Archives for August 2011

Great Customer Service or Great PR?

So, Morton’s Steakhouse is making waves online at the minute, due to them delivering a steak to HARO founder and social media guy Peter Shankman.

If you’ve not heard it, the story in a nutshell is this – Peter faces a long flight home and is hungry, so tweets to Morton’s that he’d love a steak delivered and waiting for him at Newark Airport. Lo and behold, when he arrives and goes to his car, the steak and a tuxedo-wearing waiter are there waiting for him.

Cue Peter’s post “The Greatest Customer Service Story Ever Told”, and his belief in the awesome way Morton’s looks after their customers.

This would all be great, if it was a simple customer service story. But I’m not sold on that – it feels a great PR opportunity for Morton’s (and nothing wrong with that), but a customer service example? Sorry, not for me.

Average Joe vs. Peter Shankman

In his post, Peter says he believes it’s because he’s a good customer, and that he wasn’t treated any differently because he has over 100,000 Twitter followers. And looking at Morton’s social media stream, it’s clear they do a great job of engaging people, both on Twitter and Facebook. And that’s great to see.

But would they deliver a steak to anyone that tweeted them to, to show great customer service? I’m not so sure. Especially if it’s not paid for (which Peter doesn’t mention in his post, so not sure if it was free or not).

Had Joe Invisible with 10 followers tweeted the same, would he have received the same service? Acknowledgement? Options to have delivery to an airport? Perhaps, though the cynic in me is doubtful (always happy to be proven wrong!).

Great Service Is Consistent

One of the overall takeaways from Peter’s post is that Morton’s is always known for being on the ball. Which is quite a thing to live up to, for any company. While Morton’s no doubt offers a great experience, they’re also guilty of poor ones.?For every positive review, there are a fair few negative experiences.

Of course, this is to be expected for any business, and restaurants in particular will usually have an above average list of complaints compared to many other industries – we people like our food, after all.

But the litmus test for any business is how they respond to their critics as much as how they respond to their fans. Does Morton’s respond – publicly or privately – to each online complaint? Does their customer service team pro-actively engage their critics on forums and review sites as much as they do on Twitter and Facebook, which are far more public platforms to the majority of social media users?

Perhaps, and if so, great, because that would be the sign of “the greatest customer service”, as opposed to a steak to an influencer.

There’s Nothing Wrong With PR for Customers

As mentioned, Peter counters claims in his post that it had anything to do with his Twitter followers, and more to do with Morton’s offering awesome customer service.

But so what if it is down to his follower numbers? Or the fact that his HARO newsletter offers more than 130,000 people to get a story in front of? Or that his site, where Peter posts about his experience, is in the Top 50,000 online according to Alexa?

It’s smart business to see an opportunity like a tweet from Peter, and know that you’re probably going to get a shitload of traffic and positive press for the price of a steak meal.

But, again, that’s great PR, not great customer service.

So, by all means, let’s congratulate Morton’s for a job well done – more companies should take a look at how a relatively small act can result in a fairly big reaction. But let’s also keep in mind who the recipient of the action was, and the reach and eyeballs that recipient has, before we say it’s the norm and not a well-seized opportunity.

Unless, of course, Morton’s wants to spend over $4.5 million and send their lowest-priced steak to all of Peter’s 100,000+ followers, to show everyone gets treated the same…

image: suttonhoo

Why You Don’t Need to Impress Me

No, this isn?t an ego post. It?s not driven by,??Oh, I really need to impress that Scottish/Canadian/Brit (what the heck is he??) Danny Brown guy.?

Screw that ? ego is for chumps (hat tip?Shannon Boudjema?for the phrase).

But you seriously don?t need to impress me.

I?m not your life mate. I?m not your boss. I?m not your editor. I?m not your parents. I?m not your font of all wisdom.

But then, you don?t need to impress these people either (more on why you don?t need to impress your boss in an upcoming post).

Nope, the only person you need to impress is yourself.

If you blog and you hit publish and know that you?re happy with the post, that?s all that matters.

If you?re in business for yourself and you know you?re doing the best you can for your clients, that?s all that matters.

If you?re employed and know you?re doing all you can in your role, that?s all that matters.

If you look in the mirror at the end of the day and know you did every thing you could that makes a difference in whatever you do,?that?s all that matters.

Impress yourself. The others will follow.

The Social Media Pedestal

This is a guest post by Bill Dorman.

Okay, I was going to jokingly say Michelangelo must have had me in mind when he sculpted this; but then that might imply I’m old and my FedEx?package could have been sent via regular mail instead of shipped. Now we wouldn’t want that as a persona, would we?

Throughout your life, somebody somewhere is always looking up to you; and sometimes it can create lofty expectations. Do you want to be there? Is it deserved? What responsibilities come with that?

This post is a reflection of the?admirations?and?criticisms?that occur in the social media world.

What are you trying to achieve?

You got into the blogosphere for a reason. Everybody has their own reason but I’m guessing it wasn’t to be a?lump?and just sit around without exploring or growing, right?

It appears most are hoping to monetize in some way whether directly through their site, or one-off in selling their knowledge or services.

Guess what, to do this you have to expand and grow your network, build your community as they ?say. The more you are involved in growing your network, the more?visible?you become.

I think they like me

Most of the time it is a virtual love-fest in the comment section of blogs. Everybody is gushing how great the article is, how great the author is, how their breath can’t possibly stink, etc. Typically, everyone only sees the ‘good’ you. Can you see how easy it would be for an outsider to assume your community has placed you on this pedestal? Maybe you even start to believe the hype; did you just breathe into your hand to check your breath?

My wife reads my blog from time to time and jokes about how much everyone seems to adore me and all the back and forth thanking that goes on. She said, “Yeah, let them live with you for 30 days and see how great they think you are.” ?I’m sure she says it in jest, ?but I do see her point.

Don’t get me wrong however, I like the compliments. For some this is the only payment received, so of course they like it; it’s validation. However, it’s only healthy to keep it in perspective and stay as grounded as you can.

Lofty height indeed

As you progress up the ladder, based on whatever measurement of success you are using, you put yourself out there for all the world to see. Your comments, strategy, your whole demeanor is subject to review, criticism and debate.

You do have to develop a thick skin, but do you think it also changes who you are? Does it matter?

Make no mistake, all things are not created equal and there are different rungs on this ladder. This hierarchy is real and to say otherwise would be naive.

You do seem different

Typically success increases your activity; and this requires more time. Because of this, the way you interact now can look different than it did when you started. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve changed per se, but you did change. Some people will resent your success and could be jealous; not everyone will be happy for you to succeed.

Is this the least of your worries?

You can liken it to the corporate world where you have a group of buddies (equals) who hang out together and one of them gets promoted to manager. Suddenly the dynamics of the relationship just changed, and it is different.

It’s still just me

People who want to be successful tend to be competitive. Success can bring recognition and sometimes it might appear you are on a pedestal for all to see. Leaders frequently assume this position.

Whereas success brings more attention, don’t be so quick to build someone up to be something they didn’t ask to be.

Keep that in mind in the way you might challenge someone, until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Just because they have had some success shouldn’t make them an open target. It’s all about respect and common decency.

Also remember, once you’ve been placed on a pedestal there is only one way to go. I mean look at that naked dude up there, you don’t think people aren’t laughing at him?
You think you want it, but are you ready for what it entails when you take that ‘step up’?

About the author: Bill Dorman is a blogger who enjoys networking and adding value to his relationships. He is an insurance broker by profession. You can find him any day at Bill Dorman, The Invisible Blogger, where all strays are welcome and you can even subscribe to his content. Follow Bill on Twitter at @bdorman264.

The Long Tail Issue for Daily Deal Sites

When daily deal sites like Living Social and Groupon came to the market, many observers looked at it as another nail in the coffin for offline retailing.

By bringing huge discounts to consumers via their local business partners, Groupon and others like them would show business a new way to make more money, while bringing more customers to them.

Except it’s not quite worked out that way yet.

Short Term Gain, Long Tail Miss

The problem with daily deals sites – and, to be fair, any of the stack-em-high-sell-em-cheap options that many businesses look at – is that they’re not really set up for long-term loyalty. And that’s a key reason why so many businesses fail in general, and something that many daily deal partners are complaining about.

Sure, they’ll give customers a nice discount and a reason to come to your store or business in the first place. But where’s the incentive to come back if I’m a new customer, once I’ve taken advantage of your sale product?

Unless there’s a relationship sale versus a transactional one, if I don’t normally shop with you then I have no real reason to come back unless it’s for another daily deal. Which sees you lowering your profit margin to make the offer in the first place – not ideal.

Business and Consumer Apathy

It would appear that more folks from both sides of the fence are beginning to think like that, too. According to a new survey from Cooper Murphy in the U.K., a whopping 82% of businesses surveyed that have run campaigns on Groupon were unsatisfied with the amount of repeat business it brought.

Add these figures to a study by Rice University in May of this year, that reported just over 20% of daily deals customers become repeat customers, and you can see why the daily deals market is one that seems to divide opinion on its benefits.

It’s not just the business owners that are suffering. Because one of the major premises of daily deals is to attract the low-spend customer, restaurant and bar staff have found that customers using a daily deal offer will usually tip less than those paying full price. Ironically, the less you have to pay, the less the tip should be too, it would seem.

So what’s the answer?

Loyalty and Long Term Gain

Everyone likes a bargain. I do; you probably do; I know my wife does. It’s human nature – if we can pay less, we will (although paying more for extra quality isn’t a bad thing).

The problem with constant bargains is that customers get into the mindset that they’ll only wait for these bargains, and ignore you the rest of the time. Get ignored by customers and… well, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know the outcome of that scenario.

So while the short-term benefit is clear, businesses need to be building long-term benefits for the customers, to encourage return visits and loyalty.

Episodic discounts. Say a daily deal saves you 60% on the transaction. Instead of the one-off approach, offer three transactions saving 20% each time. On subsequent visits or purchases, have an amazing add-on deal that encourages further spend on top of the discount.

Split the location. If you’re an offline business, with multiple locations, why not split the offer between different locations on different days? A sports shop could offer different goods on different days of the week at different stores; a restaurant a different appetizer based on location; a movie theatre group, a different 2-for-1 admission to a different movie across town.

Promote loyalty. If you don’t already have one, build a loyalty card around your daily deals customers. The first time they come in, have them fill out a short form with their information, and then give a loyalty card with unique offers based around the daily deal. Use it X amount of times and they receive a free product or service (within a certain budget).

The beauty with the loyalty approach is that you can now tailor email and mobile campaigns to your customers (opt-in, obviously) that offers more call-to-action specials just for them.

Run that alongside any specials you offer existing customers, and you’re encouraging growth and repeat custom across the board.?Which seems to be all that businesses and consumers of daily deal sites want, anyway.

Worth a shot, no?

image: jakelevine

A Special Livefyre Q&A with Geoff Livingston

This coming Thursday, August 11, at 12.00 noon Eastern / 11.00am Central / 9.00am Pacific / 5.00pm GMT, there’s going to be a special interactive Question and Answer session here on the blog.

Using the interactive features of the Livefyre comment system, my special guest will be Geoff Livingston, author of the new book .?Geoff is one of the smartest writers around today, and brings both organizational and non-profit smarts to the business world.

His new book has been praised as one of the best on sale today, and helps businesses and organizations build long-term and sustainable success using social and new media channels, alongside traditional ones.

Instead of me writing “just another book review” (although the book is that good, I’ll be breaking my “no book reviews” rule here soon), Geoff has agreed to be a “live guest” on this blog on Thursday.

So how’s it going to work?

Watch the video below, and let Geoff give you a small overview of what Thursday will be about. Then, start thinking of questions you would like Geoff to answer – on social media, new media, what channels are best for your business, how to measure and track goals, what part bloggers play in the new business landscape, and more. Seriously – if you have a question about social media and its ramifications for your business, Geoff is the guy to ask, and now’s your chance.

And to make you really get your thinking caps on, Geoff will kindly be giving away two signed copies – one for the best question about challenges business face, and one for the best question on social media and business sustainability (use your own examples, if you like). I also have a little surprise for anyone buying Geoff’s book on the day – details Thursday!

Then come back here at 12.00 noon EST on Thursday, where Geoff will be here to answer your questions about the book, social media and business, online channels and more.

The difference is, this will all happen in the comments section.

Because Livefyre offers real-time live updates, it’s more like a chat system than your normal blog commenting system. The cool thing is, when a new comment has been posted and you’re on the page, a little alert box pops up to say there’s a new comment (or several, if more than one new comment has been posted as you read).

You can then click on each alert, and it takes you directly to the new comment, so you can see what questions and views are being shared as soon as they’re posted.

So all you need to do is ask your question for Geoff via the comments, and he’ll be spinning his fingers all over the place to respond. You can then reply to Geoff, or anyone else’s comments, and really make it an interactive book overview and discussion like no other.

To take part, all you need to do is the following:

Choose your profile. Because Livefyre is a profile comment system, you need to either have a Livefyre account (which you can create here by using the Get Livefyre Now option), or sign in to comment using your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google or OpenID profile. You’ll see these options under the Comment As option to the right of the comment box.

Set yourself a reminder (I’ll be tweeting and using Facebook to send out occasional reminders) to be here between 5-10 minutes before noon on Thursday August 11 to watch the video again as a reminder for the chat.

Get your questions ready, and fire away from noon onwards.

Be interactive – if you use the little “@” function when commenting, you can bring your friends from Facebook or Twitter into the conversation too. So if you think someone specific could be a great addition to the chat, invite away!

Like any live chat, there could be some technical gremlins, but hopefully not. The Livefyre guys are working behind the scenes to try and make it as smooth an experience for you as possible. And Geoff has his gremlin-slapping gloves ready, just in case.

Hopefully you’ll join us on Thursday and have a bunch of great questions for Geoff. I think this could be a lot of fun, and something to show how blog comments can really come alive.

Look forward to seeing you here – cheers!

Update Thursday, August 11: Anyone who between now and 11.59pm EST on Sunday, August 14, will receive a free copy of The Parables of Business too. Simply email me a copy of your Amazon receipt and I’ll send you the book – simple!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj2xlzSt0Rw[/youtube]