The Brutal Accountability

Listening to Jeremy Darroch on Today this morning, he struck a chord with his description of commercial reality as BSkyB faces the "brutal accountability to customers". Asked for his views on the Ross/Brand affair he wisely declined to comment, instead offering his withering comment, most effectively condemning the lack of accountability of the BBC, and confirmed with masterful understatement by the announcement of an increase in Sky customer numbers and profit. Darroch laid bare the fact that political or quangocratic accountability is a poor substitute for the need to give customers what they want. Sky get it. The BBC never will.

UPDATE: Interesting to note Nic Howell at New Media Age making a similar point:

A phrase that Sky executives are fond of using about their company is "permission to entertain". The slogan says a lot about the way the media giant operates.

First, entertainment underpins Sky's content strategy, which is rooted in satellite but is now going great guns online, especially since Andy Jonesco came on board.

But what's also relevant about the phrase is that Sky is a subscription business. Twelve times a year it faces a moment of truth when customers receive their bill and ask themselves whether Sky gave good value that month.

Personal information

I was called at home last night by someone who said they were from Sky (probably selling an upgrade, but it didn't get that far). Usual intro - Him: "Hello I'm blah from Sky, can I just confirm who I am talking to? Can you tell me your date of birth?" Me: "You called me, can you just confirm who you are?" Predictable tussle followed, and the conversation concluded when the caller was unable to tell me the name of his Chief Executive, Chairman or even where BSkyB's head office is. FFS these people are supposed to be ambassadors for the company! This determination of contact centres to "protect my privacy" by verifying my identity through lots of personal questions is a paradox that they just don't seem to understand. Wouldn't it work better if they were in a position to tell me when my d.o.b was rather than the other way around? Then I would know, or at last have some degree of confidence, that they were genuine, and I would be more than happy to discuss whatever they wanted.

Life is too short to deal with unnecessary unsolicited callers, mine and theirs. If anyone wants to call me that's fine, but have something useful to say, and respect my privacy when you intrude on my time.