Beyond hype

Here’s some interesting current thinking on Twitter.

If we accept the above ‘Hype Curve’ to be true then where does Twitter adoption now lie? I kinda think that we are still heading down towards the Trough of Disillusionment. Now whether Twitter does pull out from this dive seems to be what all the talk is about. Will it reach a bottom and then start actually being used for improved productivity?

So where does the future for Twitter lie? It seems clear now that it has past the hype phase and turned the corner down to disillusionment. As I said before it will be interesting to see if it manages to pull out of this dive or simply ploughs into the deck in a flaming wreck.

Bottom line? I was the owner of Twitter, now is probably a really good time to sell!

Future videos

If you take a trip over to Microsoft Office Labs you find some really interesting videos about potential ways that we might be using technology in the future. They are all worth a look but I would recommend you especially have a look at Productivity Future Vision.

While you are at Microsoft Office Labs also have a look at Canvas for OneNote. I’m a real OneNote fan and I really like the added functionality this brings to the product and hope they incorporate it soon. Have a look at some of the video demonstrations to get a better idea of how different an interface can be. If you really like what it does you can download and start using it.

Complaint handling

Every business get complaints, whether they be from customers, suppliers or employees. The question is what processes do you have in place to deal with these? Are they handled in an ad hoc or a structured way? Are they reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that there are no fundamental flaws in business processes? How are the resolutions communicated to those who raised the complaint as well as others?

I would suggest that there aren’t many businesses that have a complaint handling system in place. We have all experienced making a complaint and then failing to have that complaint addressed or resolved to our satisfaction. However, if you have ever dealt with a business that did have an effective complaint system then you can probably appreciate how it may have actually increased your loyalty to that business. Why? Because you were treated with respect. Your concern was taken seriously, acted upon and you received timely communication as to its resolution. Unfortunately, these types of experiences seem to be few and far between these days.

Think about what processes you currently have in place to handle the whole complaint process. How easy is it for the complaint to be recorded in the first place? What steps are in place for it to be routed to the correct person? How can its progress be communicated to all parties, especially the person who made the complaint? How are the resolutions to complaints documented and made available for later reference? After any complaint how can your systems be reviewed to prevent any reoccurrence?

The cost of obtaining new customers is far high than retaining existing ones. Complaint handling should not be seen as a burden but as a chance to not only build customer loyalty but improve you internal systems. In many cases you can’t see the issues with your products and services because you are too close. That being so, your customers are in the best place to provide you with feedback (good and bad) as to how well these systems are delivering on their promises. Before you go and consider adding to these systems take a look at how you handle problems that may arise with them.

Outta play

With all this talk about swine flu and the mixed messages that are coming for public officials maybe it’s time to step back and have a look at the bigger picture here. What would happen if you really got sick and couldn’t work for say three weeks?

If you are employed then generally that isn’t a worry since sick leave is part of the benefit of being employed, however what happens when you own and operate a small business? If the business is dependent on you and you get sick then typically the whole business stops. Unfortunately, both you customers and competitors don’t, so you would probably spend extra time worrying about these even when you are sick rather than worrying about getting better.

Before you drive your car anywhere you generally know you have a functioning spare tire on board to cover unforeseen emergencies. It wouldn’t be much use to hit the road without one now would it? It is also too late to think about having a spare tire when you get a flat isn’t it? Preparation is the key but do you apply the same logic to your business?

If you were to get sick or be taken out of action for a few weeks what contingency plans do you have in place? What funds do you have in place to tide you over? Whom can you rely on to help you with the work that you can no longer do? You may have income protection insurance but have you taken steps to protect your income?

Prior to any personal outage you need to build a business support network, people whom you can trust to cover for you in a pinch. You want to start making those connections as soon as possible because you never know when you may need them. Next, you probably need to consider your documentation. Do you have your business and customer information recorded in such a way that it is easy for someone else to get up and running? You have have all the help in the world but if they have to keep coming back to you and asking you questions what good is that? Also, how much of a financial buffer do you have to tide you over any downturn? What do you actually need financially to pay all your business and keep the business operational?

The hope is that you will never have to implement your ‘emergency’ plan but that should never stop you from working on one and working on it on a regular basis. Developing contacts, documentation and buffer fund all take time so the sooner you start building these up the more valuable they will be in the any unforeseen circumstances.

When did Noah build the ark? Before the rain, before the rain.

One year on

I am proud to announce that my SharePoint Operations Guide is now one year old. How it has grown from that initial release. Firstly, I want to take the opportunity to thank all the subscribers, without whom the Guide would not be where it is today. I’d especially like to thank the small group of foundation subscribers who supported me back in May 2008. Without you especially standing up early to support me, the Guide would probably still be sitting unfinished in some folder on my computer.

Before I start waxing on lyrically about the Guide I’ll just let you know that in recognition of this milestone I’m making a special offering. During the month of May 2009 you can not only get Chapter 2 free but also you can purchase the Guide for only $249. That’s a throw back to the initial release price and a $50 discount over the current price. To do this simply send me an email (director@ciaops.com) and I’ll send you Chapter 2 and a special redemption code that can be used until the first of June 2009 to obtain a discount. This is a special offer that will not be repeated, so if you are interested in learning how to install, maintain and migrate SharePoint then take advantage of this offer before it expires.

So a full year, wow! When I look at the Guide now I’m pretty proud of what I’ve been able to achieve. It now stands at over 1,250 pages, the DVD includes 4.2 GB of information, there is a Linkedin group for subscribers and those interested in the Guide plus more. I’m happy to say that I’ve still got plenty of ideas for additional content so the Guide is only going to keep growing. I’ve even come up with a logo:

Looks familiar doesn’t it?

I’m always keen for people to let me know what would be a good addition to the Guide or to contact me (director@ciaops.com) if they have any questions about Windows SharePoint or the Guide.

Once again, I thank all the existing Guide subscribers and I look forward to working hard for another twelve months to make the Guide even better.

Hypothetically speaking

If you aren’t aware, probably the biggest hosting company in Australia, WebCentral, is still having a major email outage (been over 30 fours for some people now). Now I don’t want to speculate why this has happened or how people need to understand that email is not a guaranteed method of delivery. What I do want to focus on is a business opportunity for a smart operator.

If you visit the Whirlpool forums you find this outage is costing people real money. Here’s but a few examples:

i’m the poor IT admin for my company who uses webcentral for over 5 years now, my CEO is sending me txt every hr to check whether it’s back online, i’m still working on an instant backup plan now, tried to forward them to my other host, but looks like the webcentral email forwarding isn’t working as well, can someone help pls….!!

We are talking about several hotels who’s main booking engines had relied on WC for over 3 years. There is a significant loss of business from unconfirmed bookings. One stats showing 52% occupancy from the daily average of 80%+.. in dollars thats about aprox $9,000+/day per hotel. What a nightmare. The pointing began at us then we pin pointed at WC. We are red faced for ever suggesting WC. So much for the 99.5% server uptime guarantee claim.

Now, I spoke about how to use http://search.twitter.com in a recent post as a method of monitoring, in almost real time, what is happening with customers. Now let’s say, hypothetically speaking of course, you have a competing business. What would stop you also monitoring the same Twitter feed and then approaching each affected customer with an offer to change over to your business? Chances are pretty good that if can offer a solution a lot of people are going to jump ship right now since they are currently experiencing real pain and loss. With something like Twitter you can do just that!

If you step back and have a think about that and apply it to other areas then Twitter may be a great way to leverage some opportunities for very little cost. So while some may look at Twitter as a total waste of time, it is far more intelligent to learn how it can be added to your marketing toolkit to bring in more business. A good craftsperson knows it is not about the tool, it is how that tool is used. In this circumstance, I can really see how Twitter can be very effective if used correctly.