Comments on: Where’s the communication? http://stilgherrian.com/business/wheres_the_communication/ All publication is a political act. All communication is propaganda. All art is pornography. All business is personal. All hail Eris. Vive le poisson rouge sauvages! Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:23:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/business/wheres_the_communication/#comment-7794 Stilgherrian Thu, 16 Aug 2007 18:40:19 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/business/wheres_the_communication/#comment-7794 <strong>@Richard:</strong> Right on both points: a rhetorical question and the low-margin commodity nature of the product they're selling. It's something I regularly have to explain to clients. They've chosen their ISP because it was the cheapest they could find, and then complain when the service isn't up to the standard they want. They don't understand that if they want someone to spoon-feed them information on the phone, that person has to be <em>paid</em> -- and if they're paying $19.95 a month, there's not much left for that once you've covered the actual cost of the product (and the record profits for the shareholders). Joined-up thinking isn't as common as we'd like. @Richard: Right on both points: a rhetorical question and the low-margin commodity nature of the product they’re selling.

It’s something I regularly have to explain to clients. They’ve chosen their ISP because it was the cheapest they could find, and then complain when the service isn’t up to the standard they want. They don’t understand that if they want someone to spoon-feed them information on the phone, that person has to be paid — and if they’re paying $19.95 a month, there’s not much left for that once you’ve covered the actual cost of the product (and the record profits for the shareholders).

Joined-up thinking isn’t as common as we’d like.

]]> By: Richard http://stilgherrian.com/business/wheres_the_communication/#comment-7786 Richard Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:11:46 +0000 http://stilgherrian.com/business/wheres_the_communication/#comment-7786 I'm sure your question was intended as amusing rhetoric, but here's my $0.05 worth: it's because all large companies seek to 'streamline' their operations by reducing human-to-human contact with clients. The larger the company the worse this gets, and telcos are among the giants. 'Communication' is a commodity to them, not an ideal; they might as well be selling ice cream. I’m sure your question was intended as amusing rhetoric, but here’s my $0.05 worth: it’s because all large companies seek to ’streamline’ their operations by reducing human-to-human contact with clients. The larger the company the worse this gets, and telcos are among the giants. ‘Communication’ is a commodity to them, not an ideal; they might as well be selling ice cream.

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