Google, the advocate.

Google is an octopus.
Actually: a multipus. (There, I just made up a word, but it serves the purpose.)
This is no news, except that Google's reach does not cease to amaze me, expecially when it is focused in improving customer's experience and filling in the gaps that other firms leave in their haste to protect their interests. Or the interests of shareholders, which happen to be very important but cannot substitute the role of the customers in driving the success of a company.
When I read The Customer as a God in The Wall Street Journal as part of a class assignment, many questions passed through my head on the feasibility of such a world, but the gist of the article was clear: customer empowerment is only moving forward and the future belongs to companies who learn to adapt to this trend.
Or lead it. And I am thinking: Google.
I have lost count of how many new, innovative and completely free services or products Google offers. And there is an equally large number of established companies for whom Google's prowess is a real threat.
But the latest surprise came after I submitted an order in Overstock.com (discount retailers are an MBA student's best friend!) and up popped a window from Google offering me Free Purchase Protection because Overstock.com is a Google Trusted Store. Protection consisted of up to $1,000 and "Google's help if you need it".
I actually gaped at it!
In a split second, the power of mighty Google stood on my side, and I felt important and yes, protected. For free. Any online company would be very unwise to let giant Google down, and Overstock.com, Google and I all know it.
What this means for other companies and the virtual marketplace has multiple layers of complexity, but it boils down to treating the customer as a god and minimizing the fine print that makes customers feel exposed and powerless.
On how many toes did that little window stepped on? Hard to count. From Amazon.com's to Internet Explorer's, the list is long.
But as a customer, it is hard to keep a cool head and not just love 'multipus' Google.
People's advocate. Trendsetter. Mighty brand.