Some people would think this is a strange combination… efficiency AND customer service/satisfaction? Most people actually think that these two actually negate each other!

But for TOA this is our bread and butter! Literally! We make our living not just combining the two – but making them work in harmony to both reduce operating costs and enhance the customer experience.

This is because our basic premise is that these two issues are equally and completely intertwined. You cannot have one without the other:

And in TOA’s world  it’s focus on the customer experience and making sure that customer commitment is MET and that the customer not only has what he or she needs -but has it when and where you promised to deliver it. This is the only TRUE PATH TO EFFICIENCY.

When we started this TOA our goal was to solve the problem of customers “waiting at home without knowing” when a technician (engineer in UK-speak) would arrive at their door.

That was the original seed of the idea: Why not solve the problem of customers “waiting without knowing” by providing them with real-time up-to-date information about the status of their appointment in a pro-active, personalized, dynamic and interactive way?! Such a simple idea!

But what we found was that underlying that lack of information to the customer – was a lack of accurate information by ALL the stakeholders in the appointment event: dispatchers, managers, technicians/mobile employees, call center customer service reps, etc. No one had an actual, up-to-date, easily accessible, real-time picture of the field.

And that’s what we created with TOA’s web-based SaaS solution: A system that collects analyzes , processes and disseminates real-time, time-based, actionable, predictive, intelligent information of what is happening in the field with a focus on the customer and the customer experience.

This is the first  true web-based information hub to aggregate all the relevant information about the appointment or field event  So that no one is left out in the dark wondering: What is actually going on? When is that appointment or activity going to happen? Why do I have to wait all day without knowing?

We ended up creating one probably the most sophisticated system  focusing on predictive analytics, on time and time-based  performance pattern recognition and integrated customer communications. All with the goal of keeping customer commitment!  That’s the key!

A credit card company that hires Customer Service Representatives who worked in the hospitality industry rather than in calls centers?

An airline that has a Senior Vice President of Proactive Customer Service?

What unites these companies?

They are Businessweek’s 2010 Customer Service Champions and clearly they have something to teach us all. A clear continuation of my favorite theme…Genuine Caring.

Interesting read.

And it was quintessential Apple.

Perfect pitch hype in launch campaign that was, once again, astounding to witness. Everyone I know was somehow thinking or talking about it at some point… and the best “joke” I heard that day was that the iTab would be announced by President Obama during the State of the Union address (which was that same night)  – which was funny – but also not…let’s face it…if someone could pull off that ultimate marketing stunt, wouldn’t that be Apple?  And does anyone not think that Barack (or his girls) owns a Mac?  Even Frank Rich in the NY Times said that there were more people anticipating the Steve Jobs speech than Barak Obama’s State of the Union address.

So what is it about the Apple experience that makes it so compelling? A lot of things. But to me what is most continuously amazing is the completeness of the vision and then… the totality of the follow through execution all of which is about creating the holistic product which is not one specific “product” – but is Apple.

Apple is such a total ecosystem where everything is completely thought through as contiguous whole –  fitting together tightly and with a precision that basically has no gaps:   From the design of the iMacs and MacBooks to the iPhone / iPod experience (and now the iPad ) to the elegant, easy to use, almost flawless operating system to iTunes and the Apple Stores, to the website and the other online properties (such as me.com) to the launches – it’s all part of one almost indivisible whole.               One thing: Apple – The Brand as a Product:

Identifiable; of exquisite quality; inspiring the customer; respecting the consumer’s intelligence; a recognizable and complete customer experience. Yes. It costs a bit more…but ultimately you get what you pay for.

I am typing this on my MacBook Pro and when I think about it – it makes me laugh how passionate I feel about this machine!!! I love it! Isn’t that ridiculous? …But true! The MacBook is not an operating system and not a piece of hardware… it’s a complete Apple experience. Thought through. It has a distinct character all its own and it’s a beautiful thing. Even though it’s just a tool – and there are a many of these – it’s unique. Bravo Steve Jobs and Apple

So why don’t all service and goods providers think like Apple? Why can’t all them create the ultimate, contagious, complete exquisite experience that Apple has? Don’t they WANT customers like me (for life) to be writing adoring articles about them, looking for excuses to visit their stores and websites to spend money just to be “close”…How hard is it?

At the end, I think it’s all about intention. If you have it you will be there. You will do what it takes, you will go the distance, you will transcend. All you need is to think clearly, all you need to do is really want to.

It’s good business.