News / Blog
Thursday, April 26th, 2012
I’m heading off on a “mini tour” of Nova Scotia this week and looking forward to sharing songs and stories with audiences across the province. I’ll be bringing with me Mike Hiltz on bass & Chris Iannetti on guitar. We’re looking forward to playing your Dave Carroll favourites as well as share a sneak preview of songs to be released on my upcoming new album “Raincoat in Vegas.” Stay tuned for more on the album release date and for more touring dates.
See you at the shows!
Cheers,
Dave
Show locations, dates and ticket info:
Monday, February 6th, 2012
Photo (c) Chronicle Herald, photo by Christian Laforce
February 6th, 2012
Halifax Chronicle Herald
Article by Bill Power
A new social media-driven business with a Nova Scotia connection wants to make the world a better place by giving people a place to gripe.
Gripevine.com is one of the latest ventures from Waverley entertainer Dave Carroll. He gained some notoriety for his United Breaks Guitars song, one of 2010’s top-10 most viewed YouTube videos.
Carroll said Monday this is the first online social media platform for consumer-complaint resolution. He and a couple of Ontario partners launched the site recently after a round of beta testing by 600 select users and corporations.
“There is something therapeutic about sitting around and griping with your friends, but with the magic of social media, there is a method to make sure your complaints actually get heard,” the singer-songwriter and speaker on consumer issues said in an interview.
To read more from this article visit the Chronicle Herald website at: http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/59831-new-site-lets-you-get-your-gripe-out
Monday, February 6th, 2012
July 6th, 2012
PR Newswire Press Release
Consumer Advocacy Platform Provides Users a Free & Simple Venue for Corporate Gripes
NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Gripevine.com, the first online social media platform for consumer-complaint resolution, announced today the launch of its much anticipated network following closed beta testing by 600 select users and corporations.
Through its proprietary response technology, Gripevine’s unique service offers consumers a free and easy-to-use interface where they can post and promote in-depth public complaints about any company and have them automatically brought to the attention of company decision makers who have the power to resolve complaints. With Gripevine’s advanced enterprise dashboard, companies can track thousands of complaints per day through various departments between multiple agents, as well as integrate consumer complaints from Gripevine’s enterprise dashboard into internal corporate CRM systems.
“At the end of the day, a company knows exactly what they need to do in order to get the complaint resolved to the satisfaction of the consumer; it’s just a matter of bringing it to their attention in an informative, precise and direct manner,” says Dave Carroll, co-founder of Gripevine. “We are in a unique position to level the playing field between consumers and companies by ending the negative stereotypes that are often unfortunately associated with customer service.”
Mr. Carroll is also creator of Time Magazine’s “2010 Top Ten Most Viewed YouTube Video,” United Breaks Guitars, a protest song which chronicles a real-life experience of how his guitar was broken during a trip on United Airlines in 2008, and the subsequent reaction from the airline. The video became an immediate hit on YouTube and the incident inspired Mr. Carroll and his business partner, Richard Hue, to create Gripevine.
Realizing the demand for a stronger integration between self-service and assisted service, which includes voice self-service and eServices, Mr. Carroll and the Gripevine team are dedicated to helping companies eliminate the $83 billion that is lost annually in the United States due to poor customer service, according to a recent study conducted by Genesys Telecommunications.
In a system that’s designed to create resolution rather than additional conflict, Gripevine delivers to companies detailed, categorized, documented, verified, and legitimate consumer complaints, allowing businesses to manage and respond to constructive consumer complaints and be seen as doing good in public.
Gripevine (www.gripevine.com) connects customers and companies on a fair and level public playing field that empowers them to create win-win resolutions to common consumer complaints. Companies can use their Customer Satisfaction Index on Gripevine to show the world the quality of their customer service. Customers can use Gripevine to leverage the power of social media to get their stories heard.
Contact:
Matt Caiola
5WPR
+1-212-999-5585
mcaiola@5wpr.com
RELATED LINKS
http://www.gripevine.com
Article also posted at: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gripevinecom-launches-first-social-media-network-for-consumer-complaint-resolution-138777574.html
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
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
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
(Halifax, NS) Dave Carroll is proud to announce an agreement between himself and California based Hay House Publishing to share his United Breaks Guitars Story in print.
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)
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
Re-posted from MyCustomer.com:
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
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
As 11 million people who have seen the ‘United Breaks Guitars’ on YouTube can attest, I’ve garnered a reputation for being the ‘poster child’ for how Social Media can be used as an instrument to correct a customer dis-service. The production of the video in 2009 changed my life in innumerable ways, taking me from the volunteer fire department in Halifax, Nova Scotia to the Customer Service speaking circuit globally (I admit, I have pinched myself a lot in the last 18 months!). I’m incredibly grateful for these opportunities and proud of the community of friends and followers this four and a half minute video created. And frankly, thrilled to have been able to use music and my band as a vehicle to tell my story and promote two passions of mine.
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!
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
Dear Mr. Lemke:
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
Monday, August 15th, 2011
(Halifax, NS) Dave Carroll is excited to announce that the Dave Carroll Band has been invited to Russia for a series of band performances and speaking engagements.
The tour will take place between October 1st & 10th, including stops in Norilsk and Moscow.
The popularity of United Breaks Guitars was the foundation of this invitation and the band is thrilled to be making their first visit to Russia.
The band members on the tour will include Dave Carroll, Drummer Julian Marentette, Guitarist Chris Iannetti and Bassist Mike Hiltz.
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
Dave Carroll is proud to announce that the recipient of the trip for two to Punta Cana with Sons of Maxwell is Kyle Stewart of Shallow Lake, ON. Kyle is a full time Nurse, a part time Paramedic and a Volunteer Fire Fighter.
In 2010 Carroll released a music video, ‘Everyday Heroes’ honouring First Responders at their best and demonstrating the promises made by these individuals to answer calls for help. He also created a website, 911Song.com, as place for First Responders, their friends and family and the people who may have benefited from the assistance of a First Responder, to join in community.
Individuals were invited to share their own ‘Everyday Hero’ stories on 911Song.com and in partnership with CAA and Transat Holidays, an award was created to recognize a deserving First Responder with a trip for two to Punta Cana. Kyle’s Mother, Georgine Stewart-Malone submitted the winning story titled ‘My Hero, My Son’ and was among many submissions to the site.
Says Dave: “Congratulations to Kyle for earning the trip with Sons of Maxwell to the Dominican Republic. Based on the moving submission made by his mother and my conversation with him on the phone, I’m convinced Kyle embodies the spirit and integrity behind the First Responder community. A nurse, a paramedic, and volunteer fire fighter; 911 is this guys home phone number!”
Georgine’s story about Kyle, ‘My Hero, My Son,’ can be read at: http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/2010/10/my-hero-my-son/
Individuals interested in joining Sons of Maxwell in Punta Cana this April, are welcome contact CAA for booking details at 1-800-561-8807.
Media Contact: Dave Carroll Music: (902) 860-0080 (Office)
Photo credit: Photos (c) Georgine Stewart-Malone
