Customer service start-up launches to help consumers resolve situations with companies

After United Airlines broke musician Dave Carroll’s guitar, he turned a bad situation into a good one. He wrote a song. It went so viral that United couldn’t help but see it and respond. He’s now made a career out of consumer advocacy.

The incident inspired Carroll and his co-founders to create the website Gripevine. Even if you can’t write a song, this site will help you get a response from companies you feel have wronged you.

Once you sign up, you can plant public gripes and invite your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to support you. You can explain your situation, even upload pictures, documents and YouTube videos to back it up.

Then Gripevine will take it from there. They’ll make sure your complaint gets to the right people, those who have the power to resolve the situation.

And when a company gets back to you, you can rate them.

Everyone has a story like Carroll. Now there’s a designated social platform for consumers to be heard.

(From our friends at CW33 News – Erin Harris)

To read the full media article & corresponding video click here.

Copyright © 2012, KDAF-TV

Says Dave: “I’m very excited to be working with Hay House and have been a fan of several of their authors for some time. They appreciate the depth of the United Breaks Guitars story and are eager to share all of its many aspects with people around the world. The best part is that this book will be an innovative distribution vehicle for my music as I’m going to be including several downloadable songs as part of the package and introduce the story of ‘who I am’ as an artist. The book will allow me to give context to each song in a meaningful way.”

The book, “United Breaks Guitars: The Power of one Voice in the Age of Social Media,”  scheduled to be released in May 2012, will take readers through the events that lead Dave from an unfortunate baggage incident with United Airlines to a Capitol Hill hearing room in Washington and around the world as a highly sought after keynote speaker.

Hundreds of interviews later, and after millions of online references about this ground breaking video in the worlds of customer service, branding, social media and self-empowerment Dave’s book will be the only comprehensive examination of the story, told first hand. How the story continues to unfold will also be explored.

Hay House is one of the worlds most respected publishing houses, best known for New Thought and Self-Empowerment works. Dave is a first time author who will be writing the manuscript himself and spending the rest of the summer completing what has been in development for several months.

Visit www.davecarrollmusic.com and www.hayhouse.com for more information.

Media Contact: Dave Carroll Music: (902) 860-0080 (Office)

I am a police officer in a small city in Western Canada. Towards the end of shift this last summer a call of a disturbance came across the radio at a local convince store. I was backing a ticket I had just written in a parking lot near by. The call quickly evolved into an armed robbery.

Subsequently I requested dispatch clear me from my traffic stop and send me the call. While en-route It became clear that the robbery had become an armed robbery with a gun and that the suspect was still inside the store. As I approached the area I tuned off my light bar and entered the parking lot from the opposite side of the side where the windows were. As I pulled into the parking lot a fellow officer was screaming on the radio he had eyes on the suspect and that he suspect was now pointing a gun at him. I quickly made my way to a window opposite of where the officer was, knowing I would be nearly 180 degrees to him and that the gunman would have is back to me. As I looked into the window I saw the gunman holding a clerk at gun point.

The gunman transitioned his weapon between the clerk and the other officer on scene . As the gunman walked backward with the clerk at gun point, he increasingly became closer to me, within 10 feet of the window. At this point I decided to fire my weapon and stop the threat posed to me and, at the time, an unknown amount of hostages inside the store. As I began to pull the trigger on my Sig, another clerk jumped from behind a counter directly into my line of sight. Thank Christ, literally, I stopped the pressure on the trigger and did not fire my weapon. I attempted to regain another sight picture of the gunman with negative success. Not being in a suitable cover position after that I retreated to a mid-size tree for cover. I was now about 30-40 feet from the window. Certainly not a desirable distance for a gun fight with a pistol.

At this point I looked to my left as I heard someone yell, “I’m going to ‘Sean’….” I then observed Bruce running across the parking lot, in plain view of the gunman, toward my position. Bruce had a carbine rifle with him at the time. Bruce took position with me and we remained there until the gunman was talked down by a hostage inside the store and eventually came outside and was arrested.

The point I want to make is that Bruce, literally, placed his life on the line as he ran to my position. He knew that I only had a pistol and that if a fire fight broke out I was seriously outgunned. That guy ran his ass across an open parking lot while a gunman had him in plain view because he knew I was in jeopardy, being in the position I was with the fire power I had. I have never thanked him directly for this. I should. I will.

Since then I have been to many calls with Bruce. This guy is the guy you want to be with when bullets fly and blood hits the ground. Bruce is the “typical cop”. He does what he does cause its hard wired into him. And he loves it. He put his friggin life on the line to cover my ass. Amazing. I only pray someday soon I can repay the debt.

If someone reads this story and knows of any awards, rewards etc for such hero, please reply. I would love to get him recognized for what he had done, and is doing.

Sean.

She told us that she had been on the floor for three hours. She said to call my mom and dad. I went to call 911. I told the dispatch all the info that the rescuers need to get here fast.

The first rescuer was her.

I told them that she been on the floor for three hours. Then the ambulance got her. The rescuer lift her up on the bed. She when to Goodall hospital. When I got in the hospital the rescuer gave me a word for saving my grandma.

Our bed was in the closet and my husband’s needs were being met.  Brent didn’t stop there, when the question went out, “Who is driving Les?” he said immediately, “I am.” As we drove his compassion shone through as he said we have the ambulance in sight. Then went on to assure me I had done everything I could.

His professionalism, his compassion, his ability just radiated. On top of being there for me, he came to our home just in case my children who live out of town had any questions.  That goes way beyond the call of duty. BUT trust me, we will never forget how quickly Whitney responded to our needs.

Special folk in a special place.

Thank God for each and everyone of our everyday HEROES.

Thanks for sharing your poem Kim. It’s beautiful. Mine Rescue definitely falls under the 911 umbrella and your poem gives a moving perspective on the sacrifice and the risk. I assume it went over well? You should submit it to the 911song.com site.

Thanks also for coming to the concert and for the kind words. We love coming home each year and it’s one of the most important trips we make.

All the best, Dave

On Sat, Dec 3, 2011 at 10:48 AM, kim beamish wrote:
Hello,
I would like to let you know how much I enjoyed your concert last night firstly. It brings the Christmas spirit into my heart. Your concert is joyful and wonderful to watch.

I would like to comment on your First Responders song, mostly for the reason that my husband is a first responder . He is part of a group of men from his mine at Xstrata Copper in Timmins who train through the year, every year, in order to be the best they can be as a first response team in underground emergencies and disasters. The Mine has a competition team of seven men who train to compete against other mines in the district then the team who takes the District Trophy goes on to compete at the Provincial level. The goal of the mine rescue competition is to have men exposed to as near life like disasters as possible in order to experience rescue under extreme circumstance and conditions. This in turn hopefully has our guys as ready as they can possibly be.

My husband has been in Mine Rescue for 30 years. He was the Captain of the Xstrata Copper team for many years. I am beyond proud of him and his men. When, at the awards Banquet one year, asked to give a speech, a toast to the Men of Mine Rescue as the Captain’s wife, I was searching for the right words to honor these men. The Men of Mine Rescue, I thought, I am as proud of all of them as I am of my husband. I feel for their families and friends when they are called out. I had no words that could, in my heart, even tell them how much we appreciate them and so, I wrote a small poem to them to try to cover everything I know we all felt and feel every day. Because we feel this for all Miners, not just our community. When we hear of a mine disaster far away, or close, we all feel for the Men going into Rescue and the families and friends waiting behind the phone. And we weep for the men and women waiting for rescue. Praying that they all make it out.

I wanted to share it with you both because your video touched my heart and I wanted to expand on the types of Rescue Men and Women. I know the video shows a few and the meaning encompasses them all First Responders and Rescue personnel, but I still wanted to share our experience with you.
A Mine Rescue Prayer

It’s a game to most people
Win or Lose, break the tie.
What these people aren’t thinking
is that a man could die.
The Game has a purpose
to be the Best of the Best.
Life saving skills are being put to the test.
Fierce competition drives each and every man
Preservation of Life, is the first Command.
As we watch, we should reflect on what this
competition truly means.
It means some day
a group of men will be called
To help save their friends,
to help and and all.
The point of their training
becomes crystal clear.
The Game was rehearsal
for their worst fears.
We pray for the Games to continue.
That these men can put their knowledge to the test.
That they will always strive to be,
the Best of the Best.
Each time I get a call
at three a.m. or so,
I am so tempted to ask him,
“Please, don’t go.”
But I don’t ask
I know where he stands.
He’s already thinking of his friends,
whose lives are in his hands.
It’s then that I go kiss him ,
and I whisper a Prayer.
I pray for their safety,
their courage, their lives.
I pray for these Mine Rescue Men
on behalf of their wives,
their children, their friends.
I pray they all come home
to us again.

Thank you for writing songs that touch a people individually and as a community.
Sincerely,
Kim Beamish.

When I went to my first training night, I got to know everyone. It hit me that these are every day people that volunteer their time to do events and train weekly to save lives.

I am now a fully trained medical first responder and they people I join on duty with St. John Ambulance are my every day heros. The heroic actions of these men and women working events and responding to major disasters with police, fire and ems, on a drop of a dime, just amazes me.

The ‘United Breaks Guitars’ story has been back in the news recently following a series of posts by Gary Lemke of CRMAdvocate.com (Did it change everything? , Guitar Man back story & Wait a minute, Guitar Man), that provoked the ‘Guitar Man’ himself Dave Carroll to respond. Following Vladimir Dimitroff’s take on the public debate last week, Carroll has responded to MyCustomer.com to clear his name.

Hey Vladimir,

I welcome the opportunity to share some of my views on the cultural changes that are needed in business to stay relevant in the age of social media. Before that however apparently I need to clear up a few things on the personal side.

Your defense of Gary Lemke is admirable but unnecessary as he is a very intelligent man, doing a fine job defending himself. That being said, several people including me, judged his remarks about my integrity, my story, it’s implications and lessons learned to be out of line. I applaud his right to a contrary opinion of the relevance of United Breaks Guitars but drew the line at the sliver-of-a-hint that I didn’t have sufficient proof to justify going to YouTube with my story. That being said I have since had a pleasant conversation with Gary and he and I will be sharing ideas on how to improve customer experience, without an aggressive tone.

You did compare me to ‘terrorists’ and did differentiate between good customers who suffer in silence and the trouble making bullying brigade that you seem to feel I represent. Here’s what you said in your own words: “My argument (see in detail there) is that fear only motivates for discrimination by the wrong criteria, giving preferential treatment to ‘terrorist’ customers and still ignoring the good ones who suffer in silence”. It would be nice to think that everyone who reads your blog will hang on your every utterance and go looking to read more when you ask them to. The reality is that we don’t, so say it the way you mean it every time.

Then you said: “While serious practitioners have been working (against unspeakable resistance) to change business philosophies, processes, practices and motivations, the bullying brigade revel in their power to inflict damage.” Can I infer that you count yourself as a serious practitioner in the CS sphere and that I’m “a self proclaimed guru”, or is there something in a past blog that will tell me what you really mean? For the record I don’t claim to be an expert on customer service or social media, and some pretty intelligent people have said that we should run from anyone claiming to be a SM expert.

Again, I think you were talking about me but maybe I’m wrong. I am a customer who decided not to suffer in silence any longer. I told the truth about what happened in a song and people liked it because it resonated with them. If I’m not one of the good ones who suffer in silence, then I suppose that makes me something else? You can see why your words would imply this is the case.

Here’s some good news though… we agree on a few things! We agree that companies are embracing social media out of fear of what one customer can do to their brand. Many companies are not doing it out of love, I agree. That agreement we share implies another point of agreement: that companies are in fact embracing social media because of the way some customers have used social media to compel companies to give a fair customer service response. I would be one of them and I’m glad we agree on that as well.

I believe fear is a good motivator as a starting point but I contend that really embracing social media offers opportunities to transcend the confrontational relationship of distrust and fear between those who make things and those who buy them. You and I disagree on the value of fear in an organization but I’ll make the distinction between a healthy respect for the power of one person to share a bad experience and another person to maliciously set out to destroy a brand. Speed limits help ensure reckless drivers are kept in check. No one likes to get a speeding ticket but I think most people would agree that we’re all better off if the fear of tickets is keeping reckless behaviour in check. Likewise, reckless companies with exceptionally poor customer service can be kept in check simply by the reality that consumers are able to expose bad service like never before.

Re: good customers vs bad: You call a good customer one who might use their feet and switch brands? I’d rather have a bad customer who tweeted their displeasure with my product so that I could reach out them, apologize if necessary and win them over with great customer service. This is called the “customer service paradox”. Social media offers companies a chance to take an angry customer and turn them into evangelists for their brand (if companies choose to care enough and see the opportunity).

We also agree that a customer like me who uses social media to right a customer service issue will have better results than one who does nothing. I would also say the magnitude of the loss of 3 band members instruments on tour to Siberia warrants immediate attention. A lot rides on musicians arriving to a gig with their instruments (for themselves, ticket holders, promoters). While you seem to take issue with the fact that my problem may have gotten faster attention than someone who lost a suitcase full of clothes (and I’m not sure you’re right) , I embrace the fact that the system worked – and I think we should now work towards ensuring it work for everyone.

This week I had an angry customer who said they bought a digital download of my album but only half of each song would play before stopping. I put myself in his shoes, realized how frustrating that would be and offered to mail him a physical CD at no cost (even though the cost is nearly double). I’m looking into if the trouble could be on my end. In all likelihood it has to do with his computer, as no other similar complaints have come in, but the customer was blown away with how quickly I resolved it, made it better than “just right”, and this person will come back to buy again if he likes what he hears on the CD. Notice I didn’t interrogate him to establish if he was lying or looking for a freebie. I’ll weigh those risks against the likelihood that I can maybe create a long time fan of my music with one simple solution.

Vladimir, it would seem that you have a wealth of experience in the customer service market and it’s clear that you can support what you say. This new age of social media is a game changer though – and while some people are slower to adopt it or put it in perspective as just another tool to help companies deliver their promise, it will settle into a very good thing for all as it becomes more entrenched.

On a personal note l look forward to sharing news about the launch a new company I have co-founded called Gripevine that will help consumers and companies better use social media for the betterment of all. Since July 2009 my goal has been to help customers and companies resolve and avoid conflict. With Gripevine I am doing something about that. If you’d care to join me in focusing on solutions I’d be happy to continue a dialogue with you. Mudslinging however takes attention away from more important matters. I would hope we’re all too busy to engage in that.

Cheers,
Dave Carroll

Being thrust into the Customer Service market as a ‘voice of the customer in the social media age’ (which is often the way I am introduced at speaking engagements), has also presented some opportunities to recognize people, another passion of mine. When I wrote the song Everyday Heroes to recognize First-Responders http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/911song, I was trying to use my Social Media following and background working in emergency response to recognize the sacrifices these heroes make on a daily basis. Look into the eyes of a First Responder and one thing reaches you, you see that they are real people… just like you and me. I’m so passionate about this that I would often include the song in my presentations about my United story and gratefully, my clients have been accommodating.

It was at Genesys’ G-Force Prague this summer that the Everyday Heroes song met Customer Service Heroes, and I was thrilled to have provided a spark for this very worthy tribute to another kind of hero: the Customer Service hero. Since my wife works as an Escalation Manager for a major telecommunications company, I hear their stories nightly at the dinner table. But also, I encounter them as I travel the speaking circuit, in hotels, restaurants and airports. At car rental counters, credit card companies and travel agencies. I have no regrets about making the “United Breaks Guitars’ video, but I do take issue with the challenge some have made to my acting out a personal vendetta against someone, especially front-line customer service staff – or that I have harmed someone personally in some way as a result. My issue has never been with a particular individual; simply the policies established by companies they represent and have the (sometimes unfortunate) responsibility to enforce. I felt that the Customer Service Heroes program gave me an opportunity to correct whatever misperceptions where out there about my true motivations once and for all — and was honored to be a judge of the program.

Customer Service Heroes in Prague was an American Idol-like take on a contest to find EMEA’s best performing customer service agent. The three finalists could not have been more worthy of the title. Daulet Kunenov, of Telecom Express in Russia, went so above and beyond helping a customer find an express train in a pinch that the customer later named their child after him. Nuria Jimenez Remacho, from Catsa in Spain, spent hours going beyond the call of duty to help a customer address a technical issue with an antenna to get internet service in a remote region of Spain. And Ahmed Shalaby, of Vodafone Egypt (the overall winner) made an incredible effort to re-unite a lost child with their parents during the Egyptian Revolutions last spring. His story brought a standing ovation from the crowd and there were few dry eyes in the crowd when the applause stopped.

No matter what we do, who we are, everyone I have ever met needs and wants to be recognized for what they do. To be told ‘thank you’, to be recognized for the work they do, to feel a sense of pride in their work.

Whether you are leading a Customer Service organization or simply on the receiving end of great customer service, I encourage you to recognize people on the front line delivering service in every way you can. With supervisors, with managers, with executives. By writing letters, sending emails, making phone calls. It’s an easy thing to do, and it has an incredible impact on the morale of customer service staff. There’s no website or machine that can offer you an apology or correct a company’s mistake with a customer. At the end of the day it comes down to front-line people, Customer Service Heroes, who make the difference between a lost customer and a happy one.

Thanks for taking the time to honor them!

In response to your recent blog: Wait a minute, Guitar Man, CRM Advocate

Your view that I was somehow unjustified to resort to social media without undeniable proof that my guitar was damaged during my flight with United Airlines is myopic and it reflects a much wider issue.  By implying that the primary concern of big companies must be to protect themselves from the fraudulent activities of their thieving customers, you invigorate a corporate culture of distrust and deepen the chasm between consumer and corporation.  Not taking responsibility for undeniably poor service today is precisely how big corporations are putting their brands at risk in age of social media. The fear and suspicion you are spreading in  “your take” on my story is potentially very expensive to big companies. Just ask United Airlines.

You are welcome to your opinion that my story and those like them are not having a lasting effect in the customer service field but in my experience and in the opinion of respected authors, bloggers, professors, learning institutions, and thousands of consumers who have reached out to me to tell me so, you would be wrong. The fact that huge corporations are now investing in social media can often be traced back to my video and other individual consumers.

Just two weeks ago a major airline lost our band’s instruments on the way to Russia.  Using Twitter, I let them know and within minutes they began a search for our instruments and were able to get them to us an hour before we needed them…in Siberia.  Before social media I believe they would have arrived late, if at all.  The result was a customer service recovery for the airline instead of a nightmare for them and our band.

I now travel the world speaking to corporate audiences about the need to remove the silos within their own operations and to embrace social media as a way to better connect with customers. It is through relationship building with customers that companies will prosper in the age of social media.  What you seem to be selling (distrust and resentment towards one’s customers who refuse to accept poor experiences) puts a brand on the fast track to irrelevance.

I assume, Mr. Lemke, that by the tone of your posting that you make at least part of your living advising corporate clients. So do I and you should know that I’m passionate about this new aspect of my career that attempts to undo what you teach with the profound belief that this will benefit both consumers and corporations.

It’s also worth pointing out that in your attempt to inform your readers about the backstory you were wrong on the facts in a few places. I can give you a point-by-point breakdown in a separate email if you’d find it useful but your readers should know that even United Airlines doesn’t question whether the facts occurred as they did. The airline chose to avoid compensating me by defaulting to their policy of requiring a claim to be opened within 24 hours of an incident  (something I couldn’t do for good reason). They have since apologized for that and have even paid me a license fee.  Why?  To pay for their right to show my video as a training tool to improve customer service with their airline and to improve the profitability of their operations.  Again, it would appear that even United would disagree with you about the power of one person to make a change in the age of social media. The fact that you have used me and my story for three consecutive blogs to raise the attention of your own work implies that perhaps even you don’t believe what you are saying.

I maintain that differences of opinion make for healthy debate but I would appreciate it if your facts were accurate with regards to me and my story and that, when speaking of me, you use my name and not the impersonal avatar-like moniker you created.  Dave or Dave Carroll, or even Mr. Carroll,if you’d prefer, are fine.  “Guitar Man” disguises the reality that there is a real individual behind my video; a man who values the integrity behind his family name much more than a $3500 Taylor guitar, and that’s saying something!

Yours truly, Dave Carroll
United Breaks Guitars