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Xerox sage churns out answers like copier does paper
December 5, 1996
Web posted at: 4:45 p.m. ESTFrom San Francisco Bureau Chief Greg Lefevre
SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- Behind every question lies an answer. At the Xerox Corp. World Wide Web site, the answer is Bill McClain, a Web-savvy 63-year-old who spits out some 200 feedback responses a day.
"If anybody takes the time to send a message to the Xerox Corporation, we feel we owe them the courtesy of a response," McClain said.
McClain's job is to answer any and all e-mail inquiries that come in to Xerox. What started as a basic customer relations job has now taken on almost mythical proportions, as McClain churns out answers like a Xerox copier does paper. And in the underworld of the Internet, word is out that if you can't find an answer, McClain can.
"Every day is totally different. I don't know what to expect," said McClain, whose silver hair and gentlemanly ways don't fit the stereotype for wired folks.
"We give preference to Xerox (questions), but we'll answer anything that we can."
The questions pour in from all angles.
"Somebody said, 'I urgently need the Boy Scout lyrics to the song 'Kumbaya.' We got him the Boy Scout lyrics, the regular lyrics and the URL of the Boy Scout songbook."
Other inquiries that have made it into McClain's hall of fame: What is the best route from South Bend, Indiana, to the University of Miami? Where are the Spice Islands? Got any info on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster?
Charles Jo, who put in a request for Silicon Valley companies, couldn't believe it when he had his answer in less than 24 hours.
"I was just amazed," he said.
As for being an elder of the Web, McClain says he doesn't mind -- with age comes wisdom.
"If somebody asked me how did people make copies before Xerox invented the Xerox machine, I could tell them because I used to have to do that," he said.
Other companies slow to respond
As for other top Fortune 500 companies, many don't have a place for customers to voice questions or concerns. And of the companies that do, trying to get an answer is another question altogether.
CNN contacted a dozen companies; only four responded. Of those, IBM, Kraft and Wal-Mart responded in less than 24 hours.
Why should companies respond?
Because customer satisfaction may depend on it, says Jason Pontin, managing editor of Red Herring, a communications and technology trade publication.
"(Companies) have to treat it as seriously as they treat a customer phone call," he said.
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