The Business Blog at Intuitive.com

Dave Taylor has been involved with the Internet since 1980 and is widely recognized as an expert on both technical and business issues. He has been published over a thousand times, launched four Internet-related startup companies, has written twenty business and technical books and holds both an MBA and MS Ed. Dave maintains three weblogs, The Business Blog at Intuitive.com, focused on business and industry analysis, the eponymous Ask Dave Taylor devoted to tech and business Q&A and The Attachment Parenting Blog, discussing topics of interest to parents. Dave is an award-winning speaker, sought after conference and workshop participant and frequent guest on radio and podcast programs.

Is Google forgetting the importance of customer service?

Until just a few minutes ago, I'd actually forgotten that I'd emailed a question to the Google AdSense Support Team about a problem I had getting AdSense working in one of my RSS feeds, but indeed I had, way back on June 7th:

From: "Dave Taylor"
Subject: Ad Problems
Date: Tue, 07 Jun 2005 02:22:24 -0000

I can't tell if I've inserted the code into my RSS feed incorrectly or not, but I have been receiving reports that clicking on the ads in my feeds generates a 'you don't have cookies enabled' error for users, even when they DO have cookies enabled. Reluctantly, I tried clicking on an ad myself (Safari, Mac OS X 10.3.8, no security, cookies for "All sites" enabled) and I also see the same error message. What's wrong with my code? The ads I see in my aggregator from *other* AdSense for feeds sites work just fine.

Thanks for your help!

Three and a half months later here's the response I just got from Google...

Hello Dave,

We're sorry that we weren't able to address your email in a timely manner. If you're still experiencing difficulties with your ads please don't hesitate to contact us again.

Sincerely,

Stefania
The Google AdSense Team

There are a number of things that I find disturbing about this communication beyond the ridiculously long delay between my asking for help and them, well, not offering it. The first is that, as I suggest, after three and a half months of sitting in a trouble queue, I still haven't received an answer to my query, yet they suggest "If you're still experiencing difficulties with your ads please don't hesitate to contact us again."

Why would I have the confidence to contact them again, given that my expectation is now set that it takes more than three months to receive a response?

More importantly, Google has hundreds of millions of dollars in its so-called war chest, vast sums of money with which they're buying up other firms, experimenting with fascinating new tech ideas like their own take on Voice Over IP and secure wireless networks. The core of their revenue, however, comes from the purchase of ads through AdWords and the display of ads through their terrific AdSense program. So why aren't they allocating the resources and attention needed to ensure that customer service isn't neglected as they grow?

It's distressingly reminiscent of the evolution of Yahoo! from the top Web directory site into a media conglomerate that forgot all about its core business: search. Now they're having to not only fund an expensive search engine team, but they're having to play catch-up because they lost focus on their core business proposition.

Let me be clear: I really like Google and am constantly impressed with their engineering and smarts. Just this afternoon I was exploring how Google Maps offers the coolest driving directions display of any online mapping site I've used. But just like any other company, if you forget your core business, if you start to resent customer service as a cost center, if you begin to take your eye off the ball, you open yourself up to attacks from more nimble, more focused competitors.

Microsoft today announced a reorganization. You can bet they're greedily eyeing every facet of Google's business, and with their splendid MSN Search as a core property, they've a strong position in the marketplace too.

Sorry, Google, waiting three months for a response to a customer query -- and a customer that's helping Google generate revenue -- is just unacceptable.

Posted by Dave Taylor at September 20, 2005 4:40 PM

Comments

That is horrible... Google always seems to have little signs of becoming the company everybody hates.

BTW.. I knew math class would come in handy some day. Good spam prevention!

Posted by: Ryan on September 20, 2005 6:39 PM

Liked your comments about companies taking their eye of the ball. From a strategy perspective, it is really dangerous, you see it so often - once they get cash flow like they have never seen before, they start thinking they are in Financial Dairy business - creating cash cows!

Some deviation is appropriate if it supports and leverages your core competencies. For what its worth, I like what Starbucks has done - stayed focus on what they know - creating a good experience for their customers. I do not think they are in the coffee business - they seem to be in the "feel good" business. What every they bring to you or offer you makes you feel good, .... consistently.

Heck for a good cup of coffee I would go to Dunkin Donuts. But to feel good about my cup of coffee ... EVERYTIME - Starbucks is the place.

Posted by: Paul D'Souza on September 23, 2005 8:13 AM

I do not like that i looked at something on google and Bam just like that it was downloading its search bar that goes across my screen that I did not want and no way to remove it I WANT IT REMOVED NOW AND TO SEND ME THE INFO ON HOW TO REMOVE IT!!!!!!!! I HAVE A SEARCH ENGINE WITH MY OWN PROVIDER DO NOT WANT ANY MORE
THANK YOU
CATHERINE A, FIRESTONE NOT A HAPPY PERSON WITH THIS PROBLEM

Posted by: Catherine Firestone on November 2, 2005 4:48 PM

That's strange, Catherine, as I have never heard of Google itself installing spyware or other utilities on your system without you granting it explicit permission. Are you *sure* that's what happened, and it wasn't something else you did or some other site you visited?

Posted by: Dave Taylor on November 2, 2005 8:39 PM

How in Heaven's name can I get anyone at Google to hear my plea! I have tried for over two weeks (and with at least ten messages) to get an answer to a troubling query: how can I scroll down in my Inbox to 'send,' 'delete,' read my attachments if I have no scroll bars? does google really not care about me - a free subscriber to your service? I feel like I am being totally ignored. I do not think this is a very good way to run a business, even though the service is free!!!!

David E.

Posted by: David E. on October 4, 2006 10:58 PM

Would you please tell me how I can contact Google (email, etc) to ask them to change the description of my site in the search page blurb.
Thanks

Posted by: Mindy on October 18, 2006 9:23 AM

Mindy, you can't, basically. You need to change *your page* and you'll find that after the next time Google indexes your page, your description will change!

Posted by: Dave Taylor on October 18, 2006 11:10 AM

Can anyone tell me how to contact Google customer service?

Posted by: Louis on May 6, 2007 10:03 PM

Dear Sir ,

i am receiving Some dirty emails to MY pesonal Gmail form Some one ,I want to trace that fellow and Punish him for such dirty mails .Please help in this regard

Posted by: Tulasi on July 4, 2007 6:11 AM

I am trying to find an e-mail address for google customer service myself. The snow globe does not keep current temps (it is hooked up with TWC, just as the one in my tray) and I wanted to find out some info regarding it. If I go back to options and then click on OK it updates, however I did expect it to keep the temp just as the other does.

Posted by: Candy on August 29, 2007 8:35 AM

Cusomer service i want to know how i can add photo from my regula email to my gooogles photo folder thanks

Posted by: sajjad riyaz on October 6, 2007 6:12 PM

It's a bad omen when a company the size and monetary worth that Goggle has and is, doesn't have an EAZY way of contacting their customer service department.

I've found recently that many of the top internet based companies, i.e. Google, Yahoo!, MSN, etc., either don't have an easily available customer service link, or have ANY link to customer service. That's a telling, as well as a chilling, indication as to how they value their customer base, which is not at all.

Why, you may ask?

I ask myself that question and it's one that has no readily definable answer. Their services are good, dependable and reliable, yet if there is any kind of problem, it should be just as easy to get ahold of a customer service rep or at the very least, and email link. But as of yet, I can't find one. Grant it, I've found customer service links for their Calendar service, their Business service, but that's about it. What about just general customer service and/or a link to general feedback? Even when I type into Google's own search engine the terms "Google customer service" or Google feedback", I get a plethora of hits that are related to the issue at hand, i.e., how in the Hell are you to get ahold of Google, period.

Again, there is something really sad about a company that is as big as Google is and yet no readily available links to either customer service or feedback. And that tells me that now that they are so big and powerful, they don't give a damn as to what their customer base has to say, period and end of story.

How sad. How very, very sad...

Posted by: thirteenburn on December 8, 2007 2:13 AM

This is just unbelievable. I have been attempting to find a way to contact Google CS for my business' adjunct gmail address which google says is set up. I can see that it is yet no one can send to it because google has it as nonexistent, yet it is there.

I am blown away buy the money, press and international involvement/recognition this company commands yet they have no customer service. This IS a very sad reflection of how separated we have be come from being. In the technological age where we think we are getting closer to each other because we can communicate all over the world but yet the big-brother is not responsive or responsible to us. Scary!

Posted by: Penelope on February 21, 2008 12:31 PM

I'm in need of the strategy thatbring value to the firm

Posted by: Makgotso Botsane on February 26, 2008 11:01 PM

why wouldn't you, or google, operate like that.. customer service is damn expensive... search and f- off, really

Posted by: ryan on March 10, 2008 12:05 AM

I am not anyone famous just a mother of three who had a Gmail account I used for work and personal use. Recently as one can see on google blogs they ad an issue in which many were locked out of disabled accounts for weeks in error unable to reach customer service or get any response. My account has been and continues to be disabled in error and they refuse to help me and only send me auto generated responses which have nothing to do with my account issue. I have lost contacts I can not replace. Google is the worst company I have ever used. D

Posted by: dorothy dean on May 19, 2008 1:15 PM

For google bookmarks I have to sign in every time and no customer service e-mail in existence,inexcusable

Posted by: mark waltermire on October 2, 2008 10:06 PM

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