I have not reviewed the Harley-Davidson website yet since I have limited interest in motorcycles, but I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the customer service options.
After landing on the home page, I found a Quick Start Guide divided into sections for experienced riders, new riders and those who have never ridden before. Each section has topics that would be beneficial for the particular category of customers. I selected one topic from each section and discovered that there was not a single opportunity to contact customer service on any of the three pages. My choices for review included Harley Parts and Accessories, Estimate Your Payment, and Guide to Customizing. I returned to the home page and found a “contact us” tab at the very bottom of the page which revealed the following:
To contact the Harley-Davidson Motor Company directly, please write:
Harley-Davidson Customer Care
3700 W. Juneau Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53208
To speak with a Harley-Davidson customer care representative please call (414) 343-4056. Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). Sorry, we're unable to receive e-mail at this time.
What? No email? This is unfortunate for Harley Davidson because e-mail is an important channel for customer service (Roberts, p. 227).
I moved down to the section called “Ideas for Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company” and found a significant contradiction:
We are always interested in the imagination and creativity of Harley-Davidson Motor Company motorcycle enthusiasts, and we welcome your suggestions and ideas about our products and services. If you have a general suggestion for new or improved products or services that is not patented or subject to a patent application then please email H-DIdeaSubmissionsSuggestion @harley-davidson.com. Please include your full name, address, email address, phone number and a complete description of your suggestion. General suggestions are accepted exclusively by email. Because of the volume of suggestions and ideas we receive, we cannot promise we will use your idea or respond to your submission (although we do try to respond).
Dianna Huff’s blog post on May 24, 2010, The New Rules of Marketing Online: There Aren’t Any, makes a great point about marketing rules. She says that if you wouldn’t do it or say it offline, or if your mother wouldn’t approve, then don’t do it online. It appears that if a customer has a question or concern, they are required to call on the telephone or write and mail a letter. At least there are two options, because not only do consumers expect good service, they expect to be able to access service through multiple channels (Roberts, p. 227). It also appears that if a customer has an idea for something that would benefit the company, they are extended the privilege of using email. This does not appear very customer oriented. I’m not sure Harley’s mother would approve of sending the message that the company is considered more important than the customer!
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One way to control content is to limit access. Many marketers fear open (read: “non-controlled”) communication, but that day is giving way to co-creating products and services with customers. There is a space between a customer free-for-all and message control. One emerging school of thought says, “Set up a blog and allow customers and employees to go at it.” The other says, “Let’s keep a handle on things so we do not take a chance on soiling our brand image.” As the water wears the rock, open two-way communication will wear down the forces trying to control the message.
ReplyDelete1970: The medium is the message.
1980: The Company is the message.
2000: The people are the message.
I am deeply disappointed in Harley. They have a highly recognized brand and to post that they are not accepting emails looks poorly on their dedication to customer satisfaction. They put on a good front through their website but their back end service needs a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteGreat observation on the way Harley does not have any customer service points of contact. Being an enthusiast I guess I have always depended on the local dealership for customer service...so it never really crossed my. I think I will go and check Yamaha's and Honda's website to see if they do the same thing!
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