I have a paid account on Netflix. I tried to sign in one evening on my TV, and I was told that I have re-enter my email and password. OK, even though everyone knows that the interface is horrible – unless you like pecking. I had to use the remote up/down/left/right throughout the process. After entering all of the data, I was refused access to my paid content. I tried it again with no luck. Tried a third time. Well, you know what happened. I then went to the online bot – which I was assured was not a bot. In fact, whatever/whoever told me it/he/she was “human.”
I was then told to reset my password, which I did three times – while working with the bot, or whatever/whoever. I asked if there’s a server delay for password updates. No response to that one. Then I was told to shut off my TV and then restart all of my devices, but that didn’t help either. Meanwhile I was getting all kinds of email from Netflix telling me that my password had been successfully reset and that I should try again to sign in – but no luck there either – because the password had not been reset! As I got increasingly frustrated with my well-paid vendor – I have money automatically charged to my account every single month with great efficiency – I expressed how frustrating it was to have a vendor tell me that they were just following the “help protocols” – which were obviously not helping.
Then I was told to shut down my home network – to shut down my Internet provider and try it all again. At this point I asked “are you serious?” Now we’re about forty minutes into this and I still have no access to the content I perfectly pay for every month. By the way, the new password(s) worked on my computer, but never on my TVs (actually, the old one worked on my computer, but never on my TVs). I finally stopped responding to instructions on how to reset my password. Enough is enough – especially when none of the password changes worked on my TV – actually two of my TVs (one worked).
I ended my session with a request for a credit to my account, but was told that Netflix does not offer credit to their customers when their paying customers cannot access their content. It was explained that since my desktop could access the content, it was somehow my fault that my TV will not let me access the content that I pay for every month. I ended the session with a giant “WOW … this is how Netflix treats its customers who have been with them for years and who have never missed a payment?” I signed off, though I still have no access to Netflix on two of my TVs.
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Everyone knows what’s wrong with this picture. Digital service providers try any way they can to reduce customer service costs. Bots – or whatever/whoever I interacted with – could not solve my problem. Not surprisingly, I was told that protocol was being followed, but there was no empathy expressed until I expressed frustration with the whole problem-solving process (which, by the way, is still unresolved: I was told that a “team’ would be following up, but that was a month ago).
I did some research on all this and found a lot of really unhappy people on Trustpilot. In fact, 64% of Netflix’s customers give the company a one star rating. 11% give it two stars. That’s 75%.
So at least I’m not alone. But why? We all know why: Netflix has some excellent content and most of its “users” are willing to tolerate bad “customer service” for access to the content. Is that the customer service business model today? You bet it is. It applies across the board. Should I cite CX horror stories that customers have had with Apple, Xfinity and so many other “providers”? It’s a classic pain/pleasure calculus where the clients bear the pain.
A Solution in Which There’s No Interest
Customer experience (CX) and total customer experience (TX) are on everyone’s radar screen, but seldom make it to the top of investment priorities. There’s’ a massive disconnect between what the technologists can – and want – to provide the CE/CX/TX world and what companies are willing to pay.
Nothing has changed here: the clash between cost management and customer service is ongoing. Even more confusing is the emphasis on “the customer experience” that fails to acknowledge the horror so many customers experience. Is it all for show? A lot of it is. Many companies talk a good CX game, but when it comes to “service” there’s a gap. Good optics can be monetized. Check out Trustpilot for reference.
Despite all those working on how to improve experiences with new processes and technologies, customer experience is losing ground to cost management. As is always the case, the business case for CX investments must spell revenue generation and/or cost management – no matter how amazing the new processes and technologies might be.
My Netflix “experience” is not unusual. As the data suggests, Netflix customers are often unhappy with their service. But there are lessons here that extend beyond Netflix – and maybe some technologies that can be applied to CX.
Large Language Models?
Maybe – as they get cheaper and more effective than they are today. Cost will be the driver and if improved customer experiences come with cost savings there’s a place for LLMs, like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, among others. Use cases need to be analyzed and industry-driven experiences need to emerge with the proper performance metrics. The business cases that feature generative AI must be persuasive. Customer service – and even the overall customer experience – depends upon cost-effective technology. Most companies run from “science projects” and very few want to be early adopters.
Conclusion
The Netflix case suggests at least the following:
- Not communicating exactly where customers are in the problem-solving process is a mistake: companies should explain the troubleshooting process to customers the moment “sessions” begin. I had to keep asking throughout the Netflix experience.
- “You are Here” signposts should be everywhere: the help protocol should be described to the customer.
- Remote diagnostics are largely ineffective and burdening paying customers to “help” providers help themselves is tricky. The interaction process should be explained. For example, when I was told to shut down my home network, there was no explanation about why I should shut down the network – until I asked – and still did not get an answer.
- Companies whose service degrades or disappears should proactively offer credit.
- Companies must make it easy for customers to call them by publicizing phone numbers throughout the troubleshooting process (and wait times should not be excessive that further anger customers).
- Large language models and GPTs should be immediately and continuously piloted.
So let’s just agree that Netflix could do better, just like lots of other companies that purport to value their customers. That said, we’re in a transition period where customer service is held hostage by cost management – until emerging technology comes to the rescue. If technology comes to the rescue. If Netflix and others decides to invest in them.
PS: It just happened again on another TV in my home. In fact, access to Netflix is intermittent at best. Some TVs work and some others don’t. What a pain in the … this company is.
