Cara Posey | Change Agent

Customer Service Needs Your Intrapreneurial Spirit

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:08:03 -0400

Customer Service Needs Your Intrapreneurial Spirit:

Everyone seems to have something to say about the Facebook IPO and even the Zuckerberg wedding. Entrepreneurs are great, but here’s our blog post on why it’s the people inside the organization that are needed to lead change. And why customer service needs YOU and your “intrapreneurial” spirit.

Voice of the Customer e-Book

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:44:24 -0400

Voice of the Customer e-Book:

This free e-book download on Voice of the Customer helps businesses improve customer experience, learn about net promoter score, and listen to customers. Check it out and let me know how you like my first e-book!

"Join the Conversation" is Over

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:23:35 -0400

"Join the Conversation" is Over:

This blog post started with me going to Walmart to pickup cat food on my lunch break and promptly sharing with a colleague upon return exactly what I encountered when viewing my bag of Purina. Purina invited me to join their cat conversation…which I found slightly absurd. Out of this discussion sprang the idea for this blog post by my friend Joe Cortez.

So companies are you asking people to “join the conversation” because an expert told you to? Or are you really interested in creating customer value? Check out the latest post on Training that Sticks.

"Unpopular women in business—unpopular business people, period—make decisions that might..."

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:47:00 -0400

“Unpopular women in business—unpopular business people, period—make decisions that might not ultimately appeal to everyone yet honor and respect the customer. Unlikable business decisions are ones that forget that your customer is the reason you’re allowed to do business every day.
…
Success comes from knowing your audience, and building something they will love. I’d be less concerned with what people are calling me and more concerned with what my customers and colleagues think about the way business is getting done. Those are the people who matter.”

- Erika Napoletano, author of The Power of Unpopular, as featured in Fastcompany.com’s article “The Bitch In The Boardroom Stereotype: Women Speak Out About Success And Likeability” by Lydia Dishman

Speakerfile Launches eHarmony for Experts and Conference Planners

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:42:37 -0400

Speakerfile Launches eHarmony for Experts and Conference Planners:

Speakerfile is the next big thing…just wait. Check out this great article from Pando Daily and you can also get a chance for a free premium account or enterprise account. Which is a pretty great value…we paid hard cold cash for ours! You can see Signature Worldwide’s Speakerfile account here.

Customer Centered Culture: Customer Service Starts with You

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:42:56 -0400

Customer Centered Culture: Customer Service Starts with You:

Check out this post on Signature Worldwide’s Training that Sticks blog. Forrester Research’s Paul Hagen and Signature Worldwide’s Cara Posey discuss customer experience, customer service, and the customer-centric culture. Tell us about your company and how you create a customer focused culture in the comments section.

Training that Sticks

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:08:24 -0400

Training that Sticks:

We’re doing a lot to revamp the Training that Sticks blog with great content on customer service, sales, training tips, and more. Check out the new format and let us know what you think!

Improving B2B Online Customer Experiences

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 23:55:59 -0400

Improving B2B Online Customer Experiences:

Now, Signature Worldwide’s website, http://www.signatureworldwide.com, embodies their brand promise and shows prospective and current customers exactly who they are as an organization within their very first interaction. CEO Steve Wolever and Director of Marketing Cara Posey explain the importance of providing an excellent customer service experience every step of the way.

Redesigned Flickr will not take value away from Pinterest

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:39:00 -0500

Seriously, people. As much as we like to talk about tools, do we stop and think about the purpose behind them? Just because Flickr is getting redesigned and may look more like Pinterest does not mean they are competition. To be fair to Mashable author Zoe Fox, she does not suggest this will happen in her article. But I have seen plenty of articles or posts about Pinterest killing Flickr, Pinterest combining Flickr and Delicious, etc and this is not even mentioning the Twitter stream.

While you could theoretically use Pinterest in the way you use Flickr, that isn’t in my opinion what it’s set up for. Flickr allows users to upload and share photos, create albums, etc. I can then share photos on behalf of my company, or share pictures of Piper’s birthday to the masses. The cross over here, perhaps, is for artists that may post their photography on Flickr and then also create a Pinterest page to share their work.

Personally, I don’t WANT Flickr to try to be Pinterest. I love the focus on a more visual interface, and more power to you on the redesign. But what I love about Pinterest is the ability to visually share ideas. I can share products I love, which can also serve as a bookmarked visual list of things I love to buy and where to buy them. I can share home decor items that all visually go together but are collected from hundreds of different websites. And no matter whether the item is still available from that store or retailer, I have an idea of what it looked like and possibly what it was called or who made it so I can search elsewhere.

Then, there is the wonderful Pinterest stream. I can view Home Decor again, for example, but this time see all of the other things thousands of Pinterest users are posting. It is a great way to expose yourself to new items AND new retailers. I think Pinterest will turn into an excellent referral source for online retailers. While some of these home decor items, such as furnishings, are quite expensive…I still have my handy Pinterest board that I can reference later.

So do I see new Flickr taking away value from Pinterest? Not in the slightest. Do I see Pinterest “killing” Flickr? No, not really. I think there could be some crossover, but given the fundamental idea of sharing that is engrained in Pinterest, I only see crossover for professionals and why wouldn’t they keep both sites?

Lately, you’ve probably seen every guru come out of the woodwork trying to explain how you can use Pinterest for a business purpose. I would caution that while you can think of ways to use this for any business, the current greatest value is in online retail. For instance, check out how one of my favorite home decor websites, Layla Grace, is using Pinterest to share ideas and vignettes with users.

What do you think the greatest value is for Pinterest? And what is it’s greatest threat?

My Blog Post from Training that Sticks on Creating Delight

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:32:46 -0500

My Blog Post from Training that Sticks on Creating Delight:

Some times customers ask us whether Signature Worldwide company get-togethers can really be as much fun as our training sessions. We will leave it to you to decide whether delight was created during this extra special closing ceremony, featuring the Signature Worldwide Air Symphony’s rendition of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

Signature Worldwide is known for training classes and business solutions that are inspiring and fun, results-driven, and stick with participants for years to come. Now we can add our musical abilities to the list!

Hiring Social Media Workers Not Wannabes

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:14:00 -0400

It always amazes me how people can get jobs by purporting themselves to know things, rather than having actual abilities. I know I have made hiring mistakes with people like this…have you? When hiring, it is imperative that you make sure someone knows how to DO the work. What if it was their manager or editor or coworker? What if their portfolio has been heavily edited by someone else or is full of pieces by the “department” but not by the individual?

Always get multiple references from reliable sources and unless you have first hand knowledge of their abilities, give them a test. Check them out on LinkedIn…who do you know that they know? Do they have a lot of referrals? What do their personal social media profiles look like? Why did they leave their last job? Don’t just rely on that person’s answer, dig deeper into who this person is by asking mutual contacts for details. The best case scenario is that everyone says the person is awesome. Worst case scenario is that you save yourself time, money, and liability by not hiring a dud.

Perhaps the candidate wowed you in their interview by using all the right words. They said things like “SEO” and “target audiences” and “integrated strategies.” Sometimes the biggest duds can give the best first impressions. Unless you are hiring for a bullshitter, then by all means, just go on first impressions. Otherwise, test your candidates! Can they spell? Can they make good strategic decisions? Would you trust them with your dog, let alone your company Facebook page?Design your test based not in a live environment, but based on a situation they may encounter.

Sample scenario: Our company is launching a new Facebook game. It’s targeted to this demographic. Take two hours to research and present me with: a social media launch plan, a web advertising plan, and include sample tweets, Facebook posts, web ad copy, and keywords to target.

Then sit them in a cube outside your office and tell them to get to work. If they know what they are doing, they should at least have an idea of where to start. If they panic, run for the hills, or give you a cut and paste document with paragraphs from Wikipedia…well then you may have a problem.

Making a bad hiring decision costs you money and time…two things that are so precious when it comes to promoting a company, engaging customers, and maintaining a positive online reputation. Don’t take your chances and go with your gut…back up your intuition with facts.

What do you think? Any other advice for hiring in the social media or digital marketing arena?

Ohio Social Media Policy & Guidelines 2010

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:11:00 -0400

Ohio Social Media Policy & Guidelines 2010:

Ohio’s social media policy was created in 2010 to provide guidelines to State of Ohio employees on the use of social media and the integration of gov 2.0 (or #gov20) in state government.

This was a collaboration with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s office, the Ohio Department of Commerce (Cara [Keithley] Posey), Ohio Department of Administrative Services (Ron Sylvester), and the Ohio CIO’s office.

LongHorn Steakhouse social media response in less than half a...

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:35:24 -0400

LongHorn Steakhouse social media response in less than half a day…from a staff member from the specific location I referenced

I Count on You to Reward Good Service

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:37:00 -0400

My customer loyalty means something to you. If it doesn’t, it should. After all, Forrester Research says loyal customers are more reluctant to switch companies, willing to buy more products, and are more likely to recommend your company.

I want you to consider my loyalty a sign. Obviously you are doing something right, whether it’s as simple as you have a great location to the fact that you offer an awesome product or you have killer customer service. I also want you to know that while I am likely to recommend you to everyone I know, I’m not the type to answer the survey at the bottom of a receipt. So I expect you to do some leg work and figure out what it is that makes me, your loyal customer, happy. And when you find the answer, reward it and replicate it.

While at my first week at Signature Worldwide, I went to lunch with my boss at LongHorn Steakhouse. I don’t know how many years it had been since I’d been to a LongHorn…I had no real positive or negative feelings about the brand. But my boss told me that they had good salads, so I ordered an entree salad and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

I generally do not go out for lunch. I eat every day at my desk while working or checking Facebook or reading the news. I opt for quick lunch options that fit in with my schedule, but there is only so much fast food anyone can take. I decided to give LongHorn carryout a try. I walked in to order at the bar and was greeted by a smiling blonde bartender named June. June took my order and offered me a free Diet Coke. She put my dressing on the side and made sure I had warm bread and sent me on my way with a smile in less than ten minutes. I returned to my desk at work to enjoy my warm bread and crisp salad and thought fondly of my lunch experience. It was certainly worth the $9.99, which was higher than what I’d pay at a fast food restaurant, but the level of service and the product made it worth it to me.

Over the coming months, I started ordering salads to go from LongHorn at least once a week. I always looked forward to seeing June and knowing that she would never forget my dressing and would always send me back to work feeling happy. I even started to go to LongHorn with my family once every few weeks, introducing them to my new-found restaurant of choice.

Today, however, I walked in and was not greeted by the hostesses as usual. The bar was busy and June was rushed. She still greeted me with a smile, but no free Diet Coke today. She got my order, packed to perfection, and still sent me on my way in 10 minutes or less. I left feeling a little disappointed…not in June, but in the restaurant. Something seemed amiss today, and I wanted to smack anyone who had caused sweet June to deliver less than awesome service. I wondered if anyone knew that I came to LongHorn because of the service I received? Because June gave me a free Diet Coke and made me feel valued for choosing them over another takeout option? Because the hostesses always thanked me and opened the door for me, even when I just got a salad to go?

So, this post is for LongHorn and every other brand. I count on you to reward good service. I count on you to recognize that little things like a free Diet Coke make a huge difference in me feeling valued to you. I count on you to notice that June builds personal relationships with those of us at the bar and makes us feel special, even though we just stop by for a takeout lunch. I count on you to give her credit…heck, give June a raise. At the end of the day, she coupled with the good food I never knew you had, are what keep me coming back.

Now, back to my salad…

Google Alerts for Client Research & Social Media

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:10:06 -0400

Google Alerts is one of the best free listening tools on the web. Many business professionals still do not understand the value that these alerts can bring them when they do client research and build content for their own social media voices. (This is important for everyone…not just for those professionals “in charge” of social media.)

You define what’s interesting and Google Alerts finds it and brings it to your inbox as it happens, daily, or weekly. If you don’t know how to set one up, visit www.google.com/alerts and enter your search terms, decide what you want to see (type), how often you want to see it, and how much you want to see (volume.) Depending on the subject, you may only want news or you may want to also get blogs and videos, it’s all up to you. You also may want to receive this information daily or weekly or narrow it down to what Google considers the best stuff, but for reputation related searches I suggest as-it-happens and all results. I certainly want to know everything said or posted about me or my brand.

How Can I Use Alerts for Client Research?

Identify the clients you want to monitor.
What do you want to know? (Examples: awards, openings, reviews, etc.)
Monitor client successes to give you a reason for contacting them.
Monitor for client failures to help you in making sales.

Consider not only what’s relevant to you, but what’s relevant to the client.

Monitor industry news so you know what’s relevant to them.
Monitor location business news so you know what’s relevant to their business climate.

How Can I Use Alerts for Social Media?

Who is your social media audience and who do you want it to be?
What content can you provide that is relevant to this audience?
This is value-added content that has nothing to do, in most cases, with your specific company.

Monitor alerts for relevant content and consider sharing on social media.

Which social media voice is appropriate for this content?
Has someone already shared the same content? I can still re-share or re-tweet.
Does this content inspire me to create something for my company, such as a blog post or video?

Keep yourself in check.

Is what I am sharing relevant to the audience?
Is what I am sharing appropriate for the audience?

Share good ideas and content internally.

Take the time to forward good links and relevant content to other employees or on the employee Facebook page or intranet.
Share ideas on generating new social media content to the relevant social media leaders in your company.

Final Thoughts

Google Alerts are one of the best free listening tools for the web.
Add and refine alerts as needed to help you on a daily basis or to help with specific projects or initiatives. They are customizable to your needs!
If you do nothing else today, create Google Alerts for your name and for your company name. This is essential to reputation management.

Cara Posey, Director of Marketing for Signature Worldwide

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:23:01 -0500

Cara Posey, Director of Marketing for Signature Worldwide

Moving On Up

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:18:54 -0500

Moving On Up:

I have left the world of government for a new challenge. I am now the Director of Marketing for Signature Worldwide, a training and business solutions company. Check us out on Facebook. I will still be talking about government and higher education, but also about customer service, sales, training, social media, and more. Just think of it as extending my horizon.

Mayor Shows Government Leaders How to Use Social Media in a Crisis

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:10:53 -0500

Mayor Shows Government Leaders How to Use Social Media in a Crisis:

Government leaders have a thing or two to learn about using social media in a crisis from Mayor Cory Booker of Newark New Jersey. First lesson: use social media to listen to and help your citizens. Social media is not just another push communications channel for your campaign messages. Second lesson: people will remember you for how you respond in a crisis. Personal responses garner so much more goodwill than generic ones (see the difference, comparing Booker with NYC Mayor Bloomberg in this Village Voice blog post calling Booker the hero of the snowpocalypse.)

Government staff and campaign staff alike should take note of this example of leadership.

Five Reasons Public Sector Employees Are Great Hires

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:09:28 -0500

I heard recently about a local private sector leader who is very skeptical of hiring public sector folks. Many public sector employees are looking for work right now nationwide due to the recent election and various changes of administration. This prejudice seems so unfounded to me, as I know many public sector employees who are exactly the kind of people I’d want to hire. I hope that this person and others like her will reconsider their misconceptions and interview some of these potential candidates.

Here’s five reasons why public sector employees are great hires:

Loyalty - Public sector employees are trained to protect their agency or organization. Especially at the senior staff level, you will find employees who know how to give 100% support to leadership regardless of their personal opinions.
Management Skills - Many public sector employees have the opportunity to manage people. This often means they have extensive experience with hiring and firing, disciplining staff, working with unions, and keeping up on HR rules and laws. These employees are not scared of managing and generally know how to work with levels above and below them to keep the peace and move things forward.
Crisis Control - Whether it’s handling a crisis communications situation or preparing a pandemic flu plan, public sector employees are experienced in preparedness. These employees can help you navigate through unexpected challenges, keeping your business running smoothly and your reputation intact. I’ve never met a group of communications professionals who were more adept at handling investigative reporters than those in the public sector. Any normal business would be astounded by the number of media calls and records requests we receive monthly (hundreds.)
Big Picture Perspective - Public sector employees know that they are employed to serve their constituency, whether that means a nation, state, city, etc. We are constantly reminded of the true purpose of our work. These employees also have to regularly balance the wants and needs of stakeholders, legislators, and partners in with those of citizens. Public sector employees will understand that you have multiple reporting lines, a board, stakeholders, lawyers, employees, and customers all in the mix and it won’t faze them.
Commitment - Employees in the public sector generally don’t job hop every year. They look for stable job opportunities where they can do good work and be treated fairly for a competitive wage. They value good benefits and reasonable work hours. This is not to say they won’t work more than a 40 hour work week—public sector employees have the same challenges as private sector. We have outreach events, projects, or crises that keep us late into the evening. All we generally want is recognition for our commitment and praise for a job well done. Not so much to ask to gain a stable, loyal, committed employee.

These five reasons are based on my personal experience. What else would you add? I know there are even more reasons why public sector employees can be tremendous assets in other sectors.

Transitioning to Gov 2.0: Post-Election

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 12:02:04 -0400

While candidates may understand the purpose of using social media for campaigning, if they haven’t been in office the past two years, they may not know a thing about Gov 2.0. I blogged the other day about how candidates used social media in the mid-term elections, but actually transitioning that use into administrative use is a whole other thing.

For those politicians that aren’t aware, there’s been a big movement to actually use social media in daily government to engage with citizens. This means that citizens can have an online relationship with programs and initiatives that matter to them: state parks, veterans services, travel and tourism, education, etc. We’ve also worked to improve transparency and efficiency: providing information online, creating web forms, and more.

So when you walk in and take over the office in January, I suggest you consider the following:

Is there an existing social media policy or guidelines for your state, city, agency, division, etc.?
Who developed this policy and is anyone still around that knows anything about it? (you might ask this question before you clean house, otherwise your social media expertise will probably need to be replaced.)
Who is empowered with the ability to use social media for business purposes? If these people are now no longer there, is someone going to take the reigns of maintaining online outposts and relationships? (Interns do not count here. You need people who actually understand what you do and can adequately engage with the public on your behalf.)
If there is no policy in place, or social media is not currently used, are you going develop this as part of your administration? This is a priority you should discuss up front with your IT, communications, and program staff.

From my standpoint, using social media as part of government is becoming far less a value-added feature and far more an expectation. Check out GovTwit and you’ll see there are over 3,100 people or entities at all levels of government that are already active. Check Twitter and search for #gov20 and see what’s going on out there…the level of involvement and discussion may surprise you.

I guess my point is, you’re not the first administration or individual to grapple with the idea of using social media in government. While you may not even realize the opportunity of using it within your administration or organization at this time, it benefits you to consider this sooner rather than later. Find out what’s already been done. See how you can actually build upon this to make government better and help serve citizens more efficiently. Create more transparency.

Because, in the end, wasn’t the point of running for office to actually create positive changes and make things better? I hope you’ll consider how Gov 2.0 will be part of that equation.