the email monster

[tom]

this is a discussion question for all and i am seeking advise here.
i/we spend way too much time answering email. i have been home flat on my back since monday noon(with a bad back), contemplating how i spend my time since i never seem to have enough of it. i've been answering email and the forum pretty much all day and i am still not caught up. i figure i spend about 3 hours a day doing this stuff and it really gets in the way of what i love to do which is make guitars. i'm not saying this to scold anyone for sending frivolous mail, just don't have any great ideas on how to solve the problem. we're working on the site to try to make information more available.
how do you all manage your time with this? customer service has always been very important for us so i can't ignore questions. can you think of any polite ways to say something on the site where our email addresses are to make people think before dashing off an email?
any ideas?

[mbrown3]

I think just having the site updated will help tremendously. But what do the majority of emails deal with? That is, if there are some pretty consistent questions/issues/etc., it would seem to me that that will help nail down how best to handle it. Anyway, re: the site, I would think that getting it update with tonal information (even maybe clips), and then especially the things you guys do and DON'T do (and maybe the reasons why) will hopefully eliminate people asking about them. But again, I don't know if those are the types of questions you get regularly or not.

You might also consider having a "first line of defense" as some do with phones. Have a main email inbox/address and have someone filter out the non-urgent issues and/or handle basic questions, and have them just forward on urgent issues for you to deal with yourself. There is a fine line sometimes between great customer service and unnecessarily spending time on things that aren't too exciting for you. So you'd still be available to answer questions, talk with customers, etc., just not necessarily waste time on questions that others can answer to free you up to focus on making guitars. Of course, there has to be someone who is free (or can be made free) to do that.

I, for one, as a customer...appreciate the time you've spent talking to me, but if I had to spend the same time talking to Roy or someone else, to get the same answers (and I have, on numerous occasions), I'm perfectly happy with that. Tough issue though...to maintain great customer service and that one-on-one contact/touch with the customers, yet be the best steward of your time and spend it on the things you love.

Matt

[tom]

the questions are all over the board. some are option questions that should be addressed with the new site info. some are "what would this sound" like questions, many of these would not be helped with clips unless we had eight bazillion clips. lots of questions are answered in 2 sentences. many of you have gotten those answers, and i hope you didn't think i was being rude, but with so much mail the simple answer seems logical. the good part about email is the easy question with the easy answer. the bad part is the involved or theoretical question that needs a long answer or more questions or info to give a proper answer.

[pipedwho]

I agree completely with mbrown. An updated site categorised with more information in the various areas would cut down on a lot of unnecessary questions. eg. Your tone reference is full of good information, but could be expanded to handle questions such as combinations of neck and body wood for different body types, it could also include some example mp3 clips, or details 'like such and such artist'. A colour chart of available colours with some descriptions of what each looks like on different woods ... etc.

That would be a lot of work, but could probably be done progressively as questions came in. ie. any questions that are answered in an email or on the forum could be CCed to the web site operator to be categorised and inclued. Once you've done this about 50 times, the questions should start to thin out a bit. Also, forum posts by some members have been so informative, that some of that information could be pulled into the website as a 'customer perspective' on that particular topic.

The trick is having a web site operator that understands guitar terminology so they can integrate the new information properly. You could probably vet it every few months to double check anything that had been added/removed since you last looked.

I can imagine that having the serial number lookup available on the web has already removed a large number of unnecessary emails from your inbox.

BTW, after speaking to you on the phone last week, I found the conversation invaluable. With a few follow up calls and emails to Roy, I have finally placed my first custom order with TAG! Your customer service has been exemplary - it doesn't get better than this in any industry.

[SonicGator]

Tom, I feel your pain. I am in email jail from about 7-7 every weekday and even sometimes on weekends they just keep pouring in. The way I handle it is to take about an hour every morning to address the full inbox. If I consistently do that, then I am better able to answer the rest of them as they come in throughout the day.

As for the web site, maybe you could have an expanded FAQ section. Start with broad catergories, such as "Available Options" and "Sound References" and then dwindle those down to the more common questions you are asked. Unfortunately, not everyone will read them, but they are at least there and may reduce some of your email.

Another idea is to utilize a sound gallery just like the model/color gallery. When different wood combos are used together with various pickups, provide a quick take on that guitar's particular sound. For instance, if I go to the Gallery and look at a Hollow T Drop Top with a Swamp Ash Back, Maple Top, and Maple Neck/Board with M series pickups, what was the overall impression of the sound? This may seem like a daunting task at first, but over time, the list will grow and it would be one heck of a reference tool for "shoppers."

I think I speak for everyone on the board here when I say we value your presence, humor, and input on here!

[pipedwho]

I think I speak for everyone on the board here when I say we value your presence, humor, and input on here!
+1, this is indeed true. :)

[Ray K.]

Wow! By the time I got through typing up a reply and did a preview before posting I saw that others have already beat me to it. Lots of great suggestions, IMO.

I really agree with updating the site! I think that will slow down some of what you are getting. I'm a customer who actually takes the time to research before blasting off an e-mail or posting in a forum like this. Several of my questions to you have been simple and should have been on the main site. Not trying to nit-pick, just trying to give you the point of view of at least one of your customers.

Also, make sure you have a link to this forum clearly stated on your site, and maybe in your e-mail replies. Lot's of already great information and many helpful folks here that might be able to help share some of your load.

Hope your back gets better soon! :)

Ray K.

[tom]

great input, keep it coming.

[mbrown3]

I was thinking about the clips. If you did a clip for every possible wood, pickup, style, etc, you would have to have a bazillion clips. But given that some elements of the guitar have a major impact on tone and others have only a minor impact, you could just do clips of the different elements that have a major impact on tone.

For me, when listening to clips, the important thing is comparing apples to apples. For example, some sites will try to compare, let's say, pickups. They'll have one clip of a LP style guitar with a set of the pickups, with a clean tone. Then they'll have a strat with a different set of pickups with an overdriven tone and even with a different amp, and try to say "these pickups do 'this', the other ones do 'this'"...but when all other variables are different, they can't really claim that. For me, when comparing those things, it's important to have all elements the same except the one you're comparing. In this case, same style guitar, same wood types IN the guitar, same amp, same amp channel, settings, etc. Even things like rhythm vs. lead make a difference in tone comparisons. The sound of a guitar playing lead can't exactly be compared to it playing rhythm when a variable is different.

Anyway, the point is, you could do clips of just major differences, and with the variables consistent except the one you're "referencing" (which they should be anyway, for demonstrative purposes), then it doesn't add up to that many clips, overall. What I mean is, if you want to demonstrate the difference between alder and swamp ash in a strat style, you don't have to do clips of every possible combination of fretboard wood, bridge, etc. You just need to have clips of two guitars that are exactly similar except that one is alder and one is ash. You don't even necessarily have to have clips of alder and ash in a drop top AND strat styles, for example. As long as there are two otherwise similar guitars, that provides a point of reference, and it's not necessarily importantt o have clips of EVERY guitar with alder and ash.

So, I'm not sure most people need to have clips of the things that make little nuances of tone (like a maple fretboard versus a rosewood one). Certainly there IS a demonstrable difference, and one that you COULD demonstrate via clips...but probably not significant enough to justify all the necessary clips to include all these types of minor nuances. Instead, I imagine that most people are just interested in the major differences like wood type, hollow vs. solid, neck wood itself, top or no, etc.

For example, I find that the walnut top on my Atom sounds an awful lot like the maple top on the other Atom I had. I can tell a difference, but if I'm listening to a clip, it's probably not necessary to have clips of both...clips of maple would be good enough, with just a description of the slight differences that walnut would produce.

[pipedwho]

Regarding clips. The ultimate would be to record every guitar as you play test it, and store the results in a database. That way people could compare the difference between two close to identical guitars that only differ by a single factor (eg. a pickup, or neckwood, etc).

This might be a little time consuming to set up, but once the gear is in place, it would be pretty easy to just fire it up, step, rinse and repeat.

You'd get great results even if you only did this with the Guitars of the Week.

[mbrown3]

Right, but this would only really be helpful if the recording setup was always the same. In other words, if one guitar were recorded through the MOD50, then another through the Rambler or a Lonestar, or whatever, then you won't know which variations in tone are due to the differences in the guitar versus the differences in the amps, etc. But it's a good idea to get a standard "testing station" set up with a real simple recording interface, just a one track, hit-a-button-and-go type thing, just to get some brief clips. But then you'd have to export them to a web-friendly format and get them up on the web. If a web savvy person could set you up, though, it could be a pretty easy process that can be streamlined.

[enr1co]

A quick win for the current site could be to just move the invitation to contact you + ph# in the "About Anderson" link to a "contact" link towards the bottom of menu or home page.

With it being at the first link, this is the first thing customers read and so they figure they just call you or Roy rather than navigate the site.

Most web designers place the core information links in the general line of sight ( about 1.5 inches from the top of a page) so readers eyes are drawn to those links and they start clicking to search for info.

Placement of the "contact" link is generally located inconspicuously towards the bottom of the page so it takes some effort to find.

[enr1co]

You might also consider having a "first line of defense" as some do with phones. Have a main email inbox/address and have someone filter out the non-urgent issues and/or handle basic questions, and have them just forward on urgent issues for you to deal with yourself. There is a fine line sometimes between great customer service and unnecessarily spending time on things that aren't too exciting for you. So you'd still be available to answer questions, talk with customers, etc., just not necessarily waste time on questions that others can answer to free you up to focus on making guitars. Of course, there has to be someone who is free (or can be made free) to do that.



The main email box is a great suggestion. To leverage
your bud from Lake Elsinore, his site provides a email form for
customers to submit questions. A drop down to specify
subject matter could allow you to delegate the non tech questions.

First Name: _________
Last Name: _________
Email: ______________
Phone: _____________
Subject: General
Information
Sales
Information
Technical
Support
Webmaster

Message: ____________
_____________________
_____________________

Enter Your Concerns, Comments or Questions
Please keep the submission as brief and to-the-point as possible.
We receive well over a hundred emails and submissions per day and it'd
help us out if you can keep it brief so we can answer you faster.

[Casper]

Maybe someone already said it, but an FAQ section would help alot. Not necessarily questions about tone, but for the policies you have, how to order, delivery times, about the shop, production schedules, history etc. Completing the tone section on the website would be great too.
Take your most often asked or your most frustrating questions and start with them..just my .02
Shaun

[Pietro]

I'll bet everybody here would LOVE to help you write a time-saving FAQ.

Making the email contact info a little harder to find is probably a good thing. I for one think that your personal email (or an emai that goes right to you, Tom) shouldn't be on the site. I think it should go to a "gatekeeper" who filters out the things that can be answered easily, and then sends the more difficult requests on.

I for one was SHOCKED last year when I emailed your company and got a response directly from you. I would have been just fine with a message from a secretary or something. And I STILL would have bought the guitar. (And I appreciate your presence on this forum a LOT, too. I've never experienced anybody who cares about their customers like some of you high-end guitar builders like you and John Suhr.)

Incidentally... My wife and I would LOVE to redesign your site if you ever want it done... (Actually, she's the one who'd do the work, here's our church's site (http://www.tricountychurch.net) she's just finishing up...) Perhaps in payment... hmmm... how about a Hollow Atom?

[Pietro]

Wait.

I have an idea...

How about get these people here to answer some of your email questions! Some of the people who really love and use your stuff (who aren't paid endorsees) enough to help other people figure it out.

You have people who could answer questions about wood, about how to connect a guitar in stereo and why, about what pedals will sound great with that H3 or M1... stuff like that. What kind of impression of your company would prospective buyers get if they found out that people who love your stuff love it enough to help you sell it... for free.

I for one would LOVE to answer peoples Crowdster questions.

[SonicGator]

Wait.

I have an idea...

How about get these people here to answer some of your email questions! Some of the people who really love and use your stuff (who aren't paid endorsees) enough to help other people figure it out.

You have people who could answer questions about wood, about how to connect a guitar in stereo and why, about what pedals will sound great with that H3 or M1... stuff like that. What kind of impression of your company would prospective buyers get if they found out that people who love your stuff love it enough to help you sell it... for free.

I for one would LOVE to answer peoples Crowdster questions.

The only issue I see with that is continuity of responses. We would all answer questions in a different way and our descriptions of sound would all be different. If Tom answers them, there is a common thread to each answer as it's coming from his "ear."

[mbrown3]

The only issue I see with that is continuity of responses. We would all answer questions in a different way and our descriptions of sound would all be different. If Tom answers them, there is a common thread to each answer as it's coming from his "ear."

Right...again, we all have a different gear setup, so what may sound "thin and weak" in one person's rig may sound "full and beefy" in another's. Having them centralized means consistency of comparison.

[Drew]

That's a really good question! I found no easy answers to that one as to me, e-mail takes a long time to do. In a situation I'm in running a web site for somebody else, I've found that no matter how carefully and politely I word something, there is always the chance of people taking it the wrong way and putting their own spin on it and posting it on message boards and forums all over the net. So I have to be aware that my private e-mail responses may end up in places I never expected and I have to make sure I never write anything that would later be embarrassing to me or the person I work with.

My quick suggestion would be a comprehensive "Frequently Asked Questions" section on the web site. That might alleviate some of the common e-mail questions.

My own way of dealing with the simple repeat questions is to have some polite "canned" answers that I can quickly call up and then personalize to address the exact question.

[michaelomiya]

The only issue I see with that is continuity of responses. We would all answer questions in a different way and our descriptions of sound would all be different. If Tom answers them, there is a common thread to each answer as it's coming from his "ear."

I think Pietro's got something there. I'd suggest selecting some knowledgable forumites. And to ensure for continuity (of answers), how about a training session from Mr. Fought? Or better yet, have some dealers field the Q&A.

[wolf]

My suggestion again follows the FAQ format.
There are a few good sites that urge you to look before you e mail them.
The Kinman pickup site expressely warns about unnecessary e mails and the time it takes to respond.
They've come up with some really comprehensive sections on set up, heights and tone, obviously geared toward Strats.
Prs also have a great set up guide.

I think plagiarising these could be a great start.

Also, BE STRONG, refuse to answer some types of general e mail and direct people openly to the forum and let owners share some of the workload, I'm sure we'd all help !! :)

[sylvanshine]

some combo of these would go pretty far I would think:

1) Comprehensive FAQ, what is great about it is that members can cut and paste from the FAQ to respond to those that obviously haven't read it.

2) Become less available. Can't imagine anyone faulting you for spending more time making guitars.

3) Hire/appoint an online ambassador who works at the shop but can spend time answering e-mail and posts. Creates continuity.

4) Create a place on the site for "Ask Tom" so you don't spend so much time navigating the different areas.