(^119) ■
UNDERSTAND THE C
ONVERSATIONS T
HAT M
ATTER
Consider the “return on effort” at Freshbooks: even a conservative valuation
of the positive, unpaid media coverage around its “We would never stand you up”
response greatly exceeds what it spent. Zappos clearly runs a profitable business, all
the while providing their own branded moments of delight. In return for Continental’s
demonstrated acts of consideration, I have personally spent—from my own pocket,
and not the reimbursed charges paid by my clients—more than $1,000 in that same six
months simply because I choose first to fly with Continental even in cases where it is
not the lowest cost option.
Active listening combined with a formal discipline like touchpoint analysis inevi-
tably leads to insights into the business processes that drive marketplace conversations.
The difficulty that is exposed, first with social media marketing and then with social
business, is that it becomes quickly apparent that controlling the message (aka, “con-
versation” in the traditional media view, where “we” talked and “they” listened) nec-
essarily gives way to the more informed strategy of controlling the business processes
that drive the conversations. Unfortunately, most businesses and organizations—with
a number of notable exceptions including those previously mentioned—are better at
controlling what they say they do as compared with what they actually do.
The bottom line is that businesses and customers, together, both play a role
in providing, demanding, and proving out the business case for creating great con-
versations. Creating brand ambassadors—at the heart of methodologies like the Net
Promoter Score—is a powerful strategy that is greatly advanced by smart use of social
technology.
This is the challenge of social business. It is not something that can be faked,
and it not something that is undertaken lightly. It requires a specific, whole-business
strategy and is rooted in active listening and the rigorous analysis of conversations.
Touchpoint Analysis: Bengaluru International Airport
In the course of traveling, I had a remarkable experience at Bengaluru International
Airport: My checked bags were waiting for me on the baggage carousel less than 10
minutes after my plane landed. Coincidentally, I met Anjana Kher Murray, the air-
port’s Director of Public Relations, the next day in one of my workshops in Bengaluru
where, to her delight, I used the baggage example in my discussion of touchpoint
analysis.
Naturally, I was interested in how the airport had created this experience, and
I was invited to tour the airport. In Figure 5.5, Airport CEO Marcel Hungerbuehler
(right) explains the baggage process to me (center) as Anjana (left) also listens. I came
away with a detailed understanding of just how my baggage experience happened. As
you read through this interview with Anjana, think about how each specific design
consideration translates into a specific customer experience. Whether you do this
upfront or you use this type of process in remediation efforts, one thing is clear: The