There's quite the conversation going on over at 37signals' "Signal vs. Noise" blog today, and I'm still puzzling over why said conversation is even taking place. What's going down: Matt Linderman, from 37s, today put up a post that starts like this:
Useless, absurd, must, need, appalled, just, infuriating, essential, etc.
"What could be more fun than those magnetic words that let you write poems on the fridge? How about a set of magnetic words that let you write support emails. Our kit would include the following: useless, absurd, must, need, appalled, just, infuriating, essential, oversight, pointless, confusing, nutty, and maybe some good phrases too, like 'it can’t be that hard,' 'i’m a programmer, i should know,' and 'even Blogger let’s you do that.' Of course, the whole set should be ALL CAPS too."
He then proceeds to excerpt fifteen customer emails that 37s has received, annotating each one with a snippet of text that certainly could be interpreted as an accusatory finger, highlighting what was wrong with each email that their support line had received.
After reading and re-reading the emails that Linderman posted, I'm even more puzzled. Yes, some of them contained some hyperbole. But what about the others, like this one?
"Please call me regarding my basecamp system — (615) 780-XXXX."
Yeah. Boy, I could see how that would be upsetting...a customer wanted to connect with someone at her service provider. Or how about this one?
"We NEED a web based system like Basecamp, but I cannot tell if it will be any better by reading the information you have available. I’m looking for sort of a web based excel-like program. We need to be able to see at a glance every sponsor’s name, sponsor level, address, contact info, if they’ve been billed/payed, if we need/have artwork, and if they have comments. We need to authorize up to five people for editing and another 60 or so for viewing."
Indeed. A customer clearly spelling out his requirements and needs. That customer must obviously be deluded and prone to hysterics.
The conversation plays out over 120+ comments. And then "JF" (I'm assuming Jason Fried, of 37signals) jumps in with two comments that, frankly, just seem defensive and tinged with the slightest bit of hubris, all at once.
"We’re well aware of that, we’re well aware of our cash flow, we’re well aware of our churn, we’re well aware of our signups, we’re well aware of our growth, we’re well aware of our big-picture customer satisfaction. We’re well aware of what we’re doing, thank you."
and
"120 comments in and I’m surprised we haven’t heard from a progressive thinker who might wonder if all this 'bad' stuff is actually good for business. Could these sorts of discussions actually be good for a non-traditional business like 37signals? Do sales/signups go up on days with these heated debates? Could there be a positive business motive behind all this that more traditional business observers haven’t groked?"
Now, Cerado is a customer of 37signals, in that we use Basecamp. But this last quote from Fried has given me pause, and I'm hoping it's not a canary in the coalmine. The phrase "Do sales/signups go up on days with these heated debates?" is looking at a point in time. It's solely looking at the transaction. Now, couple that with the fact that (I hope!) any rational customer would certainly entertain taking his business elsewhere if he saw his support request pilloried in the public square as an example of what not to do. Put those two data points together, and one begins to wonder if 37signals is truly doing something differently (as they continuously claim), or if it's just another business looking for the quick turn, long-term-relationships be damned.
Others talking:
Zoli Erdos
Jason Kolb
Kandace Nuckolls
Steve Portigal
Marcus Campbell
Joe Taylor Jr.
(thanks to Zoli for the tip)
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