Open up your mind and say, ahh...

Part 12 in a series introducing my new book, The End of Business as Usual…this series serves as the book’s prequel.

Over the years, customer service has been something of a paradox within the organization. The name itself inspires dedication to helping people. And while that is the intention of customer service professionals worldwide, customer service as a line item in business accounting has often placed it in the hands of outsourced organizations, under-qualified personnel, or in the hands of customers directly through self-service or automated technology. The mission of course is to improve profitability. It is what it is.

Perhaps it is the moniker of customer service that stifles innovation in philosophy, process and engagement. Perhaps it’s the conditioned nature of the overall role of customer service to be reactive, a gate keeper to negative experiences, or relegated to the outskirts of a business revolution. I suppose that’s the point however. We’re facing a revolution in consumer behavior which in turn triggers a revolution in business. From philosophy to mission and vision to processes and systems to goals and objectives, customer service is an opportunity to instill loyalty and also positively influence the decisions of others.

Here we are facing the end of business as usual and before us are two incredible opportunities for improving customer experiences and ultimately relationships, the democratization of media and connections and the executive decree to move businesses closer to customers. But before we jump in, we must rethink our approach and supporting infrastructure to not only meet the needs of customers, but also transform the organization to shape and steer them in advance of any impetus that would necessitate a response.

In 2011 American Express published its annual Global Customer Service Barometer to measure the current state of customer sentiment toward businesses.

At first glance, the study quickly noted that consumers believe that businesses are meeting expectations but not exceeding them. In a time when business as usual eventually inhibits growth, meeting expectations becomes a commodity. Creating exceptional experiences from here on out is priceless and will eventually become the minimum ante in business. Click on the images for an expanded view.

While certain companies are cutting costs on customer service or not exploring new opportunities for innovation, customers are demonstrating that now’s the time for transformation. People are willing to spend more for products from companies that have a history of good customer service or that deliver outstanding experiences.

People are frustrated with automated systems. They’re also not fond of the new trend in voice response systems that are now becoming industry standard. Would you be surprised if I told you that they just want to talk to another human being? As the numbers spotlight below, whether it’s on the phone, in real life, through instant messaging or social networks, one-on-one interaction will have a one-to-one-to-many result.

As social media becomes more pervasive in the lives of the everyday consumer, not just connected consumers, a new infrastructure will be required to support proactive engagement. For those sitting on the sidelines or casually experimenting with engagement, traditional methodologies and processes in social media will quickly be tested and almost instantly stretched.

Brands are No Longer Created, They’re Co-Created

The image above is a word cloud generated by the Tweets of customers who shared their experiences regarding @United (United Airlines). I removed the colorful language as this isn’t a discussion about United, but instead how customer experiences are shared and how they influence impressions and decisions. Additionally, this is an example of the necessary examination of how businesses are shaping and reacting to customer experiences in the midst of a digital revolution.

My point in sharing this with you today is that the two biggest words that standout clearly and represent the importance of our focus over the next several years are…CUSTOMER SERVICE. If you look closely enough, you’ll see two other words surrounding “customer service”, which I believe symbolize the importance of of a renewed or new customer focus, which center on…response and change.

Revisiting the American Express study for a moment, it’s clear that experiences impact brand perception and ultimately loyalty. Reacting to experiences is no longer good enough.

Not only does a negative experience reduce the overall satisfaction or perception of a brand, consumers are also willing to switch brands to get better customer service. The importance of customer acquisition is called into question when the value of  customer retention is not treasured or improved.

Connected customers will first take to social networks to ask for input as they consider decisions. Rather than rely on Google’s machine algorithm, the feedback that individuals receive in their networks of preference is qualified, trusted and human–basically these exchanges create a searchable and effective human algorithm. Needless to say, it is the experiences of those to whom I trust that define my impressions and following actions. While a website or marketing material may say otherwise, the collective experiences that populate social networks and ultimately my stream, weigh significantly heavier during phases of consideration than company-generated adjectives or imagery.

Engagement and Empathy Creates Positive Experiences

Customer service is often viewed through a lens of “us vs. them.” Businesses have built an incredibly expensive infrastructure to support customers when they need help while keeping them at arm’s length. However, connected customers have given up on these aging systems and are pushing for a more personalized form of engagement. Expressing discontent on social networks necessitates a response from the affected brand and without a response, those experiences further dilute the customer relationship and also taint impressions of those to whom hopeful customers are connected. Also, expressions open the door to competition.

In a study published by Maritz Research and evolve24 in September 2011, just under 1,300 consumers were asked about their experiences with Twitter and customer service. As the respondents’ ages increased, so did their expectations that companies would read and respond to their experiences.

Imagine for a moment, that as a connected consumer, you try using Twitter to get a response that could solve a problem or retain you as a customer only to feel disappointment in the absence of a response. That’s exactly what happened to the respondents of the survey. Just over 70% said that they did not hear from the company as a result of their Tweet. This sets up a bigger problem if the company is in fact on Twitter. It tells the consumer that their experience is unimportant and that the business is only present in social networks to market or sell products and not provide help. Saying nothing to a customer with a problem says everything about how you value them.

Providing resolution is only one part of the value proposition. Engagement as I’ve defined, is the interaction between a brand and a consumer. But it is in how it’s measured that counts.

No, engagement isn’t measured by Likes, comments, impressions, Tweets or Retweets. Engagement is measured by the takeaway value, sentiment and resulting actions following the exchange. People said that they felt better once they were contacted by a company representative on Twitter. That says everything…

In the end, transformation isn’t easy, but if it were, then providing exceptional customer experiences would become a commodity. This is a time when customers can work for you not just against you. And as customers are demonstrating every day in social and mobile networks, without a thoughtful approach or engagement, every Tweet, update, post, video and interaction is working against you right now. Customer relationships are to be shaped, not simply reacted to or  managed. This is why your role within the organization matters now more than ever.

Become the change you wish to see…

(and it didn’t work)

…then what do you do?

Slamming your six iron into the ground, yelling at yourself, cursing out your staff, second-guessing, berating bystanders—there are plenty of ways we demonstrate our frustration that our best didn’t work this time.

But is it helpful?

Learning from a failure is critical. Connecting effort with failure at an emotional level is crippling. After all, we’ve already agreed you did your best.

Early in our careers, we’re encouraged to avoid failure, and one way we do that is by building up a set of emotions around failure, emotions we try to avoid, and emotions that we associate with the effort of people who fail. It turns out that this is precisely the opposite of the approach of people who end up succeeding.

If you believe that righteous effort leads to the shame of personal failure, you’ll seek to avoid righteous effort.

Successful people analytically figure out what didn’t work and redefine what their best work will be in the future. And then they get back to work.

Let the guys at ESPN do the racket throwing.

After our initial Kindle Fire review, we wanted to take a closer look at how Amazon’s new tablet compares with the iPad 2 as a media consumption device.

Like Apple, Amazon has paired the Kindle Fire with a complete end-to-end media solution. Users can buy apps, books, music and video files all from one account and one interface.

As someone that has invested heavily in both the Apple and Amazon ecosystems, I wanted to compare the experiences in terms of media consumption. This means the ease of use in listening to music, watching movies and TV shows and purchasing apps.

Screen Size Realities

Like its eInk predecessors, the Kindle Fire is a 7″ device. The iPad (and the iPad 2) has a 9.7″ screen. Both run at about the same resolution — 1024×600 for the Kindle Fire and 1024×768 for the iPad — but the difference in aspect ratio and screen size offers up some differences.

The Kindle Fire is an ideal size for reading text (though not necessarily magazines), but it pales when compared to the iPad for viewing video. Playing back a video on the iPad in portrait orientation yields the same video size as the Kindle Fire in landscape.

Moreover, the Kindle Fire’s resolution is still in the realm of standard definition. From my tests, high definition content on the Kindle Fire didn’t look any better than the same content on the iPad.

The Kindle Fire’s screen size and aspect ratio work well for 16×9 formatted content, but for many television shows, the 4:3 aspect ratio of the iPad is actually preferable.

Ultimately, screen size is an important consideration, especially if video consumption is going to be a common activity.

Since screen resolution is nearly identical, I give the edge to the iPad 2.

Streaming vs. Downloading

 

The Modern Media Agency Series is supported by IDG. The only thing to grow faster than electronic communication is the amount of digital content. It’s difficult for buyers to find what they want. It’s not much easier for sales reps as IDG Connect’s Bob Johnson found in his research into content used by sellers and buyers…

In an overcrowded and over-hyped marketplace, how do you generate genuine buzz around a smartphone launch? Media communications agency Starcom took an interesting and innovative approach with the recent global launch of the Samsung Galaxy SII by creating an exclusive level of the super-popular mobile game Angry Birds.

“Phone launches have become ever more competitive with an incredible amount of pressure to prove successful within the first few weeks. If Samsung wanted to make an impact with the launch of Galaxy SII, they needed something that was globally relevant, highly engaging and easily scalable across dozens of local markets,” explains Kristen Kelly, VP global business director of Starcom.

“Mobile games and Angry Birds were that opportunity. We knew that our target audience used social games far more often than they watched prime-time television shows, and as the number one mobile game in the world, a partnership with Angry Birds would offer us meaningful access to their over 50 million unique active fans. In addition to the custom Galaxy level, we created an online area for users with never before seen images, online video and a contest where users could enter to score highly coveted Angry Birds’ merchandise, as well as bragging rights to those fans who secured the exclusive ‘Golden Egg.’”

The Partnership

 

In the annals of Facebook, this will hardly be remembered as the social network’s finest hour.

On Monday, world-famous author Salman Rushdie, who won the “Booker of Booker” prize for his novel Midnight’s Children, revealed that Facebook had deleted his account at the weekend — and then, when he sent the company a copy of his passport to prove who he said he was, denied him the right to use “Salman” as his first name. (The author’s full given name, which he never uses, is Ahmed Salman Rushdie.)

Facebook compounded the error by failing to respond to Rushdie’s requests — until the author took to Twitter to share his tale of frustration. He encouraged his followers to make light of the situation, thereby attracting the social network’s attention.

It worked. Facebook reinstated Rushdie’s profile in a matter of two hours, and in another hour the company had issued an official apology. Still, the incident throws light on an important and odd Facebook regulation: you can tell the service you are called whatever you like, but if it ever sees your ID, you’ll be forced to go with your given name.

Here, in Joseph Campbell-style storybook form, is how Rushdie’s tweets unfolded.

Reports indicate Spotify will be expanding its international footprint to Belgium, Austria and Switzerland.

According to PaidContent, the subscription streaming service could hit new markets as early as next week. PaidContent has previously reported on Spotify’s plans to expand to markets including Germany, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Asia.

Spotify’s stateside competitors, including Rhapsody and Rdio, are also looking to expand internationally. The music service with the largest international footprint is actually Sony’s Music Unlimited service. As part of the Sony Entertainment Network (which includes the PlayStation Network), Music Unlimited is available across Europe, Latin America, Asia and North America.

As subscription streaming services’ features, song catalogs and pricing options begin to overlap, future growth becomes increasingly tied to expansion into new markets.

NEW YORK — BMW, eager to show off its electric babies, unveiled its i3 and i8 concept cars here ahead of their North American premier at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and all we can say is, Wow. These things are cool.

Yes, yes, we know. They’re concept cars. But BMW stressed that these beautiful, efficient and fast (in the case of the i8) cars with cords are just a few years from production. While the technology underpinning these cars is pretty slick — electric drivetrains, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic bodywork and an innovative platform — it’s the design that is truly mesmerizing.

BMW is making a push into more sustainable motoring with its new BMW “i” brand, and it therefore wanted something unique, something that stood out from everything else on the road.

“This was a dream project in 2008,” vehicle exterior designer Richard Kim told us. “We had the opportunity to reinvent and redefine the car.”

BMW was so serious about setting these cars apart from the pack that it housed Kim and the rest of the team working on the “i” cars in a separate studio. The designers were told to let their imaginations roam, and the concepts were born of a sketch competition.

Although the i3 electric city car and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car represent a new direction for BMW, their styling clearly draws some cues from the automaker’s palette.

The electric i3 (shown above), also known as the “megacity vehicle,” is BMW’s riff on the city car. Though at first glance it may resemble other commuter vehicles, a few key features set it apart.

The wheels are way out at the corners, allowing maximum interior space and great stability. They’re also tall and narrow, to minimize drag and maximize aerodynamic efficiency — imperative to maximizing range.

The i3 resembles the X3. It features coach doors — lawyers and marketing types don’t like calling them suicide doors — where the rear doors open opposite of those up front. That makes getting in and out a snap. Extensive use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic ensured the body was rigid enough to allow ditching the B-pillar that usually divides the front and rear doors.

Although futuristic, the i3 is still very much a BMW, so it shares design cues with other models. The first is, of course, the kidney grilles, and the rondel on the hood.

“It’s still a BMW, it’s still exciting,” Kim says.

Two main lines define the shape of the car. The first starts below the wheel, goes under the door and shoots out the back. The second is the wedge line from the hood that curves up and over the windows and off the back end, a design Kim envisioned giving the feeling of moving forward. This signature BMW “streamflow” is the i Series’ answer to the normal BMW line.

Out back, the bumper and the diffuser are combined into a single piece. This design also appears on the i8, but in a much more stylish manner. The dash is extremely lightweight and juts out, as if floating, and the interior appears roomy because the i3 lacks the transmission tunnel that bisects most cars.

Whereas the i3 is a riff on a city car and therefore a bit, well, pedestrian, the i8 (shown above) is all about emotion. It evokes the 6-Series, and Kim called it the perfect balance of efficiency and emotion.

That said, it shares similarities with the i3. Both were driven by aerodynamics, because half of the energy you need to go 55 mph is needed to simply push the air out of your way. But the i8 looks sleeker. Attribute that to the “air curtains” that direct air around the side of the car to the rear, which is highlighted by U-shaped taillights. The design gives the i8 a slick shape.

The i8 has a sports car persona, low and wide with doors that open upward. It uses the same headlights as the i3, but has twice as many of them. The lights use laser technology, which BMW says have 1,000 times the intensity of LEDs and use half as much energy.

The cars were able to be designed with so much freedom due to a structural and technical changes, said Rich Steinberg, manager of EV operations and strategy. Previous electric BMWs — the Active-E, based on the 1-Series coupe, and the Mini E, based on the Mini — simpy stuffed a motor, a battery and the associated electronics into an existing package. Effective, but crude.

But the “i” cars were designed from the ground up as electric vehicles. That allowed the engineers to put the batteries low across the floor of the car, while stacking the motor and electronics in optimal locations.

As to the specs, BMW says the motor in the i3 is good for 170 horsepower (peak) and 184 foot-pounds. Acceleration is acceptable for a city car, with 62 mph coming in less an 8 seconds. Top speed is limited to 93 mph, a move common among electric vehicles. All the hardware is mounted over the rear axle to maximize interior space.

BMW is keeping mum on the battery specs but promises a range of 80 to 100 miles and says it can be recharged in about six hours, presumably at 220 volts. We’d guess the pack to be around 20 to 24 kilowatt-hours, similar to that of the Nissan Leaf. It’s also saying we might see a range-extended electric version much like the Chevrolet Volt. Such a vehicle would use a small gasoline engine to drive a generator to keep the car going when the battery wound down.

The i8 is a plug-in hybrid, and BMW says it was designed for performance without sacrificing frugality.

The same motor used in the i3 drives the front wheels of the i8, while a turbocharged three-cylinder engine good for 220 horsepower drives the rear wheels. Together they’ll propel the car to a claimed top speed of 155 mph. Look for the i8 to hit 62 mph in less than five seconds while consuming less than 3 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. That’s 78 mpg here in the states. The i8 also can be driven under electric power alone for up to 20 miles.

Although the two cars making the rounds of auto shows are concepts, the production cars will look much like the cars you see here. There won’t be nearly so much glass for safety reasons, Kim said, but the cars will still feature quite a bit of it.

BMW says we can expect to see the i3 by the end of 2013 and the i8 the following year. No word on price, but BMW has said we could see the i3 priced below the 5-Series, which starts at around $47,000. Pricey, yes, especially compared to a car like the Nissan Leaf.

Photos: BMW. Video: Wired.com