The Holistic Customer

Beyond the Website Experience

Samantha Starmersstarme@rei.com@samanthastarmer

REI – Recreational Equipment, Inc.

Retailer, Member owned co-op1938

"We inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor

adventure and stewardship."

meUX & IA related work for places like Amazon, MicrosoftREI – first experience at a non high tech companyTeach at University of Washington

Most important - Spent 10 years in the restaurant and bar business. With a lot of

customers.

First, a story…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/2959785536/

Palm Springs!

Resort Hotel!!

I am lucky

Verdant

Lush

Foliage…lots of foliage

Like The Secret Garden!

But…

I was tired

I needed an adult beverage

$80 wine!!!

But I’m cheap…

…and car-less

I have to get out of a 13 acre resort

So, with a crappy map

and tips (seriously),

I finally find my way out

And escape to the real world

But now it is dark

And the lovely, secret foliage

With all of the nooks and crannies

That I already got lost in when it was light…

Is kinda scary

Finally, thank god

Now I really need a drink

At least for walking, exploring or doing

anything not related to sitting by a pool and

drinking

no sign policy

except…

WHYshould you care?

 65% of visitors to an online search engine were looking for further information in relation to a product or service they saw in a television commercial or in a newspaper advertisement.

Pubblicita offline e ricerche nei motori, 2007From ‘Information Architecture for Ubiquitous Ecologies’, Andrea Resmini and Luca Rosati

They are coming from everywhere!

We have no control

over how people hear about us

Or get to us

53% of US online consumers say they

research products online that they subsequently

buy offline.

Forrester, North American Technographics Retail Online Survey, Q1 2009 (US).

Over half REI online

business is picked up in a

store

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shaireproductions/3176968409/

Even if you think you are web only, you

are multi-channel

Customers are interacting with your

brand.

They don’t care about the channel; they care about the experience.

I’m the same customer in each interaction

Leaving lovely hotel room

Getting flight # via email

Check in via mobile app

I don’t want flight status!

Okay, trying another way

Flight not recognized

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindaugasdanys/3766009204

Fine. Old school check in.

US Airways….

And one more reason?

Our Marketing peers are way ahead of us…

someGUIDELINES

Think about on ramps and off ramps

Don’t assume the customer is using the front

door.

Holistic experience at all entrances

Back door

Side door

Holistic experience?

Where’s the award?

Store directions?

Who is REI? Why am I here?

Are your on ramps and off ramps a

good experience?

Be consistent…

Consistent brand

Coordination, timing

Be consistent…

Consistent information

The most common problems reported by Web-to-store

shoppers related to discrepancies in prices and product information across

the two channels.Forrester, How Satisfied Are US Consumers With Web-To-Store Shopping?

December 2009

Not the same information!

Not the same information!

Be consistent…

But optimize channel capabilities

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10016573-75.html

Surface at a hotel

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10016573-75.html

http://www.tobi.com/

Augmented Reality dressing

room

Not just a stupid advertising app

Don’t design for user's needs on the website, design for

the holistic experience

HOW to start

Use metrics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iliahi/2606645766/

mechanics

Tools

•Experience Design•Service design•Customer experience•Customer relationship management

•Multi-Channel communications•Cross-Channel Marketing•Ubiquitous computing•Design Thinking•Pervasive IA (@resmini)

Disciplines

•Field Experience•Service Inventory•Customer Journey Mapping•Experience mapping•Mental Models•Business Origami (@jessmcmullin)

Tools and Methods

Wander the halls

Leave your comfort zone

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3007/2680257100_69b12c6e7d.jpg

Understand executives’ goals

Listen

Designing a holistic experience means listening holistically:• Usual UX research, but also• Call center• Email queries and feedback• Live Chat transcripts• Social Media• Sentiment Analysis• Market Research• Analytics (behavior)• Store follows/shop alongs

http://averagecats.com/page/7

Hang with a new crowd

Make new friends Marketing• IT, or anyone who can build stuff• Finance• Distribution Center• Customer Service• Innies with outies, outies with innies• Different industries

Artists, architects, museum curators, restaurant workers, baristas,

landscapers, hotel managers…

Don’t get overwhelmed

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/hoarding-buried-alive/slideshows/before-and-after-episodes-1-4-02.html

You can’t be everywhere at once• Target a channel pair • Focus on incremental progress• Measure stuff• Celebrate (and communicate)

quick wins• Get allies to spread the work

Finally…(and this one is hard)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimfrazier/1810966604/

Don’t be grabby

Let go of control• It’s okay when other people start

talking about the customer experience• It’s okay when other people try to

improve the customer experience• It’s okay if you aren’t involved in

EVERYTHING• It’s okay if you aren’t the only one

making a difference.

Isn’t it all about the customer?

EVERYONE should care about customer

experience

Join the Journey

http://images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com/image/A7760/776083/470_776083.jpg

Thank you.Samantha Starmer

sstarme@rei.com@samanthastarmer