Maxys Max Media and Entertainment

Just Because

"Just becuase it's always been doesn't mean it will always be"

Sadly, I too a LTL (Long Time Liberal) but can’t vote for them due to the myopic approach to this issue (but must add hate the Internet Filter - it'll never work).

Facts are the NBN (National Broadband Network) is not about technology, it’s about productivity and creativity by using applications and communications built upon the platform.

Bigger Pipe = Richer Applications = Greater Creativity/ Problem Solving = Revenue & Profits

The main problem is most people don’t utilise the technologies already available today yet alone can envisage what applications will be available or on-demand tomorrow.

Today we are already beginning to see rich media multipoint (multiple people) conferencing and collaboration platforms benefiting major projects worldwide.

To illustrate a very practical example:

Build it they will come

Let’s take one very inefficient industry we all know – the Australian building and construction industry -

The industry is about $77B/ 7% of GDP & 900K people employed. (Upstream and Downstream industries approx $150B contribution)

Approximately 85% of the people are self employed in small businesses

About 40-50% of building and construction costs are labour related – that’s the time you and I are paying for their business activities (quoting; supplies, project management; working; tools; invoicing etc).

A majority of small businesses don’t have a website BUT do have email.

How much technology improves productivity depends on the business BUT what it does do is provide greater communication capability, information access, communications and transparency.

In many ways email is like having a digital recording of every conversation.

BUT today – the majority of building plans are still printed out on paper AND as a result what is finally built is nearly always different from the original plans.

There are many reasons why – what the architect designs or specifies initially may be impossible/ impractical to build on site; the client changes brief; wrong version of plans and so on.

So what happens is variation upon variation information is lost on bits of paper down the sequential project information line.

Business Best Practice

A rapidly increasing number of companies are moving their business applications to the cloud (integrated web).

As you may know in a Google Apps spreadsheet – multiple people can work simultaneously on a document.

From a construction perspective what you want is a single audible building plan “truth”.
Version allows the ability to easy see what was changed by whom

Leading International design and construction firms are already using Web-based project collaboration across product development including online collaborative 3D design software integrated with their supply chain partners and customers.

That is customers, designers, engineers and suppliers etc all working together in a rich multimedia collaborative environment.

This information then allows for easier asset management through the complete Building Life-cycle – from construction to build, asset mangement to final demolition.

From a finance perspective – risk is dramatically reduced.

$46B investment fades into insignificance given the overall productivity savings across 100 years of typical buildings.

Two events.

It's said a picture tells a thousand words.

The Libs launched their Broadband Policy (I think that's what they're calling it) causing a big buzz on Twitter.  Out of interest I've been tracking the impact of the NBN as an election issue.

The other was the launch of a video we produced for the Sport Fantastic Conference which talked about Digital Media Strategy .

There's a lot Australian politicians can learn from Sports Fan Engagement

Isn't it a delight when you get great service? or equally the opposite - disappointment when it's bad!

What's your best and worst customer experience this week?

It's the old happy customer tells three - the unhappy customer tells ten.

Today via the web we instantly share our comments and feedback; we rate; we rank; we compare.

Businesses such as Vivo cafe in the city have embraced social media such as Twitter; Facebook and Foursquare (Vivo Cafe Swarm Tuesday)  - they're listening, responding and engaging - even FREE WiFi (amazed how many businesses don't get this!).  

Sadly others aren't.

Today I'm having coffee at a local coffee shop; I'm deep in work mode working on my laptop; "Can you move or are you leaving now? interrupts the owner- "your table was reserved", I look up - there's a lady and her girlfriend hovering near my table.   There was no reserved card on the table or mention when I sat down over 30 minutes ago, ordered my breakfast and coffees!  It doesn't matter, I get up, pay my money and leave - not to return.  I was an average $50-$75 a week customer - gone.

While walking home I tweet my experience - wondering if I'm wrong?

I'm the customer - the centre of the new business engagement process - tell me the benefit of having to move?

My Facebook feed of the tweet creates a small buzz.

Bruno, our guitarist in our band and guitar store owner suggests "I can understand their view, but it's in the way they ask to move (not leave), and a freebie would likely help."

Absolutely and if they'd suggested that I would have been a happier customer again and then politely refused the offer.

Good mate Mahei highlights "residual $60/wk versus a one off transaction ....hmmm, this is why knowing your customers is important. Knowing your customers names and historical conversations puts you ahead of the game."

Geoff Olds, CEO of web development company Techflare had a similar experience last night "...had a company dinner which cost $3,000. We were meant to have a closed room but were horrified when we found out they stuck in with 2 other companies all around us. One of them turned out to be my most hated logistics company.... I patronised this place over the years but now no more".

We all get narky when that customer trust is abused.  Today you, me, we, have a voice.

At a recent conference on online retailing there was much talk of customer engagement and the customer feedback data now being captured around Twitter and Foursquare.  Those single voices a chorus.

Businesses, Governments etc take note - service your customers and you'll be rewarded.

Have a story to tell?

What's your best or worst customer experience this week?

The importance of online customer engagement

Over the last two weeks I have attended the Australian Online Retailing conference - about 2,500 delegates; an International Sports Marketing Conference - about 250 delegates and last Thursday, a breakfast with Internet Chef and Electrolux Ambassador Bridget Davis (the relevance of this explained later). The retailing conference was, as you can guess, about Online Retailing but interestingly there was equally as much conversation about pure plays (just online) as multichannel (both online and offline).

The sports conference was about Fan Engagement and Digital Strategy.Leading international speakers from Real Madrid Football Club; the US and the UK

Changing Media Models

In both conference cases Australia was 3-5 years behind the US and Europe where there has been a massive shift from the old mass media one way push to a multi-channel integrated bi-directional "push-pull" customer (fan) conversation. The result, advertising dollars moving to online (mostly at the expense of print) with a focus in those channels where their customers are – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc

You can’t ignore - we're already connected.

In ALL cases a seismic shift in corporate culture towards customer centric business engagement or FACE (Focus Attention on Customer Experience).

The facts are it's now not tomorrow - nearly all of us are ALREADY connected (just a different degrees). Today via the Internet and Social Media there is a 1:1 connection between creator and consumer – inefficient or non productive layers between are being disintermediated – old hierarchical business models are being challenged across all industries.

There are over 500m people on Facebook alone.

Flamers, Sneezers, Stranger and Fans

Online there are Flamers (put down your brand) and Sneezers (spread the good news) - there are also Strangers to Top Fans.
At the Online Retailing conference, Russell Harte, Head of Business Development and Delivery, Boots.com in the UK – (2,500 stores) talked about the organisations "zero complaints policy!"

In Boots case, the end result, they have a "zero complaints policy!". Now anyone who has ever been in business of any type knows that's 100% customer satisfaction is near impossible to achieve BUT you can respond and explain your position AND attempt to resolve the complaint (to their satisfaction).

People are already talking about your products and service.

You can’t control the communication but you can influence it.

Any business, saying "I didn't know" is not an excuse.

Examples: Wendell and Virgin Blue; Amazon GLBT hack; The Gap

The bonus is - if you get it right, then those digitally connected customer will rave.

Which leads me back to Bridget.

A breakfast degustación in Tetsuya's Masterclass kitchen at Electrolux HQ with Internet Chef and Electrolux brand ambassador Bridget Davis www.theinternetchef.biz and Twitter royalty Mahei (Iconic88) twitter.com/iconic88

I have to say one of the most pleasurable experiences I've ever had - love the entire concept. From a business marketing perspective we talk about customer engagement and creating unique experiences that WOW - events that resonate with your audience and compell to share.

LOVE IT!

As Mahei says - it is no longer WIIFM (What's In It For Me?) that matters BUT WRWM - (What Resonates With Me..my friends, family, community...).