Disaster

I went to a 4-star hotel yesterday for a business meeting.  I was hoping to do a deal – turn a prospect into a new client. We were checking  each other out – to see if there was a good fit between our businesses.

We met in a hotel I didn’t know well – but I expected to get 4-star customer service. This is what happened – the lessons I’ve taken from the experience.

The story from customer’s view:
We wanted to sit outside & drink coffee.  That part of the hotel  turned out to be “not open yet” – we were ushered inside. That was a bad start because the weather was good.

I asked for croissants – they had none.  I asked for toast – I was told that wasn’t possible because the person serving couldn’t go get toast from the kitchen. I didn’t want scones. So I settled for coffee only.

Ten minutes later, I changed my mind.  I asked again for toast – this time I asked the member of staff to use the phone and tell the hotel manager there was a customer who wanted toast.  I also said, nicely, that I expected the toast to be delivered within five minutes.  I’d decided to put myself out, test the quality of customer service systems – but I was already thinking “the management here doesn’t empower the staff to deliver what the customer wants.”

The toast came in about three minutes.  It was put on the table.  A sideplate was delivered – unclean.  I decided to say nothing.  But I photographed it on my iPhone. We had a meeting to get on with – by this time, we were deep in discussion about how poorly the hotel was being led.

Later, I asked for another coffee.  The person I asked forget my order.  This was now a 4-star Fawlty Towers.  I repeated the order to a different person.  The coffee was fairly good.

My potential client & I began to look closely round the space.  There were loads of cigarette butts in view: the cleanliness was a disgrace.  We became completely distracted & discussed how long the hotel would stay in business. There had been a big investment in the physical appearance of the hotel recently.  But it looked as if the culture of the place was deeply flawed.

Unexpected benefits of poor customer service:
The customer service issues gave us an opportunity to deepen rapport – the unexpected benefit of lousy service was that we formed an alliance to do something to improve customer service in Ireland. We also agreed to do business.

I made notes of all the issues.  I thought of leaving the hotel, saying nothing, and writing about how bad it was – how poorly I’d been served.  I felt like going,  never returning.  But I had a bigger interest.  I went to the reception desk & met the duty manager.  I offered feedback which was taken ["all feedback is good" - was the cliché used].  It was a relief the manager listened to me.  He seemed to take it in.  He thanked me – and I went off about my business.

What wasn’t done to recover the damage
The manager didn’t seem to realise I would never return to the hotel.  He didn’t seem to realise my lifetime custom was at stake.  He did nothing to make it up to me.  I don’t  think it crossed his mind to refund me all the money we’d spent.  I bet he didn’t think of inviting me to stay free in the hotel overnight.

The manager would have had to do something extraordinary in order to prevent the hotel losing a customer for life.  I’ll never agree to meet anyone there again.  I’ll tell many people about my experience.  The marginal cost of offering me a free overnight stay in the hotel is about €14 – the cost of cleaning the room.  The loss of my custom for life is certainly many times that.

This is only an example of what goes on all the time.  The customer is not given the service that the brand promises.  If the customer brings this to the attention of the business – the business doesn’t know what’s at stake – or even how to invest in repairing the damage.

Overall take-away:
There is a serious need for business education.

PS  Here’s a lovely blogpost about positive customer service : it came to me via Twitter:  http://twitter.com/Ali_Davies

"Dominating" - by tedxjlibraries (Flickr Creative Commons)

I’m going to France in about 40 hours.  I’ll be there for five days.  I want to use my iPhone while there.  That’s my problem.

I live in Cork City Ireland, and I’m a customer of O2 – the mobile phone operator.  I’ve limited funds.  My  business is not rich – it needs to be shit-hot at cost control & cash-flow.  As a micro-entrepreneur, sole-trader, small partnership, SME – I can’t afford to waste any money roaming in France.

I’m afraid of being ripped-off.  Scared I’ll run up a huge bill while abroad.  I feel that collectively the mobile phone operators have constructed a system that’s so complex I can’t understand it.

A system that swims in small print, in conditions I’ll never read, let alone understand.

There may well be a simple way to roam in France – a tariff that’s not extortionate – a predictable procedure.  But I feel exposed to risk of coming home poorer.  I’m deeply suspicious that if I use my iPhone to tweet from Lourdes, I’ll get a horrid bill – each tweet might cost me as much as a glass of wine.

In other words, I’m a customer of the mobile phone industry, and feel at the mercy of my supplier.

This is crazy.
I’m the one paying, the one who deserves to feel in charge, is entitled to feel clear & confident. The boot is on the wrong foot.

As soon as possible, I’ll change all this.  I’ll have my revenge on O2, on Vodafone, and everyone of the companies that seem as if they are colluding to put me in this unpleasant position.  I’ll remain an O2 customer for now.  But some day, without warning, I’ll jump ship – I’ll abandon the whole industry.

Technology develops, all the time.  Out there somewhere, there’s someone working on a solution to my problem. Millions of ordinary people are in a similar position.  Everyone’s screwed right now. We’re all struggling to cope when we go abroad.  Roaming is tough for everyone who has to pay their own bills.

This experience happened yesterday…

I tweeted [as @omaniblog ] to say I was going to France &  needed help & advice: how could I tweet at  lowest efficient price?  I asked my Twitter followers to help me.

I sent several tweets about my problem.  I got several replies.  I’ve  followers who’re willing to help others.  The replies I got offered suggestions & comments:

“Try Vodafone “pay-as-you-go” SIM card…  Try “unlocking” your iPhone…  Try ringing O2… “

These ideas were all great to get – I felt connected, part of a community of people who have to find a solution to this roaming problem.

Did I hear from O2, Vodafone, or any mobile phone operator?
No.  Do mobile phone operators work on Saturdays? Yes.  Do O2 monitor their reputation?  Does O2 keep an eye on what their customers & potential customers are saying about them on-line?

Social Media Monitoring… I know a bit about this art.  I’ve had contact with several companies that offer software to corporates, offer corporates & SMEs the ability to track customers with problems.

Not a single mobile phone operator chipped into the conversations I had about roaming.  I felt they couldn’t give a damn about me – I’m too small to count?  You can imagine what it’s like to have both a “roaming” problem and also a problem of being “ignored” by my so-called supplier. You can imagine because this has happened to you.  This is not a one-off.  This is what it’s often like for customers: an operational difficulty compounded by a ‘personal’ problem. No one like to be ignored, abandoned & neglected – left to sink or swim alone.

One company got in touch with me.
One single, singular company in the whole world wide web.  One person, the director of products & innovation of MAXroam. I didn’t contact MAXroam.  The direcctor of MAXroam, Pat Phelan, found me.  He sent me a tweet.

MAXroam isn’t even a mobile phone operator.  It’s a company I’ve no contract with.  I’ve never even left a cookie on their website. One of my followers suggested I try MAXroam, recommended this by tweet.  A director of MAXroam noticed.  He sent me a tweet saying MAxroam would sort me out. “Ring me on Monday” said Pat Phelan.

I don’t know yet whether my requirements will be met by MAXroam – but I’ll never forget they were the only company to offer me a solution.  Even if it turns out my O2-contracted iPhone can’t be used in France at a price I’m willing to pay, I’ll still tell hundreds of people this story.  I’ll talk to people over dinner, in cafés & pubs – I will use this experience to link with others who share this problem.  I’ll even write a blogpost + tweet about this today – before any solution is in the bag.

The very fact that MAXroam was listening to the chatter on Twitter, and got in touch with an offer to help – while O2, Vodafone ignored me – is enough for me.

Maybe I’m making a meal of this
… but I think this story is typical of our times.  It features the market leaders, dominant forces, using their muscle to take unfair advantage of their customers. Market leaders dominate, & establish a system that excludes customers. [At least I know this to be true for mobile telecoms.] Thankfully there’s a minnow, an outsider, who’s seen an opportunity to solve a problem.

Thanks again MAXroam, thanks Pat Phelan.  I’ll be phoning you on Monday morning.

The world is different.  It’s never been like this.  You can do things you could never do before.  The technology has moved us on.  The people behind the software have transformed our world…

None of this kind of thinking is new. It’s several years since The Cluetrain Manefesto, since we were Google-ised…

This is certainly an era for revolutionary thought.  To prove it I’m going to share a mad idea I’ve had.  I could never have had this idea until recently.

I wish to re-invent Cork. Completely change the way people think of the city. Re-brand the place.  Not only do I wish to change things radically, but I even think I could do it – with a little help from my friends…

In the old day, who would have branded the city: Cork City Council?  Some power would have commissioned a consultancy.  There might even have been a competition for the work.  The contract would have been worth a fortune. There are wonderful consultancies out there, companies that excel at Branding.  They could do it, their way.

I’ve thought: there is another way.  Citizen branding.  A few people who feel really passionate about Cork could link up & have a go at re-inventing the way Cork is thought about.  It would be people who are not satisfied with how Cork seems today. In other words, a coalition of the grumpy who are ambition for Cork.  We wouldn’t even have to agree with each other at this stage. But we would have to engage an awful lot of people in the process.

This is the beginning of an idea in action. While I was cutting the grass yesterday, I had a stream of consciousness.  All about citizen branding – whatever that is.  Haven’t even had time to look up a search engine to see if the term is in use. [Found this]

Who last branded Cork?

This is tricky.  Certainly I won’t pretend I find it easy to do.  Meeting a new client means meeting someone you don’t know.  Their values &  habits are new.  Their previous experience is almost a mysterious adventure.  So much is not yet revealed.

Companies project their image through their website.
They also give a big impression down the phone.  I’m getting ready to meet someone I have spoken to – once. Someone whose website gives many impressions.  I’m doing my best to read the signs – but I know I’m not even scratching the surface.

A website tells a story…
Many stories.  I get an impression from what a website doesn’t do.  The images have been selected; they must mean something.  But it’s hard to know what they mean until you gather more information.

Tomorrow
I’ll visit the premises; I’ll meet the owner; I’ll meet some of the staff; I’ll even see people at work.  The website is a puzzle.  I’m waiting  for more experience before I jump to any conclusions about the quality of the business.

I think we live in a mistrustful world.
Websites are opening bids in a game…  It’s what’s behind the website that matters most.  There is a lot at stake in the first meeting with a new business.  Tricky yes, but also exciting.  I’m certainly going to learn lots.

ps: Thanks to Jenny Downing, photographer

You never know where your next bit of work is coming from eh?

I was minding my own business, checking my ansaphone, when I got a big surprise.  Someone I met at CorkMeet 2009 contacted me.  I hadn’t spoken to him since the first evening of that “firecracker” event. (his great phrase)

After CorkMeet 2009…
I put up a blogpost which listed all contacts we made among the 300 companies that were there.  It was a long list (over 40).  I have been in contact with some.  Got business from some.  Overal,l I count that business networking experience a success.  But there are  many interesting contact I haven’t yet followed up…

You can’t follow every lead.
Life is too complex for it to be reduced to following one set of leads.  Many unexpected things happened to distract me from religiously following the CorkMeet path to success.

This lead found me.  He said he preferred to wait until he had a definite prospect.  So there is good reason to hope this contact will lead to a project.  We’ll see.  No matter what happens, it’s great to hear from someone I met at CorkMeet 2009.

I hope the planners of CorkMeet 2010 are making progress.

Here are some of the photographs I took today at Ummera.   They tell a story – at least I hope they do… [Full set on Flickr]

I’ve recently written a great pitch for work with a potential new client.

The problem was I didn’t know the client personally.
I had no rapport to begin with.  It was like pitching into the abyss. The client didn’t even ask for the pitch.  I simply made my own assessment of the client’s business interest, and pitched to that.

It’s been a disaster.
Complete failure to get past square one.  The ‘client’ rejected the proposal without seeming to consider it in detail.  Judging by the email reply I got, I hadn’t even communicated the key feature of the proposal.  I don’t think I’ve ever bombed so badly – not even a chink of light left open for a follow-up face-to-face discussion. And we didn’t even get around to discussing how much the proposed work would cost the client.

I’m incredibly disappointed.
I so wanted to do the work.  It was one of the best projects I’ve ever designed.

However, there is a good side.
The design is inspired: the  template can be used with another client – when the rapport is there.  The project was conceived with a collaborator: we have had the experience of working up the proposal together on Google Wave.  We are much more ready to pitch other proposals to others.  The work of thinking, talking-over & drafting the proposal was quick: not a lot of time has been invested.  What we invested were our professional skills.  Life goes on…

I got this blogpost out of it…
Turning adversity to advantage is one of my strongest traits, thank goodness.

Today I looked at a website from a company selling technical services.

Found this phrase “… you need to improve your companies services…” I went to see my business coach to recover.

She said “think about the people who won’t see the mistake.” To which I said “Yes, and only do business that part of the market!  Who would buy a high-spec engineering service from a company that made such a spelling mistake?”

One of the problems with websites is that people focus on getting on to the front page of Google Search.  Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is not the right place to start.  Better to remain un-found until your website is right.

If you are on page one, and have your fly open, you would be better on page 161.

[PS: you can find Trevor Coultart's image here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coultart/3746701667/ and his blog here http://trevorcoultart.wordpress.com/]

I’ve been working with a new client.

It was the client who suggest the means of communication between us. Anthony Creswell, owner of Ummera said “Do you use Google Wave? We could use that.”

“Oh dear” I said to myself.  ”This a very advanced client.  How can I keep up to speed?”  Fortunately this was followed by the thought “this a great opportunity: I can learn while I work.”

The great thing was Anthony was willing to invite me to Google Wave. GW as we’ll call it, isn’t freely available yet.  It’s in trial phase.  Google are letting people help them fine-tune it.  Wonderful business practice.  After I got my email invite, I simply clicked on the link and I was into the Wave.

Like everything new, it confused me.  I needed the client to coach me.  I’d say it took me about 15 minutes of concentration to reach GO.

The rest is history and can wait for another time.  I really want to highlight the value of letting your client lead you into a new world. We all do this whenever we start a new project.  The client knows so much. In this case the client not only knew the world of smoking (salmon, duck, eels – you name it Anthony Creswell will smoke it), he knew the world of communication processes.

Next client:
A few days later I met another new client.  I found myself suggesting we use Google Wave to save us time, involve others who’d need to be consulted and let us learn a new  tool.  So one client led me to add value to another.

The working world we live in eh?

PS: For the record, on this job I worked for two smokeries Ummera & Uig Lodge. I feel I have a vested interest in their success.