60 Nano Seconds of Fame

A Sunday or two ago, the TV news magazine 60 Minutes replayed a story first aired last January on consumers’ love-hate relationship with the technology that surrounds them.  About this time last year, PlumChoice was contacted by the program’s producers asking for perm ission to come and film some of our techs in action.  I’m proud to say that two of PlumChoice’s finest – Jon  and Jamie – were featured in the story as part of a don’t-blink-or-you’ll-miss-‘em montage of our industry’s various tech help options. 

While it was all very exciting and everyone involved with the 60 Minutes crew was very nice and professional – it was pretty clear from the start that they just didn’t get it.  We watched them smile politely as we talked about the wonders of remote service, all the while getting the sense that they viewed one service option pretty much like any other.  The resulting story focused almost exclusively on “the tech in the driveway” model since that’s the model most people know.  But what a shame!  60 Minutes could have talked about the revolution going on inside the home services support arena – the revolution that says consumers don’t have to pay high prices and wait days for qualified technicians to help them.  They could have talked about how the Internet is completely changing the face of home services from one focused on break/fix to one far more comprehensive and flexible – not to mention more capable of servicing the increasingly wired home.

Perhaps one day, while waiting on hold (can’t resist the sound effect of the ticking stop watch here!) to schedule a technician’s help some 48 to 72 hours later, the producers will remember their visit to PlumChoice and realize it’s not about the success of the “geek,” it’s about the success of the consumer.