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  • Why I like having a few geeks in my pocket.

    Posted on January 19th, 2010 by Robbin and currently 9 commenting.

    Disclaimer: While we work with Best Buy in their Musical Instruments division, we had nothing to do with @twelpforce. My personal opinion: it is one of the most innovative customer service ideas I’ve seen in long time.

    Okay. I brought my daughter a Macbook for her birthday this weekend. And I as I was pondering this purchase, I reached in my pocket, grabbed my iphone and sent two questions out to @twelpforce.

    I had 10 responses within a matter of minutes.

    And you know…it was comforting.

    They weren’t hard questions. And all ten replies were only somewhat consistent. But the instant gratification is good enough for me. The fact that they are out there listening is also good enough for me.

    The brand — borrowing some language from Ford’s social media strategy — became very “human” to me. Six or seven very real people (who make typos like me) wanted to help me out on a Saturday morning.

    And that leaves me wondering, will @twelpforce improve in store customer service? Or does it make in store service seem slower by comparison?

    In the store, I have to patiently wait my turn for that “just right” associate to come my way.

    What If I could tell someone I was coming? What if they could have my purchase ready to go? What if I could have asked, “Is the real mac guy there today?” before I rode all the way out to the store?

    Just thinking out loud.

    What I love about Best Buy and some other companies I admire is their willingness to try things. Their ability to say “Why can’t we do that?” Instead of “We can’t possibly do that”.

    I believe courage is being reluctant to do something and doing it anyway. Embracing a real conversation and supporting your customer’s needs and passions takes a culture with courage. But not willing to try is such a bigger risk.

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  • http://adfarmonline.com Warren Fick

    As the Brits would say, “Spot on, Robbin.” Twelpforce really is reflective of a courageous corporate culture, so I can’t help wonder how a big big box empire like BestBuy gets to that point. Do they channel the mindset of Saville Row tailors? Or do they see the need for geeks in their business model, along with the need to cram them into consumers’ pockets? The most gifted IT people I know are outstanding people, with a shot of technical know-how thrown in for good measure. I think the real courage is recognizing their human value. Even if it’s only 140 characters at a time.
    Warren

  • http://deliverbliss.com Tim Sanchez

    Cheers to Best Buy for initiating something like @twelpforce and jumping into the conversation. I only wonder how long something like this retains its wow factor for the customer. As you said, it’s comforting to get 10 responses right away when you’re used to waiting in line. But how good are those responses? After your third, fourth, fifth time of asking a question and getting mediocre answers, does the PERCEIVED level of satisfaction really change? I suppose it could when compared to the retailer down the street who isn’t engaging in the same way.

    Regardless, it’s exciting what this allows us to do and the opportunities it creates. I hope they continue down the path they’ve started on.

  • http://hyperarts.com/social Analisa

    Twelpforce is a wonderful innovation, but I think your point about the comparison between in-store and on-line service is important. When I go in to Best Buy, which I regrettably have to do sometimes, I am astonished by the poor service. Only once or twice have I actually been helped by someone knowledgeable.

    On the other hand, I have received amazing customer service via Twitter, and I think this huge gap in quality makes Best Buy look bad! They promise and deliver on-line, and then promise and fail in real life. The company needs to adopt a comprehensive strategy for translating that dedicated on-line service to off-line interactions.

    And the “real mac guy” in the store was very helpful, just for the record :)

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  • http://brainsonfire.com Robbin

    Oh, and now I have some geeks reading my blog post. Sweet.

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