7 weeks + 3216 oz of Diet Pepsi

Unusual title, right?  I'll get to that in a moment......

There are numerous things to do to bring a marketing automation system online - there are setup decisions, building (or re-building) asset fulfillment, building numerous smart campaigns to run behavioral scoring models, etc.

For most small(er) businesses, setting up a MA system can be relatively painless.  Your Salesforce.com environment is without a lot of customization, you have less records to account for, and your sales teams are pretty straight forward (one lead owner, one product line, one lead routing plan, etc).

My plan is to share our trials & errors, funny stories, lessons learned, and best practices to setup a highly unique, highly customized Marketing Automation system for an Enterprise sized deployment connected to a highly customized, highly unique Salesforce.com environment.  Hopefully, others can learn from our adventures!   And as for the title of this blog installment?

My UK colleague came to Detroit to "build" the Marketing Automation system on September 10th - and we joked about how many Diet Pepsis it was going to take for us to bring the system operational in 7 weeks (our "Go-Live" date).

So at the conclusion of our build/setup over the 7 weeks, I snapped pictures of my growing Diet Pepsi soldiers that contributed to my contribution to helping take the system "Live".

Here is the "final"* picture of the soldiers that I collected over the 7 weeks:

All in all, I consumed 3216 ounces of Diet Pepsi.

Not that I'm recommending this approach - but this is the first part of telling our journey.  It takes a lot of patience, a lot of note taking, a lot of test/re-testing - and in my case - a lot of Diet Pepsi.

Hopefully, you'll find some nuggets of wisdom that you can take away toward your Marketing Automation project.  If nothing else, you'll read some funny tidbits about our adventure.

Until the next installment!
B

*I know that I missed some of the soldiers that went missing - so the final number is much higher.

Forcing motorists to drive the right way.....

So I lived in Boston for a long time - and driving in Boston requires a certain ability to navigate tight spaces, traffic that won't grant you a pass, and the need to know how to parallel park.

Upon moving back to MI, I have been disappointed by the fact that the Michigan population has somehow lost their ability to drive.

If I had better insurance, I would use the Kathy Bates/Insurance line from "Fried Green Tomatoes."

TOWANDA!!!!

That said, I will do my best to use my car horn and my evil look to combat:

• Not signalling when you decide to merge into my lane.
• Driving 40MPH in a 45MPH zone - in the left lane.
• Drifting over the lane markers as you text your girl/boy friend.
• Staying in the left lane for miles (under the speed limit BTW) until you make a radical shift (without blinker) to the far right lane.
• Slowing down to 0 MPH to go over train tracks.
• Parking your mega-SUV across parking spots simply because you can't aim straight.
• Knowing how to dodge pedestrians - and when they are in the right and when you are (as a driver).

Might seem irrelevant on this blog - but NerdGirls know how to drive. :)

On corporate letterhead...

How proud am I that I'm published on "official" letterhead?

http://application-performance-blog.com/end-user-experience-and-50-shades-of-grey/

Blending my insane reading ability with my fascinating work life is the inspiration of this post.

Update: Social Media Can Force Better Customer Service

A few posts ago, I blogged about a horrendous customer service experience with a cable provider.

I had numerous folks reach out to me to share their grievances - and more importantly, I had a Twitter user from the cable company reach out to me to help correct the issue.

Within 24 hrs, after two direct messages on Twitter, my problem was resolved.

I finally felt vindicated.

However, in the afterglow of resolving the solution, I took a moment to reflect.

It took one semi-heated rant posted to a service like Twitter to get the Office of the President to address my issue.  Is Twitter the FINAL or the FIRST step that you need to take to get better customer service?

Isn't the true first step to have an employee-empowered customer service org to deal with lowly customers like me?

If your customer front line is not empowered or educated to handle situations like mine - what is the point of them?

Customer Data 911

How do you quantify bad data?

I remember an instance some years ago that my Chief Strategy Officer walked into a meeting with a current customer to schmooze them (they had an active deal on the table).  He was briefed by his team using SFDC information on the customer on what products they owned, when their maintenance was to renew, etc.

He walked out, 30 minutes later, with egg on his face.

The data was wrong.  From the "main" CRM system.

Needless to say, after that meeting, he championed a major initiative to correct - and course-correct - the data, how it was captured, who was held accountable, when it was put in the system, and what data was mandated.

The project, which involved upwards of 100 people and at least 10 different groups (Marketing, Sales, Customer Support, IT, Finance), took over a year to officially fix.  It changed behaviors, it changed processes, it changed the company.

How did it change the behaviors? Everyone became responsible for accurate data. If there was an inaccurate forecast or field sales plan, Sales earned the black-eye.  If the data showed an out of date product in its record, Finance was held to the fire (due to their ownership of the pricebook).  If customer issues were not properly catalogued (or dealt with), Customer Support had to answer for it.

Why do I bring up this project?

Data is often treated like a 2nd class citizen in organizations - and the reality is that is can cause a major loss of revenue for a company.  There are numerous research studies that show it costs a company less money to sell to a current customer, to retain a current customer - and that customers provide a huge value in terms of referrals.  To land a net-new customer, it will typically cost 6-10x more than to cross/up sell a current customer.

So in terms of trying to quantify the cost (or value) or accurate customer data, think in terms of revenue.

• How much did it save you to sell back to your current customer? 
• How much did it cost you to lose that customer and then win them back?  

Imagine your C-suite blundering a critical deal meeting - not only think of the current deal on the table - but in the long-term viability of that customer in terms of revenue.

That is not a pretty scenario.......

Customer Service Failure

Normally, I blog about being a better marketer.

Today, I am blogging about a being a better customer service organization.

I have moved a lot in 15 years.  First to a dorm room, then to a group apartment, then countries, and finally back home to my hometown after a long-hiatus.

I have navigated submitting crazy tax returns, dealing with lease issues, learning new cities, and broken lamps from shodding movers.  After each time, I have learned to do my due diligence and (hopefully) avoid the same mistakes from being in my way again.

Most times that I have run into problems (like said broken lamp), I have received basic, good, great, and in some unusual cases, exceptional customer service to correct the issue.  As I would prefer to focus on un-packing and getting settled in to my new place, I sincerely appreciate that level of customer service.

The short story is that I moved from Boston to Detroit in April of this year - and prior to my departure, I checked to see if my cable equipment and modem would work in my new location if I took it with me.  I was told yes (twice) by an online chat customer service team.  Upon arrival in Detroit, I went to start my new account - and was told that was false.  I was told that upon installation of the new equipment that my old equipment would be collected and sent back to the Boston office via internal shipping methods.

One month later, I received a bill for un-returned equipment from the Boston office.  And that is when my quest began.  

I first called the customer care phone operators. No resolution.

I visited the local office and started a supervisor escalation ticket.  No resolution.

I called the customer care phone operators back again. No resolution.

I called the customer care phone operators back again (3rd time). No resolution.

I issue tickets to each local online customer care operators. 

Each of the online customer care operators told me that I needed to go into the local office to resolve the issue.

I have now submitted my next communication to both online customer care groups to try to resolve this issue.

Keep in mind, I moved in April 2011.

Today is October 11, 2011.

Six months without a resolution is not customer service.  Not even basic.

Shame on you.

-brigid

Actual email that I just sent (company name redacted) below.

I have now received another bill for this issue that is still outstanding (since April). The problem started in Boston but has the Detroit office involved so I have put both of your emails into one so that you can figure that out. I have issues online tickets to both the Boston and Detroit Comcast customer care groups and as your teams seem unable to resolve this, I request that this issue be escalated to a team above you.

I have told both Ecare teams, the team in-person at the Dearborn MI location, and numerous customer care phone operators what the issue is, how it started, my attempts to fix it - and despite repeated, long-winded attempts, I have not had this issue resolved.  

This is absolutely ridiculous - and I demand that my account issue be addressed and have the equipment charges be removed and my credit issued to me for over payment on my Boston account.  

To recap: The equipment was returned to the Detroit team after the online chat people gave me incorrect instructions that my machines would work at my new address. I was then incorrectly informed that the Detroit team would send it back to the New England team.  The New England team repeatedly claims that they can't resolve the issue without the Detroit team sending the equipment.  For both parties:  I don't have a receipt of the equipment being picked up - any and all paperwork that I received with my new installation went into the trash after the appointment as I (incorrectly) assumed that Comcast knew how to serve its customers across state boundaries.  I had Comcast for years in Boston and now in Detroit - and this is unbelievable that your teams have not resolved this issue since April 2011.  

I have included below as many details as I can, including the my original submission that I sent via e-form to both of the support teams.

The Parasitic Generation

 I wish that I could do what Gibbs likes to do on NCIS

I have to restrain myself from hurtling silverware at some "kids" when I overhear what they are saying during my Saturday brunches at the local diner close to my alma mater.

You may wonder what is the cause for such desired bodily harm.  It stems from the snippets of vapid discussion that I hear routinely from members of people who are in the 14-24 age range.  Basically, the generation right behind mine.

In a single summary statement, the root of my intense displeasure is this: "I Know Everything, I Want Everything, and I Deserve Everything." That is what we've allowed for our kids today to understand, nay expect, as the normal course to live their lives by.

At some point, kids become adults (at least in the eyes of the law and the military systems). These kids enter the workforce. They become people on your teams or in some cases, your bosses.  They vote on issues that affect you.  They are now, theoritically, contributing members to a collective sociological ecosystem that everyone is a part of.

So what happens when a society turns out, year after year, a group that shouts "I Know Everything, I Want Everything, and I Deserve Everything"?

To figure out a solution, let's break down their manta into three parts:

I KNOW EVERYTHING
I adore bright people - and the world is filled with some amazing minds.  There are few polymaths within a society at any given time - and that is OK.  Instead of encouraging kids to standout in what they are good at, we've allowed mediocrity to force a machine assembly like quality to our education system.  For an interesting perspective on encouraging kids to become entrepreneurs, watch this TED talk by Cameron Herold.

These are ways that we are allowing the "I Know Everything" poison to flourish:

• Schools* that are not allowed to "fail" a student or give grades under a certain range.  
• Parents that lavish praise on their kids for doing what kids should do - homework.  
• Parents who DO the homework for the kids.  
• Authorizing books in our school that tell only one part of the story in history. 
• Not interacting with kids (of all ages) on life's lessons - especially some of the hard ones. 
• Not finding the balance between knowing what is going on now versus how did we get here in the first place. 

If the thirst for knowledge is not encouraged, we're just rubberstamping our kids through matriculation.

*Want to be clear that I am not hating on teachers - they have a thankless job that is often underfunded and under-appreciated.  Schools are shaped by parents, administrators, and government rules.

I WANT EVERYTHING
Let's take a look at some of our recent economic issues: I want a Fendi purse, I want a 7000sq ft home, I want a pimped out Bentley.  But I make $35k per year.  NO PROBLEM!  We'll extend you credit via credit cards, mortgages, and other ways.  We all know how some of that turned out.

Or a look at our Mother Nature issues: glaciers melting at an alarming rate in Antartica, greenhouse gases, city air rates off the charts in some cities - all because of the "I Want" factor.  "I Want" is often code for "I am too lazy to take that next step" - recycling, reusing, and repurposing.

Or have a look at our cultural society guideposts for kids via MTV: 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, Teen Mom 2, Jersey Shore.  These shows feature kids with a "want everything" mentality and they get great results from it: book and endorsement deals, $280k for being a knocked-up teenager, and Dancing with the Stars gigs. It is rewarding people for bad behavior, bad decisions, and having very little to deal with in terms of real-life consequences.  If the cameras were not rolling, the "wanting everything" would get them food stamps, jail time, and unemployment.

The difference that needs to be taught and shown to kids is "I Need" - which is worlds apart from "I Want".

I DESERVE EVERYTHING
In my time as a team manager, this is one that truly gets under my skin.  Maybe it is due in part to what I was taught from an early age - that you earned stuff: you earned a grade, you earned a spot on a Varsity team, you earned a paycheck, you earned recognition in your field because of great work, you earned respect from colleagues.  Earning typically means that you worked damn hard on something - a goal, a grade, a project, etc.

However, due to "I Know Everything" and "I Want Everything", there is this massive assumption that is floating around in kids' heads that reads "I Deserve Everything".  I've had employees tell me that they deserve a promotion or a raise - and my comment would be "Describe to me how you have earned it".  I have been unemployed - and trust me, I never walked in thinking that "I deserved" consideration....I did my best to work my ass off for consideration.  The origin of the term "deserve" is "to devote oneself to the service of" - but we've lost along the way the aspect of that and deserve now means entitled.

A great book that every kid should be made to read is "Life is not fair--and everything else they forgot to teach you in school" by Bill Bernard.  They should read it at age 5, 10, 15, 18, 22, and probably for good measure, read it again at age 35.  Some lessons in life need a refresher course every so often.  I plan to read it again at 35 - and I sure wish that I had read it at those milestones I listed a lot earlier.

In my opening paragraph, I mention that I hear this mantra typically from 14-24 year olds.  The scary thing is that it is more likely 4-44 year olds.  Stopping and reversing this trend should be a priority for all of us.

So what happens when a society turns out, year after year, a group that shouts "I know everything, I want everything, and I deserve everything"?  If you still don't think that we need to reverse this trend of "I Know Everything, I Want Everything, I Deserve Everything" -  go look up the definition of "parasite".