Back in those days, there was a small enough pool of users that, hey, if someone followed you, you followed them back. It was just that simple. Many of us set up scripts that would automatically follow anyone who followed us. It was karma. It was social. It was how the changing face of the Internet made “us” better than “them”.

As all things go, however, Twitter began to jump the shark. People started using Twitter to push their products and agendas instead of simply communicating. We were like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water, many of us not realizing until it was too late, that the reciprocity approach simply wasn’t scaleable. We concocted formulas to rationalize our efforts. We chose not to follow people who had an unbalanced follower to following ratio. We called them spammers. We labeled them as people unable to engage in conversation. We rationalized our own existence on Twitter, all the while boiling ourselves in hot water to the point that our worlds were nothing but noise, and our effectiveness as professionals became nil.

Around the time I had 2000 followers (also roughly 2000 people following), I stopped following everyone back. This was almost two years ago. Organically, I grew to 8500+ people following me in return simply because I was interesting and people wanted to follow interesting people. The concept of equivalency was tossed out the window by most people while the “influencers” kept talking up the idea of equivalency. I only followed people I had actually met.

Still, the noise became too much. There was no real way to come back from the brink. I had long ago reached the point where tweets in a tweetstream were at full force. I called it Twitter Terminal Velocity – the point where a tweetstream could not perceptibly travel any faster. And the content was not relevant to my personal or professional life.

Good people. Irrelevant content. Too much noise. This was the problem.

About two weeks ago, I made a drastic move that has improved my life in immesaurable ways. I culled the people I was following from 2800 down to 492 (that number has organically grown since). I had a number of criteria for who I kept – people in Austin (gotta keep my new city close, right?), people in tech (not tech news, not social media… tech!), people in the WordPress community, and real friends.

These are the people that matter to me on a daily basis. They make my life worth it on a personal and professional level. I see all their tweets now.

This is not to offend anyone that got cut. If you talk to me (via a mention), I still see those tweets and most of the time I will engage. I also have keyword searches so relevant conversation surrounding topics of interest are also seen, whether they are directed to me or not. However, in my day to day content consumption, I have made my Twitter experience a much more pure experience.

Today, I find myself more engaged with the people I care about. It’s not about me and my existence and importance. It’s about the people I care about engaging in my world and me in theirs. For instance, I would have never been able to encourage a friend about her father’s deployment to Afghanistan if I had 2800 people I was following. It doesn’t scale. It’s not personal. It’s not real relationships.

In closing, let me give on zing to the social media marketers and networkers. Relationships aren’t about what you do or if your customers care. Relationships aren’t about ROI. Sometimes in relationships, you get nothing in return. But real relationships actually make a difference to ROI and customer care. Just don’t mistake the two for the same thing. They are very far from the same thing.

As an independent, self employed consultant, times can sometimes be tough. In fact, in many way, it’s a feast or famine game. You go through spells where clients don’t pay, they pay late, or you just can’t get the business going enough to generate the income needed to run the business, and sadly, sometimes to pay the bills. So bank runs are important. They are pivotal moments where you might go from pennies in the account to plenty of money to fill the reserves. Those bank runs are always personally fulfilling because it’s a statement that, hey, I don’t have to go find a “real” job now… I can continue to press forward pursuing the dreams I’ve tried to find on my own for these past years. That deposit of some check is a rewarding thing that, honestly, sometimes makes the difference between having the will to go on or just quitting outright.

On Wednesday, I finally received one of these very important checks that was long overdue from a client. With a diminishing bank account, I jumped in the car late in the day and trucked the 45 minutes through rush hour traffic just to get to the bank and find they were closed. When I called their customer service toll free number, I was informed (inaccurately, as I later discovered) that the drive through was still open. Since there was a problem with my Visa debit card, I couldn’t simply make the deposit at the ATM machine so I thanked the representative and tried the drive thru. As I said, I discovered it was closed as well.

Irritated, I jumped on Twitter and went ballistic, venting about how I was going to close my account and find a bank that was closer. I was livid and was letting the world know. These bank runs are not small things for me. They take gas and money and time away from my book. I have kept this account because I always valued the 1st Mariner Bank Customer Service, though, but even that wasn’t going to be enough to keep me banking 45 mins away from home.

@FirstMarinerBank contacted me on Twitter late on Wednesday and commiserated a bit, but did little to actually help my problem. I didn’t expect that he (or she) could, but it was nice to talk to someone nonetheless.

Thursday morning, I got back in my car and drove from Bethesda back to Columbia, Md. where I made the deposit into my account and had one of those personal victory celebrations in my head. I could breathe easier. About an hour afterwards, without prompting by me, I recieved a DM from @FMBCustServ (who might also be @FirstMarinerBank – I don’t know) notifying me that he (his name is Matt Sparks) had saw the deposit go into my account and would work hard to get it cleared for me by the weekend.

Fascinating.

I received another check yesterday as well (but sadly, not before I made my bank run) and thanked Matt, telling him I’d be making another deposit today (Friday) and thanking him for his efforts. And I did. Today, I went back to the bank (that’s the third bank run in three days, if you’re keeping track at home) to make a deposit and, convinced that I’d be stupid to leave the bank after their exceptional show of support, not only made the deposit and didn’t close my personal checking account, but also opened up a new business account for my company.

About an hour after this process, I received another DM from Matt letting me know that he also saw that deposit and noting I’d be able to have money for the weekend. I already did, but it was a nice personal touch.

This is the way customer service should be. As a customer, I may not know what I want or need. Going the extra mile (not wearing the minimum amount of flair, if you will) is what keeps customers around. If we, as customers, feel valued then we are going to value you even more.

It’s the economy of trust.

Well done, Matt Sparks and 1st Mariner Bank. If you’re local to Baltimore, this is the bank you should be doing business with because they get it. If you’re in Suburban DC, as I have been since October, it might even be worth the extra drive to do business with these guys.

This post and DMs shared with permission.

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Update: While the below entry will remain for archival purposes, HP has answered the call and the computer will be recieved on Friday – early enough for Thomas’trip.

I’ve always recommended HP as a manufacturer of great laptops. They generally work well and are durable and compared with the competition, they have always been reliable computers that stand up against time. However, their customer service is abysmal and the story that has been related to me by Thomas confirms, and even enhances that statement.

Thomas is a business consumer. He works for a small organization, a non profit, and travels a fair bit. He has a lot of influence in his sphere and has been a long time consumer of laptop computers. He asked me a few years ago about recommendations for computers, and I turned him on to HP.

Recently, that laptop, had a freak accident and the power socket that is connected to the motherboard stopped receiving a charge to the battery. The only option without spending $500 for a motherboard repair was to purchase a new computer as the old one was out of warranty. On February 17th, Thomas ordered a new HP Pavilion dv2000t.

Thomas made an important mistake in not paying attention to a detail that stated that the laptop would not be built until February 28th, however HP in their disastrous way, made a more critical mistake in not paying attention to their customers.

See Thomas is going on travel on Monday, March 4th and as a business traveler, it is critical to have his computer. I can relate. I can’t go get coffee without my computer, much less on travel and when I travel, the laptop is never more than 3 feet away from me. Laptop computers are the center of the world for business travel. Contact info, ability to connect to associates and family via email and Skype, calendar information, etc. This is your world when you’re a business traveler.

When Thomas recognized that he failed to note the build date, he attempted to talk to HP about getting the computer expedited. No dice. He then was willing to pay for overnight shipping, something that HP was not willing to do. Why they are not willing to change shipping methods is beyond me. Isn’t the point of doing business to establish and maintain your customer base which pays for you to exist? Considering the computer has yet to be built, surely adjusting the shipping method when the customer is willing to pay is an easy target to hit. And it would demonstrate amazing customer relations.

Here is an email string that occurred between Thomas and HP Customer Service (reprinted with permission):

• Thomas:
  Order Number: H9439196
  Feedback: I think it is ridiculous that it is going to take to the 28th of Feb to build my computer, when I ordered it on the 17th. I cannot understand such a delay. So, customer service does not seem to be a priority to you. I buy two to three cmputers a year, but probably will not go through you again. I am very disappointed.
• HP Customer Care: Dear Thomas,

  Thank you for contacting the HP Home & Home Office Sales Center.

  I understand your concern regarding the build date of your notebook and apologize for the inconvenience caused to you. Thomas, I would like to inform you that you have ordered a customizable notebook, hence, it will require some time to build the notebook as per your requirements. I would also like to inform you that the build date is the estimated date and if your notebook is build earlier and shipped, we will notify you via e-mail. I appreciate your patience.

  Please reply us back if there is anything else we can assist you with.

  Thank you for your interest in the HP Home and Home Office Store, we value your business and support. Our goal is to continue bringing you quality products and solutions.

  Best regards,
  Michelle
  Email/Chat Representative
  HP Home & Home Office Sales Center

• Thomas:
  I am wondering if I can change the shipping for my computer, to expedite delivery. As it is taking you FOREVER to build it, I will not have it for my next road trip, which begins very early on Monday, March 5. Further, if the computer were to arrive when I was away, there would be no one to sign for it.

  The computer is for business, not video games!! This is as frustrating as it can get…I will not forget this.

  So, how can I upgrade to get the computer delivered by Friday, March 2?

• HP Customer Care: Dear Thomas,

  Thank you for contacting the HP Home & Home Office Sales Center.

  I understand that you want to expedite your delivery. I would suggest you to call at the number listed below, so that they can help you to resolve your problem.

  I hope this information has been of assistance to you. Please reply to this message if there is anything further we can do. For your convenience, you may also call the HP Home and Home Office Sales Center directly at 1-888-999-4747 Monday – Friday: 7:00 AM – 2:00 AM EST and Sat and Sun: 8:00 AM – 1:00 AM EST.

  Lastly, if you are interested in hearing about new product offerings, promotions and special discounts, simply reply to this email and I will be pleased to sign you up for our award winning e-newsletter. Providing us with your full mailing address will also allow you to receive our catalog, which is issued several times annually.

  Thank you for your interest in the HP Home and Home Office Store, we value your business and support. Our goal is to continue bringing you quality products and solutions.

  Best regards,
  Denise
  Email/Chat Representative
  HP Home & Home Office Sales Center

• Thomas:
  I called as you said, and they would not change the shipping option for me. Any more suggestions?
• HP Customer Care:Dear Thomas,

  Thank you for contacting the HP Home & Home Office Sales Center.

  I understand you want to change your shipping method. I would suggest you to call at the number listed below and ask for a supervisor, so that they can help you to resolve your problem.

  I hope this information has been of assistance to you. Please reply to this message if there is anything further we can do. For your convenience, you may also call the HP Home and Home Office Sales Center directly at 1-888-999-4747 Monday – Friday: 7:00 AM – 2:00 AM EST and Sat and Sun: 8:00 AM – 1:00 AM EST.

  Lastly, if you are interested in hearing about new product offerings, promotions and special discounts, simply reply to this email and I will be pleased to sign you up for our award winning e-newsletter. Providing us with your full mailing address will also allow you to receive our catalog, which is issued several times annually.

  Thank you for your interest in the HP Home and Home Office Store, we value your business and support. Our goal is to continue bringing you quality products and solutions.

  Best regards,
  Denise
  Email/Chat Representative
  HP Home & Home Office Sales Center

In other words, HP is not willing to take the time to answer customers questions with anything other than boilerplate responses. They do not care about you or your business. They think that merely collecting your money is enough.

This issue is even more complicated when we get down to the warranty issue. A warrant was purchased additionally for the computer that is tied up in HP-land and when it arrive, it had someone else’s name on it. When Thomas called Customer Care, they told him not to worry about it because it was his warranty. Now, my feeling is is that, like Apple, the warranty is tied to the serial number and not to an invoice. However, how would anyone know that? And what about business expenses. Thomas may have a difficult time claiming an invoice that doesn’t have his name is actually his expense.

Does HP care? Not so much as long as you buy stuff. Denise’s emails above have the same boilerplate info about buying more stuff from HP.

Tell me why I should recommend HP to anyone? Managers and Executives at HP, are you aware of this disinterest in the needs of your customers? Do you expect to continue to enjoy market share when you flippantly disregard customers. Just ask your competitor Dell who has fallen from consumer grace and now is the lowest tier in the consumer-based computer market. Did ignoring their customers get them far. Those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it.

No one is asking for anything for free. But interest in actually helping your customers do something other than remove their American Express card from their wallet would go a long way. Surely, you can use some good press right about now after getting blasted on the left and right. Maybe now would be a good time to make due.

The order number is referenced above.

Additionally, Tris points us to his worthless HP experience of just days ago.

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