Embrace the Disruption

Representing the brilliant collision of the right and left side of my brain

[digitaldisruption]

Customer Experience Revisited

I have been reading a lot about how “big” Customer Experience is now.  Forrester has several annual conferences that are heavily attended in New York and San Francisco.  What is fascinating to me is that the concept isn’t new.  What is new is that the “traditional” agency is no longer the owner of it.  Nor is it just focused on one outward dimension and mostly about brand.  What has changed is that digital technologies continue to allow for more contextual, ambient and integrated experiences.  This exposes bad organizational design, lack of process, legacy backend systems and more that all translate into a bad customer experience.  Consumers, employees, people, users all demand something that our old approach to Customer Journey Mapping didn’t help identify.  So let’s not pretend this is something new.  Let’s acknowledge that how we have been doing it is simply dated and like all things we have learned and improve and transform.

Look for a series on how to take Design Thinking and map that against Journey Mapping so that you evaluate the experience a user has through the lifecycle of engaging with your company and applying a Valuable, Viable and Feasible perspective to those interactions so you can make decisions on how best to achieve the outcomes we expect.  This is super important unless you don’t have constraints of time, money and resources like most of us!

Let’s start a dialogue!

[digitaldisruption]

Your Org Design IS your CX

A bit of a ramble but lets be clear...you can do all the Customer Experience work but if your Org Design which includes teams, incentives and more is fractured when you digitize that it will feel, look and act fractured to your customers.  I continue to see this in B2B and B2C where Marketing execs have done CX with their agency but paid little attention to enabling the employees to execute on it, not looked at the tech that enables or hinders it.  Why?  Well they didn’t include HR or Corp Comm or IT or maybe even Ops.  Things that may have been hidden from customers in manual processes are often undocumented and will become transparent immediately as they’re exposed.  It’s why all the information you enter in one system has to get verbally repeated in customer service scenarios because it’s a different team, different P&L, objectives and no partnership at a point that the Customer was the center.  I realize that completely refactoring an organization takes time, maybe years.  But you can be mindful of your fractures and ensure that as you digitize your business, because if you haven’t already you WILL, that you create experiences that account for these faults and leverage digital technology, user experiences and data to opaque your issues from your customers and continue to push your brand forward.

[digitaldisruption]

Embrace the experience @westin

I just walked into the Westin in Seattle this week, a place I have stayed countless times over the years.  I'm a Corporate Starwood member and have been for probably almost a decade.  So a frequent stayer, a loyalty member walks in the door.  I have a reservation so you know when I'm coming and who I am...you know where I live, how often I stay and I have told you what airline I frequent and other items.

So how is it in 2013, with a world of mobile and social connectedness, a world with online experiences that help drive meaningful attachment to a brand can the Westin be so far behind?  I stood waiting for the Concierge to find me, which is difficult because their search capabilities is so antiquated that looking for William doesn't find me because I'm in the system as Will.  Luckily I've suffered through the process that I know the tricks to find my loyalty number better than the hotel employees, which seems backwards.

What I might expect?  That you know I'm coming and my room has already been associated to my starwood number...for gosh sake I've stayed there enough!  That you know where I'm coming from and greet me personally, having already pre-checked me into my room and asking how my trip from Dallas was...because I've told you where I'm from...maybe a welcome back, we haven't seen you since "x date."  Maybe a text after might flight lands that welcomes me to Seattle and letting me know they're all ready for me to arrive...even opportunities to promote brand partners or give me access to local food or entertainment options that I opt into based on preferences.

Taking advantage of my digital connectedness isn't an option it's a brand priority.

Creating an experience that addresses me as an individual isn't a differentiator it's table stakes.

Allowing me to engage with the brand in meaningful ways is absolute.

Having me walk in the door, help the staff identify who I am and have an impersonal experience given everything I've told you about myself is a Brand FAIL.

I can certainly help as I know legacy and antiquated systems are issues and expensive to upgrade or connect.  I know that there are limits on time and budget when looking at the expanse of a Digital domain for a brand like the Westin.  But a Digital Strategy that drives an experience can set the brand apart...

[digitaldisruption]

How Taco Bell Is Exploiting Snapchat Stories

Taco Bell is providing a road map for brands on Snapchat. The fast food chain was quick to jump on Stories as a platform to tell a very simple tale.

Great example of a Reboot world where we have to look at experiences quickly, with an open mind unbound by the very different past.  If you haven't read Mitch Joel's book "ctrl alt delete" you should and this is where the old fail to recognize or embrace the new...and if they finally do...it's likely too late.  @mitchjoel #embracechange

[digitaldisruption]

It's not novel, it just is

It's interesting that we seem to be going "back" to concepts like customer-obsession, user centric design, telling stories instead of brand blasts to masses and enabling the individual to have the loudest voice.  Did we move away from that? Did the media cause this or enable it?  Was it Radio to TV and how long that took?  Was it the shift of Internet and how one person could cause damage to a brand at the point of interaction?

I think we're not any farther away from where we started.  We, as businesses, have always been about trying to sell something for a profit.  Within that we might have a cause behind us, a passion for something or could be as simple as nominal motivation...but it was still about being recognzed and delivery "value."  Digital, Social, Mobile and the pace of technological disruption is certainly enabling visiblity, shortening the gaps between generations...but the principles for success are no different than they were decades or even centuries ago.  We're still people.  We are human after all and I believe when we forget to act that way, to realize we are as much customers as we are sellers...no matter what technology brings...we can shift, be agile, adapt and survive in the moment.

So I say be human.  Don't forget the fact that trust in a brand isn't a message, new mobile app...but a function of human interactivity that can be bettered if value, simplicity, mutual return and humility are at the basis for why you interact...even when it's to just make a buck.

[digitaldisruption]

Marketing Technology, the new Shadow IT

It is interesting how Marketing organizations are creating their own capabilities to deliver technology to support their digital needs in lighting up brand strategy.  We saw shadow IT come because the business had needs that weren't being addressed.  Now, with the need to deliver to a Consumer expectation and experience, Marketing Technologists (in the form of Digital executives) are building their own teams.  IT gets relegated to internal Infrastructure and serving as the utility to the Enterprise.  But technology that delivers on a digital strategy is being owned outside of Technology and I have now seen it across the US, across business models and I only think this will speed up.

So now the question is what will these organizations look like?  What will their scope of responsibility look like?  How long will it take for LOB executives to expect the same experience as their Marketing counterparts for Enterprise apps and infrastructure.  

[digitaldisruption]

OmniGraffle vs. Visio

Just a meaningless rant but my thoughts whether you want them or not.  Most of my early career was a blend of UX and Business Process.  What I learned is that OmniGraffle isn't better or worse than Visio, they're intended for different purposes.

OmniGraffle is an amazing tool when you need high fidelity wireframes, workflow diagrams intended for business "people," or other CREATIVELY focused deliverables.  If I were creating a business process diagram to show Marketing on the way visitors to the website were moving through the experience, I would build it in OmniGraffle.  It's about who is looking at it and how they like to see the results of the work.  Now, if I was then documenting for deep definition for the actual experience to be constructed I would use Visio.  It's the Utilitarian tool for BUILD or REQUIREMENTS activities.  Yes you can grab a stencil and build a wireframe for a mobile device but again I think Visio is about low fidelity, deep detail, construction focused deliverables.  The layer beneath what you would deliver in OmniGraffle.

So I say have both and use them when the audience dictates how the visualization will be consumed and how they like to consume it.  No different than anything else, now your audience, what they expect, what you want to convey and select the tool that gives you the best end result.

[digitaldisruption]

Attention Economy driven by the Me++ Generation

The root of an Attention Economy is the scarce resource of someone's attention, which as been greatly impacted by interruptive marketing techniques and the nuclear explosion of digital.  Brands are fighting for milliseconds to impact awareness, loyalty, drive conversion and more.  This has been happening as a function of the digital technologies entering the market but what has poured gas on this experiential fire is the Me Me Me Generation (#Time).  Baby Boomers, the original "Me" generation have given way to a mass of twenty-something's that are individually focused and have expectations that match.  They don't want to be sold to in mass but select what they want, when they want, in the voice they want and where they want it...and personalized to them.  Consider that they are more deficient of attention span than their predecessors, you have to take consideration to how you can deliver the right content, in the context of what they want and where they are, with their personality driving the interaction through the window (tablet, smartphone, tv, laptop, digital signage) they choose.

You can look at this as a perplexing conundrum, and unsolvable problem, or you can see the amazing opportunity to create differentiation and capture a generation with disposable income, less sensitivity to privacy and a unquenchable thirst for their world to be about them.  So embrace this not as disruption but as the next iteration of how we engage one another, brands, companies, employees and be prepared every day to shift, flex and adapt to deliver on these expectations.

[digitaldisruption]

UX and Digital Jones's

So I had a recent experience that made me think about how decision are more reactionary in digital because of the pace of change and impact we see.  I do think people have always copied a competitor or done something because their peers are doing it...but its about differentiation.  Why jump in the "red" water when you can create your own pool of blue.  Our customer is building an experience because their competitor has one.  Not because it aligns with a strategy, or differentiates...but to just keep up.  Being able to see the forest for the tree is key in digital and copying an experience is looking right at the tree.

[digitaldisruption]

Dayparting is crucial. This is how to do it.

I don't think enough people are considering the reality of day parting and the mult-screen effect.  Part of the problem is that many are just now "really" embracing mobile and what that means to them as a company, their brand and how they operate.  Many jumped in because they thought they had to but didn't consider how mobile aligned with their objectives, the objectives of their customers or how best to deliver content through those devices based on the behavior patters (personas), user experience and creative necessary to achieve those objectives.  But day parting is a reality of how we use the devices and it will be interesting to see how fast we mature in these approaches to address these scenarios.  I am watching TV with a tablet and a commercial comes on, I find a related piece of content on Vine which I share and someone in my network picks that up on their phone ultimately to maybe make a purchase.  How do you track through day part scenarios, how do you ensure that your band aligns through that life-cycle.  It's challenging but a rewarding exercise.  Having a Digital Strategy, aligned with your Content strategy might be a good idea before you jump into a mobile strategy!  We are working with customers to consider how multiscreen dayparting can impact their brand and the necessary experience, content and digital fabric necessary to leverage this trend.

Another good study was done by BBDO and Proximity called "Multiscreen Dayparting Playbook" and a good read as well.

[digitaldisruption]

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Bora Bora

[digitaldisruption]

The amazing disruption

I have been amazed at the shift we continue to see in the use of digital channels, some well established, others quickly emerging.  I thought JCrew launching their catalog in Pinterest was an amazing recent example.  I remember getting the Fall catalog which signaled the start for school.  I would dog ear pages that had products I wanted and then share that, physically, with family.  JCrew didn't know who the "real" influencer of that purchase was because my preferences were scattered across purchases, some online, some through mail and some through phone.  But now through Pinterest a dog ear becomes a Pin. They know exactly what I like, who I share it with, how that leads to a transaction.  They also now have a way for people that follow me to be influenced by my decisions and track that.  It's a great example of the ME channel, which is so much more influential "word of mouth" now that digital has enabled my voice to stretch globally, in seconds.  This really is fun to watch.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-21/the-new-j-dot-crew-catalog-is-a-pi

nterest-page#r=hpt-ls

[digitaldisruption]

POV in 140 or less

As I look at how Twitter is used in the professional arena I wonder if people have lost touch with how to create value.  The tool has certainly fallen into the 90:9:1 rule where only 1% are really creating content, the rest are consumers and/or responders.  Should you just share a tiny URL about a story on Wired that you thought was interesting?  Value from the information we receive is really about the Point of View (POV).  It isn't the article that is the core value, but rather peoples experience and perspective applied to that story, blog, announcement or experience.  The key is providing insight in 140 characters or less - but maybe it should be a hook that drives you to a blog where you dive into the impact of Atomic Layer Deposition printing and what that could mean for Nike smart objects - imagine wearing a Nike Dry Fit shirt that has printed circuits that measure heart rate, body temperature and more which is married with GPS and location data from your watch allowing you to track your full performance.  Maybe even gamification comes into play and you can then compete against others or compare to demographic statistics or even share with your doctor.  That seems more interesting than just sharing a link...at least in IMHO.

I do have some other questions to consider:  Should you cross your personal and professional twitter?  I.e. do you really want to mix your comments about a new project with your 8 year olds baseball game or the party you went to and got shnockered?