Blackberry’s customer service misfortunes

December 21, 2011

With my flight hours away, and my departure gate in sight, I decided to move off the main pathway of Atlanta’s airport and into one of its many retail stores.

Moving past smoothie factories, cheery sports bars and bustling departure gates, I ventured into a Blackberry store.

Blackberry's in-store experience was extremely underwhelming.

The young man glared at me as if I were the first visitor in hours. No greeting. No welcome. He stared straight ahead as if his job were torture.

Being a former Blackberry customer and ‘in the market’ for a new phone, I had an interest in the past, present and future on this once proud leader of mobile devices.

After browsing the many phones available in the store, I thought the staffer would inquire about my needs, yet the silence continued.

I took the first step and asked:

“Do you have any specials today?”
“No,” the worker responded, quickly retreating to his comfort of silence.

“Are all of the recent outages affecting Blackberry resolved.”
“Yes,” he muttered.

“Do you have any Sprint phones?”
He then pointed to a row of Sprint-enabled phones against the wall.

I tipped and tapped a few keyboards, touched some screens, read some feature descriptions and then it happened as I prepared to exit the store.

“Are there any questions I can answer for you?” the Blackberry representative asked meekly. Amazingly, he finally woke up to his role as customer advocate.

I turned and shook my head from side to side as I stepped back into the main artery of the airport.

Blackberry’s problems are much more fundamental and far-reaching than this dispirited exchange, yet this is clearly are a microcosm of this floundering mobile machine.

Years ago, Blackberry lost the touch of the customer. Apple brought products to market that inspired and energized the masses. Now, Blackberry’s doing its finest to ignore customers on their doorstep.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

3 Comments | advertising, Communication, Customer Service, experience, knowing your customers, marketing, merchandising, shopping, simplicity, Uncategorized, user experience | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

What One Restaurant Did to Guarantee Repeat Business

December 7, 2011

A typical day becomes extraordinary when a SURPRISE appears.

For restaurants, surprises are repeat business. If you can get someone to return to your location, you’re well on your way to survival ability. Restaurants might bring in a person one time via a Groupon, advertisement, word of mouth, yet can they ‘wow’ you enough to bring you back for a 2nd visit?

The stats of restaurant flops are astounding:

Will a restaurant 'wow' you enough to bring you back?

About one in four restaurants close or change ownership within their first year of business. Over three years, that number rises to three in five.

Personally, I’ll try most restaurants once. A friend may say: “Hey, you must try that new Mexican restaurant that just opened up down the street.”

If I don’t get a personal recommendation, I’ll sometimes succumb to a 2 for 1 Groupon offer at a steakhouse.

A warning for all restaurant owners: If something about the experience doesn’t dazzle, I won’t return – my money and time are too valuable to waste on the mediocre.

My family recently visited a breakfast place in San Antonio named, the Egg and I.

Like most new places we frequent, we were referred by a friend. The noise of radio, TV, billboards, newspaper, Web, F’book, Twitter becomes just a little noisy to remember anything.  The power of word of mouth marketing can’t be contained.

We stumbled into the Egg and I at a slow pace. The previous day’s excitement at the super-fun Sea World amusement park had us moving at a whisper.

The food: stupendous.

The service: timely.

The finish: something to remember.

We received the check from our server and then she handed us a red envelope.

Who doesn’t like receiving things in a red envelope?

I proceeded to start to tear open the envelope when our waitress said:

“Sir, please don’t open the envelope now. When you return to visit us here at The Egg and I, please hand the red envelope to your waitress and she’ll open it for you at your table. It’s a gift for you for returning to visit us here at the Egg and I. We thank you for your business.”

So what’s in the envelope? It’s pure marketing genius.

“Do you have what it takes to win?”

Free gift inside

Winning is all about discipline; do you have what it takes?
Can you contain yourself? Big time prizes are calling your name if you can wait to open this envelope.

I remember ticking the days off a calendar until Christmas morning. Now, years later, I experience a similar tension as I count the days until my next visit to The Egg and I. I can hear the sound of the envelope being torn open now. The waiting game until the prize is revealed.

Think deeply about what surprises you can bring to your business. It’s a no-brainer that you must deliver a spectacular experience, yet strive to create an event that your customers will remember: an event that will keep them scurrying back for more.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

Leave a Comment » | Atmosphere. Customer Service, marketing, Marketing Event, restaurants, retail, shopping, simplicity | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

Chik-Fil-A’s Cows on the Loose

November 7, 2011

A barren water tower stretches over metropolitan Atlanta.

Thousands pass each day without even a furtive glance toward the metallic beast.

Then, one day, the water tower changes.

Who knew a water tower could incite me to eat biscuits?

On Wednesday, it’s a dark gray, bland, corrosive tower.

On Thursday, it transforms into a work of architecture that draws looks.

  • Why are there cows climbing the water tower?
  • How does this tower look so lively amidst a mass of dilapidation?
  • What’s with the graffiti scribbled across the tower’s façade?

Within moments, I understood the tower’s new purpose; its injection of life amongst a multitude of wear and tear.

The cows: Chik-Fil-A’s emblematic cows were climbing towards the tower’s peak; their crusade against beef goes skyward.

The graffiti: Chik-Fil-A’s broken English in edgy-cool font is instantly recognizable and humorous. What’s there not to like about: “This morning try de-calf.”

The coffee cup: The tower’s top had been re-crafted to look like a steaming coffee cup. Genius.

I don’t normally gaze at water towers; I try to keep my eyes on the road. This one, however, nearly caused me to drive onto the median.

Many billboards surround the highways of Atlanta and other major cities. These billboards are so ubiquitous that I see them as white noise. Companies that look for other canvases to communicate their ‘outdoor’ message and blend their messaging into the structure score points. Fine job @ChickfilA.

Have you seen any crazy good advertisements incorporating the natural structure of a building, bus stop, or other entity? Share.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

1 Comment | advertising, billboards, call to actions, marketing, Marketing Event, personal connection | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

@ Best Buy, it’s the stuff that brings them in….

September 19, 2011

Since when have we become so ‘accessorized’?

Recently, I visited a Best Buy and expected to find wall after wall of big screen TVs, computers, electronics, stereos. I am not much of a gadget guy, so I don’t frequent these places very much. Well, I wasn’t disappointed. My preconceived notions were fulfilled.

The store’s perimeter is an electronic festival with flashes of light, color, images and sound.  A bank of TVs allure with stunningly picturesque pictures of bears swatting salmon in angry rapids, two children frolicking in a meadow of wildflowers, a fearsome linebacker delivering a knockout blow to the opposing team’s quarterback. I couldn’t help but look at every one, despite the fact that they were all streaming the same picture.

You could hear a pin drop in this aisle.

The store’s interior, however, pulses to a different beat. Let’s call it stuff (accessories): game cartridges, DVDs, CDs, gift cards, wires, cables, camera cases, Ipod skins. I am fairly tech-savvy, yet I almost felt compelled to ask for a translation guide. This accessory goes with what product? And why would I need this?

I used to think of Best Buy as the store of ‘Big Things’: TV, appliances, stereos.  It’s where I went with a friend’s truck because I knew my car wouldn’t hold my loot.

Now, it’s the land of small things. Five years ago, you walked out of Best Buy with something on a dolly for $500 pushed by a pimply-faced high-schooler. Now, you pack your cart full of ‘things’ and wonder how all of it cost $300. During my recent visit, the traffic condensed around the peripherals, add-ons, and accessories, not the big-ticket items.

The world’s become bigger. Its products, however, are becoming smaller.

Sure, we still buy the big things, but the ‘little stuff’ seems to be the locomotive in today’s economy train.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

1 Comment | advertising, Communication, communications, customer experience, Customer Service, knowing your customers, marketing, shopping, store design, Uncategorized, user experience | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

Learning from Central Market: Sights, sounds and smells that make you spend

September 12, 2011

Watermelon juice

High-quality, corn-fed Angus beef

Fluffy, moist Blackberry muffins

Hungry?

Central Market in Austin, Texas makes shopping a dazzling carnival for the senses.

Who can say no to this sensational spread of veggies?

It’s not shopping; it’s experiencing. The idea of ‘how much does that cost?’ is quickly replaced by thoughts of:

  • Look at all those kinds of salsa.
  • Can you believe they have Green Chile gelato?
  • I’ve never seen such fresh-looking fruits and vegetables.
  • Look at the impressive seafood selection.

Before you know it, your cart is full and your belly growls in anticipation of some delicious treats.

You may glance at prices, yet once it’s in your cart, it’s a done deal.

This freshness, selection, variety comes at a premium; you may sense a ping of buyer’s remorse as you exit the stunning grocery layout. But how did Central Market do it? How did they get me to spend generously for many ‘run of the mill’ grocery items?

They got you, the buyer, to move beyond the basic, caveman question:

  •  How much does it cost?

Instead, you were thinking:

  • That’s the freshest swordfish I’ve ever seen. I always wanted to grill swordfish. Let’s do it.
  • Wow. There are like 20 different salsas there. There has to be one that I like. Look at how vibrant they look. I already have a few bags of chips at home. Sold.

Central Market, like other smart grocers, brought emotion into the sometimes mundane, routine world of grocery shopping. Many a shopper has ditched his list in favor of splurging on pastries, gelato, fresh pizza, gourmet beer. This wasn’t just clever end-cap positioning, but a comprehensive store and concept layout to tickle the senses.

Let’s step away from the grocery store for a minute. Can you bring emotion into play with your unique selling proposition? Can you get your buyers away from the fickle world of price comparison and into the world of problem-solving and pain reduction?

Think before and after. Before: I have catastrophic, costly network issues that could cause my business to crater. After: I lead without stress because I have a valuable system in place to keep my assets secure.

  • How much does the problem that you are trying to solve cost a business? (example: without network monitoring software your company’s network will seriously underperform, penalizing your business by about $XXXXXX/year)

You may not be selling delectable blueberry muffins, yet you can vividly experience the problems that your customers face and be there to guide them to safety.

Back to the grill; our Central Market pork tenderloin is ready to be turned.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

1 Comment | Austin food, community, groceries, marketing, shopping, store design, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

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