My Malay barber’s a quiet man. Apart from pleasantries, Vespa stories and the weather, we hardly got personal. But all the same, my sessions with this guy had been very pleasant. We had a well-established, mutually-beneficial relationship. His colleagues knew that and respected this relationship well to never court me to sit in their chairs, even if the place was swarmed. I was this guy’s regular and loyal customer.

Loyalty is Painful Sometimes

I have loyally continued to patronise this place all these years, even after moving back to my folks in Pasir Ris (briefly before marriage) and now in our matrimonial home (Toa Payoh).

Yesterday, I made a Sunday morning trip to the barber shop for a haircut. I was looking forward to the occasion because a while ago (the Saturday before my convocation on May 22, to be exact), I had gone there wanting a trim. Unfortunately, he did not turned up as per usual and did not answer any calls to his mobile. I waited an hour for him to arrive (I really didn’t mind waiting at all) before reluctantly letting my hair to be trimmed by one of his colleagues. Yesterday, I had wanted to ‘playfully chide’ him for making me wait.

On arrival, I saw his spot remained empty and enquired if he’s late again. The news that greeted me at the door left me stumped and speechless.

My Malay barber guy had passed away on 6 June 2010.

A long-term loyal relationship has ended for good. And there was no opportunity to say goodbye or to express my deep gratitude for all these years.

What Made Our Relationship Great?

Nonetheless, I still needed a haircut yesterday and I received one from the same guy that stood in the last time. In all honesty, I wasn’t terribly thrilled with my haircuts, not that I wanted something fancy (my idea of a haircut is merely getting my hair trimmed to a length that will allow me to style it any way I want later on).

Unfortunately, I did not receive a memorable experience with this guy. It was just not the same.

So what really made the difference? You might say a haircut is a haircut.

Well, the difference is my late Malay barber guy listened. And again and again and again.

From the first time and every time since then, he would ask once before each session what I wanted (despite knowing very well what I wanted), listened to my request and proceeded. If I thought my hair needed a little more trimming (just like my dad’s, my hair burst into life and starts growing wildly the moment I step off the barber’s chair), I would make regular requests (in a single session) to have the sides trimmed to the length I wanted. He would listen, never let out a sigh or complain and gave it to me every time.

I also have a (call it peculiar) belief that buzz machine-cut hair do not grow out well and had insisted on a traditional scissors-cut the very first time I patronised his services. All these years, he remembered that very first request and never gave me a full haircut with a machine (only touch-ups).

The new guy left me disappointed. Crucially, he did not ask what I wanted or listened close enough to what I had to say.

All Great Marketers Listen to Their Customers

First rule of marketing: Give what the customers want. And that is only achievable by listening to what they really want.

That, in essence, is what my late Malay barber did. He asked what I wanted and continued to listen every time. He was a marketing guy in the most simple and effective way. He did not put forth fancy hairstyle ideas or suggest a new hair colour. He did not lavish me with in-store perks or loyalty points. He never called me by my name.

But he listened and listened. And gave me what I really wanted.

Truly a hallmark of any great marketer.

Farewell

I regretted knowing and calling my late Malay barber only as ‘Pakcik’ (Malay for uncle) (I’d love to give you a name here). I probably knew his name at some point but we had gotten on so comfortably, we never did have a need for names. Nonetheless, he’ll be greatly missed.

May God give strength to his family and friends and bless my Malay barber’s soul in the ever-after.

The simple guy who listened and listened and listened.

In a really connected world, no one can go it alone. Apart from the community that supports and develops your products (in tech at least), listening to your customers (end-users) must be the easiest way to gain insights, to polish your wares. But sadly, that is not always the case.

This Red Hat video says it very well and succinctly. The community-driven enterprise: it works!

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The Attraction of Swedish Meatballs

In all honesty, I had earlier started on a post about how Fika Cafe excites me with its niche business idea: halal Swedish cuisine in Singapore, a rarity indeed. Couple that with a major culinary disappointment for Muslim food lovers/hunters over the years: Ikea’s Swedish meatballs (they contain pork which is forbidden in a Muslim’s diet). Because those who had them, have been talking about them for years! It is a gilded gap in the market and Fika is on to it. Fantastic so far.

Then something happened. My close friend (whom I had introduced to Fika via Facebook) had a confirmed reservation (made in person!) double-booked, 20 mins before breaking of fast (its the Muslim month of Ramadan). She was turned away with mere apologies. What really didn’t sit in well was the fact that the staff who attended to her did nothing more than merely saying “really sorry”. There was no attempt to find a solution, or have them on priority once a table clears or to simply ask for contact info to make up for what happened. So when I stumbled on a fitting post by Fika in my FB stream, I left a note about this matter. I kept in mind to be as objective as possible, as I care that a new business will need all the help it can get to tread the 2.0 waters. Click on image below for an enlarged view of my comments, captured earlier.

Fika did reply to my initial comment and so did others. Some in support of Fika and others who agreed with me. Fair enough, but I was really happy that Fika responded and engaged. It showed that they are savvy with this.

So, this was a new story that I wanted to blog about, so I began drafting a new post to say how well Fika Cafe has done in connecting and engaging its customers/fans online via their Facebook Fan Page. I was impressed with this, the direct replies to their FB fans, the genuine concern and their public promise ‘to make it up to me’. (However, at time of this post, I have not heard from them. I am still interested in a friendly chat.)

The Horror!

While trying to get screen captures for this post, I discovered something which made my heart skipped a beat. My comments on Fika’s Facebook page were deleted! There were at least 6 other comments in that deleted post. Another fan’s post, an ‘Erin Syahnaz Bangi’, which touched on her disappointment of a recent visit, was deleted too, along with 2-3 other posts from Fika’s fans, in response to me, who commented on the excellent service and experience they had received.

(Click to enlarge view)

The realisation that I, along with others, was censored in free speech didn’t feel good. Not at all.

Nonetheless, I do agree that Fika is free to do as they wish on their online properties.

Voices in the Social Economy

We are all aware that the online identity is an extension of your offline self. Same goes for a business. More important than online commerce, it is a PR tool. Hence, all conduct is scrutinised, a recent case in point being Microsoft’s Photoshop fiasco. Therefore, I can only conclude that it is important for businesses to remain open and transparent with customers or stakeholders, especially when engaged in social media. Any discernible actions deemed negative will be amplified and passed on to the next listener.

Is it any good to be all too transparent? In the age of corporate social responsibility (CSR), this is all the more important.

Again, let me use Zappos as an example. Try visiting twitter.zappos.com. Any mention of “Zappos” by anyone in Twitter-verse gets streamed on this page. Good or bad, its all exposed and open. They have an Employee Tweet page too. With 474 tweeting employees to date, you can certainly have a feel of what goes on in Zappos HQ.

What Went Wrong

In Fika’s case above, censoring comments is akin to saying “thanks for chatting, noted, but let’s keep these away”. If there is an open Facebook Fan Page to comment on, then these comments should stick. Be open, but consistency is important too. Also, what are the justifications for deleting these comments? I personally believe comments are delete-able only if foul language, personal insults or insensitivity to religions are involved. Otherwise, its fair game. And if there’s a real need to delete, then send a note to explain the action and why it is necessary. Be accountable for action, a CSR mandate.

Perhaps the comments struck a nerve with someone at Fika. But the only way to respond to bad criticisms is to respond positively (remember word-of-mouth is powerful.)

This is the problem, in reality, Fika did really well in responding and very positively at that. The Fika comments would have been a good positive indication of whom the people behind the brand are. To me, they seem genuine and honest. But regrettably the comments have all but disappeared. I can’t show them to you and I can’t speak more good things about them. Its an opportunity lost for free and good publicity.

Here’s a quote from Seth Godin’s ‘Spare No Expense’: ‘The way around it, I think, is to set expectations early and often. If you’re going to give me your phone number, you better answer it. If you’re going to offer a warranty, you better honor it. If you position yourself as a company with real people eager to make every single person happy–you better deliver.’

PS. Still looking forward to some halal Swedish meatballs.

They’ve called it the Internet Vendor Mentor program. Rolled out by the Customer Loyalty team, they had vendor folks from Birkenstock and Munro over in Zappos to sit in with the employees who are actually selling their products. What better way to know how your sales are are being managed than to sit right in, butt-to-butt, with your salesperson! 

Two major benefits of doing this:

1. For vendors: Other than being able to meet Zappos up close and providing guidance, the sessions allowed them to listen in to customers’ experience of buying their products online. The kind of questions they ask, the type or make of products they like. Any concerns that might. Very meaningful insights by really listening to your customers.

2. Zappos get to show off Zappos and what they stand for. I am sure the vendors go away knowing that their shoe-buying customers are in good hands and very well taken care of.

Absolutely Amazing Bonus: Listen closely, at 0:55, the Zappos customer consultant is giving directions to a Clarks store to a caller on the line! That is ZERO revenue and accidental COST incurred for Zappos! Can anyone else claim to such ‘shenanigans’?

I am sure all of these ‘live’ Zappos customer service goodness are rubbing off on these vendors. I had earlier posted on Zappos’ culture, watch the video if you are still unconvinced that this is the best company to work for :)

Still unconvinced? Read actual CEO’s email to employees (on acquisition by Amazon), can’t get any more open and transparent than this.

C

Social media works, doesn’t it?

A blogging taxi driver. Now that’s a purple cow. Other than the remarkable fact that he has a PHD and was a Principal Investigator in a government lab for 16 years before getting retrenched, blogging got his story out into the open. In this economic climate, there are probably thousands of other folks in the same quandary as Dr Cai. But blogging gave him an edge, a story to tell. Perhaps, he may even score a job out of this spot in the limelight. Time will tell as we peel our ears to hear more from Dr Cai.

Its tough.

If you continue reading Dr Cai’s posts, you will know that taxi driving isn’t exactly a walk in the park. People have pre-conceived ideas about taxi drivers, especially in Singapore. They place a stereotypical social profile on them. Even though there are many angels among them, a taxi driver’s profile isn’t very flattering. Furthermore, making a living is tough. There are many competitors, including an increasingly affluent society with too many cars and, of course, our “world class” public transport in Singapore. Which got me thinking, how then can Dr Cai and his fellow taxi drivers get an edge in a “social-media inflected” world? How can Dr Cai and the likes of him (the nice, honest guy kind) differentiate themselves from the competition and leverage on the Web 2.0 economy? As much as we would like to help him out directly, the odds of flagging him down the next time you need a cab is pretty slim.

So let’s step back a moment and discuss Dr Cai’s story in a different context. Here’s something I am passionate about. My pet agenda, as a life-long customer advocate, customer service as a social media/marketing strategy. Plus a ‘one-tiered’ social conversations strategy I thought out to get the ball rolling.

The Social Economy is Here

Many have discussed using conversations with your customers as a long-term strategy to get customers interested and loyal, but how exactly would it work in a profession such as taxi driving? The touch on customers is always fleeting, you may leave a great impression but repeat customers are few and rare (unless you’re in the business of chartering). Its always the next customer down the road that fills your coffer.

How then can a taxi company get an edge in an increasingly social world? How DO they differentiate themselves and help their driving employees, honest folks like Dr Cai? Or do they still cling on to “nah, we are an old school business, we will be okay! People will always need cabs!”  Now, simply ignoring the changes in how business is being done these days or that your customers are talking about you will only hurt you in the long run. Imagine a one-time negative buzz gone berserk, not unlike United Breaks Guitars or the Whole Foods Facebook boycott, your taxi company may never recover. And believe me your customers ARE talking.

Ponder this:

Have we ever discussed this in our commuting: “Oh, Comfort Cab has better customer service!” or “Stay away from that company’s cabs, they have uncouth drivers”. No, we do not differentiate our choice of cabby, its almost always the next one empty (most times anyway, and even if we do, its usually something trivial like “oh i want that newer cab!”)

But someday this kind of talk will happen. And taxi co. executives should take heed and take advantage now.

So how can our taxi companies differentiate themselves and their brand? How to engage? What is this ‘one-tiered’ strategy?

Simply, make customer service your marketing-social media strategy! Leverage on the hundreds of your employees out there who are serving your customers every single day. Teach them to interact with Your Customers in a ‘socially-savvy’ way. But forget the social media tools (for now at least, it is really hard to envision anyone joining your Facebook page, the groundbuzz has to come first).

In reality, you have only one engagement opportunity per customer. Unlike a social media strategy in retail or B2B, your taxi drivers are probably not going to meet the same customers over and over again and build great relationships off that. So its a one-bullet, one-kill operation.

How to do this and how to start?

Be different. Don’t stop at half-day sessions to extol the virtues of good customer service to your drivers. Have a Public Relations specialist speak to them on PR101, let them understand the power of public perception, see the big picture. Importantly, tell them about the power of the internet, how easy it is for their customers to post a complain or highlight a bad experience online.

Definitely keep a close tab on recruitment and training, you will need the right kind of workforce. I am sorry if I offend the many folks who depend on taxi driving for a living, but the reality is not all of you are suited for the job. You are not doing any favour for your company or your colleagues by sticking around.

Also remember that Customer Service is not through a Toll-Free number. It should not get that far.

And on the road…

Start with a simple greeting. Many a times drivers don’t even bother asking where we are going. Initiate niceness.

Conversations matter. I know this is a 50/50. Some customers hate being in conversations with taxi drivers. Drivers need to learn to step back if a customer doesn’t wish to chat.  But if customers really want to chat, use that permission to impress with good conversation skills! Teach the drivers on the hows to manage conversations and also to listen. Sometimes customers wish to share too.

“Brand-Drop” When is the last time you heard any cabby promoting their company’s brand? Hardly. Which company did the last cab you took belong to? Dunno. So train your drivers to talk “brand”, subtly of course.

Now this is the good creamy topping!

There are actually two types of conversations, offline and online. But if you do the offline well, you can be sure the online conversations will take care of itself. And best of all, all these for free! Social media will work for you, for next to nothing.

When everyone in your team plays a part to be the brand ambassador or the customer advocate, the collective effect is pronounced. Zappos is always a good example for me. A very apt local Singaporean example is Botak Jones. So by virtue of making good impressions through customer service everywhere, your brand will be memorable. And memorable brands get talked about very much, online.

Soon enough you will watch your brand grow online, as long as the conversation is good and worth sharing.

Maybe next time we will talk about how to leverage on these online conversations.

What will you get out of this?

Brand differentiation and social media wins through excellent customer service.  And a definite edge in the new social economy.

Will this work? I think it will work like a dream. Perhaps you think otherwise? Please share below :)

I’m beginning to see where I can go with this blog and where my convictions lie in the face of social media engulfing the world. Quite simply: Your audience and your customers.

Let’s chat more later and now for that Zappos video. I’ll sell my soul to this company.