Well, I'll Be Scammed!

One might think that credit card companies would jump at the opportunity to ferret out potential scam artists and fraud perpetrators. After all, they are constantly reminding customers of the enormous financial drain created by credit card abuse and theft, fueling an entire industry devoted to card security and identity protection. Well, I recently encountered a frustrating situation in which the sheer complexity and magnitude of a Fortune 500’s administrative maze swallowed my attempts to thwart a potential credit card scam.

Let me explain…

In addition to Message-On-Hold production and various other audio marketing services, one of Holdcom's core offerings includes voice prompt production for telephony IVR and voice mail systems. With the advent of our successful e-commerce solution for audio fulfillment, access to our affordable voice talent and recording services is readily available, and thousands of clients are Googling their way to our online audio production store.

As a result of this expanded audience and enhanced exposure, Holdcom's Script Department exercises a heightened degree of diligence in reviewing the content of every submitted script. Such a script ordered via a “powered by Holdcom” branded partner store recently caught the attention of one of our astute employees...not due to unusual content, but because of the suspicious source of the order. After all, it seemed peculiar that an individual with a shipping address listed as an apartment in Brooklyn, NY, with an AOL email address, had requested a set of automated attendant menu prompts for Citibank! This order, combined with a surge in fraudulent email-generated phone schemes designed to capture vital account information, immediately raised eyebrows. Upon initial investigation we were able to determine that the purchaser was not a client of the VoIP provider associated with the branded online store. In addition, our attempts to contact and elicit a response from the “customer” were futile.

After discussing the results of our internal “investigation” it was decided that a call to Citibank would not only be appropriate, but, as good corporate Samaritans, expected. After navigating through the typical automated IVR interrogation encountered at many financial service call centers, I finally found my way to a live representative. “Account number, please…” was her greeting. She politely listened to my explanation that I wasn’t a Citibank customer and was calling to report a potential case of fraud. “One moment, I’ll transfer you to our Fraud Department”, was her response. After a few seconds of less than productive, blaring music on hold I was greeted by another voice…”What’s your account number?” Again, I explained the nature of my call, only this time in more detail. “Oh, you need to report this to our Early Fraud Detection Division…please hold while I transfer you.” OK, so just as I’m getting ready to apply the “3 strikes and you’re out” rule, a new voice greets me…”Do you have an account number?” Summoning up what little was left of my good corporate Samaritan; I delivered what by then had become my “elevator” speech. “Well thank you for calling about this, Mr. Fishman... only I’ll have to have a Fraud investigation specialist get back to you.” After leaving several contact numbers and our company email address, I hung up feeling less than convinced that I’d get a follow up call.

That was a week ago and I have yet to hear from Citibank.

So…the next time you receive an email with a purported Citibank 800# directing you to call and provide your account information, beware! And, if you do call, and you do get an automated announcement, “Thanks for calling Citibank”, it just might be a scam…but it won’t be a Holdcom production!

Text and the City

In 1931, a cartoonist by the name of Chester Gould introduced a square-jawed detective to the Chicago Tribune. Dick Tracy was his name and besides his trademark facial feature, this character was known for his wristband, two way radio.
Some 77 years later, our culture has followed suit.
We communicate with each other via handheld devices, small enough to fit in your pocket (or your wristband for that matter). You can be on a train, on a bus, on a plane, in the tallest building or deep in a tunnel. Text messaging has become our preferred method of social interaction.
Thanks to modern technology, you can learn when your bills are due. Following the stock market? You can track your positions from your cell phone and get alerts. You can even learn who was chosen to be the next Vice President.
But as with anything in life, there are pros and cons. Will we become so reliant on our little electronic buddies that we slowly become socially inept and disconnected?
Time will only tell. As Dick Tracy would say, “Is the enemy of my enemy my enemy, or the enemy of my friend my enemy?”

Life's a Beach

I was about to shut off my computer and head to sleep when I found an article, 10 Amazing Sand Artists and their Artwork, on Digg.

One artist in particular, Ilana Yahav, stood out.

She doesn't manipulate with chisels or shovels, nor does she craft her art on the beach. She throws handfuls of sand on a fluorescent material and uses her fingers to create suns, sheep, doves, anything and everything.

Her art takes the medium of sculpting outside of its natural habitat. Instead of smushing millions of grains of sand together to make hardened sculptures, she creates work that changes every second. Traditional sand sculptures are static, while hers moves and flows, capturing the elusive qualities of sand. Her art is more of a performance than a final product.

Both presentations highlight the ephemeral nature of sand: the sculptures erode in a matter of hours because of the tide, while the latter can be shaken and dispersed, or a breeze could smudge the image.

This is what we need to do in business
This is what we need to do in life.

Evaluate the competition, study the medium, but always test our limits; look at projects from different angles, identify posssible problems, and figure out which solution would best fit.

Precedents don't work very well. They are cheap and easy. Each new day is individual and needs a new set of eyes.

Who knows, it could be high tide.

May I Have Some Steak with My Sizzle?

Have you ever spent an inordinate amount of time trying to solve a problem that could be resolved in a matter of seconds? Today, following a series of several lengthy (and extremely frustrating) phone sessions with Optimum Online customer service representatives, a member of Optimum's technical support team was finally able to activate my online account, which facilitates online bill payment. Getting to this point took, believe it or not, several months of numerous conversations and unfulfilled appeals. Optimum's Customer Service reps were well trained in maintaining upbeat, positive attitudes and exhibiting a "can do", caring demeanor. However, without results, pleasantries lose their sincerity and take on an air of condescension...particularly when one realizes that the reps have been delivering all sizzle and no steak...all smiles, but little service! And, not wanting to "shoot the messenger", I soon learned how to quickly escalate my situation to supervisors who, I prayed, had connections with a "higher authority". I was assured, time and again, that my problem had been fixed and that my next login attempt would be successful. No way...No dice! But I wouldn't give up...I refused to be beaten by "the system", so I persevered, which finally paid off (thanks to an unassuming tech named Logan).

My advice to Optimum management and executives? Please make sure that your customer service reps can deliver more than just a friendly voice and a happy face! After all, the focus of Customer Service is not just on the "customer"....it's also about the "service"! Equip your reps with problem solving skills...or at least train them where to direct customers after they've exhausted all other options. It takes more than a smile to transform frustrated clients into raving fans.

New Model of Business

Checking up on the same blogs gets tiring after a while, so I decided to give myself a challenge. I wanted to find websites/blogs that provide unique services.

Demogirl is a prime example of a website that has capitalized on the Internet explosion of social applications. Demogirl "creates screencasts that help users get familiar with new web software", or in other words, they create a dummy account and test-drive applications, then share and review their findings.

Iminta acts like an RSS "Queen Bee" feed, where all of your social applications' updates gather. It resembles the "My World" page in Flock, as described in our previous entry Sound Wisdom: Flock Web Browser.

Profilactic is not what it sounds like (but it does offer protection from confusion!). You can find over 186 social applications and businesses listed in a presentable and easy-to-access display.

Just think, none of these services existed two-three years ago!

Microblogging

Another competitor to Twitter and Plurk just opened up: Identi.ca

But this time it's Open Source.

(cue the diminished suspense chords)

Promises, Promises!

As I was about to purchase my first online gift card for a friend graduating from college, the following appeared just before checkout:
"Merchants are not sponsors of any gift card program offered by Gifts.com. The merchant gift cards may be subject to additional terms and conditions imposed by the merchant. The list of available merchants may change at any time."
Initially this online store gained my interest based on the scores of well known suppliers, restaurants and retail stores participating in this program. Then, just as I was taking my credit card out of my wallet, the disclaimer took the wind out of my sails and rocked my consumer confidence...to the point where I clicked my browser's back button and exited the site. After all, if my college graduate wanted to use her gift card at Starbuck's (listed as one of the merchants), then I'd certainly expect that cup of coffee to be available...without "additional terms or conditions". Lesson here...don't build your business on a premise or promotion (i.e. a gift card that will be honored by high profile retailers)that may not be supportable.