“…And Starbucks just sells coffee. Yet, millions of customers see enough value to pay a premium and go out of their way for their coffee even though you can get “coffee” for 2/3 the cost at the gas station across the street.”
That’s usually my response to someone who tells me that “conferencing is just a commodity.” Things that are viewed and sold as true commodities are done so because there is no perceived value in the product, who is selling it, or how it is sold. For some conferencing companies, like most of our competition, conferencing services can be a commodity. They want to sell their customers services that are “just good enough” or meet the bare minimum requirements, or are 100% self serve — a true, “here-are-the-keys, we-don’t-support-you-after-the-sale, so good luck” mentality. There is no understanding of their customer’s business, how they use collaboration, or the value it brings to your organization. Most companies are chock full of aggressive sales reps who in order to barely meet guidance for the upcoming quarter squeeze their customers for every cent or engage in hostile negotiation tactics before moving on to their next sales job leaving distraught customers in their wake. Does this type of business environment encourage your conferencing sales rep to really care about you or is it all about them making their numbers and commissions at all costs?
In my career I have had to sit in leadership meetings where it was clearly stated that a certain amount of customer churn is acceptable. The numbers have been run and it was found that this is a good business model – regardless of how it affects those unsatisfied customers. To me this was always an unacceptable way of doing business, no matter how attractive it is to the bottom line. I have always believed that treating customers right, while delivering the best customer experience, and having a profitable company are not mutually exclusive ideas.
So yes, if the experiences described above sound familiar or describes your relationship with your existing provider of audio conferencing, web conferencing, video conferencing, or webcasting services, then conferencing may very well seem like a commodity or a cup of coffee from your local gas station. You acknowledge the source and the low cost and understand that you get what you pay for. And if your conferencing services are going to be bitter, murky, and lukewarm then why view your conferencing partner as having any additional value? I wouldn’t.
However, at Lighthouse Conferencing we believe that it is possible to provide the best technology, with industry leading customer service, at a great price. We won’t sell you services or treat you differently than we would our friends or family. It’s that simple. We know that if we live up to this mission we will have succeeded in creating a different kind of conferencing company where the customer comes first and the value of partnering with Lighthouse Conferencing is clear. So just like Starbucks or (insert your favorite boutique coffee shop here), while coffee is the foundation of what they do they also deliver an “experience.” And that’s the value and the difference Lighthouse Conferencing brings to the marketplace, we wrap our one of a kind experience around the best collaboration technologies in the world. Give us a try for yourself. We promise that you won’t regret it.
We intend to have an opinion on this blog, offer you the reader a reason to come back, and attempt to provide some genuine and original insight into that what we are passionate about: collaboration and conferencing. We will not fill our blog pages with filler, glossaries of conferencing terms, or the 5 steps to prepare for a conference call. We welcome your comments and feedback so please do not hesitate to contact us with your ideas or topics for future blog posts. We hope you enjoy reading our blog as much as we enjoy writing it.
Until the next post…
Have questions about Lighthouse Conferencing or need to meet remotely? Contact one of our passionate Meeting Consultants today!
Tags: Audio Conferencing · Lighthouse Conferencing · Video Conferencing · Web Conferencing · Webcasting
