Update on Active.com post

So for anyone who might be interested... I finally heard back from Active.com and they said there was no record of my registration and I was told I needed to re-register for the event. I responded to them and told them that I was in fact registered because I checked with the Iron Girl event staff directly and they confirmed my registration. I also informed the support desk that Active.com had already charged my credit card and that they should double check their system.

In the meantime, I received a lovely "customer feedback email" from Active.com which I happily filled out, explained the situation and provided a link to my blog post about the ordeal. I believe they might have taken a glance at the post because I received an email back from them a few days later telling me that they were sorry for the inconvenience and that YES I was registered and paid up for the event.

10 minutes later (no joke) I received an email from the support desk again telling me they double checked the system and that NO I was not registered and I would need to re-register on Active.com if I wanted to participate in the event. Hmmm... sounds like a BIG internal communication problem there. Active - if you are reading this - I'm available on a consulting basis to help you work out the kinks - seems like you could use the assistance.

Anyway, I did the event last weekend - it was a 10k I certainly was not about to miss, especially after all that! BUT now it is time to sign up for AFC, the half marathon, and registration is on Active.com - I think I will fax in my registration directly to the event this time - although something tells me that if I register online (given the POWER OF THE BLOG) everything will go smoothly. But dare I take the chance... I'll keep you posted!

Is Active.com’s Inactive Customer Support Losing Customers?

If you have ever used Active.com to register for an event, you know that it is a pretty simple process, and the site is fairly easy to navigate (aside from the new search module they have, the “classic” search module is much better.) However, if you have to request support related to an event registration that might be a little frustrating for you. So cross your fingers and hope your registration goes smoothly.

I’ve used Active.com a number of times and recently updated my user settings and then registered for a new event. My card was charged but I never received a confirmation email of my registration. So naturally I emailed their support desk with a detailed account of what I did and what my issue was. I received a generic auto respond message back right away and then, nothing.

About a week later I finally heard back from them. I was asked to send in additional details (which should have been requested from the beginning on their support form) and to also list the issues I was having, again. I sent in the information they requested a few minutes after I received their email. Then once again, the same old generic automated email and then, nothing.

I registered for the event almost a month ago and the only thing I needed to clarify was if I was indeed registered for the event and why had I not received an email confirmation. I figured this was a fairly simple request but apparently it was a little too difficult of a request for the support department to handle. Because I still have not heard back from them. Finally, I contacted the event company directly to confirm my registration, which they did.

The experience I had with Active.com is a classic example of what happens when a company is so focused on their growth initiatives, that they lose sight of their core initiatives. The mission or core message that Active.com has on it’s website is, “Active provides technology and marketing services to thousands of organizations and is the leader for online registration and online communities for active lifestyles, serving millions of participants worldwide.” They also list “event registration” as their second core service.

Active.com is putting a lot of energy into building a large social networking element to compliment their business model. That is a big task and requires a lot of work. I commend their effort. The problem is that they seem to have forgotten that you can have wonderful technology and great marketing but that means nothing if you can’t take care of your customers. Event registration is at the heart of Active.com’s business model and a link that binds their other core services together. Ultimately, the draw for organizations that list their events on Active.com is to reach more participants, which then in turn will register for the event through Active.com and from there become active within the social network areas of the site. However, if participants have a bad user experience (in any area of the system) they will not continue to use Active.com.

If you think about it, Active.com is really just a convenient service for event participants, you can find events, register in one place, find training tips and more. But when that service is not convenient to use, it becomes useless to everyone, including the organizations that list their events. The end result will be that participants will register with the event company directly or simply use another service in direct competition with Active.com, and there will be competition in the future, it’s simply inevitable. Then obviously, event organizations will move on because there is no longer any value in using Active.com.

If what I’m saying sounds extreme, it’s not. This is how companies lose market share. Period. Sometimes it happens quickly and sometimes it’s a slow death. But it will happen.

The Bottom line is this:
If you are an online company and it takes you more than 24 hours to respond to a customer support inquiry, you have a serious problem, and you are destined to lose business. With online companies, service has become less personal. Your support department is a direct line to the customer, how you manage that interaction will determine if or when they will use your service again. True “leaders” in an industry not only ensure that they have an excellent product or service but they also consistently create positive customer experiences – even in the midst of growth. And if they are an online company, they never sacrifice user experience because they know that means sacrificing profits.