My son has food allergies. No dairy, no peanuts, no egg. On more than one vacation, he has been accidently exposed to an allergen through cross-contamination or kitchen staff not realizing casein is a dairy ingredient. However, we have never had a problem when visiting Walt Disney World.
We just visited again in June and despite an economic climate where “staycations” are becoming the norm and cost cutting would be understandable, the customer service again exceeded our expectations. At Disney, my son gets a personal visit and gourmet creation from the head chef in every restaurant — even the cafeteria-style burger and hot dog shops.
At one restaurant, the chef even brought out a package of allergen-free chocolate chip cookies so we could order them direct from the manufacturer after we returned home. That wasn’t part of some script, but an employee feeling empowered to be creative in making the customer happy. That’s value that earns my loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion — not to mention blog coverage.
Disney isn’t the only business that has turned creative customer service into marketing magic. I recently read an interesting article in Advertising Age about Zappos, the 10-year-old online shoe retailer that was recently acquired by Amazon for $880 million in cash and stock. It asks, “Is Customer Service a Media Channel?”
What’s particularly interesting about Zappos is that they treat customer service as a marketing expense, providing service reps the creative freedom to keep customers happy. This has led to a lot of positive chatter about Zappos on social networks and blogs, hence the “media channel” question raised in the Ad Age article.
The importance of customer service is the great unifier of all companies. And, I think B2B organizations can learn something from Disney’s and Zappos‘ customer-service-as-marketing approach. Particularly as the recession shows signs of easing and companies look to accelerate growth in the recovery.
The next time marketing plans are being crafted, why not have the creative team devise ways to keep existing customers happy? Zappos’ customer reps often surprise repeat customers by upgrading them to free overnight shipping. What simple, creative gestures will delight your customers?
If you have an answer to that question, please share it here to help get everyone’s creative juices flowing.
July 31st, 2009
July 24th, 2009
After seeing just how slow traffic seemed during my visit to NPE 2009 last month, I am curious about the return B2B companies are getting from their investments in trade shows during these difficult economic times.
While some events — such as the recent WINDPOWER Expo in
I don’t mean to be a skeptic, but I am not sure whether I totally buy into that. Could it be that this “spin” is coming from folks who are trying to justify their investment in a big exhibit or attract booth space and sponsorships for their next show?
Anyone want to weigh in regarding their actual experience?
I am not saying that companies should exclude trade shows from their marketing and PR mix. I do think, however, that the new economic landscape may require a fresh approach to maximizing results more cost effectively.
July 21st, 2009
It has been widely reported in the past few days that you can now purchase a refurbished iPhone for only $79. This brings up two important issues for me: how will the increasing ubiquity of smartphones change the game for Advanced Manufacturing & Energy communicators; and why in the world don’t I have an iPhone yet?
For some insight into the first question, check out this Bulldog Reporter article which includes some pretty interesting statistics including: one out of every seven minutes of media consumption today takes place via mobile devices; 64% of key decision makers in marketing departments are using mobile devices to view e-mails; 82% said they use mobile devices at work; 65% use them while commuting to their jobs.
Or, you can just ask yourself — how many business executives do you know who are not already addicted to their BlackBerry or iPhone? If you are like me, the answer is “very few” and with these lower prices the answer will probably soon be “none.”
The implications for B2B communicators are huge. As the Bulldog Reporter article states, much of your audience won’t find your content if it’s not ready for mobile. This channel must be considered as part of any ongoing internal or external communications campaign. Do you agree? I would love to get your thoughts.
Stay tuned for the answer to question two — I hope to be blogging and Tweeting from an iPhone very soon (follow me: @manufacturingpr)! Based on some informal research (which means I’ve played around with my wife’s iPhone), I think the device will make mobile communications and social networking even easier than I have it today with a standard mobile phone and Blackberry. Once I’ve spent a little time with it, maybe we’ll even use a future G&S Spark post to discuss how it can make us better B2B communicators.
July 13th, 2009
I’ve been reading a lot about economic “green shoots” these days — evidence that the recession is easing and the economy is showing signs of recovery. It got me thinking about how important it is for communicators to seek out their company’s examples of promise and future success. And, in many cases, I believe there are overlooked green shoots that are … well, “green.”
Obviously, many Advanced Manufacturing & Energy companies have distinct sustainability efforts, and some directly offer renewable products or services. However, with a little searching, communicators will likely find there is even more to their company’s sustainability story. Why? Because as green tech becomes mainstream facility managers are finding ways to reduce operation costs that also happen to reduce a company’s environmental footprint. Yet, they fail to alert communications because they see their decisions simply through a cost-saving rather than a communications prism. Likewise, R&D and marketing may make product changes to reduce shipping costs or lower the customer’s cost of ownership, but don’t communicate the potential broader conservation story that may align with their company’s sustainability platform.
That means communicators need to do a little sleuthing about changes occurring within their company. Are LED lights being used or is Energy Star equipment being purchased and lights being turned off? Are products being made smaller or lighter, thus reducing energy needed for shipping? Has building maintenance switched to green chemicals for cleaning? Sure, some organizations are doing a good job of having their sustainability goals guide these types of decisions, but for others these decisions are happening because they simply make economic sense.
So, why not do some digging around? You may just find a green shoot that helps strengthen your company’s reputation and communicates its prospects for future growth.