Netflix has recognized that they need to go back to the "olden times" of providing people on the phone to talk to customers. The New York Times pays homage to the move.
I agree. With the world of automation, what was considered to be a move into the future has actually exhausted and annoyed customers. A voice that actually answers on the other end of the line rather than the disappointing drone of the automated system telling you what number to push to get to your next series of automated and pre-recorded answers is desired by most humans I know.
The question is, is it a great differentiator to boost NetFlix's sales and customer loyalists?
Netflix is getting some heavy duty competiton these days from Blockbuster who has dusted off their old strategy and is now in the game to win. They had to come in from behind when Netflix swept away with many of their customers, but they have caught up and are pulling ahead. According to the New York Times:
By the first quarter this year, after years of outstripping Blockbuster in subscriber growth, Netflix added 480,000 new subscribers while Blockbuster signed up 780,000 new members. And in the second quarter of this year, Netflix, which prides itself on customer loyalty, lost 55,000 customers. Blockbuster added 525,000, bringing its total to 3.6 million..
Can Netflix regain their loyal base by adding back in service and making it easier to do business with them? They're betting that they can. Blockbuster, on the other hand stays in the camp of "no service is the best service," burying their 800 number, and sending people to the FAQ section of the web site.
Let the service wars begin! I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out!
