1. Give some history–What’s the product or service? What’s unique about it? Who is your competition? What have you done in the past? Why are you embarking on this new project? What are your weaknesses?

2. What’s the point?–Define your objective? What is your #1 goal?

3. Who cares? Define your audience. Who are you talking to?

4. What do you have to say? What’s the number one message you want to convey? What are your “b list” messages or nice to haves?

5. Do you want to make ‘em laugh or cry? What’s the tone? What kind of images will convey the tone?

6. Who’s doing what? Who will be on the creative team? Who is the point of contact? How will you communicate? Who are the decision makers on the client side? What will the approval process look like?

7. What’s the schedule? Got a drop dead deadline? Or is it more fluid? What are the contributing factors to the time line?

8. What’s the budget? Perhaps the most difficult piece to nail down, but it is essential to know how much money you have to work with to assess if achieving the objective is feasible.

9. What do you have already? What content do you already have that can be re-purposed for this project?

10. What kind of ROI will make everyone happy? How will success be measured?

Did I miss anything?

]]> http://karenshaffer.com/2009/11/08/think-good-content-is-easy-think-again/feed/ 0 http://karenshaffer.com/2009/11/08/think-good-content-is-easy-think-again/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KarenShaffer/~3/6zpaFyYm-kk/ http://karenshaffer.com/2009/10/22/customer-power/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:28:21 +0000 Karen Shaffer http://karenshaffer.com/?p=47 Customers have always had many ways to express their dissatisfaction with a company’s product or service. But the Internet and social media have made it easier than ever for to get opinions heard. And that makes your customers very powerful–like it or not.

The instantaneous, uncensored feedback that the Web offers every consumer scares the crap out of a lot of companies.

And it should.

In the past, the process of complaining was really slow. An unhappy customer could report a company to the Better Business Bureau or file a complaint with their state’s Attorney General’s Office, but they were lucky to get a reply a month or so later.

Another option was to write a letter or an email to the company’s corporate office. They might respond. They might not. In my experience, small companies were usually better at responding. Large companies rarely cared to waste their time–they had enough happy customers to deal with.

Today, customer feedback has evolved with product reviews and ratings all over the Internet for any consumer to voice their opinion or rant about a bad service experience. And there are many who blog about companies they like and don’t like. And they have a following. Groups of like-minded people are listening to them. Formulating an opinion about companies that they have no relationship with yet.

That’s exactly why, if you have unhappy customers, you should encourage them to talk to you so that you can solve the problem.

The best way to combat negative reviews is simple: sell a great product or service at a good price and have exceptional customer service to back it up.

Let’s say you have all that, but some vocal customers who caught you on a bad day when the product didn’t ship as fast as you promised or your customer service rep kept them on hold too long are calling you on it.

Apologize and ask how you can make it up to them as soon as possible.

Don’t wait for the negative review to appear in an on-line forum or in a product review. Be proactive. And treat every customer like they have a thousand friends ready to buy your product and if you can win them over, then your prize is the chance to win their friends over too.

Seems simple doesn’t it?

Too many companies remain short-sighted on the long-term effects of a bad customer experience and look only at the immediate cost of giving a customer something free or a discount on their purchase. Sure, you could try to save your company a few bucks and not to offer money back or free product, but then how much money are you losing on their repeat business and relaying to friends how you went above and beyond to solve their problem?

Don’t risk it.

I read this great article called 23 facts you can’t ignore about customer loyalty and customer satisfaction. The numbers quoted in the article are powerful and shouldn’t be ignored.

A great example of good customer service is Apple. A friend of mine bought an iPhone and it just stopped working properly one day. She cherished this phone and took great care of it, so it was disappointing that it was malfunctioning.

She took the phone to the Apple store where she bought it, so they could run a diagnostic to see what the problem was. They did and it turned out that her phone likely had water damage–which Apple does not normally cover because dropping your phone in a puddle is understandably not their problem.

Now, my friend did not drop her phone in a puddle and told the Apple rep that. Although I’m sure many people would lie about this, she wasn’t. She also told them what a loyal customer she was with purchases of several iPods over the years and a recent purchase of a MacBook Air in addition to her phone.

Customer Service listened to her and decided that she was too good of a customer to disappoint, so they gave her the benefit of the doubt and offered to replace her phone.  For free.

My friend had her new phone within days and has told countless people about her great experience with Apple.

I can imagine this ending much differently with another phone provider. What would your company do?

Yeah, me neither.

Besides the fact that there were no big customer service appreciation celebrations anywhere I can recall, I don’t think this one is catching on.

And that makes me happy.

Why?

Because the frontline people employed to deal with customers every day should be rewarded for excellent customer service on a regular basis. And on top of that, they should be empowered with clear objectives and goals and the tools they need to succeed.

Once you accomplish this, throw your staff a party.

A week of shallow cheer leading without any meat behind it, does not strike me as a great idea for customer service team building.

Or maybe it’s just me.

But for some reason, a lot of companies think it’s OK to keep me waiting. And I’m not OK with that.

For instance, I went to a big event over the weekend–the Big E. This is an event that has been held in Springfield, MA for nearly a 100 years. It is HUGE and people come from all over for the three weeks it is in town.

I had never been and it has all the things my daughter loves–carnival rides, candy apples and lots of animals–so I thought we should check it out.

All started well, but then about three miles from the event (it is an hour and a half drive from the Boston area) we found ourselves in an impenetrable traffic jam.

So, we sat. And we sat. And we sat. For what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, when our three mile journey was nearly over and the parking lot was in sight–we waited in yet another line of cars to park. In a field. That was almost full.

Augh.

But even after the extra hour of traffic and the extra 20 minutes to find a parking space, we were just so relieved to get the heck out of the car that we were willing to forget the hell we had just been through and enjoy the event.

But wait, what’s that? A LINE for tickets to get in?

WHAT???!!!

It got me to wonder: Why didn’t we buy our tickets when we paid the parking guy? Better yet, why not just charge a higher entrance fee and forget the parking fee? And why did they have yet another group of staff checking tickets immediately after the purchase window? Why were there only four ticket windows open? Why didn’t they spread the ticket windows out more? Why were the only traffic cops along the entire three mile route standing directly in front of the parking lot (thanks, but I think I could have figured out where to park on my own)?

Why? WHY? WHY???!@#!

I didn’t get it. I didn’t get it at all. They have held this event since 1917, right? In theory, they should have this down to a science by now.

But no, instead of creating a traffic plan that would ensure the smooth transition of people into the event, it was like the event planners decided to put up as many road blocks as possible along the way to actually disrupt the flow of traffic for the sole purpose of creating long lines.

I’m sure that wasn’t their actual intent, but that’s was the result.

I suspect the err of their ways started by focusing more on the successful collection of money rather than a positive customer experience. But losing focus on the customer cost them professional credibility, return visitors and positive word of mouth.

Was it worth it?

I don’t think so. I have told at least 20 people over the past few days of my Big Disappointment in the Big E and will probably tell hundreds more. So unfortunate because once inside, it was actually a lot of fun.

But, the fun is not what I will remember most.

So, rule #1 to ensure a positive customer experience:

Don’t keep your customers waiting. Streamline your processes and get those people in the door, get them through the check out line, answer their questions and do it as QUICKLY and as painlessly as possible.

Otherwise, you may be your customers’ next Big Disappointment.

So, make it a memorable occasion.

I went to an event last weekend called “Barktoberfest”. I’m a dog owner and my daughter and I attended a similar event last spring and we LOVED it.  So, when we saw this event, we thought–why not?

First, they had me at the name. Great name. It conjured up visions of Oompa bands, beer, bratwurst and German chocolate cake as well as apple picking, pumpkins and fall foliage. It was a perfect fall day in New England and we were ready for some dog-friendly fun.

Unfortunately, the event was a big disappointment.

My daughter and I arrived mid-day and there was a good crowd of people. We wandered around the craft booths for a bit and admired the huge variety of dogs walking around with their owners.

But after doing that for 15 minutes, we had nothing to do.

Sure this was an event put on by a non-profit looking to raise money for their shelter, so I’m sure their budget was pretty limited. But they really missed a huge opportunity to make this event memorable–they lacked creativity and excitement.

What do I think they should have done differently?

First, where were the dogs for adoption?

Why not have a fashion show to show them off? Or have a speed dating thing where potential adopters could meet each dog for a few minutes and see if they liked each other enough to take it to the next level?

Where were the kid-friendly activities?

My daughter would have LOVED a simple obstacle course that she could practice taking our dog through. This event was held on a 4H facility for Pete’s sake–there were a million “show rings” that were not used at all!

What about four legged races (kids vs. dogs)?

Something fun and entertaining. Anything?

Where were the designated play areas?

What, no pool for the dogs to cool off in? No fenced area for a little romping with new friends? No organized training demos?

You have a captive audience, give them opportunities to interact with each other and your staff.

Where were the donation stations?

Or the big St. Bernards with barrels of money around their necks? This is a fundraiser, right?

If your goal is the raise money, make sure you ask for it.

Sorry PoundHounds, you really missed the mark in several areas for me.  You lacked creativity and your event did not stand out to me at all. I won’t be back next year.

If you’re planning an event and want my opinion on your plans, I would be happy to discuss them with you. Feel free to contact me via e-mail at karenryanshaffer@gmail.com.

This week has been a particularly bad one for the MBTA with three separate incidents that caused rider injuries, property damage and commuter delays.

So, what was the MBTA’s response?

Umm..is that…silence?

How can this be? A major public transportation system in a large metropolitan area has three major problems in one week and neither the Acting General Manager nor the Transportation Secretary say boo?

Not very good PR, boys. Not good at all.

Could it be that the Acting General Manager as well as the Transportation Secretary are basically just a couple of lawyers with some political connections and no real experience in Public Relations or Marketing or Crisis Management? Do they even know what these thing are???

I hope they do, but the PR efforts to date by the MBTA are abysmal at best.

Time to hire a marketing professional who can get the public behind the MBTA mission and convince people that we will all benefit in the long run if we make the transportation throughout the city easy to use, clean, safe, affordable and green.

Does the MBTA management have a plan in place to modernize the system and keep costs down?

I think they do. I hope they do. Unfortunately, they sure aren’t making much of an effort to let the public know what those plans are and if there are effective people managing those projects.

Information and transparency could save the MBTA from customer speculation, frustration, doubt, distrust, confusion and anger.

Keeping your customers at arms length and only allowing a small amount of very controlled information to slowly leak out of the corporate office is a mistake.

A big mistake.

And the MBTA’s methods for communicating with it’s customers are outdated and too slow.

The people stuck on that train yesterday for over an hour wanted information and they wanted it fast. Where’s the MBTA’s Twitter account? Where’s the real-time dialogue?

The people already on the train are your biggest potential advocates. Why? Because they have the power to convince their friends to take the train.

Partner with you customers and value their input.

Don’t underestimate their power.

Say, it’s a restaurant.  You make great food and you have a great location and people really like you. There’s a real buzz in the neighborhood about your place and word-of-mouth is bringing people in with little money spent on advertising.

Awesome! This is a great way to start.

But, are you letting the “little” things go? Are the bathrooms clean? Are the floors spotless? Does the paint look fresh and clean? Do the staff have their hair pulled back and are their uniforms neat?

No? Shame on you.

When you are selling something like food, you have to concern yourself with more than just kitchen cleanliness.  Every inch of that restaurant gives off subtle hints to your customers as to the state of your kitchen (since they can’t walk in and see it for themselves)…AND how much you care about cleanliness.

Don’t give them the wrong impression.

Likewise, say you own a sign shop. You have a huge portfolio of unique and innovative signage and a long list of references from happy clients.

Problem? The sign on your own shop is generic and boring.

What gives? Maybe your putting it off for when you have more time to think about it.  Or maybe you just don’t think it’s that big a deal.

But as a customer, I’m stuck at the door wondering if it’s worth my time stepping inside. In the end, I walk away and look for someone else who will grab my attention. I mean, that is what you are supposed to be selling, right?

To do anything exceptionally well takes a great deal of planning, know-how and perhaps most importantly, incredible attention to detail.

Minor mistakes can add up to huge losses. Customers that you never knew were out there may be turned off by some “minor detail” that you were putting off until later.

It’s all about first impressions and like it or not, potential customers are judging you. Telling their friends about you. EVERY DAY.

Don’t give any of them a reason to doubt you.

So, what’s your business is saying about you? What details have you mentally classified as “minor” and let go up until now?

See something that needs improving? Good for you.

Now go do something about it.

If you own your own business, good for you!

But don’t discount any interaction you have with people throughout the day–even if your not “working” in your place of business.

I can recall meeting a nice couple in Disney World once with my husband. He mentioned he owned a restaurant in Massachusetts.

They asked, “Oh yeah? Which one?”

“Moogy’s.”

“Moogy’s! I love Moogy’s!”

Can’t tell you how many times this has happened to us in the oddest of places. Too bad we didn’t have a t-shirt or something to give them for being such big fans, but I have a feeling from their reaction that it didn’t matter. Meeting the owner of Moogy’s was a thrill in itself.

My husband has spent the past 15 years slowly cultivating a cult-like following at his restaurant. Located in the heart of Boston College-land, he has had to introduce Moogy’s to a new freshman class every year. But, he doesn’t do it himself, he lets the upperclassmen do that for him and they are the backbone of Moogy’s marketing.

How does Moogy’s do it? Simple, they make their customers happy and in turn, they tell their friends.