So Let's talk Customer Service

I have meaning to writing a post about Customer Service for a while, but I have been distracted on which direction to take this in. With a lack of direction for a singular post I have decided to do a four part series on this topic. 

Customer Service is a term that is thrown around all the time no matter what business you are in. In retail, customer service determines if your store is worth shopping at. In restaurants, customer service determines if a customer is going to be coming back. This is just the first round of what customer service can mean.

Instead of just focusing on what I may think customer service is or what managers/professors have taught what customer service is, let's look at how the American Marketing Association (AMA) defines Customer Service.

The AMA has a couple different definitions of what Customer Service stands for in different perspectives. They are as followed:

Customer Service (physical distribution)

A customer-oriented corporate philosophy that integrates and manages all of the elements of the customer interface within a predetermined cost-service mix.

Customer Service ( production development)

The identifiable, but essentially intangible, activities that are offered by a seller in conjunction with a product, such as delivery and repair. These activities may be priced separately, but usually are not, and are provided only with a product that is being sold. These activities are not to be confused with intangible products (services), the types of products for which the activity is the primary purpose of a sale. The sale of service products may be accompanied by the provision of customer services, an example being the courteous treatment a bank client receives when entering the lobby for the purchase of any of several service products such as check cashing or a loan.

Customer Service (retailing)

The set of retail activities that increase the value customers receive when they shop and purchase merchandise.

To get this straight, there are a total of three definitions of Customer Service and the main parts of these definitions are as followed:

• Customer-oriented philosophy that is to help integrate and manage
• It is identifiable, but intangible
• It is to increase value

Each of these definitions builds upon each other, which makes sense. The first definition deals more with corporate, the next one deals with production and the seller, and the last deals with retail or an ending point of a supply chain when the consumer has access to the final product.

It seems repetitive to state these definitions in different ways, but these concepts will be important to understand the point of view I will be writing in.

I understand that I have not gone in-depth with this particular article, but this is just the base post which will be leading to more in-depth posts. I will also be doing some research on this topic as well so it is not just an opinion series, but more balanced.

If there is a particular point you want me to cover in customer service, please let me know. I would love to do research in different perspectives to have a more well-rounded post.

To give a glimpse of what is to come with this series:

1. Importance of Customer Service
2. The Customer Service Funnel Effect
3. My Customer Service Experience

So Let's Chat Social Media

Both yesterday and today I have come across two articles that really peeked my interest. These two articles were posted on LinkedIn, the first article a friend had shared and the second one came up on my Pulse article feed, carry the same meaning.

The main topic or major theme in both of these articles: Social Media.

I have always found Social Media to be almost controversial when talking with marketing students/marketing professionals. Everyone has a strong stance on a very specific direction on it and what makes the debate even more complicated is that it is still a fairly new medium that has a specific form, but still changing. I understand that the last part sounds a little odd, the fact that it has a form but is changing, but that is the best way I can describe the state that Social Media is in.

Before I go on I want to specifically say that my view points on Social Media were different than some of my professors and even some of my classmates. I am a person who believes that the marketing world and public relations world are starting to collide in many ways. With the way Social Media Marketing is heading, or at least where I believe it is heading, there is going to be more contact with the consumer and more urging the consumer to participate in advertising. I could honestly go more in detail in this section on my thoughts, but I will return to the point of the articles and explain my opinion in regards to the two articles.

The first article that I came across was entitled Marketing Trends for 2014 written by Zach Heller. In Heller's article, he only focuses on three trends. They are:

1. Segmentation and Data
2. Integration
3. Social Media

All three of these trends are in marketing already and many people understand this, specifically the last two. For example, I was talking about this article on my lunch break last night (I worked an overnight shift at work) and one of my coworkers was shocked that the last two were on this list.

My coworker was right. None of these concepts are new ideas or they shouldn't be new concepts, but Heller's explanation of them are what sets them a part.

The Segmentation and Data portion wasn't stating that marketers aren't using this, if so that would be a HUGE fallacy, but is mentioning how it will be something that all companies can do without spending an arm and a leg. With all the data that is out there, especially with all the trackers on online platforms, marketers will be able to better focus and be able to become effective.

The second trend that Heller mentions is Integration. As a person who graduated with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communications, I'm all over this one. I could go into so much detail on this subject and how this is such a key thing, but Heller states it best when saying:

I believe that 2014 is the year we turn the corner, at least the smart companies do. We will create campaigns that incorporate all the individual channels and manage them together, as one unit. All of the pieces will support the larger goal of connecting with more consumers and generating more sales. And we will measure these campaigns as a whole as well, instead of trying to separate out the response generated from each component.

 The third trend is Social Media. I LOVE the fact that Heller says that spending money on Social Media just because you can is coming to an end. More Social Media sites are moving towards monetization, which throwing money towards these sites just because a company can is not going to work (not that it worked in the first place). This really means that companies are going to have to evaluate what they are doing and deciding which site to spend there time and resources on. It is forcing companies to actually have a strategy with their pages and not having these empty and useless pages (I know and understand that there are many companies who will not make this transition and will still have useless pages. This is why not all companies are necessarily considered 'Smart').

This article really validated my thoughts and opinions, which is a major reason why I am writing a blog about it and sharing it.

Now the next article that I came across was Social Media Doesn't Drive Sales...But That's Not The Point written by Tara Hunt. The main reason I even clicked on this article was because I said something along this line during my last semester in April. I am so happy that the title pulled me in, because I enjoyed this article. There were many good points such as marketing is not a cure all (I have experienced this at my second internship. My boss hired me thinking that Facebook and Events that she didn't want to put effort into would save her non-profit. Those situations are just so frustrating, especially when you are trying to explain how just creating a page is not going to lead to brand awareness) and advantages that Social Media Marketing has built into them.

Hunt, just like Heller, had three points at the end that focused on features that Social Media has:

1. Analytics
2. Feedback
3. Relationships

I don't know if it is just me, but those seem to correlate with points in the marketing trends in Heller's articles. The analytics, feedback and relationships all go with integration and social media and how the marketing is changing.

If one was to say that social media is the only way to go with marketing, I would say no. It's not that Social Media is the only way to go, it is how your company is utilizing Social Media; it's how your company is leveraging their Social Media pages; it's how strategy and thought is being put into your Social Media Campaign; and it's how your company's Social Media pages are being integrated with your company's entire marketing strategy.

I have always believed that Social Media is not a cure all, but I don't believe that many have been utilizing Social Media in the best way. It's almost as if people are becoming complacent with the idea that creating a Social Media page is a marketing strategy, which is far from the truth.

What we need to do is break out of this mindset and get into the mindset of integration and being okay that Social Media is NOT a direct marketing technique, but is more of a public relations function.  We need to be okay that marketing and public relations are becoming integrated. If we can do this then we can change the way marketing is done.

We will create campaigns that incorporate all the individual channels and manage them together, as one unit. All of the pieces will support the larger goal of connecting with more consumers and generating more sales. And we will measure these campaigns as a whole as well, instead of trying to separate out the response generated from each component.
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/marketing/marketing-trends-2014-0691545#Gb0ZD4O2uJLK5Qsm.99

We will create campaigns that incorporate all the individual channels and manage them together, as one unit. All of the pieces will support the larger goal of connecting with more consumers and generating more sales. And we will measure these campaigns as a whole as well, instead of trying to separate out the response generated from each component.
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/marketing/marketing-trends-2014-0691545#Gb0ZD4O2uJLK5Qsm.99

We will create campaigns that incorporate all the individual channels and manage them together, as one unit. All of the pieces will support the larger goal of connecting with more consumers and generating more sales. And we will measure these campaigns as a whole as well, instead of trying to separate out the response generated from each component.
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/marketing/marketing-trends-2014-0691545#Gb0ZD4O2uJLK5Qsm.99

We will create campaigns that incorporate all the individual channels and manage them together, as one unit. All of the pieces will support the larger goal of connecting with more consumers and generating more sales. And we will measure these campaigns as a whole as well, instead of trying to separate out the response generated from each component.
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/marketing/marketing-trends-2014-0691545#Gb0ZD4O2uJLK5Qsm.99

Mentoring is Key

I have been debating whether I wanted to write this blog topic or not, but I have decided that I want to. After I had graduated college I had written a blog about teachers and professors who have had a major impact on my life. Today I am going to write about mentors who have really guided me and may not know it.

So I have met many people in my life. Being a Pastor's Kid, I have the opportunity of meeting a wide variety of people who do a wide variety of occupations, but I have also met people on my own now that I am older. This combination of people have led me to evaluate my own life and have shaped how I react to things.

This blog has really been in development in my mind the last two weeks, but really came to fruition when I was speaking to a counselor about a specific Grad School program I am trying to pursue. She had mentioned that there will be people in class who will have tons of experience and to partner up with them to learn some very invaluable lessons and skills. This of course brought me to this "Aha" moment and now I'm writing a dedication blog to those who have been willing to help teach me these lessons in the world (even though I'm pretty sure the majority of these people will never read it, but it is here for them).

On of the first people who really made an impact on me with guiding me in a direction was an adult volunteer when I was in seventh grade. This young woman was awesome! She mentioned how when she was in college she had liberty spikes and was super into punk music. She was super alternative and was not afraid to be goofy and hit the tough subjects. She left shortly after that year, but she really influenced me on how to be a youth director and I use a lot of the same techniques she used on that Sunday night junior high girls class.

Another person who really impacted me was a friend of my brother who became a big sister to me. She was there for me whenever I needed her and shared her own experiences with me. She taught me how to be selfless and how not to be afraid to be vulnerable in front of people. She was actually the person who introduced me to Maya Angelou, coffee, The Bronte Sisters, and my favorite chapter of the Bible, Lamentations 3. I lost touch with her when I started college, but from what I'm seeing, she is still impacting youth in the same way she was able to inspire me to be a smart, strong woman who shouldn't be afraid to confront her weakness.

From my high school graduation through my sophomore year in college (This was exclusively teachers, but had some awesome profs my junior and senior year of college), I really just was influenced by teachers, but that kind of changed when I started working in retail.

I work with so many cool women who have taught me how to have fun at work. I cannot express the amount of community I feel when I go to work. It's seriously awesome!

But the person at work who has impacted me the most has been our general manager. When I started there, she was the assistant manager and I'm going to be honest here, she scared the crap out of me at first. I have no idea why, but she just was super intimidating or more so, my perception of her was that she was super intimidating. That kind of changed when I talked to her about school and found out that she had some of the same professors as I had and just talking to her about business. She was really helpful for me to put the connection of the lessons I was learning in class and how they were applicable to in the work world. There have also been times when I have seen her not as a manager, but as a leader (in my management class, we stated that being a manager does not make you a leader, but a leader can be a manager).

None of these women are perfect, but they are all different and were able to show me how to act in different situations. These women are in fact completely different from one another, but each have had a part in mentoring on how to be successful.

I Love Brands

This is a blog that I have been meaning to write for a while and I believe today is the perfect day to do so.

One of my favorite topics to discuss is branding. I took a brand management class my last semester and that was my absolute least favorite class, but that caused me to be determined to understand brands outside of class and that's how I found my love for brands and branding.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as:

A brand is a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.

Or

A brand is a customer experience represented by a collection of images and ideas; often, it refers to a symbol such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the accumulation of experiences with the specific product or service, both directly relating to its use, and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary."

Or

"A brand often includes an explicit logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, sound which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality."

The definitions that the AMA presents are pretty much the same. They are more so defined using different terms, but that is what causes it to be fascinating.

The three items I will be focusing on today are:

1. Brands to their core help identify a particular product/service
2. Brands are very much connected to a customer experience
3. Brands can represent specific values, ideas and even a personality

Brands to their core help identify a particular product/service.

What do you think of when I say Golden Arches or make a swoosh sign? I'm sure that the first image to your mind will be McDonald's Arches and the Nike symbol.

Having a specific name or logo come to your mind is not a bad thing, in fact that is showing that these two marketing teams are doing their jobs. This top-of-mind recognition is what all marketers and brand managers hope to achieve. This feat of having that high of brand awareness is key for any business to be successful or memorable.

Now I don't just write blogs that give definitions and talk strictly about marketing alone and talk about concepts. The key point in this is how this relates to everyday life.

This idea is helpful  to realize because we as consumers understand what a specific brand is and know what it sells. It makes it easier for us to understand print ads, television ads, etc. without having an agency example everything about the brand every time. We as consumers know about the product/service and that is why brand awareness (top-of-mind recognition) is so key.

Brands are very much connected to a customer experience.

Think of a brand that you have had a bad experience with. No matter how they try to portray themselves, if you had a bad experience with them you won't ever buy their product. For example, when I was in junior high I was super into cross country and you have many different options for running shoes. During my eighth grade year I had Adidas running shoes that looked really cool. When I got in my season the shoes felt exceedingly heavy (if you have ever ran competitively then you understand what I mean by having a heavy shoe). I have not bought an Adidas shoe since, because I did not like how they feel. In my mind, Adidas equals being a heavy shoe. Is this case for everyone? Of course not. Do I think Adidas is a bad brand? No, because I do have some clothing from them, but I won't buy their shoes because I have the perception that they are too heavy.

My customer experience with that brand is defined and no matter how they advertise, they will not win me over. So a marketing team can create an amazing ad campaign and be able to position their brand in such a unique way, but if I had a bad experience with that brand, the ad campaign will not effect me at all. Meaning that advertising is only half the battle with keeping a good brand image, but making sure the customer experience is positive (customer service) is the next side of the battle.

Brands can represent specific values, ideas and even a personality.

I'm going to be completely honest with you and admit that this is probably my favorite things about brands, especially in the area of which I read about in marketing.

The area that I'm going to be focusing on in this particular part is the personality aspect of a brand. I believe that as we enter into a more digital age with social media marketing and content marketing, firms will be more so inclined than even currently to personify brands.

Think about it though. When you follow a twitter page of a brand you are seeing what they would be like if they were a person. Taco Bell can reply to a tweet you make about them or Starbucks can like a picture that you take on Instagram. We as consumers are able to interact more intimately with brands then ever before and that makes it so much fun to be a part of the marketing world with all these major changes.

In my mind this is why so many marketers who are not necessarily in love with change are having such a difficult time with this. Brands are no longer just trying to relate to people, but they are in a way a living entity. Marketers are not just trying to sell an idea or concept of a brand, but are trying to convince you that you can be "friends" with this brand.  

For example, I'm not the biggest fan of Taco Bell's food, but I will eat there occasionally with friends. The thing I do love is that I could see myself being friends with Taco Bell if it were a person. Look at Taco Bell's social media pages. All of their pages are fun and they don't take themselves too seriously. The perception that I get from their social media sites is that they are that fun, easy-going friend who will be urging you to have a good time.

Another example of a personification of brands is that of Starbucks. Starbucks in itself gives off that super hip and artsy vibe. From their social media pages one can gather that they would be that friend you would have deep conversations with. They are that friend who would read about current events and be able to discuss what is happening in politics while still having a fun conversation about music, art or literature.

These two brands are completely different, but you can see them as a person because that is what marketing is doing. Marketing has been doing this since marketing has been invented, but it is becoming more relevant. Brands are not just going after a target market, but are becoming their target market.


There are so many more facets of brands that I have not even touched in this blog. Brands are so complex when you dig deeper into the world that these marketing departments are creating. There are so many layers that go into that add to the complexity and that is why I find them so interesting.

So, what are some interesting things that you think of when you think of brands or branding? What are some of your favorite brands that have a distinct personality?

I'd love to further discuss this topic and might do another blog on brand. Let me know what you think.

My Views on the Google/YouTube Integration

I typically don't write much about business, especially when it comes to my views on what is happening in the business world. It's not that I don't enjoy writing or discussing these items, I just find myself discussing them more in person than writing about them. This all changes with some huge news that I keep seeing on almost every social media site and in online periodicals: the Google+ YouTube Comment Integration.

As a side note: I do enjoy using Google+ and have had an account for a while now. I enjoy the fact that I can connect to multiple sites while just logging in once. Though I have this in mind, I will try to as unbiased as can be.

I first heard of this integration when I was on Tumblr and saw a post that Hank Green posted explaining lessons from this integration. It is no surprise that the Green brothers are not a fan of this integration, not because it is change, but more for the fact that content creators who have been a part of this website revolution have to change how they post and a system that they have made.

It also is able to give these content creators a way to separate their lives from what they post. I'm a huge fan of a lot of vloggers, seriously I follow some vlogs more than I watch television because I find it more relevant. Though I am a fan I do respect that there are areas in their lives that they may not want to share with the internet. I respect that they have personal accounts that they only have with their friends and not their fans. They need privacy and Google+ is not necessarily helping in this area. In fact, it is display their lives, which can lead to the debate that if they are posting content online then they must live with the consequences (Side note: I think this debate is stupid. They are people and each person deserves privacy. I post things online, but I don't necessarily post details because I don't think the details are relevant for all to know.).

Now on the other hand, I completely understand why Google made this move. As a person who loves studying new and emerging media online, especially when it comes to marketing, I think this is brilliant. Not only are they growing their user base for Google+, but they have a better opportunity to be able to mine for data. Google is known for their stellar algorithms for search engine optimization (SEO). This will be able to help them target users and to better help with SEO. Now with this comes the whole idea of what George Orwell gave in his classic 1984 novel, but I believe we overplay this and have been playing into this idea for years (Side note: Once again, I find this argument a little overplayed. Since people are fighting back with petitions and finding new ways to create content, we will not be in this 1984 society.).

There are other good points coming with this integration with some of the limitations with comments, like having limitations on what words are not acceptable for your comment section and showing conversations. Being completely honest, these changes make sense to me. For example, when Twitter made changes with their feed when it comes to connecting conversations, I really enjoyed that. I was able to follow what was going on better and felt more involved instead of having to search around or specifically seek out the conversation. These changes that Google made are positive.

Back to the main reason this is causing controversy with forcing content creators to have a Google+ account. As a whole I understand where Google is coming from, because having a Google+ account connects a user with every online Google products (maps, play, news, calendar, YouTube, email, etc.). In theory, Google is making it more convenient for content creators, but that did not happen.

My view on Google has not changed with this integration and I still think Google is an awesome company making some smart strategic business moves. This integration was going to happen all along and people will be angry, but I do not think this will hurt them in the long run.

What I do think will be interesting to watch is how sites like Subbable will compete with this, since the content creators do have YouTube sites. I'm curious to see if more sites will have a more NPR type of existence to be able to go against Google/YouTube. I feel like this is a trend that will be happening, especially as more millennials enter the workforce and support the online entertainment world as opposed to the current/traditional entertainment.

I have always found this interesting and excited to see where this debate will lead.

By the way, some of the articles that I read and found interesting are listed below:

• Google+, YouTube Comment Integration Sparks User Outrage
• Google Plus YouTube Comments: Reddit Users Fight Back Against Forced Integration 
• Google Plus Creates Uproar Over Forced YouTube Integration
• YouTube faces backlash for Google+ integration 

 
 

Finding My Inciting Incident

So I have been horrible with updating because I had planned on writing more often. Alas, I have been exceedingly busy this month so far, which is kind of odd.

First of I want to give an update with NaNoWriMo: I have been horrible with writing so far. I have so much to do to catch up because everything has been popping up around me this past week and I have literally no time to write and when I do, I have absolutely no inspiration and it feels like I'm pulling teeth, but still writing. My word count is horribly low, but I am keeping my mind positive and I am dedicating my next Friday to writing all day so I will be isolating myself all day, but have been getting inspiration by listening to Vitamin String Quartet, my main character's favorite band.

Next is I finished a book last week which has really changed my perspective on a lot of things, well a lot of things on life. The book is called "A Million Miles in A Thousand Years," by Donald Miller. It was such a good book for this time in my life. Not only did it discuss the idea of character in the literary perspective, but discussed your own character in this story called life. I know it may sound a bit cheesy, but thinking of yourself as a character is awesome.

One of the many parts that really touched me was:

I think this is when most people give up on their stories. They come out of college wanting to change the world, wanting to get married, wanting to have kids and change the way people buy office supplies. But they get into the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. They can't see the distant shore anymore, and they wonder if their paddling is moving them forward. None of the trees behind them are getting smaller and none of the trees ahead are getting bigger. They take it out on their spouses, and they go looking for an easier story. (Miller)

I can completely relate to this. Seriously, if you have read any of my past blogs you can understand my frustration of feeling stuck and unable to advance in any way. I feel like I have to fight my way to where I want to go and I have become weary of this. I'm refusing to go through one of my many middles of the story and fight for a goal. I am refusing to see the horizon or just not willing to look for it.

A point in the story (btw: I am jumping around the book with quotes so sorry about that) that makes you realize that you can't give up was this part:

Robert McKee says humans naturally seek comfort and stability. Without an inciting incident that disrupts their comfort, they won’t enter into a story. They have to get fired from their job or be forced to sign up for a marathon. A ring has to be purchased. A home has to be sold. The character has to jump into the story, into the discomfort and the fear, otherwise the story will never happen. (Miller)

I have had a couple of inciting incidents this week and to be honest last week. I won't go into detail with them here and may not go into detail with them in the future, but it was/ is good. I have been in this super nervous and excited state all week and it feels sucky yet  amazing all at the same time. It's like I'm seeing the potential for future and am feeling like I'm taking that jump off of the cliff to land in the cool water below.

The idea of looking for inciting incidents and looking for the better points of life sounds basic, but it is so hard to do. I mean, think about it, how often do we focus on negatives; how often do we pity ourselves; how often do lose hope when hope is right in front of us? This book helped me find the hope again; this book helped me see the positive things in life; this book helped me understand the inciting incidents in my own life and actually take action.

Now I don't think I have mastered this at all. I have just come to the realization that life is pretty awesome and focusing on some of the negatives is not worth it. One of the moments that I just marveled over was a time when I was going into work for an overnight shift and the sky was filled with stars. When was the last time you just took a moment and looked at a starry sky with no distractions? I had mine a couple days ago and it was breathtaking. I also had another moment after I finished working that shift that I saw this beautiful sunrise over the parking lot at work. For anything to make a parking lot look beautiful, it would have to be God made. Seriously, as tired as I was, I was taken by the beauty because I got the chance to experience it.

The way I am viewing life is in a much more beautiful way. I'm trying to make the positive decisions instead of easily falling into the trap of negativity or helplessness. I guess the best description of this is perfectly explained when Miller wrote:

And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can't go back to being normal; you can't go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.

I'm tired of the meaningless scenes and I'm ready to take action. The reason I love the characters in literature that I do are because of the struggles they have to face and what they overcome. I can be just like those characters and have to face my middle or middles. I guess I'm now actually ready to face the middle and start the next chapter of my life. It's completely terrifying, but sometimes the most terrifying things are the absolute best things in life.