I got ANOTHER call today from a telemarketer claiming market research.
TELL ME YOUR CONCERNS
The call was from Mountain West Research Center (http://www.mwrcenter.com) wanting to ask me about national and local issues facing communities. As I probed for answers about who they were and who would get the results of the survey, the caller could not provided me with an answer on where my responses would end up. Why would anyone volunteer information that may go toward causes or political interests that they do not agree with. For example, lets say that I'm concerned about local businesses losing out to big corporations. Now anyone can bring up that topic to try to sway my opinion, regardless of their real intent. If I said pollution was my national concern, any corporation or political machine would know to how to gain my favor or dollars.
Are you a republican? How would you answer the survey if it was democrats calling?
Are you a democrat? How would you answer the survey if it was republicans calling?
I don't mind giving my opinions in the proper forum, but phone calling blind (which is annoying enough) and not telling me how my answers will be used. Its easy for both friends and enemies to use a person's opinion to sway or coerce them.
As an aside, I asked their company name, location, phone number... they told me they didn't have a phone number, that they were calling from the Internet (how ridiculous is that?).
YOU LIKE PET FOOD?
I had a different call recently (at 9:00 pm) researching my views on pet food products. They too weren't selling anything and felt the Do-Not-Call list didn't apply to them. I kept them on the line for a while asking about who was paying for and receiving the survey. As they said the survey results would be free, I asked them to send me the results. They then said it was not free, to which I asked who was paying for it. I had the guy talking in circles before he suggested I speak with his supervisor. The supervisor was rather unapologetic about calling anyone and about not revealing who was getting the survey. My point with these people was that it WAS a commercial phone call, and that they shouldn't be able to call me due to the Do-Not-Call List.
YOUR HOMEWORK
When they call YOU, be sure to get any identifying information so that you can look them up on the Internet, and blog about them. Get company name, address, phone number anything you can search on. Also insist that they tell you where your information is going, and who is paying for it. Good luck.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
What Telemarketer Research ? For WHO ?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Enterprise Library Logging with WMI
In Enterprise Library for Microsoft (EntLib v3.1), you can use the WMI TraceListener (WMITraceListener class) to send logging events/statistics to the Windows Performance Monitor application.
Steps:
- Enable Instrumentation on the host: Start / All Programs / Microsoft Patterns & Practices / Enteprise Library 3.1 - May 2007 / Install Instrumentation
- With Enterprise Library Configuration, configure your app.config or web.config to use the WMI TraceListener.
- With Enterprise Library Configuration, add Instrumentation
- Edit the resulting config file (from previous steps) to set the instrumentation properties to "true": <instrumentationconfiguration performanceCountersEnabled="true"
eventLoggingEnabled="true" wmiEnabled="true" /> - If you have subclassed LogEntry, make sure any custom typed Attributes are decorated with [IgnoreMember] (you'll have to have System.Management as a Reference)
- Run your program
- Add a new Counter in Windows Performance Monitor: Performance Object "Enterprise Library Logging Counter"; Select counters from list; Select your program's instance.
- If "Enterprise Library Logging Counter" isn't available in Performance Monitor, then you didn't Install Instrumentation in EntLib.
- If you can't select an instance while adding the Counter, then your program probably isn't running, or something is preventing it from being instrumentable
- If the application event log contains errors suggesting that you use IgnoreMember, then you are logging a subclassed EventLog that has Attributes with special types (the event log error will say which one). Or change the type of you attributes to string, int, etc... to avoid the problem.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Don't Give to Rude Telemarketers
Hey Telemarketers!
Telemarketers, when you call me midday or in the evenings, I am not happy or receptive to your message... but I am polite. I generally will try to end the call gracefully. If you are rude to me, then I start to question why I am being polite to you.
Fraternal Order of Police
Yesterday evening I received a call from the Fraternal Order of Police, asking for a donation to their noble cause. I listened and waited for a chance to reply and when I calmly said "no thank you" they immediately hung up.
Today, to my surprise, I received another call from the Fraternal Order of Police (in the afternoon). I interrupted the telemarketer a few times to make sure that I was talking with the same organization, as I made notes. Then I interrupted again and said that they had called yesterday and were rather rude to me. I conveyed that they hung up on me after I had politely refused. As this telemarketer tried to break in, I said that I was NOT happy with them, and I hung up. I'm surprised that I was able to hang up on them before they hung up on me.
March of Dimes
I like the intent of this organization, but their fund raising efforts are ruthless. The March of Dimes has called my house asking for my wife... I'll ask who they are. After they respond I tell them that my wife isn't around, but I can help them. At that point they tend to hang up without further response. Later (sometimes hours, sometimes days) they call back, identified by caller ID, and hang up quickly when they find out that my wife isn't available. To me, that's rude and devious. It is also impossible to get off their mailing list.
Not Over the Phone
Additionally, stop insisting that I give right now! I tell anyone who calls that I do not make donation decisions over the phone. Send me information in the mail, and I'll make my decisions casually when I sit down to pay bills. I've had telemarketers hang up when I tell them that I do not commit to donations over the phone, but that I would like them to send information to me.
Who are the Telemarketers Helping? Themselves?
Some of the telemarketers that call me are not doing justice to the charities that they represent. Either through poor phone etiquette, or not providing a high enough percentage back to the charity. The telemarketers that are now blocked by do-not-call lists seem to have moved to calling for charities. They see the potential for raising money for a charity, the potential to get around the do-not-call list, and a way to make profits again. I've asked some of the telemarketers that call me about what percentage goes to the charity... some don't know, some are low percentages, and others are more reasonable. I don't know how March of Dimes works, but do your own googling on the telemarketers calling for Fraternal Order of Police... I've seen horrible reports stating the charity gets as low as 12%. All of these comments are about the telemarketers representing the charities. I'm sure the charities are worth while, but ask some questions and do some quick research (Google) before you give to any charity through a second party service (ex: what percent goes to the charity?)... that's why I don't make decisions over the phone!
Give, but Not to Telemarketers
I do suggest that everyone find a charity they feel is deserving, and find a comfortable way to donate to them. Each year I tithe to our church and give to some charities. I'm also on the board of NathanCan Foundation (NathanCan.org) working to help chronically sick kids. If I weren't giving or directly participating in a charity, I'd feel like this entire discussion was merely an excuse not to give anyone anything... but there ARE good and deserving causes out there, and GOOD ways to donate.