In an episode of Lipstick Jungle the Good-Fast-Cheap triangle theory was discussed and it got me thinking. According to this theory there are three factors involved in product and / or service delivery – good, fast and cheap – but when you have to make a purchasing decision, you can only pick two. For instance, if you choose good and fast then it will not be cheap. If you pick fast and cheap, the quality will not be good. In my opinion, no matter which two factors you pick you should still receive great customer service. Customer service is not only important to the client in question but plays an important role in the success of any business.

The definition of good customer service differs from person to person and is dependent on personal opinion and standard. There are a few basic rules that a business can follow in order to enhance the level of customer service. Not only can great customer service be a valuable relationship building tool but it will certainly enhance a business’ competitive advantage. Business owners should think about customer service as a type of business insurance. If clients receive great customer service they will not only make use of your business again, but also refer friends and family. Without clients a business cannot exist and it has been proven that it is more cost-effective to retain clients than to acquire new clients.

That being said, customer service is dependant on a business’ employees. The way the phone is answered, how long it takes before emails are responded to and so forth. Our team regard customer service highly and aim to always go the extra mile for our clients. When an agency works as part of a group of consultants on a project it makes things a little bit trickier. Great customer service is dependant on great team work and when one member (or one agency) in a team doesn’t pull its weight the client’s overall impression might not be favourable of the project. Therefore, choose your partners wisely just as you would with potential employees.

Google was back in the news last week after several users complained about “offensive” content on the search engine – specifically, defamatory images of America’s first lady. Google immediately rolled out an apology, explaining that sometimes, offensive or inappropriate search results slip through the cracks – or more accurately, shoot up the ranks – to claim the top spots on the search results. While they stopped short of an actual mea culpa, the search engine offered the salve, “We apologise if you’ve had an upsetting experience using Google.”

After much contemplation, I was left in two minds about this apology. Don’t get me wrong – I myself know just how unpleasant it is to stumble across prejudiced information, and how hurtful it can be. Moreover, I can accept that Google – having time on its hands to sift though millions of web pages each day – should have spotted these rotten pages and tossed them from its index in a fit of disgust.

These points noted, however, I do have to ask: Have people forgotten that because of – or maybe despite – its enormous reach, the Internet still provides a platform for Web users to exercise freedom of speech? Not everyone has nice things to say, and some people dedicate inordinate amounts of time to espousing offensive and prejudiced ideas on the Internet. For them, this is the ultimate soap box from which to spout inflammatory ideas – because after all, what’s a bigot without an audience, willing or otherwise? And everyone knows that the online audience is the biggest in the world.

When it comes down to it, the Internet is the most accessible media platform in existence, and anyone who so wishes to use it, or abuse it, can do so with very little (if any) censoring. If I turn on a TV show, pick up a book or inadvertently stumble upon a conversation that I find offensive or insulting, I simply change the channel, close the book or walk away. As do most people faced with similar situations. With the Internet, it’s even easier: It’s one click of the mouse. Certainly, I feel disgruntled, but it’s an unfortunate feature of modern media, which by its very nature encourages the airing and sharing of views, whatever these might be.

I’m not sure I have the answer to this particular conundrum. I think Google did the right thing by issuing an apology – or at least, it did the only thing the (American) public was going to accept. Google has a responsibility to fly its spangled banner with pride. But Google itself states that it doesn’t remove pages simply because people find them offensive. We’re all grown-ups, and for the under-18s, there are countless ways for parents and teachers to block certain types of information on the Internet (if they so wish).

I think it’s up to the responsible Web user to realise that there are people with little else to occupy their minds than their own prejudices, and that they will voice their opinions online – if only to get precisely this sort of reaction. My opinion is, navigate away. I don’t think it’s up to Google, or any other engine for that matter, to block this content (as much as I may sometimes wish it were). These are the schoolyard bullies of the online world. And we all know the best way to deal with a bully.

It is a fact that social media is a powerful marketing tool. Likened to word-of-mouth social media is extremely powerful when it comes to spreading information and creating awareness about social issues and causes. Social media tools are the fastest and simplest way to connect with almost anyone, yet few South Africa not-for-profit organisations (NPO) utilise these tools.

A good example of a South African NPO utilising social media tools to their benefit is Breadline Africa. By using channels like YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook the NPO raised over R100 000 through their Blogger Bake Off competition and later this year a Twitter competition involving a sophisticated API will go live. Breadline Africa has in the past utilised social media platforms such as Twitter primarily for PR purposes and to communicate with the community but now hopes to raise funds through the launch of a new competition in December.

According to Marianna Boguslavsky, Online Marketing Manager for Breadline Africa, social media is a great tool for charities to raise awareness about their cause, encourage people to learn more about the projects and get people involved. Early next year Breadline Africa will launch a national SMS campaign involving a number of South African celebrities to increase awareness for their cause. Their digital efforts paid off and Breadline Africa was one of the finalists for the SangoNet NGO web awards this year.

Donate an Hour is ‘a private initiative of supportive collaboration for social change’ and calls on participants to donate one billable hour’s equivalent to the cause at hand. Donate an Hour chooses a different cause every year and aims to make a difference by utilising various online channels to create awareness for the cause and ultimately raise funds. This year (2009/2010) Donate an Hour will support Huis Luckhoff, a home for the aged in desperate need of funds for general maintenance, food and caring staff.

As individuals there are a few things we can do to create awareness for causes close to our hearts that doesn’t involve money. If you have a blog, spend some time and write a blog post for your cause. You never know who might be touched by your post and decide to make a donation. If your cause has a blog, add them to your blog roll. If you can find your cause’s Facebook fan page, join and keep an eye on the page to stay up to date with their needs. Small actions and a few minutes of your time can bring about big (and much needed) change.