Grasshopper Puts Problems in the Bag
About a month ago we wrote about the problems Grasshopper had with customer service after a major outage. At the time the company had experienced a total outage that prevented customers from being able to access voice-mails or even use their phones. The solution took almost two days to implement and in the meantime customers lost thousands of dollars in business. These types of stories occur in every industry almost every day but few understand how to properly capture the opportunity these bad times present.
After a flood that was caused by a leaking underground pipe one marketing agency came up with the idea of giving their customers a gift. For about four days their business was totally offline. Power was cut as were the phone lines when heavy construction cranes were brought in to fix the problem. How did the company handle it? They decided to send out the Cabo Water Bag with Carabiner which had just been released by Bullet Line. They also sent along a pre-printed card that explained what happened in clear and concise terms. They also played on words while highlighting the features in the bag by saying things like "collapses just like our business" and "holds a flood of water." Customers appreciated the information and confidence was restored.
Whenever these issues crop up it is always interesting to see how similar situations are handled in other countries. In Australia there have been a series of major blunders in the last 24 months some larger than others. Their version of Smartcompany magazine discusses the largest Australian marketing blunders in recent years. What is often interesting to look at is the fact that many of these issues are actually the result of the inability to appropriately translate meaning. What may fly in one country may well not work in another. Grasshopper luckily didn't have to go through any of these issues as their client base was mostly in the United States.