Making Web Sites Work

I Found the End of the Rainbow in, Oklahoma(?)

I know most folks associate Kansas with the song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but I think the other end must be in Oklahoma. I recently returned from a very successful presentation titled, Social Networking, Myth or Moneymaker? which I presenting in Tulsa to the Oklahoma chapter of the National Speakers Association.

What made it successful? I can tell you in two words, Hospitality - Professionalism.

The chapter leadership team really piled on the VIP treatment for my visit. From the moment Programming chair Shari Alexander invited me to visit until President John Storm made sure I got on the right plane headed home everyone made me feel like I was a rock star. Shari Twittered my arrival to her Tweps as I stepped off the plane. The team invited me to join them for dinner. Dick Alexander had no problem creating my very special room setup. They even "procured" a huge balloon arch from a nearby event to lend a festive flair. At every point the went out of their way to make me feel at home. (Click the photo above to get the full effect.)

I always arrive an hour early to my sessions to ensure a smooth setup. I was shocked to see the entire leadership team in place when I arrived. The biggest challenge for this event was the room change. Apparently the social networking topic was so popular the session was moved from a small salon to a section of the main ballroom. The move was swift, invisible and accomplished without drama.

The hospitality extended beyond the leadership team. NSA member Christine credited her pal and visitor Scott for helping her make social networking work. Network marketing expert Michael Butler, Sr shared valuable tips gained from his use of social network marketing. Monique inspired the session attendees with her use of Twitter to "break the fourth wall". During an interactive activity, she called on her social network to answer the question, "How do you use social networking in your business?"

It was a cold day in Tulsa, but the warmth of the folks I met that day made my visit, "Just Another Day in Paradise". I'm grateful to the leaders, members and visitors for helping me find gold at the end of the rainbow. Thanks for making my session a success!

Is this the End of Customer Service?

As reported yesterday by Joshua Freed, AP Airlines Writer, United Airlines "told workers on Tuesday that it would stop publishing its customer relations phone number, which will be turned off altogether at the end of April." United Airlines spokesperson, Robin Urbanski said "the Chicago-based airline is able to respond better to customers who write, since they often include more detail, making it possible to provide a more specific response." That may be true, but would it be a timely response?

Talk about flying the unfriendly skys, so much for High Tech, High Touch.

I believe United Airlines has defined access to a live human voice to be a premium service. At a time where Internet technology is focused on interactivity and user engagement, United has chosen to send customer service to the discount rack. It will surely reduce expenses, but can they afford the price?

When it comes to making technology work, there are two kinds of organizations, those who view the Internet as a tool, and those who see it as a weapon. The tool people use technology to provide infinite channels of communication. They use it to create a dialog on the customers turf, whichever channel they choose to use. The second group use technology as a weapon to hijack the customer experience.

I suspect the new system will use a support ticket architecture. Customers will submit a complaint ticket, receive confirmation via email then await a response. The challenge with this type of system is the initial response will either miss the mark prompting a follow up to clarify or request additional information. By phone this is handled by a simple question and immediate answer, by email this process often drags on for days.

I believe United Airlines is betting this arms length approach will provide a built-in cooling off period. I suspect customers who already come to this process at a low boil will quickly blow their stack. Once customers perceive United Airlines has turned a deaf ear to their concerns, they will turn to alternate sites like Untied.com in an attempt to air their grievance.

I believe technology can be used to create an effective customer service experience, but using technology to deflect or ignore is not the answer. What's your opinion? I invite you to post a comment to share your ideas or positive examples of customer service technology. I doubt United Airlines will be listening, but maybe we can use the power of the Internet as a tool to solve the problem ourselves.

Art of the Invisible - Learning how to "Talk Tech"

I admire Senator John McCain's candor and straight talk during his Congressional career, but answering the question, "Mac or PC?" with "Neither, I'm an illiterate who has to rely on my wife." does not instill confidence. The only thing worse than a lack of expertise with technology is revealing the fact in public. McCain seemed even proud of his lack of technical expertise.

McCain policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin didn't help matters when he attempted to bolster the Senators work on the Commerce Committee by waving his Blackberry in front of reporters and stating "You're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create." Instead of reinforcing the Senator's legislative record, the press turned the incident into a joke, "John McCain Invents Blackberry."

I'm sure the Obama campaign had some tech flubs, but I couldn't find any. I believe it's because they understand the first rule of talking tech:

    The Best Technology is Invisible

This rule was not written to prevent folks from speaking about issues they know nothing about. It exists because no one really cares about your technology. Anyone can buy technology, only great organizations know how to make technology work. Can you imagine hiring a consultant who hands you a business card and mentions they just launched a website?

The possession of technology expertise is no longer impressive, it's expected. President-elect Obama spoke only once about technology. It happened near the end of the campaign in the middle of the night.

How to Talk Tech

Focus on Content, not Gizmos - Start by reviewing your marketing and client communications. Do you talk about the tools you use or about the solutions you deliver? Instead of announcing the launch of your new website, invite clients and prospects to view content you just published. 

Don't Promise, Deliver- Technology acquisition is often powered by marketing hype instead of proven results. Don't be surprised if your prospects are cynical to your new website or technology announcement. User benefits beat the coolness factor every time.

Profess Interest, not Illiteracy - If you are unfamiliar with specific technology, keep you mouth shut. Senator McCain spoke volumes on June 9, 2008 when he described his process for finding a VP as, "Well, basically, it’s a Google."  Instead of revealing a competitive disadvantage, cultivate an interest in innovation with questions like, "How are you using Twitter to communicate with your associates?"

Senator McCain's staff and volunteers were a big help to the campaign, but as the results of this election demonstrate, both political and business leaders can no longer delegate responsibility for understanding this powerful weapon known as Technology.

How do you talk tech? Post a comment below to share how you promote your organizations use of technology.

The election results are in, and the winner is... Technology?

From a purely political perspective, November 5, 2008 dawned with winners and losers in the United States Presidential election. But no matter which side you ended up on, let me offer my congratulations. As a business owner you stand to gain the most from the technology used during this historic quadrennial contest. It was definitely not your fathers presidential campaign.

Over the next two weeks I'll publish a series of posts outlining just how each of the major candidates used (or abused) the power of technology to secure your vote. You will learn everything from how they made decisions on hardware and software purchases, which communication channels they used, and even how effective they were when it came to "talking tech".

We will take a behind the scenes look at how they leveraged technology to identify likely voters (generate leads), shared their messages (market to prospects), conducted fundraising (generate sales), and built a loyal base of supporters (building customer relationships). Topics include:

• Art of the Invisible - Learning how to "Talk Tech"
• Choose Your Weapon - Never Bring a Knife to a Gunfight
• How John McCain invented the Blackberry
• Continuous Fundraising - Inch by Inch, Life's a Cinch
• The Bridge to Everywhere - 1. Gather Data, 2. Connect the Dots

I hope you'll find the series of value. Who knows, you might be able to use these tips to get ready for 2012.

First in the Series - Art of the Invisible

 

"Not Ready for Prime time" Webinars - How to Avert a Virtual Disaster

I was sure it would be a great webinar on the topic on getting the most out of LinkedIn.
It was sponsored by a well-known marketing group, led by an accomplished online training organization, and delivered by proven webinar provider.

It was a virtual disaster.

Because I'm a serial procrastinator I not only registered late by arrived a few minutes into the session. I was relieved when the webinar software downloaded smoothly and the slides appeared with the session leader's mouse making lazy circles around the slide. My heart rate started climbing when I realized I had no sound. Zero, zip, nothing. I tried all my tech support tricks. Down on my hands and knees checking cables, headset, no headset, still nothing.

I raised my virtual hand in the chat room, but no one called on me. I called webinar tech support and after a 15 minute hold, learned the tech could not contact the session leader to troubleshoot the problem. Finally, 54 minutes into the session the sound boomed out of my headset (Fortunately I'd already abandoned them).

What was the cause of all this stress and missing opportunity? It was blamed on a "technical glitch", but in truth it was "operator error". I learned the truth when the support tech asked me to use the chat window to signal the session host to press a magical keyboard sequence that would unlock the sound.

Averting a Webinar Disaster
Technology took the brunt of the blame for this disaster, but it was the people and organizations involved who will bear the scars of this failed presentation. If hosting an online presentation is in your future, here are some tips for not just recovering from, but avoiding an online disaster:

Dress Rehearsal - Disaster teams have drills, lawyers conduct mock trials, and presenters rehearse. Make sure you conduct a live rehearsal with a real audience (event if it's friends or family). Have someone record the output for your personal review.

Line Monitor - Back in my days as an intern at channel 10 I learned that all TV control rooms have a monitor hooked up to the transmitter. It's the only sure way to know the signal is getting through. Setup a separate computer and log into the session as an attendee to answer the question, "Can You hear me now?"

Allow for Latency - When you click to the next slide there is a time delay before it appears on the attendees screen. This is known as latency. Build in an allowance and keep an eye on the line monitor to confirm when to proceed with your narration.

Have a Plan B - Use the session recording function offered by the Webinar provider to create an "On-Demand Webcast". You not only gain a profitable product, you'll has something to offer your attendees in case of a less than optimal live performance.
Take this one step further and record your rehearsal (a tip I learned from Richard Hadden of ContentedCows.com). You will gain valuable feedback before the live event, plus you'll have a quality recording "In-the-can" to fill in any rough spots from the live presentation.

The thought of all of those attendees down on their hands and knees checking cables during the session haunts me still. No matter how sophisticated technology becomes, when it comes to live performance there are no "Do-overs". Plan for a dress rehearsal, use a line monitor and always have a backup plan!

Surviving Tech Gift Madness

Most of you have heard my business technology mantra "Tasks Over Tools". With holiday gifts to buy and end of year budgets to spend, it's a good time for some practical tips for surviving tech gift madness.

Here in the south and especially in Florida we fry our Thanksgiving turkey. Being born in the south (Southern California that is) it was my duty to prepare this southern delicacy. It went off without a hitch, mostly because I have the right tools (plus I read the manual). If a tech tool purchase is in your future, here's some timely tips to make sure you don't burn the house down.

Gifts for Others

Will they use it? Even large organizations buy tech because it's "cool", or because "everyone else is doing it". Before laying down your credit card, think about how the recipient will use the item.

Gifts for Yourself

Price is important, but don't overlook the other part of your investment, the time and effort it takes to learn new technology. Also, before you buy a new gadget, clean out that drawer full of abandoned junk you collected this year. Check with your supplier about their cell phone recycling program.

Gifts for Your Business

As you shop for your end of year tech upgrades you're going to hear all kind of claims and acronyms from tech associates. The only acronym that matters is ROI. Define the task before you choose the tool. Before you commit, get the answers to these important questions:

1. How will this investment help me connect with qualified prospects?
2. How will this investment help me build a better relationship with my loyal clients.

In business, like in turkey frying, it's important to keep your wits about you. Here's wishing you the happest of holidays, and a prosperous New Year!

Video Gallery - Turkey Frying

• The Right Way - Cooking With Jerry
• The Wrong Way - Turkey Fryer Gone Wrong

Marty’s 25 Holiday Gift Guide Picks

Mentioned in Brian Livingston's Executive Tech column is a is an Executive Geek Gift Guide.

Here's a great list

How was your Thanksgiving (add your comment below).

The Never-Ending Service Contract

Why is it that contracting for web services is easy on the front-end and impossible on the back-end? Each fall I get together with AITcom.net to do battle with their billing department. Three years ago I setup a Reseller Hosting account to determine if their service and support would meet my needs.

I determined their control panel interface required more effort to learn and use on a daily basis. I decided to discontinue my evaluation and close the account. It wasn't that they had a bad product, just one that didn't meet my needs.

That's when I learned there are two types of web services businesses, those who define the Internet as a business tool, and those who believe the Internet should be used as a business weapon. 

There appears to be a trend in Web Services to create as many obstacles as possible to closing an account. Requiring users to visit multiple pages and submit detailed requests via email or in writing.  Some operations even require a phone debriefing before they will close your account.

If your business model includes contracting for web services, consider adding these items to your vendor checklist:

• Digital Pre-Nup - Require the vendor to outline what happens if the relationship doesn't work (like, who gets to keep the wedding gifts).
• Attempt to document their exit policy (just how many hoops do you have to jump through).
• Read their Terms of Service and other notices to determine cancellation policies and content ownership. The big print giveth and the small print taketh away. I copy/paste the agreement into a text editor, then print it out to make it easier to read and comprehend.
• Consider using their termination policy as part of your vendor selection critiera. Business ethics are systemic, you either have them or you don't.

If you must say goodbye, I recommend documenting each step. Print web pages forms you submit. Document the date, time and details of phone calls, faxes and letters. You'll need to give this info to your bank if you get billed after you close the account.

Companies who use predatory business practices still believe the web is vaporware. Their mindset seems to be "I got mine, screw you!".

What do you think?
If you're a vendor, I invite you to share your point of view.
If you are a web professional or business owner, share with us the tips and policies you use to find and work with quality web services companies. I believe there are plenty of responsible, ethical organizations that understand the Internet is a tool to help you connect with people and build better business relationships.

If you like, I can start a Hall of Fame or a Hall of Shame. Let me know your thoughts.