this is one of the "summer time and the weather is fine" posts, but bear with me, there's a lesson learned in here about business value.
This weekend, thanks to great weather, was an outdoor extravaganza! Played some golf, hanging out with friends, and of course lazing at the pool. Gotta love summer - and for those of us above the 49th parallel, these days are limited editions and so when they come along, we savor them.
And so there I was yesterday morning, vacuuming the pool with my iPod Video plugged in beating away to my favorite tunes, when I bent over to grab the thermometre and yup, you guessed it, it flipped out of my pocket and was suspended from my headphones plugged into my ears and just inches from the water -- BUT here's the catch -- the plug-in for those headphones was like cement -- that iPod wasn't going anywhere -- and as i snatched the iPod from the clutches of the water, i looked closely at the sturdiness of the headphone adapter - it was in there snug and solid.
So my hat goes off to Apple -- they've obviously looked closely at where the product investments matter most -- in other words, "what simply HAS TO BE GREAT"...no ifs, ands, or buts...and if I'm typical of a customer, then that headphone adapter is a lifeline to a great product experience for iPod customers.
So now, here's the flip side of this story....and it's with my Blackberry....
Again, poolside but last summer....you think I'd learn that I don't multi-task well around the pool. So there I was on a Friday afternoon (and trust me this is a true story)....finishing up the day with a few outstanding phone calls. While talking on the phone i leaned in to grab a toy out of the water - as I went to stand back up, the headphone cord got caught around my knee and jerked the blackberry out of my hand -- glug, glug, glug....and there it was...at the bottom of the third step...I grabbed it and tried to perform CPR hardware-wise, but there was no sign of life.
Had the cord been bullet-proofed like my iPod, things might have been different...but now my beloved Blackberry had drowned!!! but there's a great side to this story too....perhaps it's not about the bullet-proofing of core product features, but it's a great case study in service.
I called the emergency department (aka customer support at RIM - direct to the manufacturer not the service provider)....out of sheer luck, I got a tech that not only had a sense of humour (he asked if the BB was wearing a life-jacket!) but he was innovative and creative -- step by step we opened the BB and performed surgery -- within minutes the entire BB was on my counter in pieces. "Now, he says, we're ready....get your blow dryer and set it on low" -- I thought he was joking...but no...he was serious....my instructions were to dry each piece being careful to not let the dryer get to hot - then let it sit overnight.
The next morning I carefully rebuilt my BB and presto!!! - turned it on and all the vital signs were there. We were up and running again, snatched from the clutches of death.
What's the point of this story -- Well, it's summer and we need some light-hearted stories, but it's also about two great value drivers that go into making world class companies -- the first is knowing what product features your customers value most and then investing in those to bullet-proof them to stand up to the customer experience --
and the 2nd....
Never underestimate the competitive advantage that can be gained from great service -- the BB tech could have just said "hey lady...you're sunk"...but he didn't -- he was creative and stepped out there to provide excellent service -- (plus, he pointed out the replacement cost was only 1/5 of the purchase price). We all marvel at great service when we get it -- that's because it's so rare that we see it in action. How sad is that?
So I've learned my lesson...no more electronic gadgets pool-side -- cats may have 9 lives, but not my gadgets!!!
Enjoy your journey!
Wendy
So what? who cares? why you?
www.wendykennedy.com
