By Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva®

Verizon spends gazillions on marketing. They are in your face everywhere. TV, print online, direct mail you name it. I’ve been a customer of Verizon’s for nearly 20 years. They used to be GTE. Over all, I’ve been pleased with my relationship until this week. I’m moving back to Tampa and needed to set up my land line phone service. With all their outbound messaging and seductive sales initiatives, why in the world would they not be able to take my call for two busy days to place an order? This is a cardinal sin for any brand. Tell me you’re hot and the best thing since sliced bread, then you can’t manage your call center flow for two solid days!?!?!? And, to make things worse, not only was I on hold for 3-4 hours each day, if I decided to hang up and try again, I would have had to experience this annoying computer, voice activated 5-minute torture just to get started again. Verizon is a technology leader; so, I thought surely their Web site would have some option to get me some help. Wrong. It’s a maze of no help what so ever. Madness! And the assistance email kept locking up. Wednesday, three days later, I got through. Screaming at the operator is not the answer. They likely had no contribution to this disastrous customer service system. Verizon leadership where ever you are, you should be ashamed. And if you know this is a problem and you are working on it, why not a little communication? This would go along way. If you can’t dance, don’t invite me to the party.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.