Yahoo and Google PPC Customer Service

Calling customer service lines can be frustrating. As a PPC specialist, I have spent hours waiting for the next customer representative to assist me, and half the time they do not have enough experience in the topic I need help with to actually make a difference. I’ve been working in Google, Yahoo, MSN, Business.com and others for years, so I don’t need help creating a new account, which seems to be a majority of what they can assist me with. Probably the best investment search engines can make is in their agency reps. Here at Off Madison Ave, we have a dedicated Yahoo rep who helps us with ALL our clients, no matter the size or how wacky the request is. We have both seen the benefits: Yahoo sees more revenue from us, and we get to spend more time servicing our clients and optimizing their results. We have had clients see such great successes with our Yahoo campaigns that they have actually said they would like to advertise solely on Yahoo. Only in Yahoo?! Are they crazy? No, they are not. Depending on the industry and the type of promotion, we have seen great results in Yahoo that blow our Google results out of the water. So, when I recently got a call from Google last week, I was expecting the same type of customer service. However, this rep was more salesy, and said that he wouldn’t be able to really help us with everyday stuff and uploading new accounts unless we meet their minimum spend threshold. Yes, they are Google, and yes, we advertise with them 90% of the time, but telling me flat out that our clients have to spend a certain amount of money really tuned me off. A lot of clients in this economy want to start off small and then grow based on the results. Customer service is a huge part of our society today, and if companies refuse to help you unless you are the big guy, then they may never get a chance. The August Marketing Pilgrim article Google’s Customer Service the Worst in the World ? said it perfectly: “Hey Google! How about taking some of the billions of dollars in profits and applying it to some actual customer service?”

About the Author: Ellen Stevens

As the Search Media Manager for Off Madison Ave’s interactive division, Mighty Interactive, Ellen develops and manages strategic online paid search and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaigns for clients of all sizes. She is also the head of the internship program at Off Madison Ave. Ellen uses her previous agency internship experience to be an effective mentor and help the students develop skills they will need professionally after graduation. Ellen graduated from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a certificate in international business.

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1 comment so far

Rosa says:

I think it’s actually in Google’s best interest to provide great customer service in order to maximize the profitability of each customer. From an advertiser’s point of view, I want to be as informed about how to manage a PPC campaign in order to improve my success. PPC campaigns are still relatively new, and many people don’t understand them. The reason is that a large part of making a new product or service successful sometimes depends on educating the users in order for them to truly find value in it.
By getting support and advice from Google on how to actually become more proficient in PPC campaigns, then advertisers would feel more confident spending more. Even those practicing it for years can use help from a representative from time to time. An improvement in Google customer service is a win-win situation for both Google and advertisers.