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Eric Marcoullier

Enaia

Startup and Product Coach. Co-founder Gnip, MyBlogLog, IGN, others. Live music, pop culture, building things.

Highlights

Apr 16 · linkedin

Customer service matters more than anything else. I've posted this before and I'm going to beat that drum until my hand falls off. Things go wrong, and it's what happens next that determines customer loyalty.

I just got notification from United Healthcare that they canceled my insurance policy. Apparently, last month they tried to charge my credit card, got an error code, waited 30 days and canceled my coverage. And, speaking with their customer support staff, there is absolutely nothing to be done about it.

It is terrifying to live without health insurance in the US. If I get into a catastrophic car accident, I could easily rack up hundred of thousands of dollars in costs, possibly more. I literally worry about losing my house. I am not feeling great about things.

So, I leave a message for Pete, my insurance broker. He calls me back ten minutes later, says he's on vacation, but he's going to take care of things in one of a handful of ways. When I apologize for interrupting his vacation, he responds, "it's all part of the job."

I know it seems very weird to pimp an insurance provider on LinkedIn, or anywhere really, but customer service matters. More than anything. If you're in Colorado and ever have health insurance needs, please call Renee and Pete Schiffhauer.

Apr 13 · linkedin

AI companies are desperate for more content, so perhaps they should underwrite more journalists — epic idea by Mike Masnick

I hope this idea catches hold and becomes an actual thing.

We are suffering from a dearth of professional journalists and news outlets. Regional newsrooms are shrinking and outright closing shop.

AI companies need more and more strong content on which to train their models. If they are going to spend money creating content, let’s get them to focus on content that contributes to the public good.

I’m not suggesting legislation or anything prescriptive. But maybe if enough influential voices take up this mantel, companies like Open AI will choose to take a double-bottom-line perspective.

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Eric Marcoullier
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Experience

Enaia
Director at Rebric

Education

Project Management, University Of Massachusetts Amherst
Tulane University
Journalism, University Of Florida