Within the last 30 minutes, I received a call from a Symantec employee named Andrew who was really helpful. He had spent over an hour researching my problem, to discover that my issue was a very weird circumstance that was somehow was being created internally in their software.

In any case, while Andrew wasn’t able to fix the original problem, he did offer a temporary fix that will let me download what I need. I want to thank both him and Ben for all of the help they’ve given me.

My last word on this topic is just this: It never had to be this way. Throughout this ordeal, I had no way of knowing if my case had dropped off the face of the Earth, or if a Symantec employee was working on it. Good communication is everything in these types of situations. If I don’t hear anything, I’m left to assume nothing is happening, if that’s the intent or not.

Postscript: In case anyone is wondering, Symantec employees were aware that I was blogging about this situation since my first post about it on January 12th. They never once asked that I add to or remove my comments in any way.

Possibly related posts:

1. Symantec MySupport Follow-up
2. The Current Score with Symantec Customer Support
3. Bad Web Design #1: Symantec MySupport

• 11/28/2006 — I received a “Version Upgrade Notification” email from Symantec, including a PDF document a URL and Notification ID to be used to retrieve the new release of Backup Exec 11d Windows. I log into their licensing portal and input my information, only to get an error message saying “Your request cannot be processed. Please contact Symantec Customer Care”.
• Mid-December, 2006 — Chalking the previous experience up to a temporary glitch, I try logging in again to download the software update. No luck — I get the same error message.
• 12/22/2006 — I try logging in again and inputting my information, but get the same problem. I eventually find and call the Symantec “Customer Care” phone number (800.721.3934). The message says that hold times are in excess of 45 minutes due to high call volume regarding the “newly introduced Symantec Licensing portal”. I wait on hold for about 15 minutes before hanging up and going to Symantec MySupport to log an issue through the company’s online support system. This is where I have the experience I partially documented on a previous post.
• 01/12/2007 — Fed up with Symantec MySupport, I decide to wait on hold with “Customer Care” (800.721.3934). After waiting 1 1/2 hours to speak with a real person, I talk to a rep named Cordella. She takes a look at the account and says a new notification number needs to be issued to me, which will be sent out within the next week.
• 01/16/2007 — I receive an email from a Symantec employee named Ben regarding my blog post about the MySupport site. We talk on the phone for a few minutes regarding that experience, and he says to keep him in the loop regarding my support issue.
• 01/19/2007 — One week after speaking to Cordella, I still haven’t received my new notification number. I email Ben back, and he submits my issue into Symantec’s internal customer escalation system.
• 01/25/2007 — No word from Symantec support yet. I email Ben to check in again, and he quickly checks on the status of my request. Several minutes later, I receive a phone call from a Symantec employee named Mark, who is in charge of the internal customer escalation system. He says he’s forwarding my information to a manager in the licensing department and that I should expect a call from them shortly after he does so.
• 1/30/2007 — Still no word from Mark or the licensing department manager. I bug Ben again, and he forwards my email to one of the people involved with the customer escalation program.

So, that’s where the situation sits right now. Even Symantec’s internal problem escalation system isn’t bringing this thing to a resolution. If that’s the case, someone going through the normal support channels has practically no chance of getting their problem fixed.

I have to say that I really like Ben and think he’s genuinely interested in helping me and others out. He’s been extremely accessible and prompt whenever I send him an email. It’s the Symantec system that’s a problem. It squashes any chance of guys like him making a real difference. That’s what’s wrong with big businesses.

Possibly related posts:

1. Here’s an Idea: Customer Service Callbacks
2. Finally — Resolution with Symantec
3. Symantec MySupport Follow-up
4. Bad Web Design #1: Symantec MySupport
5. Amazon’s Customer Culture

Ben said someone had forwarded him a link to my critique of MySupport and asked if I’d be willing to talk about my experience. Several hours later, he called me up and we chatted for a while about it. I learned about some 3rd party software integration they’re going through along with a few other things. More than anything else though, I found out that Ben was genuinely interested in hearing my opinion and making the MySupport experience better.

Ben also reminded me that there are still some good people who care working in huge corporations. It’s too bad the systems of this companies usually keep them on so tight a leash they can’t make a difference.

So, thanks for contacting me Ben. You gave me a little more hope in corporations. It’s good to know someone is actually listening.

Possibly related posts:

1. The Current Score with Symantec Customer Support
2. Bad Web Design #1: Symantec MySupport
3. Finally — Resolution with Symantec
4. Here’s an Idea: Customer Service Callbacks
5. Facebook Loves Developers, and I Love Facebook

I think this would do a couple of things. First, it would remove the frustration that grows with every minute you’re on hold. That in itself would make the support calls more productive for both parties. Second, it shows a lot of respect for the customer. Instead of treating them like cattle by keeping them on hold, they get to go back to their regular job until they get the call.

This idea can’t be unique — some company out there has to be doing something like this already. The question to ask then, is why aren’t most companies doing it?

Sadly, I believe the answer is that most big companies just don’t care about their customers. Their “customers” are a mass of faceless and nameless people that are interchangeable and replaceable. Usually, you get lots of attention from sales while they “court” you, but if you ever decide to sign an agreement with them, you’re screwed. Support is an afterthought, and you’re looked at as an expense instead of being treated the way a customer really should. That’s why phone support is so often outsourced to call centers in India with employees who have no investment in a company, but read from a script instead.

That’s why I feel small businesses can really exploit this current state. They’re filled with people who still care, and there’s a very good chance the support person is also the sales person and the person providing the product or service. They’re also a thousand times faster than corporations, and can change their sales pitch or the product itself the day they learn of an issue from a customer, instead of having to go through layer after layer of bureaucracy.

Like I’ve said before, doing the right thing usually isn’t any harder than doing the “easy” thing. It means thinking a little differently and focusing your energy in a different place. But it also means caring — something a corporation is incapable of doing.

Possibly related posts:

1. The Current Score with Symantec Customer Support
2. Great Customer Service
3. The Waiting Game
4. Amazon’s Customer Culture
5. Something I’d Like to See: A REST Web Service for My Phone