There is one special breed of company that seem to draw a lot of customer ire on Get Satisfaction — GPS device makers. What is the reason for this? In attempting to answer that question, I’ve gone down a few roads.
Is it outsourcing?
A number of GPS users on our site have complained about their calls being answered by phone centers in India or the Philippines. While it’s true that many GPS device makers have outsourced customer service to other countries, good customer service doesn’t have to come from within your own country’s borders.
There is one GPS company that does stand out for its refusal to outsource everything to India: Tom Tom. Although not a U.S.-based company, Tom Tom has U.S.-based phone centers for U.S.-based customers. They even received an award from J.D. Powers for the way they operate them.
And yet, Tom Tom has not joined us. I hope to see them soon. I was initially encouraged by this verbiage on their Web site:
“Tom Tom likes to keep in contact with their customers. If you encounter any problems, have any questions or just want to tell us how fantastic our products are please feel free to contact us, whatever the subject, and we will get back to you. We hope you find happiness and fulfillment, as well as your destination.â€
I’ve contacted their PR and marketing folks three times, and they haven’t responded to me. Not even a form letter. Not so fantastic.
In fact, as I’ve tried to get more information about GPS device makers and how they structure their customer service, I’ve run into a few brick walls. I’ve contacted numerous GPS makers, and I have only received one timid response from a sole Magellan PR person. It often astounds me that people who claim to be public relations specialists will go to extreme lengths to avoid actually relating to the public.
So, what is it about GPS makers and customer service? What am I missing as I try to understand this special marketplace? I don’t think it’s outsourcing.
Is it simply product complexity?
That would be a bad excuse. These companies make it their business to sell as many of these new, complex electronic devices as they can, but they don’t always do a good job of supporting customers after they’ve plunked down a few hundred dollars for a device. They often set up large FAQ-style libraries, but those usually just end up making customers spend countless hours trying to find the answer to their specfic question.
To make matters worse, the software they (or third parties) sell as an accompaniment can be even more problematic. People often buy a device not knowing that they will need to purchase a special map for their trip to, say, London. I’ve seen countless complaints from customers who experienced a “gotcha†moment when they realized that buying the device was perhaps only the first step.
Maybe it’s simply that they’re focused on sales and not customer service.
I personally think that the market for these devices will die out fairly rapidly as GPS capabilities become cheaper and more ubiquitous. They’re already being embedded in mobile phones and automobiles. It’s only a matter of time before they’re part of kids’ toys in cereal boxes. (Geocaching treasure hunt in your neighborhood!) Perhaps the GPS makers feel this as well and focus on sales because they know their growth industry will quickly grow old. But until then, they still have a responsibility to respond to customers. Why won’t they?
I’m going to continue working on this one, and I’m sure there’s something I’m missing in this equation. I’d love to hear other peoples’ experiences with GPS and customer service.
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