I was browsing the web, looking for a Logo for a software package that we support when I noticed that the software was no longer mentioned on their global corporate site. Confused, I decided to call the sales number to so I could find out if they had sold or discontinued support of the package. I dialed the 800 number and the call was answered promptly by a machine.
The automated attendant said to press 1 for process manufacturing, press 2 for something else, press 3 for blah blah blah and so on all the way through 9. I thought the phone tree would mention the specific software packages that they sell rather than what they would be used for. By the time I got to number 9, I had forgotten what the previous buttons were for. In an act of desperation, I pressed zero and the message said, “Connecting to an operator”. I was pleased, now I would be able to just ask a person about the software. As I waited for the transfer, there were some clicking noises and the line went dead. Doh!
So I turned back to my computer and noticed that the corporate website had a chat window on it. Well, a chat is better than going through the whole phone process again, so I clicked on it. A window opened and it asked me for more info than is usually needed in a chat. I filled in the field for First Name, Last name, E-mail address, company name, phone number, etc. Then the bottom field asked for a short explanation of the reason that I was requesting a chat. I filled the box in with, “I would like to chat to someone about your products, because that is what an online chat is for.” I then pressed the continue button, and the screen said, “Thank you for your e-mail request”. I didn’t want to send an e-mail….I wanted to talk to someone immediately.
Discouraged, I looked to my computer as an e-mail arrived. It was from the software company and in the body of the e-mail it said, (this is a cut and paste) If you do not get a response within 48 hours, please send your message again.
I was amazed. What are people thinking? I followed the exact same path that a person looking to buy the software would follow. The experience made me proud to say that I work for B2BGateway. Our sales process is simple and our products are clearly listed on our website along with our pricing. When you call B2BGateway you get an automated attendant but the phone tree is simple and you can always reach a human.
Days later, I found out that the software in question had been discontinued due to lack of sales.
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