I dropped a line to the folks at eMoonlighter, noting my displeasure at changes to their service.
Within 24 hours, Cara, one of the two folks listed as part of the Member Service team, sent a reasoned and sensitive reply. Essentially, she did what any well-trained customer service rep would do: she acknowledged my disappointment, restated the company position, and encouraged me to use the new database solution before coming to conclusions about it. Her gentle tone and positive reply changed my feelings about the situation entirely.
Just as I was starting to feel the warm glow of great customer service, though, another message arrived — this one from Stacy, the other staff member listed under Member Services. Stacy started her letter to me by saying, “Mark, it is up to you to determine whether you will continue with the site,” and concluded by saying, “If you feel this is not the venue for you, please feel free to investigate other options.”
In other words: if you don’t like the service you’ve paid for, then scram.
Sigh.
I did reply to Stacy. I cited Cara’s letter as an example of what should be done in cases like these … and noted to Stacy that her letter was a text book example of what not to do. (I know whereof I speak, by the way — I had the pleasure of working with the team of experts and designers who created the training program for SkyTel’s award-winning customer service shop.)
Oh — and just to make sure this note got appropriate attention, I copied the company’s CEO.
This morning, I found to my great pleasure a note from Inderpal Guglani, the co-founder, president, and CEO. In it, he handled the situation like a pro: acknowleding my displeasure (again), going through the logic that governed his choices, and encouraging me to stick around. It’s easy to see why he is where he is — he’s smooth.
So: despite Stacy’s contribution, the eMoonlighter team earns points for their otherwise elegant handling of a sticky situation. It’s just another reminder that any customer problem is, in fact, an opportunity for great customer service in disguise.
i have had the same (nay, much worse) treatment from this girl Stacy Norman, and am wondering if this is the way she is going to continue to treat the customers of Creative Moonlighter.
I, too, have dealt with the impolite Stacy Norman. I agree with the problems stated here earlier…and I would add that I have found another glaring problem with Creative Moonlighter…their deceptive advertising.
They state how many employers they have and how many “pros” on their website…and though it looks reasonable, it is very deceptive for two reasons:
1) The number of employers is the total number of employers who have posted a job…not active posters but the grand total who have been there even for one job three years ago, never to be seen again. Meanwhile, the pros are the number of active people looking for work.
2)It gets worse. The number of pros listed is broken down for each site under Emoonlighter, while the number of employers for all FOUR sites is TOTALED–and listed on each site, next to the individualized number of pros. Thus, the ratio of employers to pros doesn’t nearly look so abysmal.
I asked Stacy why they don’t list the TOTAL number of pros with the TOTAL number of employers…or even the separate breakdown of employers for each site, as they do with pros.Either method would show the REAL numbers. Stacy admitted that my suspicions were correct…but could not give me a good answer as to why they did that way.
The answer is that the REAL numbers would dissuade most people from signing up. If you total the pros from all four sites, you get a 15 to 1 ratio of pros to employers, instead of the implied 3 to 1 ratio. (Again, it’s much worse than that–who knows how much exactly–as most of the employers are no longer active.)
I’d say it’s time some media outlet looked into their “advertising” claims…
Hi, Nathalie:
The answer: You can’t compete with that. Fact is, many of the ‘pros’ at Creative Moonlighter are college kids and other newbies, seeking low-dollar assignments to flesh out their portfolios … and there are only too many eager clients who delight in paying a dollar for a website.
That’s cool … but one wishes CM would open a “bargain basement” — sort of like those dental clinics were you can pay $5.00 to have your teeth drilled by students — and distinguish that space from one occupied by seasoned pros.
Good luck!