BestBuy's Twelpforce: Gimmick or...?

Can a mammoth company with a horrid reputation for customer disservice reinvent itself? Assuming its top leaders genuinely want to, of course.

Best Buy's brand is suffering because of its unpopular customer service. So, as you may have heard by now, they've embraced Twitter and put a whole army of their staffers online in what they dub the Twelpforce. All in an effort to become more customer-centric, thus to mend their tarnished reputation.

This initiative is new, so let's see how it goes.

Now, two things interest me here. The first goes back to a couple of posts on this blog regarding the all-too-rare position of Chief Customer Officer. In a discussion on Twitter, a colleague said that Chief Customer Officer (CCO) and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) have so much overlap, there's no need for both. I'm not willing to concede the need for a CCO, but I see this expert's point.

Best Buy seems to agree with my colleague. They have a CMO, Barry Judge, heading up Twelpforce. Here is his blog post on the topic: http://barryjudge.com/twelpforce-%E2%80%93-blurring-the-lines-between-customer-service-and-marketing. It looks promising.

What do we take from all this?

Let's assume Best Buy's top leadership gets that customer service is do-or-die for a brand, and they are aware that their present public image is dirt. So they charge Barry Judge with turning their service around.

My question is, can it be done?

This goes well beyond Best Buy. Can Detroit's Big Three automakers completely re-engineer not only the cars they sell, but their own cultures, so that they are finally attractive to consumers? Our nation has taken a huge bet that the answer is yes, and I am rooting for them myself!

Not that they've shown any inclination, but if behemoths such as Comcast, AT&T, Time Warner Cable, and Bank of America wanted to change a la Best Buy, could they? Is it even possible? Or are these companies beyond hope?

I'm an optimist. I'd like to say any change is possible with the properly committed leadership. That is why this Twelpforce thing fascinates me so. If Best Buy can do it, it can be done! If not...? Well, let's just watch and see.

*****

This might sound strange coming from a guy whose reputation has been built on brutal honesty (see my two recent Bank of America posts for examples), but I don't have very strong feelings one way or the other about Best Buy's customer service.

Here's why:

1. As far as I can see, Best Buy is the #2 reason Circuit City is out of business* (#1 being Circuit's own inept leadership and resultant abysmal customer service). So as a consumer, I have to thank Best Buy for that.

2. Perhaps because of Circuit and a lifetime of companies much like it, I don't expect better than one-star disservice from big box retailers in general, electronic stores in particular, so Best Buy would be hard-pressed to disappoint me.

3. I haven't shopped at Best Buy in a while (because of the service), so whatever outrages I last suffered there have faded in my memory.


*By the way: Systemax now owns Circuit City's website and name. That's an... interesting... business decision. Here's the letter from the CEO - note the (verbal) commitment to customer service. http://www.circuitcity.com/sectors/opt-outv2.asp

Weird. It's like someone buying the rights to the name Edsel from Ford or Corvair from Chrystler. Why?