioned the crushing deadline and the sheer ridiculousness of the situation - "Don't worry Dave, leave it with me."

   Sure enough, 3 hours later the work was returned - excecuted perfectly, beautifully documented and flawlessly tested. And yes, I'm thrilled : )

   I then mentioned another job that incidentally I needed doing too. Again, no problem - one brief later, the work was delivered, taking about an hour and a half. And again, documented and tested to perfection.

   Suffice it to say, I'd heartily recommend Matt's services to anyone - find him at his personal website or via Lucid Moon, Matt's web development business site. Absolutely top-notch service, and top-notch skills to boot.

2. Jonathan Fisher from Postcode Anywhere

   I'm developing a website that requires a postcode look-up facility, and I'd had the Postcode Anywhere service recommended to me to take care of the postcode database and look-up API. I'd already experienced a good level of service from my initial enquiries but I was especially delighted recently by one particular piece of stunningly thoughtful service from Jonathan Fisher from the company.

   I'd been having a little trouble integrating the service into an Expression Engine install and had posted a plea for help on the EE forum (it was an EE issue after all). The issue was actually unresolved, and in the meantime I'd run out of my trial credits for postcode look-ups from the service. Never mind, I had other more pressing development issues to deal with, so resolved to get back to the Postcode Anywhere stuff later in the week.

   Imagine my delight when I received an email from Jonathan from Postcode Anywhere not even 3 days later - he'd had a Google alert which had led him to my forum post. Wow. He was enquiring if everything was ok, if there was anything he could do, and to apologise (apologise!! Oh my goodness, I need to lie down…) for the intrusion. Double Wow.

   That's not all. He also noticed I'd run out of trial credits and so had taken the liberty to fill the account up again with more free credits, so I could continue with testing.

   Now that, my friends, is service. Excellent : )

Glass is full

It’s funny – poor service really gets me down, and I see it or experience it far more often than decent service. And yet, when I encounter really great service; service with a smile; service that won’t rest until I’m satisfied and then goes the extra mile anyway, it instantly erases all the shit and puts a great, stinking big beaming smile on my face. I suppose that means I’m a glass is half-full kinda guy? For now I’m happy : )

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