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Thursday, October 27, 2005Yum! Love those blogs!Forbes has apparently done a story treating blogs as the second coming of the Anti-Christ. And here I thought they had an intelligent and thoughtful mag. They clearly didn't think this one through. The fella who wrote the Forbes piece will probably feel justified; blogland is tearing him limb for limb. But I'm going to do better than Forbes when it comes to helping you figure out how to deal with blogs. Ready? Treat your customers and your people right. There's your article. The blogosphere isn't a problem if you're as sure in your gut as you are in your legal department that you're the good guy. One of the few places where Wendy's found a few safe harbors during the finger mess was in a blogworld where many withheld judgment and, suspecting fraud way ahead of the media, even suggested patronizing the firm to help out. Tonight, I'm going to illustrate two ways the world of blogs can treat your company: Yum? As ifI tried to order a Pizza Hut pizza today. I work in Campbell, CA, and the boss suggested we order pizza since we were working through lunch. I called a Pizza Hut that, if you're halfway fit, is within walking distance. I started to place my order. The person on the phone said, "Driver's gone, sorry, try another one." Well, actually, I'm not sure she said "sorry," but it's the least she could have said. She didn't go out of her way to make me root for her establishment to do better. (Did I mention that it's a Pizza Hut Express? - no seating, just delivery and pickup) I called a second Pizza Hut. I was told, "Call the one on Bascom, we don't deliver out there." Yahoo maps said it was 1.8 miles from our location. Did I have a Yum experience? No, I had Round Table pizza. It was pretty good, too. Next time, I'll just order from them. But... YUM = You Understand Me - And they really do!I went into the local Taco Bell tonight, as is my wont. I like to go there because they greet me by name, remember that I can't have cheese and make the extra effort to make sure that with good food I also get a more upbeat attitude. Reading Ken Blanchard's Customer Mania, you keep getting the question about getting the positive changes through the roof and into the teams that actually serve. At the Los Gatos Taco Bell/KFC, they seem to have it figured out. Every time I'm in there, I wonder if I could really stand out that much that they remember me so well. But every time I'm in there, there are at least two or three other customers they know just as well. The funny thing is that the little touches add up to real money. I go there three or four times a week, just because it's a great place to drop by. And I usually buy a soda, something I rarely do elsewhere, just because the friendly people suggested it and how could I say "no"? In an age where people no longer can stomach snooty waiters, nor maintain their appetite if their fine cuisine comes with an oversized helping of reservation hassles, long waits and overpriced menus, could YUM really be the new fine dining? That might be a stretch, but if YUM can keep making Champs of its employees the way they've changed their management culture, the organization will be hard put not to become the dining option of choice for those in a hurry, on the go or just in the mood for a simple meal pleasantly presented. --- Admittedly, Article 1 - Pizza Hut - is much more common than Article 2. But it's justified. Blogging about it, even spearheading a blogswarm about it, can only damage the organization if the typical reader is nodding. The wild thing about the blogosphere is that a really nasty article might just bring an unsolicited defense like the paean in article 2. Ultimately, lots of voices come together and fans and foes fight it out until one or two viewpoints emerge, bringing balance to the question but favoring the viewpoint most widely represented among those who are considered to be credible commentators on the matter. Bottom line: If you're afraid of blogs, you're really afraid that your old customers will ruin your prospect with your new suckers. If you're not confident that the blogworld will sort things out in your favor, the fault lies not in blogs but in the way you run and feel about your company. 
posted by gbarto at 10:46 PM |
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