We live in complicated times, none more disturbing than the now regular breaches of data privacy and subsequent risk to the financial and personal security of individuals.
The recent spate of data breaches is probably just the beginning, but we, the general populace in the absence of any deep technical knowledge about data security, assume that those who collect our data do so for good reason.
Silly us!
This should never, but it seems always does include, ongoing marketing, and selling of personalised data, even well after we cease to be customers.
I have been a customer of Optus since their first days. I switched the day there was a competitive market born in 1993. They have all my communications business, which may be chook feed to them, but is a substantial hole in the monthly household budget.
The best Optus can do in the face of the breach, presumably enabled by minimum level investment in security, is send a form letter, full of assurances that all will be well. However, if we want to phone them, here is a number, but there might be a wait.
While the letter was addressed to me, at my residential address, the header was ‘Dear Customer’. They know my name, email, and phone numbers, and certainly can aggressively ensure bills are paid, so no detail goes unnoticed.
Surely Dear Mr. Roberts instead of Dear Customer would have been easy?
It might have been sensible for them to also list the services I hold with them, and give a risk assessment of each? Perhaps I do not deserve such a level of transparency?
Then, the signoff:
‘Sincerely. Your Optus team’.
No names, not even a duplicated signature of the cleaner, let alone anyone on a huge salary who might be taking any responsibility for this marketing clusterfuck.
I guess I will have to bite the bullet and change, be a part of the great communications customer churn. These nignogs spend tens of millions tapping into this churn, rather than shoring up the customer base they already have and reducing the churn. As an advisor to SME’s my advice is to cherish your existing customers, particularly those who are unlikely to change, even if just for the avoiding of the inconvenience involved.
When your business faces a crisis brought about by external factors that will impact customers, rule number one is be up front, take responsibility, accept the shortcomings that led to the crisis, articulate a recovery plan, and most importantly, personalise it to those affected.
Optus has done none of those things.
I am glad my super fund that also hides behind barriers I struggle to breach, does not hold any Optus shares. Presumably it is unable to given Optus is 100% owned by a Singaporean billionaire. Is this ownership, and the key place Optus holds in the communication infrastructure of this country a part of the problem?
