Customer Service Case Study: Jimmy John’s

(UPDATE: 10:22 a.m. 4/1/13 below)

Yes, I have a food blog, and yes, that means I love to cook at home a lot.

But sometimes I’m tired and worn out and just want a quick meal without work. So I rely on a few nearby restaurants.

Jimmy John’s is one of them. And, after the service they gave us when we ordered from them last week, they won’t be included any more.

Freaky fail

The bad service started when my wife called our order in. The employee did not ask her how she wanted to pay. My wife had to call back to pay by credit card. The employee did not say “Thank you” or “Bye”; she simply hung up.

We have called this particular Jimmy John’s location to place an order before, and sometimes we have our food within 10 or 15 minutes. Freaky fast, indeed.

A long, long wait

But this time was different. In fact, my wife placed the order just before an NCAA March Madness game tipped off. By the time the game had reached halftime (20 minutes of game time plus multiple play stoppages), we still did not have our food.

After waiting for 45 minutes for our food, my wife went to call back Jimmy John’s to complain. Just as she was placing the call, the delivery driver called to inquire about directions. He was close but on the wrong side of a main road. And, for some reason, he thought he was delivering to a business.

We thought this was odd considering we have ordered before and had no hiccups in delivery service.

After we pointed the driver in the correct direction, he arrived about 10 to 15 minutes later. Considering where he said he was when he called, it should not have taken more than 5.

The trouble with money

When the driver arrived, the receipt said $3.62 instead of $11.50, which is what our order cost. We thought that was Jimmy John’s giving us a discount for their service.

My wife signed the receipt and sent the driver on his way.

No sooner had she set the food on the counter when the doorbell rang again.

It was the driver, and he said that the order had been rung up incorrectly and that we owed more money. After a bit of back and forth, my wife signed the receipt for $11.50.

If a restaurant undercharges a customer by accident, and the customer signs the receipt, shouldn’t the business should absorb the undercharged amount? We think so, yet the driver insisted we pay the full $11.50.

Managing expectations?

After all of this, my wife called the store and spoke with the manager. He said the service was not good because he had new employees, and he would speak with them about their performance.

What we expected was for the manager to say he would charge us just the $3.62 or some other similar recompense.

She also emailed a complaint to the corporate email account. We have not heard back yet, but I will update this post if we do.

(UPDATE 1): Jimmy John’s called my wife in regards to her corporate complaint and will be sending us a $15 gift card and said the service we received was not on par with what they strive to achieve. We appreciate that.

Sound off: Have you ever had customer service so bad that you stopped buying from that business?

Can Users Still Trust Other Google Products?

Creative Commons photo by Irish Typepad

As I sit here, most of my Twitter stream and lots of people I am connected with on other networks are complaining about the impending death of Google Reader.

I’m right with them, in spirit at least.

Google has not shown as much support for it as it has for its other products. And it’s become clear after a petition to save Reader that the product has a big and devoted audience.

So it stands to reason: Can users continue to trust other Google products?

Google stalwarts

Make no mistake: There are some products that users can continue to use. Gmail, Google+, Analytics, AdWords and YouTube should all be safe. They’re among the best products or have no true competitors.

But what of others? Blogger, Calendar, Drive. They’re all products I use on a daily basis, but they are certainly other options out there if I lost faith in Google.

Consider in addition that Google ceased AdWords functionality in Feedburner in the past year.

All hail Google+

That Google has pulled support for Reader based on what others perceive as it being in competition with G+ demonstrates to users that Google is not afraid to pull its products, even if the user base is there.

Certainly it is not what it used to be, but based on petitions to save Reader, it’s safe to assume there are lots of people, like me, who use it every day.

How do you feel? Will you continue to use other Google products?

The Walking Dead Guide on How to Not Run a Marketing Campaign

Creative Commons photo courtesy of mensan98th

Walkers are set to stalk television screens across the globe again now that the latest season of AMC’s zombie-rific “The Walking Dead” is back on Sunday, Feb. 10.

And, interestingly enough, there is a lot to learn from the show’s characters. Sure, being equipped for the beginning of the zombpocalypse is one of them, but there’s more, too.

In fact, as marketers, we can learn things from the characters on “The Walking Dead.”

They can show us how not to run a marketing campaign.

Keep it secret

The governor was a major new character in the first part of season 3. And as was seen at the conclusion to the first half of the season, people don’t take too kindly when you keep secrets.

Marketing takeaway: Be open, be vocal. Keeping secrets will not get you points with your target audience, and it certainly won’t with your coworkers.

Go off on your own

Another new character, Michonne, worked with the main group of characters in season 3. But toward the end, she went off on her own, trying to confront someone she did not trust.

Marketing takeaway: Communication is key. Without it, mistakes will be made, and unintended consequences will be unleashed. Don’t think that you know best.

Ignore surroundings

Rick wakes up in the hospital in season 1. Eventually he decides to head to Atlanta. When he gets into the streets of the city, he spots some walkers (the show’s term for zombies). He heads away from them, only to turn a corner straight into a horde of zombies.

Marketing takeaway: Prepare, prepare, prepare. Do your scouting work. And make sure you find takeaways at the end of the campaign.

Remain in fear

When the group in season 2 found Hershel’s farm, life seemed good. But then the group found out about a barn, and that drove some to fear it. Others were cautious or curious about it, a more level-headed approach.

Marketing takeaway: Experiment. Perform multiple tests. Don’t be afraid to fail.

How else do the characters’ actions show us what not to do as marketers?

5 Key Thoughts from the PR + Social Media Summit, #prsms

Photo courtesy of Gee Ekachai via Instagram

Last week the 4th Annual PR + Social Media Summit was held, and if you weren’t there, well, you were probably following along from home (read: work) at the #prsms hashtag.

Right? Right.

Just in case you didn’t go and weren’t listening on Wednesday, here’s a rundown of 5 key thoughts to take away from the summit.

1. Not Everything is a Social Media Crisis

Augie Ray in his keynote burst some social media bubbles and at the forefront were crises. Not everything that appears as though it’s a crisis will turn out to be one.

As an example, NBC took a lot of heat for its Olympics coverage this summer. The tape delays were probably the most known one, but there were several other public outrages, too.

But NBC ended up garnering its highest ratings for the Olympics, and the network, which forecast itself to lose $200 million in the process, ended up breaking even.

2. Tell Your Story Visually

Gee Ekachai, whose Instagram photo is featured in this post, presented about that social network at the summit.

The main takeaway from her presentation? That visual storytelling is growing and so popular because it can cross language barriers.

(As an aside, I share a lot of pictures of my dogs on Instagram. I was happy to learn that the first photo on that network was of a dog.)

3. “Not Everyone Is Going to Be a Fan of Your Brand.”

I tweeted this quote, but forgot to give credit to its author. And now I can’t remember.

Regardless, it’s an important reminder. As much as anyone involved in social media is fixated on growing a brand, getting new likes and followers, it’s important to remember this.

Some people won’t be swayed and that’s OK. Instead, try to recognize those who love your brand, and give them content and interactions that will continually solidify that feeling.

4. Listening is of the Utmost Importance

“Brands who pay attention, get paid with attention,” said Molly McKenna Jandrain during her breakout session on “Sharing Your Brand Story.”

To me it seems like social listening is not talked about as much as other parts of social media like humanizing, tools to use or metrics to track.

But listening is half of social media — by definition, social media takes two partners, and you have to listen to the other partner to keep the interaction going. If you’re not listening — and even if you are — take time out to see how you can improve in this area.

5. Be an Industry Leader

No, those aren’t words that Nick Symmonds uttered about himself, but he might as well have done so. He’s an industry leader for Olympic athletes.

Nick seized an opportunity this year and sold a space for a tattoo on his shoulder through eBay. Summit sponsor Hanson Dodge Creative won the auction, and the two have a mutually beneficial relationship because of it.

The auction started because Olympic track athletes can show only one logo when running in races, and Nick wanted to bring attention to that and get it changed. He has brought a lot of attention to the issue, and he has found opportunity where none existed, by partnering with Hanson Dodge and growing his personal brand.

That’s what happens when you’re an industry leader.

Read more about the summit

You can read some of my curated recaps on Storify:

• “Sharing Your Brand Story” by Molly McKenna Jandrain
• “A Human Web Touch” by Mary Henige
• “How Instagram’s Become a New Social Media Superstar” by Gee Ekachai
• “Bursting Social Media Bubbles” by Augie Ray

And if you still want to read more, I recommend this recap — 3 Takeaways from #PRSMS — from my Twitter friend Abi.

How the NFL Tarnished Its Brand

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Dave Hoefler

I did not watch any NFL football this weekend, and I won’t any time soon. I’m a former NFL fan.

Why? Because, in my eyes, the NFL eroded its brand and tarnished its product greatly in the past week.

One week ago

It started one week ago when the Green Bay Packers (my favorite NFL team) traveled to the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 24.

On the last play of the game, M.D. Jennings of the Packers came away with an interception, but the replacement referees on the field called it a simultaneous catch, awarding the catch to Golden Tate of the Seahawks. With the catch, Seattle won the game.

The play was controversial because it exemplified how inept the replacement referees were at times. And, without argument (I think), it cost the Packers a win.

Hurting the NFL brand

But more importantly, the botched call showed that the NFL was hurting its brand of sports entertainment by having below-standard referees on the field, showing that the outcome of the games can be decided not just by the players on the field.

And I was ready to write a blog post about how that call, and about how the replacement referees, were hurting the NFL’s brand.

But then the NFL came out with a statement Sept. 25 about the game.

In it, NFL officials said it supported the referees in not overturning the call of a simultaneous possession. Notably, however, the statement does not say whether the simultaneous possession call was correct, only that it should not have been overturned.

Quite a nuanced statement, in my eyes.

Say one thing, display another

After the game, some players were decidedly angry. They took to Twitter.

Got fucked by the refs.. Embarrassing. Thanks nfl

— TJ Lang (@TJLang70) September 25, 2012

That was arguably the most viral of all tweets about the game that night. And the NFL normally fines players for using profanity like Lang did. But on Sept. 26, the NFL decided not to fine the Packers players.

The NFL fines players when they are in the wrong. It is not hard to reach the conclusion that the NFL does not think the Packers players did anything wrong, and that they are siding with them in believing that Green Bay should have won the game.

Thus the NFL said one thing in its statement — the Seahawks won — and another in its actions — the Packers won.

And that was how the NFL tarnished its brand.

How I’ll come back

The end of the referee lockout was the biggest issue for me before Sept. 25. Reaching a conclusion to the dispute was a big step in the right direction.

It would be nice to hear the NFL apologize for its stances on the final call of the game and on not fining the Packers players for their tweets. But that won’t happen.

Instead, I will come back when NFL officials — I don’t mean the referees — are consistent in their rulings and show respect for the product and the fans, something that was quite lacking in the past week.

How do you think the NFL fared in the past week?

Twitter’s Newest Problem: Hashtag Spam

Twitter hashtag spam of #smcmke. Photo courtesy of @carrieatthill.

No one likes spam. Get rid of that filthy flim-flam.

No matter whether it’s email, social media or snail mail, you can hear someone’s eyes roll when they encounter the nasty trash.

Social media sites have been battling it for a while. Twitter has had an up-and-down relationship keeping spam accounts at bay.

A growing problem

But the trend on Twitter has been for spammers to target hashtags. And during this past week, I saw that firsthand quite a few times.

It’s time for Twitter to make this priority No. 1.

Why it’s top priority

Users can block and report spam accounts, but it’s disruptive when hashtags are targeted.

Normally, users are having conversations or chats on those hashtags, so spammers block the flow of those conversations. And the time it would take to block and report all those spam accounts while in the middle of a chat? No thanks.

Room for complaints?

One argument I’ve seen often is that Twitter, like other social media sites, is free, so we shouldn’t have to worry about complaining. Remember: It’s free.

To a point, I agree. But the amount of spam that I saw in hashtags in the past week speak against that point.

Some complaints need to be aired.

#smbmad Go through the bride’s striptis with Usain Bolt, assess. x.co/mtjw

— Stephanie Myers (@Stephan52776784) August 15, 2012

#smcmke Haha : He published almost everythingbit.ly/ReZ4pQ

— Meghan Carden (@MeghanCarden1) August 15, 2012

Do you think hashtag spam is Twitter’s top problem right now?

When Time and Goals Intersect

Creative Commons photo courtesy of lululemon athletica

Goals. We all have them. It’s usually just a matter of finding the time to complete them. But what happens when time and goals intersect?

Time takes precedence

When time takes precedence, your goals go unfulfilled.

Maybe that means it’s time to re-evaluate your goals. Break them down into smaller goals or scratch those goals altogether. Maybe it means that you need to re-prioritize your goals.

Whatever the case, it’s time to evaluate.

Goals take precedence

You’re completing your goals — that’s great — but at what cost? Time goes by the wayside, which means suffering through not enough leisure time.

It’s time to ponder your plate and whether there’s too much on it. Maybe it’s time for a break or time to move some goals to the backburner.

Worst course of action

What’s the worst thing you can do? Fail to realize how your time and your goals intersect. If you don’t, you won’t be able to evaluate how you are performing your goals and how it’s affecting your time.

Find your priorities

This is the conundrum I have faced in recent weeks: The intersection of time and goals.

My main two goals are blogging here weekly on Mondays and riding 1,000 road cycling miles this year. My cycling goal has taken precedence over time, which has taken precedence over my blogging goal.

But I’m passionate about blogging, and that’s why I’m re-evaluating how time and my goals intersect. I’m hoping my goals take more precedence in the near future.

“Not My Job. It is Now.”

Creative Commons photo courtesy of hagge

Those words were a few of those that I’ve read in Seth Godin’s “Linchpin.” (I’m about one-third through the book.)

A lot of Godin’s points have struck home to me, but this one in particular I thought was important and worth expanding from my point of view.

These were words that I have unofficially tried to live by professionally. I’ve made efforts in my job to step up and do something that hadn’t been done before or that I thought should be done. Among those efforts was stepping up to take over my employer’s social media accounts, which would not have been updated had I not stepped up.

From the customer’s perspective

I think it makes sense to think about these words as a customer. Do you want to find an employee and ask them a question and have them answer, “Not my job”? No, you don’t. No one does. You want that employee to help you out, even if they think someone else could help them better.

From the employee’s perspective

That’s why when you think about how you act as an employee, these words are important. So this task wasn’t a part of your job description? So what? Do it anyway. Step up, do the job. Your employer will look better, and you will look better.

Confusing your customer

Creative Commons photo courtesy of PhotoJonny

Recently I had gotten to a point where I wanted to buy a new video game. And one of the games I had been looking into was “Bioshock 2.”

So when I was at Best Buy shortly thereafter, I thought I would check out the prices.

Here’s where the title of this post comes in: When I looked at the price of a new game, it was $10, but the price of a previously-owned copy of the game was $20.

Yes.

Best Buy was charging $10 more for a previously-owned copy than for a new copy. Um, huh?

Yeah, that makes no sense. I’m assuming they’re charging more for the traded-in copy to make a profit on the transaction. But if doing so is going to put the price higher than the new copy, they shouldn’t even buy the traded in copy.

Let’s just take this as another example of why you shouldn’t confuse your customers. (Hint: I didn’t buy either copy.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Set Realistic Goals

Photo courtesy of JohnONolan

We’re more than a quarter of the way through 2011, so I’ve had time to look back at and reflect on some of my goals for this year.

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from setting goals this year, it’s that you need to set realistic goals.

Healthy goals

The goals for my personal and financial categories are realistic. But when I look at the goals I set in my health category, I think I went a little overboard.

I wanted to bike 2,011 miles this year as well as run 100 and run in a 5K. At the beginning of this year, those goals seemed realistic. Of course, I based those goals on last year, during which I biked about 400 miles during a three-month stretch. And I didn’t run. At all.

Why realistic?

There’s something to be said of setting goals, no matter how realistic. Sometimes, it’s to motivate yourself and get you to do a little bit, even if you fail to achieve that goal.

For some, that’s a win.

But for me, that can lead to me feeling too overwhelmed by what I’m trying to achieve that I end up not trying.

More realistic

I knew going into 2011 that I had one puppy and would be adding another to my family in the first couple of months of the year. Yet I tasked myself with biking 2,011 miles despite that. That was unrealistic.

I failed to take into consideration how much free time I had to devote to my healthy goals. In doing so, I ended up creating unrealistic goals.