For a while now I have been updating my email address on online accounts and have discovered how sloppy the connection between customer details held in CRMs and email addresses in mailing lists are. Also how terrible some CRMs are.
Exhibit 1: I get a newsletter. There is a link at the bottom to update my preferences so I click on it and update my email address in a form. If they did it right there is a verification step. Otherwise one risks getting locked out if one enters a typo. Later on I still get email at the old address.
1a. It eventually resolves because the address list is only refreshed from the CRM at intervals. Not ideal but at least it works.
1b. I still get email at the old address. Evidently updates not set up correctly. Now I have to contact IT. Or unsubscribe and resubscribe with a new address.
1c. I get email at both the old and new addresses. This is terrible. Are the software developers or system admins competent?
Exhibit 2: I update my email address in the account. Later I get a newsletter to the correct new address. I click on the link to update my preferences. But the page is still showing my old address. When I try to change that to the new address it says it's taken, as it should be. Again some discrepancy between the CRM and the mailing system.
Exhibit 3: I update my email address in the account. But I cannot change the login, it has to be the first address I chose, forever. How silly.
Exhibit 4: I try to change my email address (and login) in the account. But it's read-only. A query reveals that I have to create a new account and ask IT to transfer all details, in particular any purchase history, to the new account. Aren't CRMs supposed to take care of this? Or is it to keep IT in work?
Exhibit 5: I try to change my email address (and login) in the account. Again it's read-only. A query reveals that it can only be resolved by contacting IT to modify it manually. A job preservation scheme. Sometimes the contact is not easily discovered via the website. Sometimes you have to post to a forum so that a moderator will notice.
Exhibit 6: Not really an email update issue, but I used to get newsletters that were sent by sales department of a legitimate company. But they were labelled as spam. Investigation revealed that the mailout was outsourced but they didn't register the outgoing servers in SPF. I tried to tell them about it, but they're still doing it and probably losing sales.
Exhibit 1: I get a newsletter. There is a link at the bottom to update my preferences so I click on it and update my email address in a form. If they did it right there is a verification step. Otherwise one risks getting locked out if one enters a typo. Later on I still get email at the old address.
1a. It eventually resolves because the address list is only refreshed from the CRM at intervals. Not ideal but at least it works.
1b. I still get email at the old address. Evidently updates not set up correctly. Now I have to contact IT. Or unsubscribe and resubscribe with a new address.
1c. I get email at both the old and new addresses. This is terrible. Are the software developers or system admins competent?
Exhibit 2: I update my email address in the account. Later I get a newsletter to the correct new address. I click on the link to update my preferences. But the page is still showing my old address. When I try to change that to the new address it says it's taken, as it should be. Again some discrepancy between the CRM and the mailing system.
Exhibit 3: I update my email address in the account. But I cannot change the login, it has to be the first address I chose, forever. How silly.
Exhibit 4: I try to change my email address (and login) in the account. But it's read-only. A query reveals that I have to create a new account and ask IT to transfer all details, in particular any purchase history, to the new account. Aren't CRMs supposed to take care of this? Or is it to keep IT in work?
Exhibit 5: I try to change my email address (and login) in the account. Again it's read-only. A query reveals that it can only be resolved by contacting IT to modify it manually. A job preservation scheme. Sometimes the contact is not easily discovered via the website. Sometimes you have to post to a forum so that a moderator will notice.
Exhibit 6: Not really an email update issue, but I used to get newsletters that were sent by sales department of a legitimate company. But they were labelled as spam. Investigation revealed that the mailout was outsourced but they didn't register the outgoing servers in SPF. I tried to tell them about it, but they're still doing it and probably losing sales.
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