ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 28, 1997 TAG: 9701280028
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: reporter's notebook
SOURCE: MARK CLOTHIER
Let's say you want to get to the bottom of something, anything. Say, Juicy Juice.
You know the stuff. The label claims it's 100 percent juice from concentrate, no sugar added. But a year or so ago, it came out that there wasn't just juice, there was sugar. It was just hearsay, but it was loud enough to stop me from buying it.
Then last week I noticed a newly pregnant co-worker drinking it under the assumption it was just juice. Because she hadn't heard the news and was now drinking for two, I offered to clear things up.
But what's the best way to do this? What's the best route to the juice information highway - the Internet or the telephone? It seems every product from Dockers to the NFL has a web page, but how useful are they for consumer questions? And, perhaps just as importantly, when deadline looms, how quickly can seemingly inconsequential office interaction become journalistic grist?
To get my answer, I figured I'd just call the 800 number on the Juicy Juice package; it's quick and you get to talk to someone.
But we decided to experiment.
The toll-free call was first. It took seconds. I hit 1-800 NESTLE2, pushed a few buttons, reached the Libby's department (Juicy Juice's parent company) and reached Tina, of whom I asked: Is Juicy Juice all juice?
Tina, obviously a seasoned veteran, said mine was a very good question. Seems there was indeed a scare of sorts about a year ago. Tina said one of the factories from which the company buys juice concentrate was adding sugar. She said the Juicy Juice folks didn't know it and when they found out they pulled every can from the shelves. Since then, Tina said, every drop has been all natural. Case closed.
Duration of quest: 38 seconds.
Then I tried getting my juice question answered on line. First, I did a general search for the words Juicy Juice. It gave me 29,600 responses. Among the first 18: a photo of a kid sipping from a carton of Juicy Juice, a collection of holiday recipes and a daily dose of gossip, a slang word for which is juice.
Interesting stuff, but none of it answered my question.
Then I did a search for Nestle, the parent company. It gave me the right place, www.nestle.com, but I still had to search through a company history, which gave me loads of information on founder Henri Nestle (sort of like watching the Walt Disney Story at Disney World, but with fewer mice). I also strolled through their brand guide looking for Juicy Juice. Still nothing.
Then I stumbled across the "Question" option. This allows you to type in a question and, provided you leave your name, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address, receive an answer. I did this, but it wouldn't accept my information. I double-checked my typing, tried again, then gave up.
Duration of quest: 22 minutes. Result: no answer.
Internet experts like Jim Sterne, author of "Customer Service on the Internet" and president of a California marketing firm, agree the Internet isn't yet the computer equivalent of the Shell Answer Man. But he says it will be soon.
Sterne says the World Wide Web is poised for the next wave, which he calls the customer service wave. Like the telephone, the web allows for conversation but few of its users have the capability. Yet.
Sterne's vision is a blend of Web site and 1-800 help-line: "The magic of a well-constructed Web site is that it can provide the information a customer wants, when she wants it, and in as much detail as she wants. Customers can answer their own questions, in their own time and to their heart's content."
In terms of Blacksburg, Internet Business Technologies' Vice President of Operations Ben Jones said the customer service phase is still probably five years off. But with the exploding technology, local web sites could become more customer service capable within a few years.
In the meantime, happy dialing.
Mark Clothier covers Blacksburg and business for the New River Valley bureau of The Roanoke Times.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB