1. ‘WE THE PEOPLE’ HAVE AN ISSUE WITH CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION
“We the People” is an online petition website set up to allow citizens to get
responses on popular issues. However,
it has largely been exploited to serve as
both a humor device and a form of
popular protest. For instance, it has
been used to petition for the creation
of a “Death Star” and even to propose
secession. Clearly, these types of issues
were not the intended purpose of the
site, causing the site to raise its
threshold from 5,000 petitions to 100,000 petitions. While many may
condemn the site for bending to these unintended uses and making it more
difficult for others to use the site according to the original purpose, there are
some valuable lessons to be learned here about customer service.
One thing that the White House has done well in light of the more frivolous
uses of the site has been to counter with humor. The “Death Star” petition
was answered with a response which was chock full of Star Wars references.
By responding in this way, The White House was able to get in on the joke
(rather than being the target) and also humanized itself. Businesses often
take themselves too seriously in customer communication settings. While
maintaining professionalism is always key, it doesn’t hurt to be a little silly
and joke around to let people know that, yes, you are a group of people and
not a mindless machine.
The White House has also been good about responding to even highly
negative petitions on the site with regularity. Although there is no
requirement to answer a question at any specific time even once the petition
threshold is reached, the decision to address inflammatory comments shows
strength and confidence. As a business, it is important to remember that
even negative responses on customer-facing channels can be positive if you
can address them and get a conversation going. Often, if your responses are
well reasoned and effective, you can even recruit other customers who will

2. defend you, serving as brand advocates and lending credibility to your
business. Staying silent, which might be the safest choice in some damage
control scenarios, gives all the power to your attackers.
It is dangerous to create divisions between “us” and “them” in your
communication channels. By establishing an open dialogue, you will
maintain the respect of your client base. In that sense, “We The People” may
be making some missteps by raising their petition requirements to greater
and greater heights, showing a lack of confidence in their transparency
channels. Still, the fact that such a channel exists with White House officials
is a great idea, and businesses should consider taking some lessons
regarding direct communication, and mitigating unintended consequences,
from this oft-inaccessible government entity.
Reference Link: http://journyx.com/node/2096