Best Buy has taken some hits in the press lately. One of the most scathing articles came from a Forbes contributor, Larry Downes, who made the claim that the large electronics retailer is gradually going out of business. Among the criticisms were that Best Buy is not doing a good job managing the cross-channel experience and it is over-reliant on brick and mortar. Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn responded to the criticism, acknowledging some of the challenges the company has faced and the slow pace at which they have adapted to customers’ growing multi-channel demands. But, in the post, he also goes on to cite many of the company’s strengths and opportunities.

Earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Dunn reiterated in an article on Twice.com, “We need to be where the customer is and make good bets on where they’re going…Online is very important, but it’s not sufficient alone, and bricks alone are not sufficient. We need to be wherever the customer needs us to be.”

A new generation of device-savvy customers and employees has also compelled B2B companies such as EMC to expand on the number of support channels and languages. Simply put, EMC strives to service our customers in any channel, anywhere in the world, in any time zone, and in any language. Until recently, multi-lingual support for customers was available through the phone but has expanded to other channels based on demand. Support channels available to customers include:

• Live Chat: At EMC, adoption of Live Chat has exploded. This channel expedites service issues and immediately engages an EMC technical support engineer.
• Support Forums: Forums allow EMC customers to support one another as peers.
• Web support: Online customer support via Powerlink offers the ability to create a Service Request, access self-help or search the Knowledgebase.
• Connectivity: EMC Secure Remote Support (ESRS) monitors EMC systems and enables remote issue resolution.
• Mobile: Customers are asking for the ability to connect with EMC support through a variety of mobile devices and apps.
• Email: This option notifies the EMC Customer Support Center via one-way email.
• Phone: In my conversations with customers, I’ve learned that by the time a customer needs to pick up the phone to log a ticket, they’ve exhausted one or more of the aforementioned channels. Nonetheless, this critical channel is always one of the choices available to EMC customers.

Dunn’s comments are a reminder that while it’s a challenge to service customers in a variety of channels, time zones and languages, it is the new reality. It’s what customers expect and EMC customers are no exception. The recent Best Buy public blog exchange is an important reminder of how businesses need to adapt to changing customer service behavior and expectations…and do it quickly.

“The opinions expressed here are my personal opinions. Content published here is not read or approved in advance by EMC and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of EMC nor does it constitute any official communication of EMC.”

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