Our account is around 6 years old and bills over $2million a year. We have a dedicated manager we have been working with for almost a year with few issues to this point.
My question for the community is... Does anyone have experience escalating problems above their AM? Is there some ombudsman function within the company or even some regular escalation procedure?
I simply can't believe that my 20somethign rep is as far as I can go with a dispute over more than $100K.
Thanks for any advice.
Over a long period of time, I was pressing about display URL and multiple account issues, as well as about bid jamming tactics that are still out there in affiliate world.
After a long, they arranged a chance to talk to someone from policy team. It was a nice talk, but things did not change much in the field. There were still lots of invalid ads that would take forever to go down, if ever.
Then, one day, we’ve got onto a call where I learned I would have no dedicated reps anymore, but that the best fit would be simply to call or email regular support.
In overall, it looked that things were out of their hands and that they could not stand my demands for their own rule enforcement anymore, so they excluded me from personal contact schema.
Later, when I talked to one of the front line folks, and asked if I could get dedicated rep back, the lady was more than happy to assist as my temporary contact, until the team assigns the permanent one (based on what she saw in our MCC).
Later, in her reply via email, she changed the tone, as she was probably instructed by the dedicated support team, that “that guy” is not to have support, maybe ever.
Yeah, that mystic cloud around AdWords is something I always questioned and found annoying, especially taking into the account they’re traded company.
Not that I’m saying they’re not doing it well, it is just that sometimes you’re really like facing a concrete wall, seeing black, while they keep replying it’s white.
In short, there is no regular procedure available, nor escalation point where live person would get back to you, confirming she/he is so and so manager.
That is what makes you never know what really goes through or not. Part of that culture may be coming from Google arrogance supported by “being the best” and “one of the richest” so go ahead (buddy) and pursue a legal action if you dare. Not that many are ready for anything like that.
I do have the impression however that Google is putting the squeeze on it's support team and that some support offices are only interested in servicing the most profitable clients.
It even has gone to the extent that Google reps approach our clients to move their MCC to a new account (serviced by a Google office in a different country) with the promise that Google will manage it for them for free. This is purely driven by Google support centers trying to steal accounts from other support centers. Really insane.
Not only do i doubt the average Google rep knows how to run a proper campaign, but there's a major conflict of interest when Google sets the rules and plays the game too.
You might come out drooling and incoherent, but your attitude would properly reflect the great power and righteousness possessed by Google and their employees!
Let me know how that turns out!
AdWords HQ is about a mile from my house.
Netmeg, you would probably have a black van screech to a stop in front of you...
(heh, you don't know me yet)
Hey netmeg - you should come to lunch sometime. ;)
AWA
If I were in your position, I would probably do the same thing that I would do in any situation where I'm having a problem with a particular level of service. I would ask my rep for the name, title and mailing address of her manager or supervisor (which most are required to give when asked), then I would write up the whole situation as I see it, in as objective a sense as humanly possible, and then I would send it by certified mail to the manager's address. I'd also request an acknowledgment and/or response by a certain date.
If she won't give you the name of her supervisor, then I'd call support and harass my way up the chain of whomever answered until I got to someone with some authority.
But that's just me.
Anyway, my rep literally won't give me her supervisor's name. I would certainly call and start yelling, but it then becomes highly possible that would be the end of any good relationship I might desire to salvage.
It is good advice, but I am trying to be a little more surgical.
AS far as AWA, it would be appropriate of them to let me know if there is some "higher power" in place for situations like this or at least whether or not there are escalation procedures in place that I should be aware of.
Well, good luck to you.
At 2mil a year you must have one, we spend 1.5 mil a year now and we have one, so you should too.
You could also call in and not ask for your rep and escalate that way, when you do, ask for a new AM. I have gone throught several over the years because people come and go, but I bet they would reassign you to someone that will treat you with a little more respect. Customer service should be theri primary concern when your dropping that kind of money their way.
Good Luck
