Consumer Centric

Life’s opportunities have kept me moving such that I’ve been posting life and not writing about it!

A recent life “moment” for me was jury duty in Texas’ 299th District Court in front of the Honorable Charlie Baird.  The day was quite a bit different from the selection process for a jury I served on in a 2005 murder trial in Sacramento, CA.

So, of course, it got me thinking about the customer-centricity of civil service on a jury (I’m weird that way). Can it be done in a way that meets the needs of the state while respecting the needs of the citizens?  Texas has a very different approach than California. But both have citizen-centric elements to their process.

First, Texas.  The process starts with a way cool online system for you to acknowledge receipt of the summons, selection of available dates, and assignment to a court and a specific starting date.  I was impressed and figured the experience at the court room would be as efficient, and as focused on making it easy for me to do my duty.  Well, not so much.

The day started in the courtroom lobby as we were all lined up and given specific numbers. The first 24 were asked to stand in line, but then we were asked to sit back down as we waited almost an hour for any stragglers.  One showed. Then we were back in line again and took our seats in the court room.

The selection process in Judge Baird’s court room was very Texas:  mostly polite, lots of talking, and very long. We listened to an hour of instructions from Judge Baird, then we listened to more than an hour of what was supposed to be questions from the prosecutor.  In reality, we were hearing part of her case in the child abuse trial about to start — and occasionally a few questions made it out.  Still, up to this point noone has been dismissed, we’re all there for the long haul.

Following a 90-minute lunch break, we reconvened to hear almost 90 minutes, or more, of the defense attorney rail into us about the corrupt political, legal, and law enforcement system in the US and how people like him are there to rescue the little guy.  His tirade, speeches, and general approach included even fewer questions than the prosecutor.  It was crazy.  Many of us were looking around wondering if we were going to be asked any questions to help select the jury.

We waited another 45 minutes outside while the judge listened to individual concerns about serving on the jury.  Then we returned.  Still, noone has been let go except for the doctor who early on said he knew a witness in the case and couldn’t be impartial.  The rest of us were stuck as the attorneys did their final selection.

Finally, at 6PM the judge read the numbers of 13 jurors and it was over. The rest of us were free to leave.

Contrast this with the California murder trial jury selection process I was in from 2005. We gathered, same number of people, after we received our assignment in a large room on the first floor (nowhere near as easy up front as the Texas process).

The rest of the process was efficient, straight forward, and quick.  The judge told us the rules in about 15 minutes. He then asked people to stand with any major personal issues, and he let a few go.  He then probed directly on some tough questions and tossed a few out.  Then it was time for seating the jury.

The judge put 15 people in the box, the first 15 numbers from the original random assignment.  The attorneys questioned those in the box they were interested in talking to, then one by one several were dismissed and a new person from our larger group was put into the box.  Once they ran out of strikes, it was over… and the jury was selected before lunch time.

Ideally, I’d love to see the Texas summons technique coupled with the California selection process in the court room to make it match the importance of what it represents and what it really is, but do it in a way that doesn’t subject people to a full day of legal arguments and posturing in a way that has nothing to do with selecting a jury.

Who’d a thought Texas could learn something from California?  Your thoughts…?

Two recent experiences add to what I consider the good side of the technology behind social networks and communication tools that are constantly emerging.

This morning, I was jogging and came across a moleskine book on the side of the road. It was a little wet from the sprinklers, but it was obvious someone did not intend to “store” it there. I grabbed it and finished my run… in fact, I kept thinking a number of the people I saw along the way must have wondered why I felt compelled to jog with a notebook in my hand!

I saw the name inside the notebook. Got to my computer. The first place I turned to was Facebook to search for this guy. Sure enough, from his profile I could easily tell it was him. I clicked on “send ___ a message” and told him about the find.

Later today I’ll connect with him out near my home and get it back to him. Easy. Quick. Non-invasive. Benefit for the both of us… feels good to find something when you know what it feels like to lose something, plus he has his book back now.

Earlier this year I posted about a chance encounter I had on a flight home to Austin. I was so touched by my interaction with Dawn that I felt like I had to share the way she approached adversity with honor and commitment. She and two of her children are now serving in Iraq with the MN National Guard, leaving her husband and teenage daughter back home.

Just a few days after posting the story, I was surprised to see a post from Dawn’s husband, Todd.  Then several other people with family in the military shared their own experiences. Eventually, her young daughter, Meagan, even posted her feelings and gratitude to those who had shared support. Together, we were able to share thoughts and a common sense of respect for someone who would never promote it herself. And it isn’t about pointing a spotlight on Dawn, it is about expressing appreciation for goodness, honor, and respect.

This person captured my reactions, too:

Just a few weeks ago another comment to my post on Dawn came from a friend of hers from years ago.

Dawn’s husband, Todd, replied and explained Dawn had talked about her friend many times over the years. I assume they’ve since connected and she’s been able to send a care package to Dawn.

My point in sharing all of this? Ambient awareness through social networking tools has a good side. Used for uplifting purposes we can find good and honorable people, things, and experiences.

Likely, I will never meet Todd and Lois and others who have shared in this story. But I’m a better person knowing what they’ve shared. How cool is it that we can facilitate such connections today?

Sure, these tools have as many, if not more, negative sides.

But I appreciate the good that can come. In the end, authentic connections between people on issues that matter will drown out the self-interest and negative scheming via online social networks. In my world, these are two examples of what I mean…

How many times have you bought batteries or a new electronic gadget or a DVD and it takes you 10 times as long to get it open as it ever took to find and purchase it? It can’t be just me who has wondered why they package certain items as if they really, really don’t ever want you to open it and use it.

Surprise! Innovation has hit the packaging world.  Maybe this has been around for a long time, but last night was my first pleasant introduction to the simple change that rocked my world… OK, it really did for about 30 seconds. And then it happened twice in the same night with a second purchase.

First, I bought an iPhone car charger (made by Monster) because I needed one, but really because my phone was dead and I had to make a few calls and was a long way from home or the office.  Got out in the car, looked around for something hard and sharp to pry may way into the plastic safe.  But, no… check this out:

How amazing is that?  Someone realized you could perforate the plastic case in the back to make it so a person who most likely wants to get into it after buying it can do so easily.

I was irrationally excited about a simple, consumer-centric innovation.

Then, this morning I went to open the new Logitech wireless mouse that I bought. Again, I prepared to cut through the very strong plastic case to extract the device.  Lo and behold… someone at Logitech had a similar epiphany, but they took it one step further.  They told me how to do it!  On the case!

Way cool.  I’m just excited someone got around to solving for that little problem.  A great example of taking a consumer-centric insight and taking the time to solve for it.

Thank you Logitech and Monster.

Once or twice a week I get this email from American Airlines.  It’s their weekly AA Net SAAvers Fares. I live in Austin, TX.  Naturally, my home airport selected is Austin’s airport. And, each week, the email starts out like this:

So, my weekly “custom” promotional email from American Airlines starts by telling me they’ve got some great weekend deals from Austin, TX only to say immediately after that there aren’t any Net SAAver fares from Austin next weekend. Gee… thanks! I feel special!

But, that’s only the beginning.

My “custom” promotional email then tells me about the special weekend getaway fares they have from Dallas, TX.  I should point out that the DFW airport is about a 4 hour drive (give or take) from where I live. So to enjoy these weekend getaways I’d need to drive up to Dallas, then hop on a plane.

Here are the wondrous trips American Airlines picked out for me this weekend:

(1) DFW to Killeen, TX for $58 each way.

(2) DFW to McAllen, TX for $81 each way.

(3) DFW to Amarillo, TX for $47 each way.

(4) DFW to Corpus Christi, TX for $74 each way.

Interesting offers since I’d pass Killeen in my drive up to Dallas. Not to mention the other locations are within drives for me, too, and the price offered isn’t anything to write home about for these short flights.

Finally, the one time I did see something interesting on this email (flight to Germany out of Dallas), I clicked on the email and was taken to the AA site through typical online booking and it was the exact same price I could have gotten if I just went to their site to begin with and searched for flight to Germany, but left from Austin.

Sure, I get that they’re just trying to alert you to the low fares. But, it is presented as something special and just for me. It’s like me sending an email to a prospect or client of my company, PURSUIT, and offering the following:

(1) Here is your PURSUIT special marketing innovation solution just for you this next quarter.

(2) Since we don’t do anything that you need, we don’t have anything to offer. But I’ve included what we did for another company who had a totally different need than you. But we’ll do what we did for them just for you at the same price we did it for them. Lucky you.

(3) Oh, and if you’d just call me and check what we offer, I would have just told you the same thing. In reality, I don’t have anything special to offer you. But I’d really like your business.

How’s that for Custom Promotions?

Please, American Airlines… don’t send me a custom offer unless it’s (a) real, (b) custom to something about me that you already know, (c) actually a better deal than it would be had I found it myself, and (d) something that makes me feel a bit better about you and your company.

That, my friends at American Airlines, is the difference between generic spam offers versus custom promotions… utility and relevance in my life.  As it stands, I ignore your emails except for the rare moments I look for entertainment to see where you want to send me from Dallas this week! Come to think of it, why don’t I just unsubscribe from that service… hmmm.

Certainly you’ve had a similar experience. Please share.

Sometimes we don’t have to look any farther than right above us to get a glimpse of nature’s playful moments.  If we allow them, these very human experiences can fill the heart and enlighten the mind.  A few current examples from my life…

First, tonight I’m going to wake my kids to get a glimpse of the Perseid meteor showers. We’ll try to get ‘em up at 3AM and watch. I’ll add in a photo or two here if we get any. How often can you watch the heavens light up outside of the 4th of July?

Second, on the way home tonight, we noticed these clouds as we waited for the light to turn. The kids commented on the cloud with a hole in it and the sounds of angels with the rays of sunshine spreading out.

It was one a moment that would pass so quickly I had to get one more photo after we made it through the stop light and could get a clear view of the amazing cloud and light show. The sun spotlight almost looked too staged to be real!

Third, I took the following pictures with my iPhone of a storm that rolled in during our soccer practice (I coach a few of my kids’ teams). The Texas skies offer a number of different dramatic performances. The emotions and nature’s expressions are very different in this series.

The storm came in so quickly we had to gather the team and wrap up practice. But the clouds were amazing and mesmerizing to stare at. Their intensity and depth were almost palpable. They seemed to be dropping down right on top of us. The emotions expressed by kids and parents alike ranged from fear (those who know how fast Texas storms turn bad) to pure joy (never seen anything quite like us).

For me, I didn’t want to leave. It was too much fun watching the rapidly moving clouds.

Tonight, I guess these expressions of nature reminded me of how real the human experience is when you add in the rich context in which life is lived.

Nature is authenticity. It is what it is. Yet it is always changing. Nature is sometimes predictable and many times not. It is always an expression of individual elements interacting to yield a beautiful tapestry. Humanity plays out its part within the tapestry and inseparable, really, from the reality of nature.

To be authentic in life, we have to appreciate the context in which people live their lives. We have to be real. We have to a part of the tapestry of their lives.

Ok… back to living my own adventure!

To me, Mutual of Omaha still makes me think of those Sunday evening programs out in the wilds of Africa.  I don’t remember if that’s where it really took place, but that’s what childhood memories that persist tell me.

They’re a lot more than that, apparently!

Tonight, my colleague, Jim Wilkerson (@jim_wilkerson) forwarded a site for a current initiative by Mutual of Omaha all centered on the “Aha Moments” of life.  We were interested given a client in the long-term care space… and it aligns with some concepts we’ve been brainstorming for our client.

Turns out for the celebration of a “century of service”, the heritage brand has created this “aha moment” community online and are traveling across the country capturing real experiences from Americans of all walks of life.  You sign up via the website, they schedule you for when they’ll be in town with the bus, then you come down and they take a professional quality film of your story. 

They have over 15 pages of stories (20 per page) that are 1 to 2 minutes in length and cover every aspect of aha moments in life you can think of… literally.

I love the definition and explanation:

“What is an aha moment? It’s a moment of clarity, a defining moment where you gain real wisdom – wisdom you can use to change your life. Whether big or small, funny or sad, they can be surprising and inspiring. Each one is unique, deeply personal, and we think, worth sharing.

Mutual of Omaha celebrates and honors these moments and the people who act upon them. We’re proud to have the products and services that can help people insure their possibilities.”

The experience at www.ahamoment.com is very people centric.  The individual stories can be searched by category (health, financial, career, education, spirituality, etc.) or by any keyword you’d like to use.  And the stories are real — they are fun, interesting, and examples of clarity in life, if not but for just a moment.

Mutual of Omaha is spreading these stories and making it easy for people to get high quality online video sharing a powerful moment from their lives (I’m sure there’s a lot of sharing with family and friends, etc., a little bit of celebrity-like exposure).  Key question, beyond story sharing… what further value/utility are they creating that brings your back to the security and help Mutual of Omaha can deliver when you realize in life that you need a plan B (insurance)?

Very interesting.  Nicely done.