• Settling back in at home in Melbourne after Brisbane and Perth trip; catching up on my ‘community’ #
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• Getting reading for tomorrow’s Platinum mastermind marketing group, final meeting of the year in Perth #
• Just arrived in Perth from 3-day intensive copywriting master class in Brisbane #

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Having just driven around Noosa in Queensland late yesterday afternoon, admiring the beautiful Pacific ocean panoramas, our overnight flight to Perth has landed us just minutes from the Indian ocean (and some rather warm Spring weather!).

We forget sometimes the technology that allows us to spend just 4.5 hours traversing an entire continent, for less than $400 per seat, something of an impossibility (at any cost, let alone at a price affordable for just about everyone) even just 100 years ago.

I still wonder in another 100 years what experiences might be like that are just as “impossible” for us today!

Do you have “brick walls” blocking the positive user experience of your customers when they’re on your website?

Here’s an example I’d suggest you avoid.

MySpace has a feature where you can specify your high school — not a bad way of tracking down old friends. However, my old school isn’t in the database, so I contacted MySpace.

The first reply — obviously automated — answered nothing about the detailed information I’d provided about the school not being listed.

A week later, a second email turns up — telling me to try what I’ve ALREADY done to find out my school isn’t in the database!

MySpace then suggest if the problem still exists, to contact them.

I’ve ALREADY done that — several weeks ago! Did a real live human being actually cast eyes on my message? I doubt it.

From the customer’s point of view, this response is both irrelevant (covering areas I’ve already considered) and in part offensive: they don’t care enough to read my detailed submission to know that I’ve already advanced past their suggestions.

And, if I do submit this again — what’s to say that I won’t just go through the same run-around frustrating waste of time? There’s no assurances in the message received about that concern.

Have you looked for virtual brick walls? What can you do to assure your customers of a responsive, relevant reply?