Clickatell powers South African consumer advice service, Dontgo

Don’t be afraid to complain. That’s the message from newly launched consumer advice service, Dontgo. Clickatell, SMS Text News sponsor, are providing the mobile infrastructure for the service.

Using Clickatell’s global mobile messaging services, Dontgo provides consumers with the power to easily send text messages directly from their cell phones at the time of service. Customers can report bad service using their cell phone in a matter of seconds. Consumers can also decide to let people know about extraordinary service using the same system.

Research reveals only a fraction of customers complain to businesses directly when they receive bad service, giving companies little chance to deal with problems directly. Most consumers around the globe simply withdraw their support and criticize the establishment to anyone who’ll listen. Now, using the Dontgo mobile customer feedback system, customers can communicate to organizations directly, sending them an SMS on the spot. This enables organizations to listen and respond to complaints about negative customer service experiences immediately – rather than after weeks of dissatisfaction.

If they can get the word out and gather a decent enough following, Dontgo could really, really serve to be a useful resource for both consumers and service providers (who can quickly zap problems). I suspect one of the biggest problems with poor customer service is when it goes unreported and festers away. If you can convince customers to report bad (and good) service right-away, you can arrive, like the shining white knight, to solve apologise and solve the issue publicly. I like the concept!