5 Lessons from a #Socialmedia #Fail

Recently, I started investigating video conferencing systems for meetings with more than 10 video participants and the ability to call into a number from a phone line if you aren't near a computer. PPAI board member Rod Brown pointed me in the direction of FuzeBox video conferencing. I also found BlueJeans video conferencing in my own searching.

I visited FuzeBox, which had all of the information I needed. I made a phone call and had a great meeting. #success.

Then I visited BlueJeans and couldn't figure out whether or not it met my criteria so I clicked the "chat" option (which was not too annoyingly in my face). When I asked my question, I was greeted with "They aren't in the office right now so I'll have them call you back."

The first problem was that BlueJeans offered chat but didn't staff it. This is a company that just received $50,000,000 in funding. It can afford to staff its chat at 8 a.m. EST even if it is on the West Coast. Otherwise, it should not offer chat at this time (Another pet peeve was it required me to give my e-mail and phone number before I could chat. I was interested enough that I was willing to do that but I find it tacky).

The second problem was that I asked to chat, and it offered a call back. I reluctantly had given the chat person my e-mail and phone number.

To make matters worse, BlueJeans did call back. In fact, three different people called back within six hours. Not a single one of them knew the other had called. Those were the third and fourth problems (not knowing what others were doing and calling rather than e-mailing).

The fifth problem was that I tweeted and specifically mentioned BlueJeans, and the company never responded.