Many of us grew up apprehensive that an Orwellian world of an omnipresent Big Brother would invade our lives. We never anticipated that the people, as well as the state, would have the power to see and report virtually everything, everywhere – at least in wired countries.
Hertz just learned what it’s like to live in this new world of empowered stakeholders. In Fort Lauderdale, one hapless employee was left alone to staff the car rental counter about 10:30 p.m. one recent evening. About 15 customers stacked up in line, each waiting to be processed; they never should have been put in such a difficult situation. The employee ended up walking away, telling one angry customer that she was now off the clock. She never should have been put in such a difficult situation.
That customer used his cell phone to video the incident and post it to CNN’s iReport Web site. The video has been viewed nearly 1,500 times on iReport, and it may be going viral before long. I learned of it at Ragan Communications’ PR Junkie Web site. Follow the link, and you’ll be able to see the video and Hertz’s tepid response from a PR trooper, who, of course, never should have been put in such a difficult situation.
Granted, this incident is just one data point in Hertz’s customer service record. It becomes a prominent, memorable point, however, because of the outrage Hertz created and the power now in the hands of everyday people to document and share their lives on highly visible platforms.
All this is a lesson for companies trying to strengthen their reputation. Excellence across the board, or at least garden-variety competence, is more important than ever. At any point at which companies interact with a stakeholder – be it customer, employee, vendor, shareholder or neighbor – people now have the tools to package and distribute their complaints and disappointments. A company’s efforts to pursue higher-order goals such as citizenship, responsibility and sustainability will be met with a jaundiced eye if they’re built on a platform of everyday mediocrity – and odds are that everyday mediocrity, sooner or later, will be documented and revealed.
So, for now, I won’t be interested in hearing data points about what a good corporate citizen Hertz is, no matter how true they might be. I want to know that the company has its act together on the everyday basics of quality, value, reliability and service.
