I was recently trying to install a WordPress application on a client’s site. What should have been a no-brainer turned into a three-day ordeal with hours spent on hold to Network Solution’s tech support without satisfactory support. So now, not only did they lose a customer, they’ve damaged their brand in the process.

Looking behind the curtain, it’s easy to see how it happened, and what could have been done to prevent it.

1. They left me on hold WAY to long; an hour plus. So what do I do to fill my time? I Tweet about how long I’m on hold. I post a status update to Facebook to vent my frustration. I let the world (or at least my followers and friends) know how unhappy I am with Network Solutions’ customer support. To be honest, I had originally gone on Twitter to see if anyone from Network Solutions was there to help me. But when I searched for their name I only found a lot of other unhappy customers. This really only reinforced the bad impression they were giving me by keeping me on hold so long.
2. They didn’t respond to my concerns. The first ticket I put in was never handled at all. When I called back (and after another hour on hold) the rep did not do a good job of explaining the issue to me or why it hadn’t been resolved or making me feel like it mattered to them. No one contacted me in response to my Tweets which shows me that they are not monitoring their brand online to find out what customers are thinking. Even when I asked for a follow up email, it didn’t come.

In the end, we moved the account to another provider for reasons of frustration and mental anguish. So I spent more time on the phone with Tech Support. The difference is now I’m on the phone with two different providers; HostGator (love, love, love them) (full disclosure, I’m an affiliate) and MailStreet, of whom I am quickly becoming a fan. They were patient with my questions, clearly explained the answers to my questions and in the end I was a happy camper; singing the praises of their brands rather than venting my spleen to anyone who’ll listen.

How are you managing your brand?