As I read the June 6, 2011 BNET post, I couldn’t help but reflect on a poem that I read in college 25 years ago titled, Ozymandias.
The poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley features the decaying remnants of a statue erected to the renowned and mighty King Ozymandias, bearing the inscription: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
The central theme of the poem is the inevitable complete decline of all leaders, and of the empires they build, however mighty in their own time.
Think of former business empires such as kmart, Blockbuster, Pan Am Airlines, WorldCom, and Enron that once dominated their respective industries but have since relinquished their mighty positions or, in the case of Pan Am, WorldCom, Enron and others, have gone away completely.
In addition to providing indifferent customer service, these organizations also exhibit(ed) an arrogance that seems to blind them to the realities of market forces, evolving technologies, changing consumer preferences, competitive threats, and other factors that influence business success.
Just as the mighty King Ozymandias couldn’t fathom his own demise and that of his empire, nor—I suspect—can the companies appearing on this year’s list of the 10 Worst Companies For Customer Service:
- Bank of America
- AOL
- Capital One
- Sprint
- Time Warner
- Comcast
- Citigroup
- Progressive
- JPMorgan Chase
- Farmers Insurance
The above BNET post offers rationale for why these companies appear on this dubious list. And, while I agree with these reasons, I also believe that the leaders of these corporate empires share the arrogant belief that customers are replaceable and their “kingdoms” will last forever—neither of which is true.
Are you a customer of any of these companies? If so, what has your experience been?
