Have you ever noticed the gap that exists between most marketing departments and most sales departments? While they have common goals to increase the revenue of the organization, they’re almost two completely different silos. The fact is that the sales team is (or should be) considered as the internal client of the marketing team.

Unfortunately, many marketers, particularly in large corporations don’t have much empathy for sales people. They often see them as overpaid whiners, who work short hours and get big pay, entertaining clients on expense accounts. Conversely, sales people often see the marketing folks as being out of touch, self-serving and focused on all the wrong things. As in life, the truth always lies somewhere in the middle.

But the cold hard fact is that many marketers have never been in the sales trenches themselves. They’ve never carried a bag, they’ve never done cold calls, had a door slammed in their face and have never had to compete head to head with a competitor – let alone bump into them in the customer’s reception area.

So how can Frontier help? We go on “ride-alongs” with sales people, and have one-on-one conversations, which we record and later get transcribed. We learn about the salesperson’s background, their day to day routines, how they do what they do, and the frustrations they face everyday. We also get their feedback on what works and what doesn’t work “on the battlefield.” In addition, we go out and meet their customers, and talk with them as well. After we get a good cross-section of these conversations done, we compile all the information and knowledge we’ve gathered and sift through it to find the main trends, feedback and themes. We present our findings and recommendations via multimedia to the marketing department which puts a “face” on the sales people in the field, and also brings the “actual” voice of the customer into the room.

In many cases, things that appear to be important to the marketing department really matter very little to the sales people. More importantly, those things also often matter very little to the end customer, who is ultimately buying the company’s services.

There is a huge opportunity to help companies realize their goals when they are willing and able to bridge this gap between sales and marketing. Empathy from both sides and common understanding delivers great payback for both our clients and their customers – both internal and external.

Too often in this nascent industry called “service design,” practitioners, students, professors and pundits seem to love to endlessly debate the meaning of “service design.” Invariably, the definitions become long, complex and too abstract for most outsiders.

As I was thinking about a way to describe service design in simple terms – to prospective clients, friends, neighbors, etc – it hit me like a ton of bricks:
Service design is about asking, “How can I help?”

- How can I help make your flight better, less stressful, more meaningful, more fun, etc?
- How can I help you do business with me more efficiently?
- How can I help you in your time of need, (death, sickness, job loss, etc) as it relates to the service(s) I normally provide you?
- How can I help you get the information you need quickly?

But the key is in asking the question with a pure heart, as in, “How can I help you?” as opposed to “How can I help you help me make more money?” The fact is that if you truly add value – if you really help – then the money will naturally follow.

Sometimes, the help that a customer wants or needs is adjunct to your core business. Sometimes it logically comes before or after your typical point of engagement with that customer. And therein lies the opportunity to not only help, but to also create new revenue opportunities for your business.

In the end, if people would embrace this core idea of “how can I help” then the world of business – and the world in general – would be a far better place.

So… how can I help you?

I have been a big fan of Tom Peters for years. His books and speeches have had a big influence on how I have built my companies, and how I serve my clients. Peters recently posted what I thought was a profound yet very simple idea, of which I have reprinted a small excerpt below:

*****
That is “service”—WITHOUT MODIFIERS—is a sacred word.
To “be of service” is the highest aspiration possible.
To have “been of service” is the highest tribute possible.
*****

So true. This is what service design is about; helping companies to “be of service” that really matters to their customers.

Over the past month, I’ve been doing a good bit of air travel and due to layovers, have had the opportunity to experience a number of airports in quick progression. These airports include Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and Key West.

Airports are interesting from a service design perspective because they serve as an aggregation point and hub for a wide variety of other independent services (both commercial and governmental) in an environment that is charged with stress caused by time (arrivals, departures, delays), security clearances, risk of life and limb (from engine failure to terrorist plots), crowds, money (hundreds or thousands of dollars at stake via airfares) and purpose (from business travel to once-in-a-lifetime vacations to your father’s funeral.)

So you would think that the designers of airports would take all of these factors into consideration when designing an airport. I could write a whole paper on this topic (note to self: do it!) but for now, I will share these quick observations:

- Chicago – Beautiful airport, but where are the electrical outlets? Travelers are sitting on the floor plugging their phones and laptops into any outlet that is available. There is a whole social dance that takes place when one has to approach a fellow traveler and ask, “Can I use that other plug?” This is an untapped business opportunity. (See “Dallas” below.)

- Dallas – Nice airport, but what is with the layout of the restrooms? Virtually everyone in an airport has something slung over their shoulder or is dragging something behind them on wheels, right? In this airport, it is impossible not to bump into fellow comfort-seekers as you enter, exit and awkwardly wait around because they have few too many toilets. (I can only imagine that this problem is even worse for the ladies.) However, you can easily juice up your phone or computer at any number of charging stations, which are essentially electrified billboards that serve a purpose.

- Key West – After a few days in paradise, you really don’t want to leave. So the airport has built an faux outdoor lounge next to the gates where, once you’re through security, you can enjoy your last Mojito before you board. It’s a clever laid-back layout built in a glass enclosed atrium, complete with a boardwalk, sand, beach chairs and Jimmy Buffet tunes. However, keep an eye on your watch because the airport’s pubic address system does not provide boarding alerts in this little respite. (Maybe this is designed to get you stay longer in the Keys?)

Once again – as in most service design “misses” – these all are very easy issues to address if only airport designers and their municipal clients would actually go and watch what people do, and then ask those people what they want and need. It is far less expensive to design and build it right the first time, than it is to go and correct these issues after the fact. If there is any space that should be designed to minimize stress and hassle (besides hospitals), it should be our airports that serve as non-stop, human transport switches.

We have a saying that we share with our clients when talking about service design: “Add value and money will follow.”

What this means is that you should look at your business – your expertise – and find small, inexpensive ways to leverage that expertise for the benefit of either your existing customers,or prospective customers. Often, the net effect is huge.

Why? Because, supposedly, you are the expert in whatever you do. And consumers these days don’t have time to be experts in all things. So they are looking for what we call “editorial filters,” the companies or individuals who know something they don’t, that can point them in the right direction, make their lives easier, safer, richer, more convenient, etc. These are the “trusted advisors” in our lives. You would think that the those vendors who make the most money from us (think lifetime value) would be most incented to actually be a trusted advisor, and not just a provider of a commodity service. (Think bankers, lawyers, insurance companies, mortgage companies, auto dealers, airlines, etc.)

So imagine my dismay the other day when Allstate Insurance – who I have been with for over 20 years and in that time have probably given them over $35,000 of my hard earned cash – sent me a “Happy Birthday” email. Really? A birthday email? Does someone at Allstate marketing really consider this a best practice of “customer relationship management?” Come on folks. This is 2009!

There a plenty of ways for Allstate to add value to our relationship beyond paying a claim I might submit on average, once per decade. How about using that same email to direct me to that online video about the horrors of texting and driving that I could then send to my teenage daughter? (You know I have teenage daughter – she’s on the policy!) Or how about links to defensive driving classes and offering me a 5% discount for taking it? Maybe you could send me the annual list of the top 10 safest cars, as rated by an independent agency? Tips on how to make my car last longer? Anything… except a gratuitous birthday email!

And these are ideas I am coming up with off the top of my head. This is YOUR business – cars, safety, driving, technology, best practices, statistics, data. You have thousands of employees and massive investments in collecting and analyzing all this information. So why don’t you share a bit of it with me – your customer – to make me a better driver, a safer driver – and ultimately a better customer for YOU?

But you better hurry, because statistically speaking I only have about 40 more years of driving (and insurance payments) left!

Need some help figuring this out? Call us – you’ll be in good hands…

We just added four new PDF case studies to our website, which can be found on our client list page. These include case studies about:

- ColorQuick, a software company developing game-changing technology in the printing industry. Our ethnographic research turned up new and compelling benefits for their target market.

- BlackGold BioFuels, an energy technology company that has a patented system for converting waste products into high quality bio-diesel fuel. We helped them design new services that support the technology product, as well as innovative new business models for rolling out their products and services.

- A major hotel chain and our work with them on designing new service revenue opportunities related to rapid developments in the Connected-TV space.

- A major luxury retailer and a series of card sort exercises we did for them related to a new product design initiative.

Also, after a number of requests from our business partners, we created a one-page executive summary about Frontier Service Design that can be downloaded here.

Read, learn and enjoy!

Last week the Wall Street Journal ran an article about Wi-Fi services available on airlines. Bottomline: people love it, but really aren’t willing to pay for it. Why not?

According to the article, “in tests and now in regular service, usage drops off considerably when travelers must pay for the service.” Even Alaska Airlines, which only charges $1, saw a steep drop off in usage. (By the way, Alaska Airlines is a “cashless” airline, so if you want the Wi-Fi, you have to pay for it with a credit card – ggrrrrrrr.)

So what’s going on here? Is the economy causing people to cut back on non-essentials? Or have people become so used to ubiquitous computing that they expect “the cloud” to envelope them everywhere, all the time, for free?

Or could it be – as we suspect – that sitting in an (albeit overpriced and cramped) airline seat at 35,000 feet is one of the last places where you can seek refuge from our “always on” world of instantaneous communications?

An interesting question to answer for sure, and one which has ramifications for service design in the worlds of travel, entertainment, and hospitality.

Starbucks is taking a page from Toyota’s playbook in their new focus on streamlining the coffee-brewing process. From bending over to scoop coffee from below the counter, to eliminating idle moments waiting for expired coffee to drain, an 11-person team is bringing the gospel of “lean manufacturing” to more than 11,000 Starbucks stores.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Starbucks says the efforts are already helping its bottom line, as shown by quarterly results last month that beat analysts’ expectations. However, there are some employees who fear that the new efforts will turn them into coffee-making robots.

This focus on streamlined operations is an interesting complement to the other tack that Starbucks is taking with some of its stores in “de-Starbucking” them. Stores across the country are being revamped to look like locally-owned coffeehouses, complete with local artwork, baked goods and live music. The stores go by the name of their street address i.e. “250 Chestnut” and have drawn mixed reviews from observers. While some accuse Starbucks of going “stealth” in trying to pretend to be a local small business, customers who have actually experienced the stores give them high marks for being much more community-oriented, fun and funky than their corporate brethren.

Turning a ship the size of Starbucks is a slow and daunting task, but we give management credit for both their initiative and imagination. This is a great example of service design in which they’re using both sides of their brains; focusing on both mechanics and aesthetics, to improve both the bottom-line and the customer experience. How can you do the same in your business?

We have posted four new videos today which cover a range of topics related to service design. Click here to check them out.

My wife goes to our local bank to make a deposit in the ATM. The rain has soaked the deposit envelopes stored outside. She walks into the branch to let someone know. She approaches the teller line, where there is a short line. A woman sitting at a nearby “Customer Service” desk asks brightly, “Hi, is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes, actually. I wanted to make a deposit at the ATM outside – but all the envelopes are wet from the rain.”

“Hmm. Okay, thank you! I’ll tell Bill to replace them at three o’clock…” She smiles and returns to her paperwork.

My wife looks at her watch. It is one o’clock. She replies, “Well, I think there might be some people who will want to make a deposit over the next two hours…”

The woman looks up with an expression of consternation. “Well, I’m not changing them!”

Without missing a beat, my wife replies, “OK, well if you give me some envelopes, I’ll just put them out there.”

Now the woman behind the desk is perplexed. “Uh no, wait. I, uh, can’t have you do that…..”

The woman puts down her pen, gets up from the desk and approaches my wife. “I have an idea – I’ll just take your deposit and process it myself! I’ll be right back…”

With that, the woman disappears behind the counter for nine minutes. The wet envelopes stayed in their holder that day, and surely the next time it rains they will get wet again.

Is this an example of poor customer service? A crashed user experience? A broken golden rule? Actually, it’s a multi-part service design challenge that points out the importance of understanding “service eco-systems.” From the culture of the bank to service protocols to customer touchpoints to the physical layout of the ATM and building – everything is inter-connected. Service design looks at the big picture to make things better not only for customers, but also for employees. Everybody wins.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a call to make…