A couple of months ago, we wrote a blog post about ridesharing innovator Uber, discussing the company’s brilliant idea to partner with nearly a dozen companies to allow users to directly order rides from within their apps.
Uber is a well-known disrupter in its industry. It is breaking all of the formal and informal rules of transportation with its creative business model. Yet just recently, the company was in the news again not for their pioneering spirit, but for comments made by an executive at a social outing.
For those who are unfamiliar with what happened, the Uber exec made a reference to investigating reporters and bloggers who are critical of the company, causing some backlash around the ethics and culture of Uber and even of Silicon Valley as a whole.
While Uber’s future remains to be seen, the mobile offerings they have created are truly innovative. The time and effort required to perform damage control after an avoidable PR snafu could better be spent continuing to build brand loyalty with customers. For Uber, continuing to attract new customers, especially in light of new competitors entering the market, and continuing to innovate with major partners would be a better strategic use of resources.
Uncertain times lie ahead for many companies as mobile and big data make threats to established business models. Uber is the wave of the future for transportation, but other industries will go through similar disruption. Including the customer service industry.
We’ve said many times that in the customer service industry, tools like IVR and even mobile apps, while already in the market, are oftentimes not used efficiently. In fact, most companies could create even small disruptions by using more effectively tools that are already available.
For instance, is your IVR helping your company create a better customer experience? Is there room for improvement? What about your mobile app? Are customers encountering a fractured experience when they are using your app and are forced to call an 800 number instead of being offered mobile chat? By asking yourself these questions, you can feel more confident in your company and will likely worry less about a little criticism.
Use criticism as a constructive tool to provide your customers with the best experiences possible. Make improvements where you can. Every organization has to overcome adversity. Make sure you don’t create your own adversity and instead worry about making your company the best it can be. Sweat the big stuff, not the small.
