Back to the Future
March 23, 2008
Last Wednesday, I attended an all day seminar hosted by IDC, a technology oriented analyst firm. The seminar was focused on topics that those of us who work for high technology firms care about; i.e. what’s the next big thing that our firms should capitalize on in order to continue to thrive. I attended sessions on Software as a Service (not so new), Software Appliances (still pretty new), Social Networking (kind of new), Innovation (not new at all), and a session on “The New Customer”.
It’s this last topic that I find fascinating - mostly because the attributes of “the new customer” seem pretty darned similar to the attributes of the majority of the customers I’ve served in 26 years of working for high technology companies. Specifically, customers purchasing high dollar technology solutions want to know that once the implementation is done, the solution they bought actually achieves the outcome they were shopping for. Sometimes that’s true business transformation, often it’s cost savings, but in all cases there is a project sponsor on the hook to find the right solution and make sure it works for the business. During and after the sales process, that project sponsor wants to talk to people who understand their business and the technology. They don’t want their relationship “managed”, they want the straight scoop they need to ensure they choose the right tools and partner to get the job done. People who’ve taken the risk to introduce a vendor’s solution into their organization want that vendor to be standing by their side as a partner who shares in solving the hard problems that inevitably accompany change.
The closing speaker at this conference was Tom Kelley, General Manager of IDEO, and author of “The Ten Faces of Innovation”. While there are ten faces in his framework, he focused on “The Anthropologist” as the most important. His point was that organizations can’t truly service a customer’s needs, and definitely won’t discover new markets around unmet needs, unless they do the field work to observe the problems firsthand. He was a great speaker, and definitely a hit with an audience of high techies who love to be associated with the next big thing, but are often frustrated that their firms aren’t willing to take more chances when it comes to innovation.
In a related blog post last week, Bob Sutton talks about risk taking as key to innovation. Ironically, in many organizations risk taking isn’t as encouraged as it should be to drive innovation, yet the implicit risk associated with a failure to focus on ongoing customer success is rampant. What’s been your experience with the technology vendors who are important to your success at work?
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant
October 19, 2007
One of the issues that our “Working in America” survey highlights is the importance of health benefits to employees as they evaluate whether to stay in their current positions. Tonight, I was out to dinner with my family after having visited my mother in the hospital. My parents are retired, but fortunate to have excellent health insurance. The hospital where my mother is being treated is a well regarded suburban hospital - attractive, clean, and expanding. Even with all its advantages, it’s clear that the floors are understaffed and patients wait for assistance when they ring for help. My mother’s doctor had delayed sending her there, fearing that the upside of monitoring her could be undone by the risk of hospital induced infection. No one wants to be in the hospital, but it’s increasingly difficult for hospitals to provide excellent care given staff shortages and the ongoing pressure to contain expenses.
At the restaurant, an older woman sitting next to us was angrily talking to her friend about her current work situation. She’d had an experience this week where she felt disrespected and unappreciated. She was talking about quitting. Her friend was urging her to consider her next steps carefully, reminding her that she had full health benefits in her current position. Health benefits are ironic that way. The last thing any of us wants is to end up in the hospital, but we surely want to be able to pay the bills if we do.
Infotriever is a fickle friend
October 12, 2007
OK - I said I had a passion for technology, but that’s cooled a bit this morning. As any good BlackBerry addict does, I take advantage of all possible opportunities to manage my life within its cheerful interface. That includes downloading flight information from our travel agent via Infotriever. Normally, this works like a charm for me. Today, for reasons I’ll detail, the ‘Berry failed me. The good news, however, is that a number of wonderful human beings did not. I’m sure they feel they were just doing their jobs, but they salvaged me from a potentially very bad day.
Travelogue so far today:
- Get to Dallas Fort Worth at 5:00 am for 6:30 am flight to Philadelphia with connection back to Boston. Calendar view on ‘Berry tells me I’m on United 2036. Stand in line for 30″ to self check.
- 5:30 am - Self check kiosk tells me I need to be at USAir, not United. Having not clicked through to the details of my reservation, I have failed to note important “operated by USAirways” information.
- 5:40 am - Waiting on curb for airport shuttle - takes a while to come. Finally get shuttle at 5:55. Driver tells me 10-15″ to make the loop and get to my terminal. I explain my situation. First Angel of the Day: Driver calls his supervisor, tells him he’s going to skip all stops and get me to my terminal asap.
- 6:05 am - Arrive at USAirways terminal. Hike to ticket counters. Bypass all fellow travelers and get attention of Second Angel of the Day: Ticket agent. Mind you, this is all my fault because I didn’t check the complete info on the ‘Berry. I am polite, but clearly distressed when she tells me there’s no way to get me and the bag on my scheduled flight. She spends 10″ trying to book me on an alternative flight, with the poor outcome that all alternatives include flying standby. She is unfailingly polite and truly sorry for my troubles. I thank her for her time and efforts.
- 6:15 am - Call Third Angel of the Day: After Hours Operator at Travizon. She hears my tale of woe, and quickly gets me on an American flight back to Boston at 9:00 am (I hope, bad weather in Boston right now).
- 6:30 am - Got Starbucks and wireless access and hoping for the best.
Lessons learned:
- Read the fine print on the Infotriever download.
- Terminal Link at DFW, USAirways, and Travizon should be proud of the great customer service I received from their employees today.
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