The HD integration seems to be far more complicated than it should be in our opinion. I wish I had a better answer for you, but please know that we are working on it.
Your competitors came out the gate with a higher quality feed. There's no problem that the right check can't solve.
We paid for the development costs of that and while we're happy that our friends are benefiting from it, we're frustrated that the simplified interface was not built for integration into our site. While the casual observer might think the best solution is just to switch over to the newest version and abandon the existing platform completely, the database structures are different. The simplified HD interface has to be completed.
While there are clients who primarily want to talk with the women on the site, I'm inclined to believe that a majority of customers are paying for a personalized show rather than a chat session with a little flexing thrown in. I would think most people in business would want to get to know their clients, as there tends to be great value in building long-term relationships.
Let's stop there because you and I both know that most of your models aren't interested in building long-term relationships, especially your non-American models. How are we defining the term though, maybe our definitions are different? Is building a relationship simply finding out what the customer likes and catering to them, or is it more than that. To me it's the latter, unfortunately though you'd be lucky to get anyone to act genuine let alone build a good rapport with one another.
Take Lyndsey Dejager (I forget her cam name) for comparison, or Britt Miller. Both women would keep in touch through e-mail, often Britt would even e-mail me immediately after camming with just small talk and thanking me. Acts like that shows appreciation and goes a long way in building a relationship. A relationship where I want to come back and don't mind spending more money. Now the whole e-mail thing is just a common trick being used to get people into private with no real intention of establishing any sort of real rapport. With so many using this tactic it again makes me wonder if this is something being taught to them. To be clear, it's not even about establishing a deep friendship, I understand that the girls are there to work and earn money, I simply want to see some respect given. I don't think respect is too much to ask. Also, if I'm spending a lot of money I expect to be treated like a VIP. I don't know if that sounds self-aggrandizing, but again cam isn't cheap. If I'm paying a premium for something then it's only natural that I expect above average service.
I think the same goes for any business where there's a significant amount of money involved or there's simply an opportunity to build a stronger relationship. Golf outing with clients, lunch with clients, etc all common. All to build stronger relationships and show some appreciation. I don't think cam should be any different, in philosophy, obviously no one is going to lunch together because of cam, that's just an example.
Comparative to other cam services you'll see women give out their number for texting for select VIPs. That type of treatment is really better for everyone involved as it opens the door for more money, and these girls on HBC are making enough to at least do something that goes out of their way.
When I say long-term relationship, I'm talking about building a provider-customer relationship. If that means that a true friendship or even a love affair results, great, but our primary interest is in the providers learning how to retain their customers. Each provider has a unique skill set (for lack of a better term), just as each client has unique tastes. Yes, the focus should be on giving the customer a great show for however long they are in the room, and if that happens, then the customer is more likely to return. Over time, the client's interests may evolve, just as the provider's offerings may change. And over time, they may want that they want or need different things from one another.
You're absolutely right that HBC is a premium service and, as such, you have a reasonable right to expect to be treated that way. We take ownership of the fact that the system should be robust enough to do more for our VIPs. No excuses - we need to continue working towards this end.
We only have the two megashoots annually in Vegas, but over the years, many fans/customers have been able to drop by, hang out, and have a drink or bite to eat with the crew. Work has priority and we can't let people just move in, but this is something that's always been welcomed as a small thank-you to the guys who make it all possible.
Each webcam performer is operating her own small business, so even though we (HBC) handle payment collection, it's still accurate to say that the performer is the merchant and it's up to her to convince prospective customers to spend with her. Models who consistently fail to deliver value to their customers will soon find fewer people willing to spend money on them.
I think fan forums which discuss performers serve a vital role in this regard. If you feel you've been scammed in any way (a performer tricks you into a 5-minute 'show' without a single flex, for example), please notify us right away and we'll make an effort to resolve the concern as quickly as possible.
The problem with letting them operate independently is that they're still a reflection of the entire service and can impact, positively or negatively, what everyone else earns. Why allow your customers to experience sour after sour encounters. At some point it's going to affect their spending habits. Or I suppose being the only show in town allows you to get away with that. For me, I'm very weary of going pvt with anyone new as I know there's a good possibility that I'm going to waste my money. Now, if it wasn't for all of the bad experiences, that wouldn't be the case and I'd be open to giving more models a chance. In general cam has slowed down for me anyway, the concept is weird and it gets even more weird when you know the girl on the other end only wants to talk, so you talk and then feel even more weird if you ask her to take her shirt off. It's just weird. Then on the other end it becomes frustrating when the other half are nothing but scam artists. But, this is what happens when you allow them to act however they please.
Again, you are 100% correct in that bolded section. If each performer truly acts in her own best interests, then the tide will lift all boats. But when one chooses the selfish route - regardless of the reason why - and leaves a client with a bad taste in his mouth, then all performers and the system are adversely affected by those actions. You flat-out nailed it there and this is something we do talk to new performers about and we even have this conversation with women who've been with us for years, but need the occasional reminder.
Most of the customer complaints we get are along the lines of "Model X kicked me out of her room and I didn't do anything wrong!", but the frequency of reports where a customer feels legitimately cheated by a performer is quite low, thankfully....that is, unless it's happening a lot more than we know about, causing customers to quit silently and not return. This is why we want people to inform us when they've had these negative experiences. I know we're not a regular retailer or Main St. service provider, but just like those businesses, we would much rather a dissatisfied customer tell us what went wrong and give us the opportunity to make them whole rather than to just walk away and become a former customer. I know Mike and I can seem a bit aloof at times, but believe me when I say that neither of us is too proud to ask what we can do (within reason, of course) to win - or win back - your business.