Monday, June 25, 2007
Change of Pace
Change of pace. An insight, maybe – cynical, perhaps – true? You tell me.
A while ago I commenced internet grocery shopping. As we all do I first trialled the two major supermarket chains, they told me via their websites that my relationship was important to them, sent me emails on specials and "individual" offers and advertising of course. I was with them for around three seconds after they failed to deliver the items that I had ordered, sent me damaged goods and credited the difference back to me for when I next ordered. After this experience I felt destined to trudge the aisles of the overly lit, overly stocked and overly rated warehouses we come to know as "Supermarkets" until... ShopFast Online shopping, not affiliated with a major chain, a specialist online supermarket/grocery store. I became their greatest advocate, I shouted their name from the roof tops of Sydney I was loyal to a fault. I continue to this day to tell people they were the best company, by far, that I have ever dealt with. What made them so special? How did they inspire my loyalty? I ordered, they delivered (on time) Problem arose - Problem fixed Occassional Surprise item Relevant communications, same time and format each week They actually did what they said they would do, I never met any of them, other than the drivers, who were always well presented and courteous. Very simple Service is not about a fake smile or needing to exceed expectations. I will ask a question - If we deliver on our promises, are courteous, respectful and thoughtful in our dealings and are fairly priced (not cheap) is there any other company that could match us? “A fellow doesn't last long on what he has done. He has to keep on delivering.” Elbert Hubbard American editor, publisher and writer, 1856-1915) Note: Shopfast became so successful that they were eventually purchased by one of the major chains. The service levels immediately plummeted. Instead of taking the learnings from this company and implementing them within their large organisation, they simply sought to eliminate the competition that was making them look even worse than they actually were. That large company is now desperately seeking to be bought out due to falling market share. In answer to your second question/quote The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell. Confucius
Posted by Wayne Stevenson on 2007-06-26 00:15:30
A lot there -- let me start with Confucius -- scary that -- as Mel Brooks once said -- more or less -- we mock that which we are to become -- so what does that say about us -- inferiors.... the service piece is very cool -- I think the same applies to us -- no?
Posted by david on 2007-06-27 18:34:57
Monday, June 18, 2007
Albert Speaks Again
YouTube is being sued by a photojournalist who might just bring them down; Napster is so old news that “new generations” of users don’t even know who they were; Skype is struggling – but VoIP is taking off. On the other hand, The Sopranos caused a global stir, and it’s one month and a few weeks till the last Harry Potter.
What do any of these have in common?
hey dave, with all due respect, couldn't agree less (or more; I usually have trouble identifying which side you're in... lol) with this week's article :o) for the last several posts there seems to be a pattern in your articles of "good vs evil", "humans vs technology", "hearts against machines"... Well, being myself a technology-marketer, I use to think differently. See, Skype is not about technology per-si. Not at all! It's about using technology to empower people's communication. To give you a personal example: I live 2000 miles from my family and nonetheless I can keep in touch with them very frequently. My mom has 74 years old, and loves to talk with family and friends on MSN, it's a lot of fun! Would I be able to keep in touch with them without Skype? Yes, very likely, planes still exist... Was Napster so revolutionary because it's intricate and cryptic P2P protocol or because it enabled millions of thousands of anonymous to share parts of our own lives through music and videos? Was YouTube so revolutionary because it's search engine technology or because it made true Andy Warhol's predictions in the sixties? The central question still is (and I dare to say it'll ever be) around PEOPLE. It's the human being that matters to human beings. But, IMHO, undoubtfully the real innovation in the last 15 years came from technology. Thanks to technology now we can celebrate father's day with our daughters 2000 miles from home, or find soulmates at DC++, to create instant communities at twitter, strengthen bonds and share emotions with friends in MySpace/Orkut/MyFaces, or dig into the sea of information at wikipedia, which all in the end of the day makes all us better human beings. Let's not lose the focus on people because it's the ultimate reason for our journey, but keep technology flowing because it's the vital spark for our innovation. take care! gui ambros
Posted by Guilherme Ambros on 2007-06-18 16:51:00
hmmm Albert, he's great for soundbites,and a spot of mathematics "Problems cannot be solved by thinking within the framework in which the problems were created." But I beg to differ here..our problems(oops sorry-opportunities in 21st century speak!),issues and everything else were created in a framework - our minds! And whilst some of us enjoy trying to get out of them every Friday night - we can't, they are our framework. It's just maybe the "imaginers" explore their framworks more thoroughly. I ramble..back to the point! Does and every idea have to drive a solution - No! some are what they are, just ideas.Some good, and we act on them. Some bad, and we act on them. But don't limit the technology imaginers to a "driving a solution" requirement ...unless you're a shareholder ! "Long live failure trying" not sure who said that, maybe it was one of those Boo.Com chaps!
Posted by Nick Annetts Bangkok on 2007-06-19 04:06:48
Sorry for the late response -- lots of travel -- great comments -- not sure what I agree.disagree with -- The framework of our minds!! what a concept -- I love it -- and Guilherme seems w are saying teh same thing..or not
Posted by david on 2007-06-21 01:41:35
Monday, June 11, 2007
Cat Tails
This week I had occasion to chat with a journalist who represents one of the leading magazines of the digital age. After an interesting and wide ranging discussion about our business and how digital are we? I asked her about her publication. “So tell me,” I queried, “why do you still print magazines?” By the way – this publication delivers subscriptions by mail and has big newsstand sales. “Our dirty little secret” was her answer.
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