If only…

guardedly optimistic: if taglines were honest

ING Direct Acquires ShareBuilder

So, I’ve been with Sharebuilder for months now as they’re the cheapest no frills trading site. And was kind of excited when I received an email that they’ve been acquired by ING Direct.

Great! I thought…

They did a good job announcing it to the world in the above press release, but did they stop and think about current customers? NO.

Does this mean I can use ING now? How can I login? WHAT’S THE PLAN? Where’s the transparency?

I feel left in the dark. Sharebuilder wants me to be excited, but for what? I don’t see it yet. And uncertainty pissed customers off because, well, we expect the worst when nobody is telling us everything. In other words, when will the costs go up…

Seth Godin talks about how important good service is online because, well, that’s one of the most important factors of ensuring success. Taking this into consideration, you can’t ever turn your back on customers, even when there are a few bad apples who abuse your services:

The temptation is to embrace only the advantages of the web and insist on eternal vigilance against the possibility of getting ripped off. To act as if everyone online is a criminal. To assume that the moment you are generous or trusting, squadrons of bad actors will exploit your generosity. I don’t think that’s the answer. If you treat people like criminals, the good ones will leave, because people have a choice.

The honor system [via Seth's Blog]

The best part about Vitalist is the fact that they are listening to their customers. With the combination of their blog, contact page, and knowledge base full of previously answered questions presented in rank-order, they have the appearance of addressing users’ problems and needs as quickly as possible.

I complained in a few emails that their mobile version (www.vitalist.mobi) wasn’t working correctly on my new Verizon LG VX8600 and within a week they had set up a new version of their mobile page (m.vitaist.mobi) specifically for Verizon users like me. Yes, it was my phone that had the issue. But they discovered a way to work around Verizon’s problem. Flawless. Vitalist has an A++ in my book:

Sorry to not get back to you sooner on this. We believe the issue is with the Openwave browser on many Verizon phones. It only accepts cookies from a .com domain. We have created an alternate url for the mobile app at m.vitalist.com. Please try this address and let us know if it is working for you.

Thank you

Robert Walker
robert@vitalist.com

I know I’ve written about it before, but I just gotta say it again: Vitalist is my solution for keeping my ADD mind under control (or at least manageable). I’ve used other systems before my attempts to find a replacement for the executive function part of me that doesn’t work right—the control room or CEO of thought processes that involve organizing, prioritizing, and utilizing cognitive functions of the brain for important work tasks.

Well, I’m still using Vitalist as a GTD system that, well, just works. All my todos are organized by project and context (where I need to be to do them), and anything with a due date is automatically fed into my Google calendar, which then emails and txts me when it’s due. Vitalist also sends me a daily email as a teaser of things on my todo list. Love it.

Seth Godin has a great example of why organizations should work on relationship building a little bit more than just shooting off marketing emails once they gain access to your address:

At the same time, political candidates are viewing even the slightest gesture on your part (an encouraging email, for example) as proof that you want to receive daily fundraising emails for the next two years.

There’s a middle ground, one that is not computer-decided. It’s based on a human being treating another human being the way they’d like to be treated. And it’s easy to see how just about any organization, at just about any scale ought to be able to make thoughtful decisions about setting expectations and then meeting them. (and doing it profitably.)

Yes, John Kerry, I am sick of your emails. I’m a college student and I have $0.00 to spend on any candidate. But I’m still waiting for Hillary to email me asking if I can volunteer my time rather than make a financial contribution—I’d love to. But please stop asking me for money. Those DNC’s emails are getting annoying…