CT Biz Blogs

One of the banks in my area is merging with another bank (what a surprise!). As I was reading the local paper this morning I saw a big ad announcing the merger and asking people to “Tell us how we can make banking better.” It gave a web address (URL), where people could go to submit their comments about how TD Banknorth could build a better bank.

This is a great idea, except for one itty-bitty detail: it’s not a blog. Instead, people are given an smallish text box and a submit button.

Good idea: asking people for their suggestions and opinions.
Bad idea: sending that suggestion or opinion into a black hole, never to be seen again.

The days of the corporation as black box are waning. The order of the day is transparency. For details, read Naked Conversations.

I’m sure the reason the bank did this is to control spam and negative comments. No one has to ever see them if they’re in the black hole. But no one sees the positive comments and good ideas, either. No one has a chance to build from other comments, to expand and expound, and create a conversation.

And that’s the real missed opportunity here. This bank is missing a chance to engage people by letting them talk in public — by letting them see their suggestions on-line and possibly be acknowledged in public for their contributions.

There are ways to control spam easily — comment moderation. No comment ever has to appear on a blog until it’s reviewed first. All spam can be sent straight to Hades (too bad we can’t do likewise with the spammers).

What about negative comments? After all, a bank has an image to protect, right?

TD Banknorth, here’s what you should do: delete comments that are obscene, hostile (to the bank or other commenters), or just plain don’t add anything to the conversation. Make that clear in a comment policy statement. Keep the rest of the negative comments. And use them to your advantage.

Respond, if response is necessary. And allow others to respond, too — maybe you’d be surprised and find that commenters rise to your defense. That’s what happened on the Hacking Netflix blog last year, when the blogger asked if people were having a problem with receiving scratched DVDs in the mail. Quite a few folks posted that it occurred only infrequently, and that Netflix customer service was outstanding in its rapid response.

You can’t buy that kind of loyalty. You can only get it when you give people a chance to converse. It’s better than getting a nice letter about your service, that you put on a bulletin board somewhere and no one ever looks at again.

If you want to raise awareness for your bank, if you want to be viewed as actually listening to people, if you want to connect with your customers — you need a blog.

Technorati : transparency