The Art & Science of Service Conference
Bentley University
June 2009
Customer Collaboration
In a Gift Society
James Fitzsimmons
Seay Professor of Business Emeritus
McCombs School of Business
The University of Texas at Austin
Overview
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The Case of the Pill Dispenser
Characteristics of a Gift Society
Motivation of Contributors
Open-source Communities
Gift Society Opportunities
Online Forums at Verizon
Customer Community at Starbucks
Collaboration at Boomer Consulting
Increasing Perceived Value Through Collaboration
Research questions
Customer Collaboration in Product
Improvement
The Case of the Pill Dispenser
Changed a slot to a triangular opening to accommodate large pills
Characteristics of a Gift Society
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AARP survey of 40 million Americans aged 50 or older
found 73% preferred to give time rather than money.
On sites like Linkedin and Facebook complete strangers
are helping out-of-work people by sharing job leads and
making referrals putting their own reputation on the line.
Web-savvy retirees help answer technical questions online
from home for a few hours a day for the enjoyment and
respect of peers.
Lead users often contribute to product innovation and
improvement (e.g. skateboarders and mountain bikers).
Motivation of Contributors
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Giving back in retirement.
Joy of helping others.
Peer recognition.
Social interaction
Feeling of being useful.
Alternative to boredom.
Intergenerational transfer of value.
Open-source Communities
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Examples of open-source collaboration:
Linux and Wikipedia
Attributes of open-source communities:
- They have leadership and structure.
- People contribute out of generosity and ego
because they own it, not for money.
Web 2.0 Enabling
- Blogs
- FaceBook
- Twitter
- YouTube
Mobile Communication Connectivity
- iPhone
- Cell Phone Cameras
- GPS
Gift Society Opportunities
Society
NGO
Government
Corporate
Expertise
Wikipedia
(content)
Habitat for
Humanity
School Mentor
Verizon
(community
forum)
Advise
LinkedIn
(job leads)
Boy Scouts
Teen Court
Starbucks
(IdeaStorm)
Presence
Craigslist
(posting)
Archaeology
Dig
Adopt a
Highway
Customer
Online Survey
Beneficiary
Contribution
Thanks to the Blue Canoe Gang for refinements
Using Volunteer Expertise
The Case of Verizon
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Job description: Spend 20 hours per week at
your computer supplying answers online to
customer questions with no pay.
Who responded: Retired experts willing to
give of their time for the pleasure of helping
others.
Other benefits: Becoming a community leader
with direct access to Verizon technical staff.
Source: http://forums.verizon.com/vrzn/
Customer Community
The Case of Starbucks
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In 2008 launched MyStarbucksIdea.com built on
IdeaStorm platform
Starbucks found customers generous with ideas
(e.g., make ice cubes out of coffee, program regular
order into Starbucks card) with other customers
screening the ideas.
Solutions were offered not complaints
It was like a live focus group that never closes.
An avenue to harness the customer community to
innovate.
A parallel channel was developed for employee input.
Source: Jeff Jarvis, What Would Google Do?, Collins Business, 2009, 59-62.
Customer Collaboration
The Case of Boomer Consulting
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“Those who can create value through
leadership, relationships and creativity will
transform the industry, as well as strengthen
relationships with their existing clients”
Change in delivery format from traveling to
individual client sites to leading client group
collaboration and joint learning at meeting in
Kansas, Missouri.
L. Gary Boomer, Boomer Consulting of Manhattan, KS
Boomer Consulting
The Technology Leadership Process
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Technology Leadership Workshop (One-on-one conference
call from Boomer)
Reviews (Strategic, Technical, Executive Analysis,
Consultants Training Program)
Technology Leadership Blueprint and Budget (Written plan
and 3-year budget)
Kolbe Team Success Program (Seminar to diagnose
productivity problems and offer prescriptions)
Coaching Through Technology Circles (Groups of firms join
together to share common concerns)
Firm Summit (Boomer facilitates annual retreat)
Research Questions
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What is the appropriate organization of an
online community? (e.g., Wikipedia)
How do you reward outstanding
contributors? (e.g., Verizon)
How should abusers be dealt with? (e.g.,
Craigslist)
Need web-site for those seeking
opportunities to serve.