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)

No.

Can you please every customer?

No.

YesCan you managemanage 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• greg.rollett@endagon.com – no SPAM plz• www.endagoninnovations.com – we <3 u

• I talk about Gen-Y, Social Media and Entertainment things.

• Thanks