I had not planned to do any more postings here, but after last night’s events I had to….

ETA 10:10 01.27.13 aboard US Air Flight 1897…

As I was beginning to doze off before my flight to Atlanta took off, a US Air employee taking a jump flight between Charlotte and Atlanta decided that my coat, in the overhead bin, is in the way of her luggage.  She held it up and askecd, “Whose coat is this?”  I said, “It’s mine.”  She tells me that luggage has priority and that she is going to move it to the back.  I ask her to leave it in the bin overhead. She again said luggage had priority… I said give me the coat and she proceeded to put her luggage where my coat was and sat down in seat 2D of flight 1897.

I then asked her her name,  She then asked me mine, which I told her.  She however did not offer me her name.  Instead she said, “I know someone that tried to do that and they didn’t get to where they wanted to go.” … with a bit of a just try me buddy look.

Mind you I am (a) the paying passenger in First Class, and (b) had my bag under the seat in front of me, and (c) had an EMPLOYEE of US Airways threatening me to stop my flying over the fact I was not happy at her luggage taking priority over my coat which I had placed there about 20 minutes earlier.  I somehow expected  a tad bit more in First Class.

This must be a new approach by US Air to encourage their employees to threaten customer to reduce service levels and repeat business as a way to reduce the capital required for new planes.  Interesting!

Is this REALLY what US Airways wants to be known for????

Cheers!

Rick

The  best news – all the articles are available for free on-line at the International Journal of Design web site

Note:  I had a bit of trouble with the pdf links and wound up clicking the lower link on each page.

Have fun!

Rick

A while back, the British newspaper The Guardian released a ten page supplement in co-operation with the Service Design Network.   The Guardian has produced a supplement themed on Service Design and Innovation in partnership with organizations from the Service Design and Innovation markets. Included are many interesting case studies and best practices with perceivable business impact but also enjoyable and easy understandable examples. 10 Pages,  350.000 copies…. great stories!

Here’s the link to the PDF version.  Enjoy!

Published on July 18th, 2012

Toronto, ON CANADA – Corsential is pleased to announce that the company has officially trademarked the term Closed Loop® in reference to the organization’s distinctive service recovery process. The Closed Loop® process is a foundational part of Corsential’s industry leading Customer Experience Programs, and an integral aspect of customer experience management as a practice.

“Closing the customer feedback loop is a relationship-building strategy we recommend to all our Customer Experience Program clients,” says Derek Bildfell, Corsential CEO. “Trademarking the term further reinforces our confidence in this process and our commitment to providing insightful and actionable customer experience management solutions to our clients that will drive loyalty, growth and profit.”

Read the entire press release here…

Cheers!

Rick

Enjoy!

THE SITUATION??? ??

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule. ??

About 4 minutes later: ??The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. ?

At 6 minutes: ??A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. ??

At 10 minutes:??A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.??

At 45 minutes:??The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.??

After 1 hour: ??He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all. ??No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.??

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people”s priorities. ??This experiment raised several questions: ??*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? ??*If so, do we stop to appreciate it? ??*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context???

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: ??If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made… ??How many other things are we missing as we rush through life? ??Enjoy life NOW… it has an expiration date

As you reflect on this, ask the customer experience question… are your customers and employees being rushed through it (the motions) or are they feeling it (experience for customers and engagement for employees).

Here’s the original video:

Think about it… or should I say feel it?

Thanks Jack.

Happy Holidays!!!!

The dark side of these tools is that folks forget that experience = emotion. Have you ever tried to map emotion?

Back about 10 years ago the folks at DuPont asked me to develop an six sigma framework for improving product innovation, sales, and marketing by integrating systems thinking and creativity tools. Why? To get back the art and soul of the work.

So, as you apply new tools to designing a great customer experience transformation, consider asking the empathetic, “how does it feel”. Bring the art along with the science.

I was reminded of the great article by Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi, called “The Law of Love”.

Brands have become victims of the ‘Attention Economy’, where everything competes for attention and nothing gets it: too much information, repeated too often and broadcast too loud.

The relentless process of commodification is turning what we truly value about products and services into the commonplace. It is a process that
erodes distinctions, rapidly cycles through innovations and pushes for higher standards of performance and quality because that is what everybody else is doing.

When Starbucks sold more than 25 percent of the US$1.3 million total sales of ‘Genius Loves Company’ with Ray Charles, it started a landslide
of copycats. Vive la difference for Starbucks as a non-traditional music retailer? Only for as long as it took Kmart to push its own runaway hit, the R&B gem ‘Usher Rarities’. And others are in hot pursuit.

The inevitable result? Pressure on margins and on price at the very time consumers are proving more demanding, less loyal, profoundly cynical and tough to convince of anything. Young moviegoers text thumbs-down before the final credits roll. The result – empty seats.

Most people know there’s a problem, but not what to do about it. My advice is to get your nose out of reports and statistics and start creating emotional connections. And the four letter word for emotional connections? L-O-V-E.

Here are seven insights that show the role Love was born to play…

Read the rest of the article and learn more at the online self-development course. If you only have a few minutes, look at the “Lovemarker” framework on page 4 of the article and think about how well your brand, customer experience, and sales and service delivery match the language of intimacy, the senses, and mystery as well as the “classic” language of performance, trust, and reputation.

Forget “like” on Facebook… go for the LOVE!