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c h a p t e r5:SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS DECISIONS■That further step is reviewing what you discover, tracking the issues—the posi-
tives and negatives—and then using this information to inform, change, and innovate
inside your organization. This information can be used to develop a response strategy
that includes elements of both customer response and internal business response and
adaptation.
Here’s a great example, from Abbott Research and Consulting principal Susan
Abbott:
“I was mixing up some dip yesterday, and observed (for the hundredth time)
that when you open the package, you rip off half the instructions.”
—Susan Abbott, Customer CrossroadsSusan goes on to note that this is probably an “avoidable accident”—the barcode,
she notes, is safely tucked out of the way. As we say in New York, “I’m not sayin’...I’m
just sayin.’” There is clearly an insight here, and trivial as it may seem—or not, depend-
ing on how critical those instructions were to successfully making whatever is in the
package—these are the kinds of things that are within your control, that impact the cus-
tomer experience, and that result in conversations.
Looking at Susan’s packaging comment, what would you do if it was your dip
and you had control over (or could influence) the packaging design? First, you could
create a specific strategy, either as you discovered those comments for the first time
(good) or before you began listening at all (better). An effective listening strategy con-
siders several elements, including who will respond, how the associated workflow rules
will be set up, and the threshold for response, set by the seriousness of the issue—“tore
the instructions” versus “hate tiny print” versus “found something growing inside the
sealed package.” Your response strategy should be built around an assessment of time-
liness standards—backed up with timely KPIs—and should also include an assessment
of the effort required so that appropriate staffing plans can be created.
Digging into Susan’s packaging comment further, by responding and track-
ing, you can tell the difference between a one-off case and an opportunity for process
change that leads to better conversations on the Social Web. Maybe Susan—like more
than a few of the professionals now tasked with social media responsibilities in addi-
tion to whatever was expected of them previously—is time-pressured, resulting in this
mishap. Or maybe, just maybe, the actual packaging process places the chip dip mix
envelopes in the larger box that Susan bought at Costco upside down so that when
Susan takes it out, she’s actually holding the envelope in a way that guarantees ripping
the bottom every time—and thereby destroying the instructions—instead of ripping
across the top where you had intended.
This may seem like a trivial example, but scale it up across your own processes
and the actual expectations you have of your customers: How many seemingly small,
but crazy, things do you place into the marketplace every day? For example, how many