Marketing, Customer Service, Operations, and Why United Airlines Might Want to Call Me

I'll spare you a review of last week's United Airlines debacle. I'll even go out on a limb and say that I understand and agree with the policy that required (yes, required) the passenger to lose his seat on that plane. But I haven't written about regulatory policy in a couple of years, so I'm not going to focus on that.

Here's the most important take-away from the whole fiasco: MARKETING, OPERATIONS, AND CUSTOMER SERVICE MUST WORK TOGETHER - OR THEY WON'T WORK.

Here's a link to follow in case you live under a rock and missed the United Airlines customer bump brouhaha.

Here's another, in case you'd like to work with a marketing content manager who understands business, operations, and customer service.

Let's all try to straighten up and fly right this week, eh?

How many professional organizations do we need?

I understand and feel the sadness shared by many as the American Press Institute closes, but I challenge those who were so quick to jump into the OMG, it's another nail-in-the-coffin discussion.

Is it? Or perhaps should at least some of those headlines be rewritten to include the word merge? This is one of the many times I want to jump up and down and scream, "what were we taught in J-school, anyway?!" See, API didn't whither away; it merged with NAA. And the merge wasn't a last-gasp; API had five years (at least) of operating expenses in the bank when it merged with NAA. Five years to re-invest, reinvent itself, or look around and realize that there are a dozen or so professional organizations offering education, direction, and memberships to journalists and maybe it makes sense to combine the talents of those organizations.

I think that's how I'd write the story.
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On a related note, at least one astute Washington Post reader asked a question I'd like to hear the paper's response to. Why did that article run in the Lifestyle section? File that under "things that make me say, hmmm."
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Look, API was a highly respected, unquestionably professional organization, and much as it will be missed, I repeat, it just might not be needed - thanks to several other, similarly professional and well-respected organizations. RIP API. RIP, indeed.
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~Diane Stresing

Communications Need Operational Backup

Ever take a coupon to a store only to find out the check-out clerks know nothing about the offer? I hate it when that happens.

And trust me, so do your customers. So don't let it happen on your watch.

Words have meaning and can create actions. With a little luck, they'll bring customers into your store! But once an offer sends shoppers into your store, operational screw ups can drive them away. Be smart: if you can't fulfill it, don't offer it.

The same rule should apply to everything your organization puts in writing. If the "one-click unsubscribe" hotlink at the bottom of your e-mail campaign offers doesn't work, you'll have achieved name-recognition and retention for the wrong reasons, the wrong way, with the wrong people. Really ticked-off people.

Case in point: Viacom e-mail advertisements
Over the past three years, I have unsubscribed from about a dozen e-mail "newsletters" I didn't intentionally subscribe to from Viacom's MtVN division. I've repeatedly visited the one-click unsubscribe page to see the promise, "you'll be unsubscribed, please allow ten days to process." And not only do I continue to receive some of the newsletters, I get new ones!

Surely you've heard the advice, "under-promise and over-deliver." Maybe Viacom just didn't understand. But you should.

Be sure your communications get it right, both in writing and on the operations side.

Social Media Policy: Who will write it? and why?

Gartner's Customer 360 Symposium starts today (in sunny LA, without me - sigh). While the session addressing Seven Critical Questions to Ask Before Developing a Social Media Policy is likely to be a tad dull, I think it'll be one of the most important.

If your company dabbles in social media (Twitter, Facebook) and has no policy, better write one, quick. Then address the other 6 questions.

(Want help writing the policy? I can do that. Need a little help making your posts relevant, and keeping them fresh? I can do that too. More info: www.DianeStresing.com)
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