Scaling Customer Expectations | BarCamp Miami

Scaling Customer Expectations Greg Rollett Heart Surgeon + Gen-Y marketer Endagon Innovations

There are interactions marketers have with prospects where the prospect wants something and the marketer or organization just isn't interested in delivering it. These interactions almost always end badly. -Seth Godin (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/sorry-you-cant-be-our-customer.html)

Can you please every customer? No. No.

Yes Can you manage their expectations? Yes.

How? Listening +Employee Education

Baby Steps

Dealing with small businesses
Chain of command is small, so they can act fast
Are also busy so they need to outsource
Are also busy so they feel they don’t have time to properly educate themselves on something new
Need to stay on their ass
Hold their hand – like kids on training wheels
Opportunity to lead, test and innovate

Orlando Ichiban
Small sushi restaurant
Thinks shiny things are cool
Too busy to use them
Pay us to teach, mentor, test and consult
Need tangible results – people in seats
Experimentation (receipts, Tweetups, SEO, fun blogging, engagement, rabid fans)

Dealing with Rabid Fans @orlandoichiban owners “Crap”

We decided on DM’s only to ensure delivery
We took into account Twitter client’s sometime slow updates
We needed 24 hours
We had to ensure that the message reached everyone involved –> Person ordering -> take out employee -> cook -> confirmation back to orderee
After going back and forth on how we could make this happen…

Results
5 total orders (in just over 2 weeks)
2 table reservations made
1 non sanctioned Tweetup (unofficial Twestival)
A few people saying that Ichiban needed to be more efficient on Twitter (instead of DM use @replies, get a screen to display live tweets, buy an iPhone or iTouch to be more efficient, blah, blah, blah)

Managing Customer Expectations
Opportunity cost
Twitter has increased unique customer count
Events have brought in brand new patrons
Conversations online have spiked dramatically
Reach in media outlets (Orlando Sentinel, numerous blogs, Orlando MetroMix, etc)
What is the next step and middle school math?

Middle School Math
Let’s say 2 orders a week at $15 per order = $30/wk or $120 per month in Twitter orders
Cost of 30in flat screen = $400 (Best Buy quick search)
Cost of an iPod touch = $179 (Best Buy)
Apple Mini to run auto refresh Twitter software ($599 @ Best Buy)
Total cost to Twitterize Ichiban = $1178

Oh , and a new system, flow of business, responsibility, accountability and commitment to the Twitter community – when 97%+ of their loyal, everyday and paying customers do not interact with Ichiban and the service.

Combating Expectations

We are spoiled
We can tweet about a layover and sometimes get free flights from it
We can blog about campaigns and companies will pull the plug (Motrin & Dunkin Donuts)
We can call out scammy features and programmers will (kinda) fix it (Twine)

See the Overall Picture
It is ok to exclude some customers
Be honest with them
Educate your staff with how to encounter these situations
Learn to listen to your customers and work with them to resolve situations
It’s ok to say no, its about how you say it

Takeaways and Discussion
We must advise people to listen (duh)
We have to educate employees on what is going on and teach them ways of handling those odd ball situations
We have to educate upper management that there are people who are talking smack and others that have great ideas
We have to educate and innovate the way we do customer service or we will be out of business

Thoughts?
me – I’m Greg from Endagon Innovations
http://gregrollett.blogspot.com – click on my ads
[email_address] – no SPAM plz
www.endagoninnovations.com – we <3 u
I talk about Gen-Y, Social Media and Entertainment things.
Thanks

Scaling Customer Expectations | BarCamp Miami

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