February 27, 2010 75 Comments

Are We Experience Facilitators

Trey Pennington I just heard this from Trey Pennington at this offsite summit event that’s the after-event for Like Minds in the UK. I can’t really talk much about the whole conversation that spawned this, but I wanted to pull out this nugget that Trey said:

We are experience facilitators.

My take on his line is this: we’re building bridges between companies and customers in how those two parties experience their interactions. Want that a little less fuzzy? (Remember, this is a thought in progress.)

We social media marketing types can help companies build better experiences back and forth between companies and people. So, the project New Marketing Labs did with Sony about DigiDads was to work with dads and their children to tell interesting stories using Sony products. Our role, NML, was to help the DigiDads experience some new things with some new products by recommending some interesting group projects. Our role with Sony was to facilitate that relationship and help make that bridge.

There are other projects with other clients that make sense of this, too, but maybe you’ve done this yourselves.

Do you see that? This is related to my ideas on guest experience design. How can we improve the experience of customers (b2b or b2c)? And part of this is the facilitation we can accomplish via social media tools. Be it communication or media exchange or idea sharing, etc, there are many possibilities.

Do you see this at all?

More coming soon. I’m really really really big on this idea of guest experience (instead of customer service) and the value of things like social media to participate. I’ll wait for Trey to write up the idea I had for his new client. : )

What do you think?

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  • tinalouiseUK

    I see what you are describing and agree that [Experience Facilitator] describes well, the evolving role that those who communicate a product/service etc will take on.

    My only concern when reading your thought was how automatically adverse I felt toward the concept of marketing, through social media. I want to know about products/services etc – but object to marketing communications that encroach on time I did not allocate to them.

    However, I can see that with the evolving roles will come the evolving realisation of ways and times that marketing communications can be useful; without being intrusive.

    I can see a time when much of what I investigate, with a view to purchasing, will be discovered through those I follow on social networking sites. Those whose opinions I trust for a broad spectrum of reasons, based on the profile I have of them from [experiencing] their interactions or observations.

    Above all else I value honesty and if I get a sense of that, I will explore further.

    Interesting article Chris; that I encountered after discovering the hashtag #likeminds for the first time on Twitter. A person I follow ( @Britt_W ) used the hashtag and because I have built an image of her that feels honest and I generally trust that she is indeed a [like mind], I started wandering about finding out more.

    I love how this stuff works :)

    Namaste,
    Tina Louise

    @tinalouiseUK

  • http://www.rondegiusti.com/ Ron De Giusti

    I really like that phrase/title “experience facilitators”.

    Instead of someone having a title like “Internet Marketing Manager” or “Website Conversion Manager” it should be “Internet Experience Facilitator”. Very catchy.

    When we do things like SEO on a site to raise our ranking in SERP and then look to convert those viewers (and by “convert” I don't necessarily mean sell them sommething, but simply engage the lead further) we are talking about “keeping the experience going”.

    It is “keeping the experience going” that “conversion” is really about.

    Great nugget pulled from the convversation … made my mind think about job titles in a different direction.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    That's part, but only a part. Remember, we buy from people we like *and* can find. You've got one part. We have to plug into the rest to do the other bits.

  • http://twitter.com/thecustomer will rowan

    “guest experience” works – it adds emotion to the encounter, and puts the emphasis on the company delivering something that their customers value.
    Great retail brands do this already…

    In comparison, the idea of 'customer service' is frequently killed by the time it reaches customers. Too often customer service is thought of as the front end of a crm pull/engagement process, done by the company for/to the customer. & the service component barely survives budget provisions, and the need to 'protect' the company's interests from customer complaint.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    Remember that the above doesn't have to be marketing to sell a product. Church is marketing. You know that, right?

    So, how would you improve the guest experience of church? How would you facilitate that?

    See where I'm going?

  • http://tinalouiseuk.blogspot.com/ tinalouiseUK

    Seeing where you are going is becoming easy – I have just been getting to know your thoughts better throughout this site. I like where you are taking [experience].

    Did you mean a place of religion when you said church? If so then, I am also thinking of other ways of thinking/believing that have a need to share themselves – like political parties etc.

    So many thoughts then follow this that I will need to time to think them into logical, share-able shapes!

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    I mean the religious sense and otherwise.

  • remarkablogger

    Trey's one of the good guys. I love the term “experience facilitators.”

  • http://desaraeveit.com/ Desarae A. Veit AKA DesaraeV

    I agree completely. Guest experience is very important. I love the way you initially described it. I wrote a post about this here: (Twitter does not make up for the fact that your customer service sucks) http://interactivemedias.blogspot.com/2010/02/t…

  • cathyhofknecht

    I really like the idea of experience facilitators. It's not a one time event, but a continuous process to design and create an ongoing dialog and emotional connection between companies and their customers.

    In essence it's about practicing design thinking, where the focus of everything they do is centered around the customer. It's not just the product, but how people learn about it, purchase it and use it. We can no longer let these interactions and experiences happen by chance, instead we need to consciously design them to create a lasting relationship.

    Robert Brunner and Stewart Emery do a great job of articulating this idea in their book, “Do you matter? How great design will make people love your company.”

    If I were to append your term at all, I would call it Customer Experience Facilitator – since the customer is the central point of focus.

  • prosperitygal

    Chris

    Having been friends with Trey Pennington (and who could not just love him) it was not surprising he would come up with a perfect phrase.

    I can see that as we continue our open source mindset, the language in our world will continue to evolve and bridge the gaps we are seeing and experiencing in business.

    While some are hesitant and scared of where business is going, it's getting more fun in my opinion as it allows us to be connecting people with people.

  • http://www.teachersparadise.com/ Peter

    hey uhm, I'm a Philosophy scholar and i think that building a better link between people and company makes a stronger bond between society and the business industry. it reminds me of how ascending approach of government during the medieval era has made a better link between the populace and the monarch. And just like experience facilitators, a teacher like me should know how to direct my students just like a company and its people.

  • http://treypennington.com treypennington

    Thank you Michael. This is such a wonderful time to be alive! Being able to connect with so many good people online and then get to spend time with them face to face, too. Can't wait to meet you in the real world.

  • http://treypennington.com treypennington

    Thanks Michele. Isn't it amazing to watch the language evolve in an attempt to keep up with the experience?

    Being with Chris at Like Minds has been a remarkable experience X 10! You should have seen him sitting on the floor of an exquisite English estate (Bovey Castle), side-by-side with Olivier Blanchard, teaching us both how to do blogging. It was an incredibly valuable and totally unexpected experience at that.

  • shersteve

    yes, indeed. The essence of my project management experience is to manage change to create the good experience. I help people (and businesses) navigate that intersection where business process meets technology.

  • scott bush

    I am not a big fan of “experience facilitators” as a term for social media connectivity, like the idea of “guest experience design,” and like it more if you connect it to a concept called “active loyalist.” Our aspiration as marketers and enthusiastic users of the social media tool box is to engage customers in ways that inspired them to be more then satisfied with experience.. we want then to act on their loyalty… link more, buy more, recommend us to others, engage in new ways with the brand, engage with other customers and help us co-create the next offering and product. Social network allows us to tight the gap between the firm and customers that are willing to be more actively supportive of the relationship.

    And, for the bean-counters… that is where the ROI is.

    Happy Sunday.

  • stanphelps

    I really like where you are heading with experience design and using social media as a facilitator and amplifier.

    I agree that it all starts with 'guest experience'. Start with your most valuable marketing resource . . . your customer (first person recommendations have the strongest impact on purchase intent).

    Great customer experience design like social media is not a campaign, it's a commitment.
    My theory is that you need to design your customer experience to exceed expectations through the concept of 'marketing lagniappe'. Lagniappe is creole for 'the gift' and it involves giving 'a little something extra' at the time of purchase. The idea is centered around creating unexpected signature extras that 'surprise and delight' your customer.

    You cited a great example last week during your trip to Disney. The imagineers created flowers out of Hanes socks. It was a totally unique and unexpected touch that communicated Disney's commitment to the guest experience.

    If you can create 'marketing lagniappe' or what I call a 'Purple Goldfish' you can stimulate as well as facilitate social media. You give your customers something to talk, tweet, blog and post to Facebook about.

    Be interested to hear your take on the concept.

    Best,
    Stan
    @9inchmarketing

    “The average distance between the brain and the heart is 9 inches”.

    #purplegoldfishproject

  • http://netvibes.com/monikahardy monika hardy

    You hit the nail on the head for education. I see a huge need for teachers to be connection facilitators, rather than content providers.
    Because teachers are face-to-face with their students and have that personal insight – they are able to help each kid make wise, passion driven choices for connecting with an expert tutor, and a personal learning network. Only those connections can provide the best- individualized filter for a student given the exabytenal amount of info school not bound by geography and walls provides.

  • http://www.ajpape.com ajpape

    Chris I like this a lot. I've been looking at a similar re-articulation of helping people fix their own teams/organizations from the inside.

    What we used to call things like training or facilitation I think are better-described as “conversation design” and “conversation hosting.” Apologies if I'm guilty of doing the old “let me comment on your post while really pointing the conversation toward this other thing I'm interested in,” but I feel like there's a strong emerging convergence between what I do and what you do.

    Old organizational barriers are being overcome, so that leaders, employees, and customers have way more direct contact. Facilitating that for everyone's gain feels like a pretty cool game. The facets may be distinct, but I think common themes and practices are emerging.

    Like listening, and being authentic. Which you did beautifully at #likeminds.

    Thanks for the good thoughts and great example you set.

  • http://www.ajpape.com ajpape

    How could we improve the guest experience of employees, whether at a church or any other org?

  • http://www.ajpape.com ajpape

    After meeting Trey in person I can't say how much my postive online impression of him was actually a big underestimation. Very sincere, smart, and a great listener.

  • rileybiz

    I can see how social media can build bridges in certain consumer situations, less so in B2B situations. However, I don't think that is unique. All of the traditional communication tools such as PR, advertising, direct mail, trade shows all bridge the gap between buyer and seller. To me, the advantage of social media is its immediacy and making it easier to respond for the customer or client. However, the volume of communication is overwhelming everyone to the degree they tune out much of what they receive. So I think the key is to build on the social media strengths and apply them in those areas where they can demonstrate those values. Fairly or unfairly, I just don't think experience facilitator is the right term

  • rob

    To really feel our personal power, we must treat everything as a facility: our office, our money, our computer, our blog community, our personality, our health, and yes; if you run a business, everyone on your staff and every customer, and everyone else you meet, is a facility. Ask yourself, “What facilities do I have that I have been neglecting to use, that would help me accomplish my goals?” This is how this ever-expanding cosmos is set up; Everything is a facility – use those facilities properly and those facilities will serve you and your community toward betterment.

  • alexmadison

    love the whole experience take on it

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  • http://www.all-auto.ro/piese-auto piese auto

    I really like this. Interesting point of view. No so many people can think like this.

  • http://twitter.com/StoneAtwine Stone Atwine

    Indeed. Building bridges so consumers can better understand companies and their products. Experience Faciliatators. I like it.

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  • http://bbromarketing.com/ William Robbins

    I think as a society we often think of “customer service” as something that is needed when things go wrong. My Blackberry keeps freezing again…I have to call customer service.

    By thinking in terms of “guest experience” you take a more proactive look at how your client experiences the relationship, rather than being the “how can I fix things” after they're broken…well that's at least what I got out of it.

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  • tonypark

    Yes it is about facilitating relationships, but not only with social media. I feel that the danger we may fall into is to see the power and value of social media and fail to integrate it into other forms of communication and relationship building.

    As a facilitator of change working for and with many organisations, there is so much positive opportunity to share and facilitate numerous processes, tools and relationships…..SoMe is part of that….not only that.

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  • annawoods04

    think the most valuable lesson I have learned to be a facilitator is to be able to resonate with empathy through active listening to valuable life experience. Being in a room where the value and ethics allow people to be validated for their recovery efforts is priceless. A facilitator who embodies and demonstrates the key concepts and the values and ethics of WRAP is an extremely valuable conduit to encourage people to be proactive and aware about wellness.

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  • http://netvibes.com/monikahardy monika hardy

    ??

  • annejaa

    Today's organizations are undergoing changes that don't happen before and so facilitators should understand the forces provoking these changes and its resulting effects on organizations.Facilitators benefit from an understanding of the larger context within which leaders, managers and employees can work efficiently.
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  • http://twitter.com/Rockhopper08 James Ray

    I realize I'm late to this party…but for what it's worth.

    This is a great extension to the premise put forth by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore when they published _The Experience Economy_.

    (more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_Economy)

    Most would agree that we have entered the era they described in their book. Another excellent reference would be a less widely read book by CK Prahalad and Venkat Ramaswamy entitled _The Future of Competition_.

    (available at:http://www.amazon.com/Future-Competition-Co-Creating-Unique-Customers/dp/1578519535)

    Social Technology enables companies to engage their customers in unique and extraordinary ways – in ways that fulfill the promise of these concepts promoted years ago.

    And what's really cool is that what is advocated within the original post here is an exceptional opportunity for those willing to dedicate themselves to creating real value through “co-creation” of experiences.

    Cheers!

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