First, the setting:

@Comcastcares has done a lot of good work from the looks of it. He (and I assume his helpers) have been talked about on podcasts and at blogs around the net for solving problems customers have had that were not solved by Comcast’s standard customer service center. And that’s good. You need to oil the squeaky wheel quickly.  But as part of that process you really should be fixing the cause of all those squeaky wheels.

In twitterspeak: #FAIL

No offense meant to Frank (Evidently the real live person behind @comcastcares), as a matter of fact he is a hero to some.

But this feels more like the story of the Little Dutch Boy who put his finger in a Holland dyke to stop a leak.  It only turns out OK if others come to the rescue in the end. I think Frank and his team of twitterers is trying to hold back a flood caused by miscues in their customer service operation, and this looks bad for Comcast.

You could say I’m cranky because @comcastcares didn’t answer my tweets. But I understand that is not a fair complaint given they occurred during the great twitter-apocalypse a little while back where tweets and replies became unreliable at best. I hold no grudges against @comcastcares and I hope he continues to spread his good work through the web.  I just wonder if anybody is taking the lessons learned back to the customer service reps you reach with a phone call, because if Frank can solve problems, why can’t everybody?

Events of the past two months.

• Account 1: Changed spaces in Bloomington and wanted to take Comcast with me. (I’ve been a customer for a very long time, it was a comfortably irritating relationship). It was a new building and Comcast evidently hadn’t figured out it was built yet. After several weeks of calling and being told each time “This is easy to fix, call back in a few days” I realized no one I was talking to was giving me the correct answer. I assume the correct answer should have been “We’ve decided not to service that building” I had been successfully stalled to the point that the move date was a week away. Uh-Oh. I was going to be in trouble.
• Account 2: My mother lives in Chicago and received a very attractive offer for Comcast cable. Given the difficulties of the new digital life up here she decided to try out cable. She ran into aggressive Comcast sales people (she had to call several times) who confused her with technical questions and consistently tried to upgrade her off the special offer price. She finally placed the order but called me because she was still uncomfortable, the price was a bit different and they were charging her $50 to plug in the modem. (My mom is going Broadband-Facebook look out). I had already met ATT-Sarah, whom we will talk about in a moment, so I felt confident telling my mother that she should cancel the appointment.
• Account 3: My daughter is in college and moving into her first apartment. She needs cable for maybe a year, maybe 9 months. Things are fuzzy when you are in college. To get a decent price from Comcast you had to sign up for TWO years. (There may be a one year option, but to be honest it felt like the offer kept changing depending on the questions I asked. I have to be smart to get the best price?)

Going into this I had no intention of purchasing the ATT system. I am already an ATT cell phone customer and really wanted to keep the different services separate. I’m anti-single source. Long story. [DISCLOSURE: My wife did work for the Ameritech/Americast fiber/cable operation about a decade ago. Through various acquisitions that became part of ATT. However, since I’m cranky, we were Sprint cell customers during that time and only switched to ATT because of the iPhone.) The paperwork for the new space in Bloomington came with three phone numbers. Electric. (Easy) Comcast (A local line that pushed you to their national center, I think.)  ATT U-verse (Sarah’s associate’s number, who was on vacation but provided me with Sarah’s number and the ATT national number. Real voice-mail. Real person. Real name. WOW.)

Sarah solved our TV and internet problem and got the space up and running within a week of the order. She made it appear that she didn’t have to do anything special. It was easy for her. And the topper – when I had a question I could call her back.

Having one good experience told me I knew who to call when my mom ran into trouble. Sarah solved her problem with a package that was better than the Comcast offer and again it was effortless. Computer hook ups, phone conversion, modems – no problem. Hard to wire home, no problem. My mom thought she sounded nice.

My daughter needed a reasonable price without a long contract, again Sarah to the rescue.

I might have lucked out. Because I was given a local GREAT person I missed problems that might have occurred going through the national number. I certainly could never of gotten the same operator twice and that would have been a shame. Because as unlikely as it seems, Sarah was the leading edge of a series of fabulous interactions. So, while I am not actually an ATT evangelist yet, I guess I’m a Sarah evangelist and ATT happens to be the beneficiary. Real people who make a difference can generate a following and build loyalty. That is Real Social Networking. Now, there’s more here than just Sarah. The follow-up calls were timely. The installers went above and beyond and were incredibly friendly. They even had news about how hard the Chicago branch was working to improve Cell coverage after a spike in usage. Sometimes things work because you’re lucky and sometimes they are made to work because the company is that good. This time round I think ATT is on the path to making things work in a way that is significantly more powerful than Comcast’s model.

Now, back to Twitter: It is a fine platform and Comcast is definitely benefiting from @ComcastCares activity. But somewhere within the Comcast customer service model it appears that measurement or motivational tracking factors have gone off kilter. Solving difficult problems (the dreaded 1%) cause efficiency measures to backfire. If a customer rep prefers to say “Sorry I just can’t help you with that, is there something else I can help you with?” rather than sweating out the issue or forwarding you to someone who can help there is a reason for that behavior and it is probably systemic. If your customers do not feel as if they can get their problems solved by a phone call, do you really want them screaming about you on the web?

FIX THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. Firefighting is fine, but it only goes so far.

Now if I could only get Sarah to work on that recent degradation of the ATT cell signal in Chicago…. But that probably wouldn’t be a fair thing to ask.

He had not jumped recklessly into his choice of pacifier.  There was product testing, parental input, style considerations. He reviewed the various alternatives, including the organic, all-natural thumb. Finally he followed his sister’s recommendation and prepared to happily meditate. 

Almost immediately trouble started.  First it became difficult to find the pacifier.  We did what any good parents would, and stocked up.  Bought enough to get us through a few months.  And as supplies got low again. Nothing. They were gone. Playtex had discontinued the design.  There was no replacement. 

This taught me the meaning of the word panic.

Of course this was in the dark ages before the age of hyper-availability and web searches.  I called the company.

“Please, you have to start making these things again.”

“Sir, we understand, but other designs are more popular.”

“My son will never accept it, There’ll be boycotts, protests. He’ll invent blogging and tear you a new one!”

“Sir, we knew we had very loyal customers when we made this decision.  That’s why we have a warehouse of product available for mail order. How many would you like us to send?”

I smiled. I was happy. My son would be happy. I ordered 24. 

Change happens.  Make sure what you want to change matters and then do whatever you can to help your most loyal customers make it through.

Funny how a simple idea can force service transformations.

Most pet boarding facilities I’ve seen in the past involve caging and separating pets. Even the ‘pet motel’ concept involved only larger cages or runs and human play time.

We’ve all learned a lot from the Pet Whisperer, however.

How does that transform a dog boarding business?  It becomes a broadcaster! What better service for customers than to provide top quality programing involving their favorite ‘star.’ Of course now you have to think in terms of how your compound looks on camera, how your staff acts with the dogs, and all sorts of other things that improve overall service!

Simple to set up, yet not necessarily something most boarding facilities are comfortable with, the concept has generated other businesses focused on providing the technology and advice needed to make the idea a success. Online Doggy is one example.

Technology can often take you by surprise.  You’ve got a nice place, things seem to be going along well and then a $50 camera makes you rethink everything.

Now doggie cam is a cost of doing business.  

A short list of dog cams: 

Camp Bow USA

Fog City

Dogs in Paradise

Did ComEd’s electronic response system make mistakes? Looks like it.

Did individual ComEd reps make mistakes? Looks like it.

Did the customer (me) make mistakes? Probably.

First, about my problem – Why am I still at half power? Turns out an electrical spike fried my breaker box. Unfortunately, ComEd kept saying the power disruption was their issue until about 5 pm yesterday so I delayed calling an electrician.

I’m writing this from a computer that is running off a series of extension cords strung from from a kitchen outlet that is also running my fridge and stove. I had never heard of half power before, but for us it means that a seemingly random assortment of lights and outlets are working in the house. When we have a power need we re-weave our extension cords to take care of it.

So, I’m a customer who’s problem was not solved or identified until well after it should have been. Why am I not peeved?

Credit goes to well trained and very sympathetic customer service reps that seemed to care no matter how upset I got.

When their electronic response system seemed to reset my request every time I called, the rep was as frustrated as I was. When I was apparently the last house in town that no one had stopped by, I could tell the rep felt my pain. When the notes from the field didn’t explain why I was still sitting in the dark and no excuse seemed reasonable – I could almost hear the conversation between managers that got a truck to my home in 15 minutes. When it turned out to be something in my house the lineman apologized that communication hadn’t been better. Everyone seemed to care and everyone seemed willing to go off script to try and help.

The empathy was what seemed so unusual and disarming. I don’t know if it was from training, from great hiring practices or both. Maybe the situation of having over half a million customers without power just broke down the barriers to create a “We’re all in this together attitude” had something to do with it.

In the end, I was left with the strong impression that they actually cared – admitting their own mistakes and doing what they could to correct them. Now here’s the question that begs to be asked: With all the emphasis on customer service in our economy, why did this feel so unusual that I felt the need to write about it?

In small booths it’s easy to make the mistake of putting a table between you and the aisle, adding a few folding chairs and creating a situation where prospects must actively try and grab your attention. Be standing, make it easy to shake hands.

In larger booths its easy for personnel to gather deep inside the space, forcing prospects to walk-in and around before being greeted. Yes, the prospects that make it that far are more likely to be interested. And unfortunately yes, the marginal prospect has walked past.

Booth design strategy must take into account ways to encourage your peoples’ natural ‘outgoingness.’ The trade show aisle is a natural barrier to entry encouraging straight line walking. While flash and sizzle help draw prospects past the carpet tape, your people reaching out a hand to pull prospects in is what truly drives results.

Then my local Dominick’s optimized their yogurt selection.

During this process I’m sure they looked at sales, product attributes, profitability and synergies. Unfortunately my milkshake-like kifer drink didn’t make the mix. The matrix they developed seems to cover every possible known and unknown yogurt need…regular, low fat, no fat, sugary, sugar free, kid flavors, cartoon characters, real fruit, mashed fruit, desert flavor, medicinal, snack….

My product didn’t make the cut. It was expensive, in a large bottle, and I’m sure low volume.

And now I am a yogurt fanatic. I am making a special trip to find my old favorite, strawberry-banana Lifeway Kifer. I was so used to grabbing the familiar milk bottle shaped package, that I didn’t even know the brand name until I looked it up on the internet.

What does this mean? Well for Dominick’s, I’m sure their sales in the yogurt display will increase significantly. But for a few of us, there is a lost synergy that may not be noticed. I’ll be trading a trip to Dominick’s for a trip to a store that has my yogurt. Just one trip a month (the beauty of long shelf life). Probably just a quick trip. But as you can probably guess, no trip into a store ends with just one item being purchased.

This is the danger of a shelf optimization program that does not truly comprehend variety. To me, the display looks like it has less variety than ever creating one lost trip a month. Yes, there are 8 varieties of Peach. But no, there is no Lifeway Kifer. The value of that to Dominick’s is much more than the price of my Kifer.

On the other hand. It may be worth the trade off. Maybe there are so few yogurt fanatics out there like me that my decreased shopping will never be noticed.

In a recent post Seth Godin nailed what I think is the “missing link” for many marketers. The “what” should always carry the day. I think that is something a lot of deep pocket marketers have gotten away from because they feel they can. So, as I pointed out in an earlier post (Frog Blog – 3/10/07) “Too many times ads seem to be created for their shock values and for the entertainment of the account executives or the creative directors.”

But smaller, less well-funded marketers don’t always get it right either. They just tend to err on the other end of the spectrum. “Tell them everything in every piece.” Just as the “what” can get lost in the glitz and glammer it can also get lost in too many words.

You can continue to successfully perform in the market using this mantra if you are thoughtful in how you approach your marketing resources and your management’s expectations.  Here are “10 Ways To Do More With Less.”

1. Plan. Plan. Plan.

Solid performance in general comes from a good plan that serves as a guidepost for what you are doing in market.  When times get tough, you must revisit your plan and decide if your strategies are still appropriate or if they need adjusting.  This will provide your team with a beacon they can use to make decisions, set direction and apply resources.

2. Re-Evaluate Where You Are Spending

It is time to go through the list of marketing line items and carefully evaluate each one on

its merit and contribution to your objectives.  Is that sponsorship targeting the right set of prospects?  Do you really need all of the promotional items you have in stock?  Can you communicate the same information in 12 pages instead of 24?  Can you get more bang for your TV budget by using more niche buys on cable versus broadcast?  Where possible use real data to make the decisions to help your team keep an objective perspective and realize that pet projects may not support the goals in these leaner times.

3. Figure Out Who Is Buying And Target, Target, Target!

During lean times, a mass-directed message cannot deliver as efficiently as a targeted one.  Do your homework and find out who is buying your product or service?  Is it seniors?  Young affluents? Soccer moms? Working moms?  Twenty-something singles? Once you know — go talk to them.  Let your marketing message reach them directly.  Your media, your sponsorships, your local events — what ever your tactic make sure they are hitting your target in the bulls-eye!

4. Guerrilla Marketing Works

Get as close to 1-on-1 as possible.  Using guerrilla tactics will get your message through more clearly and more quickly. How can you sample your product?  How can you encourage trial?  Do you have a referral program that will also benefit your customer? Where can you intercept your prospect to increase their consideration?   The most important thing to remember is the guerrillas do best when they are “out” in the wild not captured “in” an office.

5. Evaluate Your Current (And Future) Channels

Take a look at where your product is being sold and how efficient and cost-effective the channel is.  How can you improve the productivity of your current channels? Should you be selling in all of these channels?  Are there new channels that should be investigated such as affinity programs or web-based “stores?”  

Channel evaluations should occur regularly to make sure your market and your target haven’t shifted their channel preferences.  Regular adjustments to your channel strategies should keep your selling and communication efforts productive.

6. Evaluate Your Current Offers

Are you doing any type of promotional offers?  Are they value or price based?  Are they designed to drive current purchase decisions or future ones? Are they meaningful to your target or designed to have a more mass appeal?  Are they communicated effectively? Can you bundle your product with another (yours or a partners) to increase short-term interest/consideration?

It is tempting to want to cut your price to drive more sales.  Before you do this, make sure that the long-term effect isn’t eroded margins and devalued pricing.  Structure your price offer in a way that doesn’t cause you greater problems in the long run.

7. Sometimes You Have To Change Your Objectives

During extreme times, you may have to completely change your goals and objectives.

It may no longer be possible to attack a new market or launch a new product.  It is important for you to raise these decisions early on to prevent in-market failures that you can’t recover.  It might be better to shore up your existing business line now and wait for better times to attack the bigger objectives.  The old adage “You only get one first impression” is the same for people and products.

8. Keep And Grow Your Customers

Your customers are already sold on your product, your service and you.  Can you upsell them to a newer version or model?  Are there ancillary products that they haven’t tried yet?  Can you cross-sell them on a new product they don’t currently use?  Are there other groups within your client’s organization that are good targets for you?  The key here is to not take advantage of your good working relationship just to increase sales.  Make sure any selling you do to your clients (or your prospects for that matter) are a win for you both.

And, don’t slash customer service efforts to save money.  It costs significantly more in money and time to acquire a new customer than to keep your existing ones. 

9. Don’t Lose Momentum

One of the most common mistakes companies make in lean times is to cut the marketing budget unilaterally.  This disruption in your relationship with the prospect will impact their purchase decision.  On the other hand, by keeping your marketing efforts constant (in the right places) during the lean times, you will, at the very least, keep your business steady and, more than likely see an upswing in your performance.  And, remember, if your competitor slows their spending down, you have an opportunity to take advantage of their “silence.”

10. Reward Creativity!

Your team has a lot of bright ideas.  Listen to them.  Get your team together regularly to mull over the issues and challenges.  Encourage them to share that wild idea that they have been thinking about for a while.  They know your product, your prospects and customers, and your marketplace intimately.  Make sure you reward all the ideas — even the crazy ones.  You never know when a crazy notion is just a cover for a breakthrough idea!

For the past several years, the marketplace has seemed to reward businesses that have a great “presence” but not always a strong delivery system. I have always hated the phrase “they can talk the talk but can they walk the walk?” But, for many businesses, the past decade focused on the talking and not worrying so much about walking. And I think it is because marketing has, as a discipline, taken a different role in business than traditionally wielded. We have, in some corners, become more about communications, ‘Q’ scores and “buzz” and less about building and growing a business.

In the more traditional marketing model, marketing set the standards around which the product was delivered. This vision drove manufacturing, operations, inventory management, finance and sales. Marketing was responsible for bringing the marketplace opportunity and the business ability together in successful execution. Only a small part of marketing was the communication side of the discipline.

In recent years, businesses began to look to different disciplines within their business model to find their advantage and their focus – programming, finance, sales channel, delivery system. The right things to do certainly, but marketing didn’t lead the effort, guaranteeing that the organization and infrastructure was strong enough and focused enough to deliver a product that enough customers want in a way that is financially viable for all.

And because of this, it was easy for businesses to set aside their infrastructure/ marketing problems that occurred when business was good and the immediate consequences minor.

“So what if our service ratings have fallen…”
“So what if our quality perception scores are down from last year…”
“So what if our product is backordered for 60 days…”
“So what if our billing system only has a 75% accuracy rating…”
“So what if …”

I think the 90’s allowed businesses to follow the “Field of Dreams” philosophy – build it and they will come. But too many forgot that it isn’t whether they will come or not but whether they will buy.

Marketing, as a discipline, has followed the same creed. Too much time and money spent on creating an image instead of creating the product. Coca-Cola is a mega-brand not because of the money spent on advertising this year but because of the decades of delivering a high-quality product that satisfied their customers’ needs and desires. Their marketing team has been an amazing example of success – not because they do great advertising…but because they deliver a great product to build a great business. And, even Coke can’t rest on its image and not worry about the product – hence the disastrous New Coke of years gone by. Marketing’s responsibility to its organization is finding the right balance between the great idea and the great business.

It is time to return to the idea of marketing as the discipline of the whole business. It is about the product and the marketplace delivery system; the communications and the manufacturing/service development; the promotion and the customer care. Marketing is about how your entire business works together to deliver a great product or service to the marketplace.

Marketing should represent both the marketplace and all of its demands as well as the business and the need to deliver products and services profitably. Is there a need? Is there a gap? Is there an opportunity? What are the benefits? What would they spend? Where would they buy? What would it cost? How does it have to be delivered? What are the inventory pressures?

Facing the problem, when you learn about it, in an honest and assertive way will guarantee a brighter future for you and your business. Don’t bury your head (or the messenger) in hopes that it will go away. Dig into it; understand the impact on your business processes and your customer. Ask questions and look for answers – both short-term fixes and long-term solutions – they both count.

Breaking through the clutter in the marketplace has always been an issue. Potential customers are inundated with new products, new services and new ideas all vying for their time and dollars. This however is the first time I have heard a marketer blame the customer for not participating.

This perspective certainly explains a number of tv ads running these days. Watching television sometimes feels like I am in a room with 20 5-year olds all trying to get my attention by screaming loudest or acting silliest.

Marketers you need to remember that potential customers probably aren’t responding because they don’t feel like you are talking to them. It is about meeting a need in the most beneficial way.

This isn’t as easy as being funny or loud — but it will go a long way toward having customers without TDD!