The transition to my new website was not pain free, not by a long shot. One piece of that transition involved my email, which involved Google. Someone named Jonnathan was my knight in shining armor. It wasn’t easy getting to the right support person, but I have got to tell you, he was as good as gold once I found him. He was knowledgable, responsive, thorough, right, and patient. He helped me via both email and telephone. He deserves a raise!

Now if only Google as a whole were so valuable!

The entire Google experience reeks of complexity. I have multiple accounts, each with different capabilities and permissions. I have no idea how things got so complex or why. I would love to have only one account, but I don’t know how to make the change. Depending on how I log in, I get a wide variety of dash boards and options. I also get warnings saying I am not authorized to do whatever I am trying to do. When I seek support, I get the opportunity to read volume upon volume of information that doesn’t exactly address my problem. On top of that, they send me ridiculously long emails explaining their services and changes. I don’t have a life to devote to learning how to be a good Google customer! I can’t possibly keep up with all their changes. I’d love to think they really had my best interests at heart, but I don’t believe it.

For example, I decided to waste some time trying to figure out what Google+ is about because someone has encouraged me to join. I start to sign up. My birthday or something such thing is required. I don’t want people to know my birthday! I don’t want to be chummy with the world. I want to be productive. Google decreases my productivity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished I could have nothing to do with Google other than using their search engine.

My knight, Jonnathan, is the first hint I’ve ever received that suggests Google isn’t completely hopeless, but I still believe it is a necessary evil.

Do you have your customers’ best interests at heart? Do you increase their productivity or suck up their time? Do you make their lives easier or more complex?

These are important questions! If you aren’t making your customers’ lives better, someone else will!