From b39683b3b31fe835583e29f9e4119ca6a4e6c02e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nico Schottelius Date: Sun, 29 Nov 2020 10:19:50 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] ++blog ++product: support --- .../contents.lr | 145 ++++++++++++++++++ .../hosted-support-system/contents.lr | 76 +++++++++ 2 files changed, 221 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/u/blog/about-the-superiority-of-classic-communications/contents.lr create mode 100644 content/u/products/hosted-support-system/contents.lr diff --git a/content/u/blog/about-the-superiority-of-classic-communications/contents.lr b/content/u/blog/about-the-superiority-of-classic-communications/contents.lr new file mode 100644 index 0000000..33e2de5 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/u/blog/about-the-superiority-of-classic-communications/contents.lr @@ -0,0 +1,145 @@ +title: Fixing the phone hotline problems +--- +pub_date: 2020-11-29 +--- +author: Nico Schottelius +--- +twitter_handle: NicoSchottelius +--- +_hidden: no +--- +_discoverable: no +--- +abstract: +Making technologies improve our life +--- +body: + +## The phone hotline + +If you have a problem with your contract, if you want to have some +information about your product or you just want to change some +detail. By default, many companies nowadays offer something that we +call "hotline". Or in other words: a voice based communication that +allows to easily queue people. + +The motivation and how it works is rather clear: there are a finite +number of employees, each of which can only talk to one person, so if +the number of requests is more than number of employees, then you are +stuck in the queue. However this post is not about the annoyance of +waiting in a queue and enduring little quality down sampled classic +music pieces. + +No, in this post I want to address a different fundamental problem: +every time you call, you start a fresh conversation. You are likely to +talk to a different person with a different background and from a +customer perspective you usually don't have any trail of previous +communication. Actually, the company you are calling might record (and +correctly announce it before) the call. However as a customer you +cannot. Often it is also impossible to correspond with the company by +email, so all written communication has to be sent in letters. In 2020! + +Looking at it this way clearly shows how much power imbalance the +innovation of the phone hotline is causing. But it could easily be +different. + + +## The classic way + +You might or might not remember when companies used to be smaller and +you would request a service with the counterpart in person. Both of +you know each other and are fully aware of each other responsibilities +("I give you money, you give me a product or service") and also of the +support process (A: "It did not work" - B: "I'll fix it (also because +you are my neighbour and it's really not good for our relationship if +I don't"). + +As you can easily imagine this does not scale nor work easily in big +companies where staff is rotated or fluctuating. The old value system +of being responsible on a personal basis cannot easily be +transferred. This also means that the classic way is much more +expensive in terms of time and resources, but the responsibilities are +enforced by social relationships. + +## Mixing the two? + +So we could say that they are two extremes: one very personal, high +quality, expensive and the other - well, you get the picture. Is it +possible to improve the current situation and how can we get the best +of the two worlds? Before answering this question, let me give you a +short background of where we are and how we work at ungleich, to show +you how these approaches can naturally merge. +show how + +## ungleich @ Digital Glarus + +ungleich is based in [Digital Glarus](/u/projects/digital-glarus/), +a really old mountain valley in Switzerland. Majority of its buildings +are very old (I'd guess most are built prior to 1900, many even much +older), major businesses are industry, farming and also tourism. Many +people here get up before 6 and start working latest by 8. + +We from ungleich on the other hand are working in IPv6 only +networks connected by our own fiber or with long range wifi links. Our +working hours are very flexible, can be morning, day, night, week, +weekend - we are free to choose. Our topics are very technical by +nature. + +These two approaches can contradict, but they can also work together +very well. Like the two ways of communication. + +Interestingly our experience here is that they can easily be combined: +many people living in Digital Glarus have what we call an "old value +system". If you offer a service towards people in Digital Glarus, you +need to take responsibility and be trustworthy. Otherwise the word +will get out within a few days and social enforcement will result in +no more work for you. + +While this might sound cruel, you could actually call this "social +quality assurance". + +And how does this look like in reality? People here want and need to +be convinced that you are trustworthy. You are having (pre Corona) in +person meetings, one person will make a protocol and then later send +it for verification back to the other party. If something is noted +incorrectly, the protocol will be amended and again verified. + + +## Combining old values and new communication + +Let's come back to the original problem: we shifted from high quality, +individual services to mass produced in-transparent +communication. Technically and organisational, it is not necessary to +provide a worse product or service if it is mass produced. + +So let's go back to the hotline problem: we advocate a simple change +that costs little for companies to implement but restores trust and +quality in communication: + +**Every support hotline should be, by default, accompanied by a text based +ticketing system that sends users a protocol and let's them interact +with you on a text basis.** + +So how does this work? The agent in the call center will make notes of +the phone call - they are already done nowadays, but unavailable for +you. Some of these notes might be internal ("The customer does not +know the difference between the power button and the reset button - +always advise to push the button on the right") and are not for +sharing. However, **the key points of the conversation must be sent to +the customer**. This way, as a customer I can easily react and correct +statements that have been incorrectly recorded. With a trail. + +Furthermore in a later stage, I as a customer, also have a trail and +the ability to respond to the previous conversation by text, giving me +the opportunity to add to the trail. + +Obviously, our suggestion here is not rocket science. In fact, it is a +very easy, natural and cost effective measure to be more transparent +and to built mutual trust. + +Some companies might try to argue that it is too complex or too +expensive to implement such a system. To prevent that argument from +being true, we have added a [Hosted Support +System](/u/products/hosted-support-system/) to our product +list. Nobody needs to get it from us, but anybody can. And thus there +is no excuse, not to have it implemented. diff --git a/content/u/products/hosted-support-system/contents.lr b/content/u/products/hosted-support-system/contents.lr new file mode 100644 index 0000000..67dc779 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/u/products/hosted-support-system/contents.lr @@ -0,0 +1,76 @@ +_discoverable: no +--- +_hidden: no +--- +title: Hosted Support System +--- +subtitle: Easy and transparent support +--- +headline1: Transparent +--- +headline2: Easy to use +--- +headline3: Support System +--- +header_background_color: #1393B4 +--- +header_text_color: text-light +--- +nav_classes: navbar-dark +--- +feature1_title: Versatile +--- +feature1_text: You can use our IPv6 VPN to connect your office. Or +your notebook. Or to create your own VPN concentrator. +--- +feature2_title: State of the art +--- +feature2_text: The ungleich IPv6 is powered by Wireguard. Wireguard is +a light weight, portable and easy to use technology. And it comes with +a /48 IPv6 network routed! +--- +feature3_title: Works anywhere +--- +feature3_text: The VPN works in situations where you have NAT, NAT64 +or other network inspection modes in place. It just requires UDP +traffic to pass. +--- +content1_text: + +## IPv6 VPN + +At ungleich we believe that IPv6 should be available everywhere. To +help you connecting to IPv6 only resources, we offer the IPv6-VPN. + +We believe that IPv6 is an enabler for many organisations, companies, +developers and freelancers. For this reason we created the +VPN, which enables you to have IPv6 +connectivity from wherever you are for 120 CHF/year. + +One VPN is free for all existing customers with resources on +[Data Center Light](/u/projects/data-center-light). + +You can find more about the VPN and technical details, +on [IPv6VPN.ch](https://ipv6vpn.ch). + +## Related products + +* The [IPv4-to-IPv6 proxy](/u/products/ipv4-to-ipv6-proxy/) enables + IPv6 only websites to be reachable from the IPv4 world. +* [IPv4 as a service](/u/products/ipv4-as-a-service/) - enable you to + get your static IPv4 address anywhere + + +--- +content1_image /u/image/ipv6-vpn-ungleich-swiss.jpg +--- +offer1_title: IPv6 VPN 120 CHF/Year +--- +offer1_text: +* IPv6 addresses registerd in Switzerland +* 80 bit of IPv6 space +* Encrypted +* with a /48 network + +--- +offer1_link: https://datacenterlight.ch/product/ipv6-vpn-48/