There’s a bit of chatter floating around the blogsphere that started from a post of Tom Raftery’s the other day.
I personally don’t like to see dirty linen aired in public (unless it’s Twink’s – that voicemail was hilarious!), but Tom seems to think otherwise. The problem with these kind of issues is that readers are left feeling that they only have half the story as each side is putting forward their own case.
As you know, I’m off to BarCamp tomorrow, so instead of driving down from Dublin in the morning, we decided to break the journey with a night at my future-in-laws in Laois. So I’ve been spending the day camped in Blacknight’s offices after Michele kindly invited me to.
I’m sitting in their conference room right now and the customer support staff are just outside the door and I’ve been half-listening in to their calls this morning (not on purpose now!). I have to say that it’s a long time since I’ve heard such polite and well-informed support staff, going out of their way to help people. They even spent 30 mins this morning working with me trying to get my laptop onto their network as my VPN wasn’t too keen to talk to theirs!
Maybe I’m biased in my opinions though, as most of the support calls I’ve placed recently have been to NTL! But the whole office seems like a lovely environment to work and they all have a great rapport. I haven’t been listening in to the sales team, but I’m sure my hubbie is whipping them into even better shape as I type…
(Disclosure: I’m marrying Blacknight’s Sales Manager later this year)
What a tiny, tiny, discreet disclaimer! Nearly missed it. It’s size doesn’t match it’s significance.
Posted on January 19, 2007 at 6:16 pm.
Eoghan,
If you spent less time playing on people’s blogs you could do something with that awful looking thing you call a website!
I’m not sure if you’re a design company or a bad Daz commercial.
Posted on January 19, 2007 at 7:00 pm.
Chill… my comment was very much tongue-in-cheek!
And I am a “Daz commercial”. You got me there…
Posted on January 19, 2007 at 7:16 pm.
Maybe more blog posts with titles like that will counter the negative posts about your future husband’s employer.
Give that you are reating Blacknight’s support, are you a blacknight customer?
Have you dealt with them as a customer looking for support?
Have you talked to them at other times that were not just a day after a massive public bust-up about their support?
Posted on January 19, 2007 at 7:25 pm.
The problem I have with public moaning among the tech literate is that the timid and barely literate hear noise and not message. Some feel the heat when they read the snarkiness and just back away from the rabble.
Plus there’s always the problem of being misunderstood and having that misunderstanding amplified to corners you never expected.
And there’s the infinite memory of the web archive taking down all the bits we missed the first time around the meme.
I want all the yammering to stop.
Posted on January 19, 2007 at 8:17 pm.
I’ve only recently started using blacknight for some basic .ie registrations and I have found their support to be prompt, polite and accurate. Particularly considering the dumbass questions I was asking.
I’ve sent a few bloggers their way over the past year on the basis of other’s good reports and I got at least one mail back thanking me for the recommendation as they had worked out really well.
Posted on January 19, 2007 at 8:17 pm.
As Damien commented – Have you posted about BKs great customer service when there wasnt some hype going on at the time? OR when you werent affiliated with them?
Excellent post Damien. Your posting is totally bias but kudos for including your “disclaimer”. Granted everyone makes mistakes but when they do they shouldn’t be so damn defensive like the company in question are presently.
Im quite sure the company in question has many strong & professional links with customers and has a good customer service record etc but it can also suffer from blips which they should deal with in an equally professional manner. From my outside the loop reading of this blog and others it appears they have not done this.
Posted on January 19, 2007 at 9:24 pm.
I dunno, I think Blacknight are handling it well. Trouble is I think those trying to defend them are making things worse but then they are only doing it because they care.
Posted on January 20, 2007 at 1:15 am.
Sorry guys, didn’t get to do any posting over the weekend, was too busy running around and ’schmoozing’ at BarCamp (more about that in another post later…)
@ Damien, I’m not currently a Blacknight customer – but I will be from later this week when i move my hosting over to them. You may be fair enough in saying that someone with a longer relationship with them would be better qualified to comment, but I felt that I wanted to say something.
Everything last week was being both described and dealt with between Blacknight and Michele and indeed I’m pretty sure that Tom only dealt with Michele and other members of management throughout the whole incident (I may be wrong here, but to the best of my knowledge…).
People seem to forget that there’s 7 other staff members sitting in those offices answering the phones and keeping the company working and it’s hard on them to see all their hard work rubbished in the blogosphere by one loud voice. I simply wanted to stand up for them and say that if you spend a day in their presence you have no choice but to walk away thinking how patient, knowledgeable and professional they are…
@ anonymous – If you’re going to come onto my blog and slag off other commenters, then at least have the decency and bollocks to sign your name to your comments!
@ Eoghan – I love the ‘Daz’ picture!
Posted on January 22, 2007 at 9:14 am.
LOL.
“@ anonymous – If you’re going to come onto my blog and slag off other commenters, then at least have the decency and bollocks to sign your name to your comments!
”
I love it. I think we all know who it is and I think he knows he made himself look worse. On a blog, once is enough.
Great post anyway Elly. Spoke with George for the first time today and I’ll offer a second to their Customer Service.
Posted on January 23, 2007 at 10:28 pm.
Thanks Dave, kind words!
Posted on January 23, 2007 at 10:48 pm.
Wow.. You do sound biased i have to say and the diclaimer at the end made it all clear as to why, thats fair enough, you heard some excellent members of staff, and overheard their calls, (probably on behalf of your 2nd half!
) But have you actually had to deal with them?
Me myself i dont mind them apart from their tediously slow process.. Having to provide written fax, done took a while, then having to RE produce company credentials, done took another while, then identification, if a member of staff had of told me all the things i would have needed in the first place, (not on the site btw) I would have saved an IMMENSE amount of time.
Apart from that though they are quite a good bunch as far as hosting companies go, and Irish based.. Come on! SUCH a plus!!
Posted on November 25, 2008 at 6:20 pm.