Derrick
ლ(ಠ_ಠ )ლ
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 5,085
- Reaction score
- 5
Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of large companies generally hide away from consumers. The reasons are not clear – they may be scared of being bombarded by nasty questions and criticism or they may even just not care enough about these ‘little people’ paying their salaries to bother about them.
Their argument may be that they are just too busy, but strangely enough they always find time to speak to their shareholders or other prominent business people. They fact is that the systems which have evolved mean that it is unheard of for any CEO to directly interact with his or her own customers – period.
While it has never happened – or at least not to my knowledge – that Reuben September (Telkom), Alan Knott-Craig (Vodacom), Phuthuma Nhleko (MTN), Jeffrey Hedberg (Cell C), Peter Boyd (Virgin Mobile) or other prominent CEOs in the telecoms market directly interact with consumers in a public, uncontrolled environment, there is one refreshing exception to the rule.
Douglas Reed, CEO of Vox Telecom, often directly responds to questions or interacts with consumers on the MyBroadband forums. Reed has built up Vox Telecom – aka DataPro – from a mere R 1.2 Million company to a R 2-Billion telecoms provider, and is definitely as busy a man as most CEOs in this market.
Reed however finds time to speak to customers and even argue points in this forum. What is even more refreshing is that it is not the usual sugar coated, Public Relations generated, watered down drivel which one would expect to get, but rather direct and honest comment from the company head himself.
I for one welcome and congratulate this openness from a CEO and hope a few others will make time in their far-too-busy schedules to interact with the people who actually pay their salaries (it is your customers by the way!).
Their argument may be that they are just too busy, but strangely enough they always find time to speak to their shareholders or other prominent business people. They fact is that the systems which have evolved mean that it is unheard of for any CEO to directly interact with his or her own customers – period.
While it has never happened – or at least not to my knowledge – that Reuben September (Telkom), Alan Knott-Craig (Vodacom), Phuthuma Nhleko (MTN), Jeffrey Hedberg (Cell C), Peter Boyd (Virgin Mobile) or other prominent CEOs in the telecoms market directly interact with consumers in a public, uncontrolled environment, there is one refreshing exception to the rule.
Douglas Reed, CEO of Vox Telecom, often directly responds to questions or interacts with consumers on the MyBroadband forums. Reed has built up Vox Telecom – aka DataPro – from a mere R 1.2 Million company to a R 2-Billion telecoms provider, and is definitely as busy a man as most CEOs in this market.
Reed however finds time to speak to customers and even argue points in this forum. What is even more refreshing is that it is not the usual sugar coated, Public Relations generated, watered down drivel which one would expect to get, but rather direct and honest comment from the company head himself.
I for one welcome and congratulate this openness from a CEO and hope a few others will make time in their far-too-busy schedules to interact with the people who actually pay their salaries (it is your customers by the way!).