Can an employee really be transparent?

Randy SmytheOn 04.02.2008 at 1:44 pm Said:

Richard,

Good luck with this effort.

As long as we can stamp out “eBay Speak” and generate good, old fashioned, honest discussions with this blog, I’m all for it.

There is currently a lack of trust (in management) on the part of many eBay users so it may take some time.

Lisa SuttoraOn 04.02.2008 at 4:27 pm Said:

Welcome Richard!

I like your approach of focusing on solution based communications.

Something else I would like to see here (and I know we do have some of this in other eBay blogs/publications) - but I would like to see further showcasing of eBay community success stories (both sellers and buyers).

There so many great personal stories behind the people who sell and shop with eBay… I think that while corporate communication is very important in re-establishing community connection, that connecting the community members with each other is key as well.

implogOn 04.02.2008 at 5:10 pm Said:

Speaking of “eBay speak”

Richard, I understand you have limited experience as a buyer and a seller on eBay.

Go to any of the links to eBay’s “Town Hall” or “Ask Uncle Griff” archives. Listen and try to understand what was said. Usually the ebay “team member” speaks in acronyms and current management fad jargon. It’s understandable to their bosses and cube mates but meaningless to most eBay members.

I’ve often wondered if employees get eBay swag or performance appraisal points for larding their “Town Hall” and “Ask Uncle Griff” presentation and question responses with whatever terms and concepts the top management currently favors. The words “excellent buyer experience” come to mind.

Who are these people talking to besides themselves?

nancybusinraleighOn 04.02.2008 at 5:49 pm Said:

Lisa, ebay used to spotlight Powersellers a while back, only that didn’t work out so well when some of them ended up being arrested for operating shoplifting rings and sold their products on ebay.

And as to connecting members, the boards do that now.

I’m struggling to see the benefit of ’success’ stories when success is such a relative term?

Justin SeibertOn 04.02.2008 at 6:51 pm Said:

Well this has been fun reading so far for someone who has never sold anything, but is very interested in corporate blogging! If you’ll excuse me a baseball analogy, this new eBay effort and comment response reminds me of my Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates are tied for the longest consecutive losing streak in baseball history at 15. At the end of the season last year, they cleaned house and brought in new front office and on-field management. Most fans are like *some* eBay sellers, disgruntled with their relationship with the company. But as upset as they (read: we) are, most of the fans who can separate passion from logic are giving the new team a chance, even if they fear they’ll never again see a winning Pirates season.

Shouldn’t one give Richard the benefit of the doubt since he’s reaching out to everyone and trying to cut through corporate speak? That doesn’t mean giving him or eBay a free pass - the comments have been great, filling everyone in on what issues sellers are currently having and have had in the past. It just means continuing to read and let him into the conversation.

Cheers to all involved! I can’t wait to see how this progresses.

Oh and one final thought - eBay HAS to be able to edit comments. Were people to use foul language, flame other commenters, let spam run wild, etc., they would cut out worthwhile conversation by people turned off by those things. There can be a place for some of those things (well, not spam), but not on a corporate blog, especially when the blogger wants to connect with his audience. If someone puts up a legitimate comment that eBay doesn’t allow, take them to task in other forums.

implogOn 04.02.2008 at 6:58 pm Said:

If this blog becomes a showcase for eBay “success stories”, however that is defined, stick a fork in it, the blog is done. More pressing issues need to be addressed.

There is too much going on too fast that disrupts and seriously threatens sellers and the businesses they have built in partnership with eBay over years.

Innovation strategies differ for different situations yet eBay has launched ONE “innovation strategy” for ALL sellers, disregarding the vastly different seller situations. I’m not sure this is what Christensen had in mind.

RustyOn 04.03.2008 at 2:30 am Said:

I took the time to read the comments on all the threads here. Of all the comments here there was only one truly negative comment. As a reader of the ebay boards, I have to ask myself, What the? And then I get down to bottom here and read that “eBay may, in our sole discretion, reject comments for any reason we deem appropriate” Ah…., okay, that’s why there are no negative comments allowed here. I guess that clears up that mystery. The negative comments are exactly the comments EBAY NEEDS to hear. I understand that the blog is new and you want a clean start, but you are getting that clean start at the cost of your credibility. IMO anyway

KenOn 04.03.2008 at 8:24 am Said:

Rusty, you want negative comments? Go look at the comments under the “Welcome” thread. Nothing appears to be censored. The question is, will anybody answer them?

I have a question, which is quick and simple to answer.

Richard, why are some poster’s names in BLACK and others in RED? Does this denote something?

unknownOn 04.03.2008 at 9:40 am Said:

If ebay ‘cared’, they’ve got a host of existing discussion boards they could participate in, and not just by making posts they don’t like go ‘poof’.

Notes: Please note that eBay may, in our sole discretion, reject comments for
any reason we deem appropriate. Links of value to readers are welcome, but
please use them sparingly - wield spam and you’re banished forever.

This is a moderated site and comments will appear if and when they are approved. We will review the queue several times daily, so please don’t resubmit if your comment doesn’t appear immediately.

But we have this:

We believe people are basically good.
We believe everyone has something to contribute.
We believe that an honest, open environment can bring out the best in people.
We recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual.
We encourage you to treat others the way you want to be treated.

Where is this ‘honest, open environment’?
RBH, you were a curiosity this morning so I looked but it’s just more propaganda.

BrendaOn 04.06.2008 at 11:25 am Said:

Hi again Richard!

I want to wish you my sincerest wishes in what you are tackling within this blog.

I think that it’s a great idea that new blood was brought in. There will be less “oppinions” being brought to the table. My tenure with Ebay is only a month or two older than yours. I envy you because you have the advantage of real person to person interactions within the Ebay community. I am tackling all of this via a web page.

Ever since the policy change announcements I have been spending huge amounts of time trying to figure everything out. My original goal was to build an online business via Ebay. Becoming an Ebay seller has been put on hold for the time being, bottom line because I’m scared.

I find alot of negativity within the various community areas. This hasn’t helped how I feel.It kick starts ” Where there’s smoke there’s fire.” running through my head.

I have called the call in shows 3 times and the calls wound up disconected while I was speaking 3 times. Accident or purposely done ? I don’t know.

I have followed every news story that I can find and read through alot of the comments when they have been present after an article or blog. These have not helped how I feel.

I have looked up Bain & Company to try to gain insight into who John Donahoe is and even worked my way down the google search on this fact finding venture. I have watched the webcast of the policy change announcements twice. The first time for info and the second was to study body language. I have searched the overall Ebay sight and found a webcast of the ensuing Q&A session.

I research feedback for any member who has posted answers in the AC and have done the same for people who host the workshops.

I have been very thorough.

Statistically only 1 in 5 new businesses will succeed. I look at every thing that I’m doing educational research with the goal of upping my odds for success.

I’m going to jump a little now. I read in one of your posts that your oppinion of Mr. Donahoe was that he is very sincere and committed to everybody’s Ebay. That is also my gut feeling. And I think that everybody really needs to give the man a chance! It seems like everybody complains about what’s wrong but are unwilling to try doing it any other way.

Even though the feedback arena has shifted drastically, would there be any way to put some professional language standards in place? I see too much latitude here. Buyers and sellers have both used feedback to say incredibly disgusting things to one another within a public forum. I feel that this free for all potential is harmful. A person can be nasty without resorting to profanity or the other few restictions. It ultimately cheapens Ebay. Other venues have had no qualms about requiring a professional demeanor. ( I researched all of them too. )

I believe that customer service as it exists today needs a major overhaul. I do not feel comfortable enough to sell with it as it is. Power Sellers and the best customers can access live people. As a would be new seller, I need more help. I want to know that help is a phone call away. The bar has been raised which is a good thing. The feedback changes don’t bother me because it would be MY responsibility to take care of a customer properly. I feel comfortable with my abilities to maintain whatever standards the company wants to aim for. I want the opportunity to be able to learn how to function within Ebay. I want my questions answered in a concise easy to understand manor. I want my answers to come from official sources in a timely manor. The email version of customer support DOES NOT WORK. I don’t feel right about doing a test run with live help to see what I think of them. The oppinion of this feature is not good if you check the AC. One poster even had a post about a new game called ” Bait the Bots ”

I view phone support for ALL users as an investment that Ebay would be making to themselves. Wouldn’t a phone run more smoothly than emails? It is easier to pick up on the nuances if you have audio. I believe that phone support would enhance the ability to deal with the emotional aspects that are present within a problem.

I am also not completely comfortable with the potential for a 21 day fund hold without me being able to access the powers that be. This one just isn’t settin’ straight. I have called Paypal 4 times. Their phone reps have made mistakes in giving me information twice. I have very high standards too and 50% doesn’t cut it. If my funds are subject to a hold I need to see better percentages. How long would a seller last with a 50% rating?

As I stated earlier I would like to build a business on Ebay so any improvements will help me. But I will continue to watch and wait until the dust settles and until I see professional standards and organization within the site. I don’t like going through the Ebay site with an OH - MY - GOD - ! attitude. I can’t tell if Ebay’s overall goal is QUALITY OR QUANTITY. The company’s top tier needs to be more visible.

An ask John show could be a really cool thing. ( the 1% possibility concept ) AND … you know that EVERYBODY would tune in making any sold advertising space worth its weight in gold! ( Well, the man has managed to stir up contraversy. )

And lastly, ( I’m sorry that I’ve chewed your ear off ) Can a really good technical writer be hired to add a more personal, I’m speaking to you touch, to written information. I find alot of what is in the site to be dull and boring reading. A little bit of pizazz would help hold a reader’s interest making it easier to understand. Any audio and visual tools would also enhance absorption.

Richard, thank-you for the time that you spent reading this. I realise that I just added time to a probably already too hectic day. And again, the very best wishes for success!

DaveyOn 04.07.2008 at 9:44 pm Said:

All I can say is, so far so good. I know I could go extremely negative based on recent experience with ebay, but don’t want to here. I like what I see, although it has been less than a week, hasn’t it?

I’m all for giving Richard a shot at carrying out his mission and his stated charter to increase communication and ebay’s listening. Richard, I hope you don’t become somewhat disillusioned like I have after 10 years of having “We’re Community” preached to us, only to find that the original Community Values doesn’t carry much weight and that Community benefits were strictly one-way.

As to the ebay-speak, listening to one of the Town Halls or even Seller OnRamps is like those recent IBM commercials with the jingo bingo game. I don’t think you’ll find many buyers or sellers that appreciate the language even if they understand it.

We do understand the successful corporatespeak of a bygone era, like “The Customer is Always Right.” Ebay doesn’t.

DaveyOn 04.07.2008 at 9:52 pm Said:

Oh, I forgot, on the topic of the blog…

What is the answer to whether an employee can be transparent?

Richard, that’s a rhetorical question for us–only you can answer it. We wait, in hope!

Here’s another question:
If an eBay seller gets another off-topic response from the Customer Service bot, does he/she make a noise?

Answer at eBay Live…

UnknownOn 04.10.2008 at 7:49 pm Said:

Alot of people state the eBay’s CS Team are robots, etc. That’s fine and dandy… BUT tell me this: If you had 15 million emails coming in on a daily basis and need to have an answer to these emails within 24-48 hours, HOW would you accomplish this? Especially if you are limited to resources? Your answers will intrigue me, as I’ve asked myself the same question after reading all your replies to this blog.

JJHOn 04.11.2008 at 10:30 am Said:

@unknown…

Let’s see.

Comcast manages to do it. So does AT&T, Verizon, Amazon, and a host of other large companies.

I think the answer is “hire more people”. Simple.

Unless of course you want to keep your bottom line looking good to Wall Street. Wall Street HATES employees. Employees cost money. You have to pay their salaries, benefits, etc. That cuts into your profits. What a drag.

DaveyOn 04.11.2008 at 12:44 pm Said:

@Unknown,

I like the concept of 24 - 48 hour responses. My experience with eBay is around 96 to get a boilerplate response that has nothing to do with my distinctly asked question. Lather, rinse, repeat…

I think Verizon’s Customer Service reps run circles around eBay’s. For one, Verizon wants to retain my business, while at eBay, I get the idea that they exist as a privilege to me, largely because they know they don’t have many viable competitors. Second, Verizon reps are empowered to help me, including making important decisions that may be financially in my favor. EBay reps, I challenge anyone, are not. Verizon reps operate under the policy that it requires a good deal of money to recapture or find a new customer for everyone who leaves. I don’t know what policy eBay reps operate under, but when I have to argue that a glitch stole $1.50 from me, and get rebuffed, it makes me wonder. Verizon reps do not usually give me inaccurate answers to simple system questions. eBay reps, well…

It is clear that eBay is trying to shave every buck they can from their operations, while still turning in great net profit that would make any other corporation envious. Sorry, when you try to insert yourself into a “user-run” venue and try to milk it through increased control, you will need increased Customer Service expenditures as your control mechanisms run afoul of human behavior.