I was chuffed to be asked by Richard Sedley of cScape to contribute to the 4th Annual Online Customer Engagement Survey (2010). In a brief speech introducing the report, Richard recommended companies follow three things, which are also mentioned in the introduction:
1) quality
2) simplicity
3) customer service
‘These are three key areas that can foster an understanding of value and emotional connection within the customer’ (p4).
The report covers a whole range of topics including mobile, social media, customer service, multichannel, customer engagement and measurement.
I was thinking the other day what if you put Twitter or a Twitter-like application on top of something like Google. Not only would you get access to historical search results, but you would also be tapping into a ‘live’ knowledge base. A knowledge base that is truly up-to-date, a shared knowledge base, created simply out of the tacit knowledge that we all possess. We enter in our skills, expertise, experience and any and all questions pertaining to our criteria is sent to us, waiting for a response. Or we simply conduct searches for questions to answer. The system becomes the knowledge base itself. A single repository of knowledge that is constantly updated, constantly maintained, organic, growing, alive. The system through its users would check itself. The system would essentially unite all of us in a collective knowledge bank. Just a thought.
I was thinking a moment ago that customer service was a bit like fireworks. They’re both situations driven by expectation.
You know from past experience what you are going to get, but you still go into it reserving a little bit of hope that you are going to see or experience something different, something that will surprise you, make you go ‘Wow, I didn’t expect that’. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. It might simply be a ‘How dreadful for you, let’s see what we can do to sort it out’ or something more than just Catherine wheels and sparklers.
What strikes me is that more often than not it doesn’t actually take very much for me to go ‘Wow, I didn’t expect that’. And yet more often than not, I walk away going ‘Ho hum, that’s what I expected’.
Perhaps companies try too hard to deliver the grand gestures, rather than focussing on the small, almost incidental moments. But theses small gestures (see David Armano ‘Micro Interactions‘, slide 28) are usually the ones that we remember the most. What small gesture can you make today, that might make a difference to someone?
AudioBoo: Customer service is like fireworks
A new Twitter aggregator service was unceremoniously brought to my attention recently when a customer tweeted about the poor service they received:
@KarolisP http://bit.ly/308cwg #Carphone-Warehouse #sucks !!
Wow, tell it like it is, why don’t you!
I promptly had a look at the site and there it was for all to see, 21 people all using the hashtag – #Carphone-Warehouse #sucks. Not even people, they’re known as ’supporters’, even worse I thought to myself.
At the top of the page is written: New here? This page is for people who don’t like Carphone Warehouse and want to spread the word. There’s a button on the right hand side proudly announcing the fact that ‘21 people hate Carphone Warehouse’ and you can click through and ’see why’. You can even embed a badge on your site, retweet it, share it on Facebook, ask your friends to support it. It’s a great site with all the functionality you might need to share it. Unless of course you’re on the wrong side of the fence. What to do?
And then I thought to myself. For all the negative comments, it’s actually helping us out in a way. It’s conveniently aggregating all the negative comments about us in one place. Saves us having to look around. We can see who is complaining, get in touch with them, try to sort out whatever problem has arisen and possibly turn them from a detractor into an advocate.
So I tweeted @KarolisP in my usual way: “Hi I wrk for Carphone Warehouse. Looks like we got it wrong 4u – apologies. How can we help? Pls email cpwcares@cpwplc.com”
And @KarolisP responded as follows: “Thanks for taking time to respond. I hope it is sorted now. cheers.”
Companies make mistakes, companies get it wrong. But you have the option before you hit the submit button to respond as a company or as a person. Depending on which hat you choose to put on, can result in very different outcomes. Sometimes you do have to respond as a ‘company’, and sometimes it makes perfect sense to be ‘you’.

