There is a constant conversation taking place between marketers, strategists, creatives, and brands about the differences between branding for B2B and branding for B2C. There is the debate about color palette. (When in doubt, go blue!) What colors feel safe? What tone feels “business-y”? Is it okay to be serious and be clever?

To us, the truth lies in answering a question different from whether you’re a B2B company or a B2C company, but rather one that focuses on the individuals comprising the Bs and the Cs. Chris has often been heard remarking about the “magic consumer transition” that we sometimes believe takes place while commuting from home to work. The underlying consideration there is whether we truly do think that a CEO thinks or responds differently to words and visuals whether he’s behind a mahogany desk or taking a call from his (or her) deck on a sunny Saturday.

Focus for a moment on social media and the effect it’s had on the formality of our communication. There are no longer ivory towers or hallowed halls, and the businesses who continue to subscribe to this method of engagement (or lack of) are quickly losing share. As people we value warmth and competency as much in our business interactions as we do in our more colloquial, consumer lives. You may be drawn to the stability of specific bank, insurance company, or institution, but your experience is determined by the individuals you encounter within that organization, whether it be a teller, mortgage broker, financial planner, teacher, professor, or administrator. Individually they may present as buttoned-up business people, but behind the pleats and tweeds they are human beings who have a significant impact on the image and engagement of a brand.

Increasingly, we find that consumer loyalty and advocacy is built upon the relationships to individuals within an organization. Restaurants provide good food and a charming ambiance, but it’s the chef who stops by or the bar tender who chats with you while you wait for your dinner date who create that experience. There is no aspect of big M marketing that isn’t influenced by the blurred line between B and C. The way you position, message, and iterate product should focus on the one thing we all share: being human. Creating value for customers– both in communication and product– hinges upon understanding human nature above the nature of business.

There is no debate as to whether the rules are more stringent when you cross into B2B, but it has less to do with how people make decisions and more to do with red tape and legal constraints. The brand emerges when you find the humanity within your audience and then craft a story that appeals to them and passes the “business appropriate” test. It’s then the job of the organization to empower employees to embrace this balance and create experiences that are at once true to the brand and relevant to the customer.

Anecdotally, I live around the corner from one of the finest hotel chains in the world, the Taj. The brand stands for luxury and unparalleled experience. And while for guests this manifests in exquisite amenities and superb customer service, it’s adapted to meet the needs of the friends and neighbors of the hotel, as well. There’s no caviar offered as I pass by, but on a rainy day the staff is always ready with an umbrella, or a bottle of water when I jog by after working out. And this morning, after trying fruitlessly to hail a cab, it was a ride to work in their car service. So while I may not have the opportunity to lay my head upon those delightful pillows, or experience the luxury of tubs the size of my apartment, the luxury is tailored for me by a staff who knows my life and does everything they can to make it that much more luxurious.

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Delivering on your brand promise at every point of contact (EPOC) is something we preach at Holland-Mark. It’s not enough to create clever marketing campaigns or design brilliant product packaging . . . a brand must deliver a truly remarkable experience with each and every customer or prospect interaction. We all know this but I fear we underestimate just how imperative it is.

Case in point, on Saturday I tried to return a Nintendo Wii game I had bought – in December ’09 – for my seven-year-old son. It never worked properly so it sat on a shelf and we forgot about it. I trekked to Best Buy with the unrealistic hope that they would exchange it – kind of unrealistic, but, honestly, it had been used a couple times, not worked, and been set aside. Not surprisingly, the customer service representative at the Best Buy counter said there was nothing he could do.

Ten minutes later we were at the GameStop counter down the street. I told the same story I told at Best Buy, making sure the GameStop folks understood that we had not purchased the game from them. The GameStop employee said he could take it on trade – they actually take trades of damaged games. As my son and I were contemplating this offer, the GameStop manager swooped in with another copy of the exact same game.

“We have a used copy here” she said. “You can have it.” Wow.

Guess what my seven-year-old said?

“GameStop is cool, and I guess Best Buy isn’t the best.”

For my birthday this year a dear friend bought me a Kindle. Upon receiving it, I was reminded of my attitude towards that little Amazon device only a year earlier: it was stupid. Why would I need a digital book? I have lots of books – real books – and I can read those just fine. Oh, how silly and naïve I was. Within days I was hooked. Couldn’t put it down. My Acute New Yorker Anxiety was relieved by having my subscription moved to the Kindle, where it silently arrives each Sunday night. (The back issues are automatically archived so I don’t feel like a failure.) I went from being a reader to being an avid reader. I was flying through books, three or four a week.

And then my screen died. Dead. Like a computer screen that’s been struck by lightning. And I was right in the middle of one of my most anticipated reads of this year. Panicked, I went to Amazon.com to try to figure out what to do. The customer service page told me that if I gave them my phone number a customer service rep would call me back immediately. I did, India called, and upon uttering the words “broken” and “Kindle” my call was whisked away to a Kindle Specialist named Bernie.

“It’s broken,” I told him.
“Really broken? You tried to restart it,” he replied.
“Dead,” I said.

Bernie told me that my new Kindle was being shipped out to me immediately, free of charge. And, because I was so concerned about not being able to find out what the hell is going on with Mattia in The Solitude of Prime Numbers, Bernie authorized Saturday delivery. I couldn’t believe it. Bernie didn’t even ask me if I dropped it, poured water on it, accidentally set a cup of tea on it. He didn’t seem to care. He didn’t care that I “got it from a friend” and had no proof of purchase. I was a Kindle owner. My Kindle was broken. Bernie was going to make everything okay again.

After I hung up the phone I got to thinking. This level of customer service was too good. Even for Amazon. I’ve been through the return song-and-dance before. A pair of boots rubs a blister after three wears, but I can’t return them because I wore them. I’ve even gone toe-to-toe with Amazon before. Why on earth were they being so good to me? I deduced that it was one of three things:

1. Upon checking my buying history they realized that I’d been ODing on Nora Roberts novels, self-help books, and the New Yorker, which meant I was some crazy, liberal cat lady on mood stabilizers that no one, least of all Bernie the Kindle Specialist, wanted to deal with.

2. Upon checking my buying history they realized I have no self control and have purchased no less than $200 worth of reading material in the month I’ve owned the Kindle.

3. Amazon is scared shitless that the iPad is launching next week.

I certainly don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I can’t help but feel Amazon’s benevolent Kindle customer service actions have less to do with policy than panic. Kudos to them, though. The iPad release will hardly be noticed by this girl. I’ll be eyeball-deep in my Kindle.

Posted via email from holland-mark posterous

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I feel like I am a reasonable customer. While I really appreciate great customer service I am quick to forgive less-than-stellar performances by any one person. You never know what they may be dealing with . . . a death in the family, a divorce, an illness, or maybe the cable guy hasn’t shown up. What I don’t have patience for is corporate incompetence. When large businesses run by smart and incredibly highly compensated individuals can’t get the message to the minions about what needs to be done to provide a simple and pleasant buying experience for their customers.

Is it obvious? I just hung up with Delta Airlines.

To prove I am not a total prick, let me say that I had a less-than-stellar interaction with the guy at the returns desk at Best Buy in Burlington, MA, and I wasn’t motivated to write a blog post. Delta motivated me.

Last night I tried to book a flight online and after going through the whole routine I received an error message: “Fare No Longer Available.”

I tried again, assuming some kind of user error or maybe a momentary glitch in the system: “Fare No Longer Available.”

It was late and I was tired, so I tabled it.

Almost 24 hours later I tried again and had the same result. I tried different computers and different web browsers.

No luck: “Fare No Longer Available.”

So I called. “No problem, Mr. Waldeck.” Except the fare was $20 more than the online fare.

“Would you waive the $20 fee?” I ask. “I’m having trouble online,” and I recount my whole story.

“Nope,” she says, “there are no reported issues online.”

“Manager?” I ask.

“Nope,” she says, but she can connect me to some internet something or other group.

Guess what? The internet guy confirms they have been working on the site all weekend and they are having problems. He can book my flight for me if I can hold a few minutes — but it appears the cost will be $4 more than what I was shown online. “Sorry,” he says, “but we’re struggling with our rates this weekend as well.”

This is a long story. Here is the short version.

At the highest level of the Delta organization, they authorized and planned for website and fare updates to take place this weekend. What they did not do, apparently, was two important things that would have made my experience acceptable:

1) Let Delta’s front-line phone folks know that the website is being tinkered with and there may be problems;
2) Empower the same folks to book flights over the phone and wave the extra fees.

I stepped off a Delta flight a few days ago. As we landed, I am fairly certain I heard them say “that they know that I have a choice when it comes to air travel and that they appreciate that I chose Delta.”

I’m not sure appreciation is sufficient.

Posted via email from holland-mark posterous

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Ah, the holidays. With my parents in Austin and my in-laws in San Francisco, I’ve picked the most convenient location of Boston in which to reside. Accordingly, the holidays call for the dreaded task of finding a flight to one coast or the other. I pay it up and suck it up, comforting myself in dreams made of miles earned, upgrades enjoyed, and status galore.

And yet, every time I try to enjoy said benefits, I find a frustrating set of fees, blackouts, lack of seats, and general irritation. Customer Service Reps scoff at my 25,000 miles. When they call out those with my hard-earned Gold Status, everyone in the waiting room gets up. A moot point, because the Triple Platinum Executive Czars who boarded before me have already filled the overhead space with blazers and once, an oversized foam cowboy hat. My frustration turns quickly to anger. All in all, I can’t remember the last time I had even a barely satisfying experience with anything that comes with any sort of travel rewards program. I imagine many of you have felt similar pain. Slowly but surely, I launch into a tirade of how much I hate X Airline.

What’s interesting is that these are “free” benefits. They are given to me and shouldn’t impact my opinion of the airline. I should be thankful for what I get. Regardless, I can’t disassociate the two, and my opinion of their customer service and care decreases. This happens because there is an expectation of benefits that comes with granting someone “status.”  But the people within the status system continue to increase — mostly because everyone clamors for entry-level status for basic benefits of boarding and baggage that we should get anyway. The airline answer to this conundrum is to continue to add higher levels of status — rather than raising the barriers to status. Unless you are at the highest levels, you are generally disappointed with the perceived benefit of the status you do have. The same follows with miles.

As only the airline industry is capable of, they have built a system that simultaneously increases their costs and decreases their satisfaction levels. I’d much rather a system that doesn’t give me a mirage of benefits. It’s ok that it takes 50,000 miles to buy a ticket. But don’t run around showing me a 25,000 option. I think only 10-15% of people should board the plane early, so if that means there’s no “gold” status, then so be it. Make rewards feel like rewards, not a hassle.

Posted via web from holland-mark posterous

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Has anyone had any experience with customer service live chats? Whatcha think? I’ve been testing a few recently and can’t decide whether I find them to be more or less satisfying than a good ol’ fashion phone call to…wherever. I do think that the silly scripts are too, well, scripted and become painfully obvious online. It can actually be very frustrating. Recently while chatting with Overstock.com, my rep replied “Thank you for submitting those details” every time I said something about my order. You’re welcome, Overstock.com rep. But when things escalated and he was giving me canned lines about why my order hasn’t arrived (two weeks later) I had to keep myself from emphasizing my words using italics or worse… ALL CAPS. I’ve included a bit of the chat (I don’t exactly come off like Princess Grace…) for your enjoyment:

Derrick: The item is currently in transit to you.

you: okay

you: and there have been no updates since the 9th

you: that’s nine days ago

Derrick: The U.S. Postal Service does not provide detailed tracking information for their deliveries. The number listed is only a delivery confirmation number, and only shows information after your order is delivered. I apologize for this inconvenience.

you: at what point can i assumed it’s not coming?

you: i cant exactly wait another week when christmas is in a week…

Derrick: The item will be delivered to you with in 24th December.

Derrick: Is there anything else that I can help you with today?

you: no, derrick.

you: and im only typing this because its going to make me feel better, even though i know you couldnt give two shits… but someone doesnt order something 17 days before christmas so that it can arrived one day before the big day. that’s fucking insane.

Derrick: Thank you for visiting Overstock.com. Have a great day.

you: you too…

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I had pretty much given up on retail. I hadn’t had a remarkable retail experience in I don’t know how long. In fact, I found myself so convinced that retailers couldn’t meet my needs as a consumer that I found myself making excuses for them . . . they are under-paid, under-staffed, under-something. Even worse, I convinced myself that I was the problem – I am too demanding, my standards are too high, I am unreasonable. And as we descended deeper into this recession-that’s-not-a-depression I was continually surprised that even those that were still employed weren’t able to provide a level of service that made me take notice.

Until this weekend. Two retail experiences, two home runs. One for Nordstrom’s and one for Apple.

Very briefly . . .

Nordstrom’s: I bought a pair of shoes. I wore them around the store. They felt pretty good. I wore them around the house. They still felt pretty good. I wore them to a party on saturday night (snow/rain/mud) and they killed my feet. I had to return them. I couldn’t wear them again. Nordstrom’s took them back. No question. No problem. Thank you Nordstrom’s for empowering your employees to make it easy for me. By the way, I bought another pair. More expensive.

Apple: I bought a new computer on Thursday. Today I woke up and realized I needed a printer. Went back to Apple and saw that they had printers with a $100 rebate when you buy it at the same time as a computer. I mentioned that I had bought one on Thursday, could they accommodate me? 2 minutes later they had printed out a duplicate copy of my receipt (I didn’t have the original with me), sold me the printer with the rebate and made me aware of two other promotions that are currently offered at a discount with a new computer. Thank you Apple for empowering your employees to make it easy for me.

So the weekend is over and I’m once again hopeful for you, Retail. Not to mention that you’ve reminded me of a few things about customer service that will serve me well as I begin my work week tomorrow. Thanks.

Posted via email from holland-mark posterous

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Holy crap.

Elapsed time from blog post, less than five hours.

I will never buy a bag from anyone else, and I will flog this story like a carpet going forward.

Bravo, Timbuk2. You guys are the varsity.