Published on: November 10, 2011
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Hi, I’m Kevin Coupe and this is FaceTime with the Content Guy.
Just a few random things on my mind this morning...
First of all, I went yesterday to get a new iPhone. The one I’ve been using is so old that it came out before they were assigning numbers - we’re talking original equipment here, four years old. But now the software has improved so much that the original iPhone can’t handle it, so I finally broke down to get the new iPhone 4S.
I’m not going to rave about it here. To be honest, I haven’t had it long enough to rave. But I am going to rave about Savannah, the young woman who took care of me, patiently answered every question I had, and then helped me transfer all my stuff over to the new phone when the folks at the set-up desk got overloaded. This was a classic case of what we talk about here on MNB - an example of an employee taking ownership of the shopping experience. It makes an enormous difference, and I wish more employees did it. I wish more companies created cultures where employees were motivated to do so. So big kudos to Savannah.
One of the things I wanted to get for the iPhone was a clear film that covers the glass screen and protects it; I know from experience how important this can be. But while the folks at the Apple Store used to both sell them and put them on - which was great for guys like me who are all thumbs - they’ve stopped installing them because it is so easy to get it wrong, and it just created too many problems. But Savannah suggested that I go to a nearby kiosk in the mall run by a company called Ghost Armor, where they both sell and install the protective film - for the same price that Apple just sells it.
So I did - and they were great. Again, a great customer experience - but it made me think of something else: how many businesses like these have popped up over the past few years where before there would have been no reason for them to exist. That made me think in broader terms - are we all on the lookout for opportunities created by new trends, new products, new technologies....opportunities that could change the faces of our businesses and give us new ways to generate sales and profits? I think we need to be vigilant about this.
And finally, I have to report back to you on something I noticed while visiting colleges with my daughter last weekend - I am amazed at the level of quality and service in some of these school cafeterias. They are talking about local, organic, sustainability and good taste ... and I have to believe that these students are likely to emerge from college with more sophisticated palates and much more information about what they eat ... and that will raise the bar for marketers who then will be charged with selling them products and services. It is a challenge, but it will be good for everybody.
That’s what’s on my mind this Thursday morning, and as always, I want to hear what is on your mind.
- KC's View: