Constantin Schwarz

Twitter with its 140 character limit has become a staple part of our communications world.

There are corporates that just do not quite get it ... yet, especially when it comes to customer engagements.

A recent power outage brought home the reliance we have on electricity.  With nothing working, no TV, internet, WiFi or landline phones. It felt like we were cut off from the outside world, especially as this was during night time.

Fortunately, the mobile phones worked, albeit at a poor speed.  

First a call went out to the electricity company, looking for a recorded message on their phone tree. No such luck.  Holding for a customer service representative was pointless, with my 70 year old neighbour knocking on my door looking for information.

Going onto the website at dial up speeds was cumbersome as well.

Then I managed to eventually track down a twitter handle.  A quick tweet alerting them of the situation proved very easy.  Unfortunately no reply, due to the fact that this was a corporate "umbrella" account.  To be fair I did gleam this from the timeline, but was hoping that I may be wrong and somebody was monitoring the activity to elicit a response.  Zilch, nada.

I went back on the phone and eventually spoke to a customer service rep, who gave me an indication of the problem and approximate timeline, for which I was very grateful.  It also transpired that the "social media" team was a different department and they were gone for the day.

The next morning I received a tweet from the "corporate" account pointing me to the "local" distributor, which from my point of view, the customer, is identical, in this case Southern Electric.

As it turns out on twitter, there is @southernelec and then @southernelecPD (PD stands for Power Distributor perhaps?) presence.  This may seem very logical from an organisational stand point in a consulting world, but when a customer is looking for a touchpoint in a dire situation logic goes out the window.  

The point of this entry is to drive home the importance of understanding the joint-up corporate presence on twitter.  Separating accounts and leaving them in isolation is detrimental. From a customers point of view it just makes things confusing and frustrating.

I would consider myself well clued up in the digital space - admittedly there are loads of gaps as well.

After all I have seen the dotcom boom and bust, done lots of research in that area.  I have witnessed the rise of social media starting with LinkedIn (in the top 25,000 to join the network), commented on mobility (management of innovation in the UK Telco sector), developed innovation benchmarks and customer satisfaction metrics taking into account digital channels.  Lastly, having dealt with maximising the utility of content, specifically sports related content over the years, I even managed to work in a start-up proposition that would tie all the skill sets together. 

To be told that I had no concept of content strategy in the digital space was a bit of a low blow to take to say the least.

After some soul searching I realised that it would be advantageous to consolidate my learnings by enrolling in a Digital Marketing course.  I decided to take the wearesquared course, a program put together with Google.

Last night was my first session, which was prefaced with some pre-lecture preparation. 

This is where it got interesting for me because I am starting to see things from a different perspective.  Of course I am passionate and enthusiastic about technology and innovation, but going through the material and listening, and this is a key point - listening and not reacting - to the lecture, I could not help but get a boost in energy.

The perspective was totally different from how I saw it or would have seen it.  There was no history or any baggage, just a clean slate, pure unadulterated passion for the subject matter, no “if”, “when” or “but’s”.

This is really a fascinating beginning of a journey, I do not think that my intended destination will be where I will actually end up.   

The term “Digital Enterprise” must have been banded around, by consultants, systems integrators, software and hardware vendors for at least the past 30 years.

I do recall my father talking about the installation of IBM mainframes and the changes that it would bring about in the early 70’s, but that was not quite the “Digital Enterprise” yet.

In the ’80’s and ’90’s the concept of the “Paperless Office” was pursued by the likes of Accenture et al.  To this day this remains a myth, as paper consumption continues to increase.  In all fairness so does the recycling effort.  The point being though that digitisation of documents, a corner stone for the “Digital Enterprise”,  lacks penetration, despite the pervasiveness of email.

In the meantime though, back end enterprise processes and some customer facing processes did receive the “digital” treatment, initially with COBOL, FORTRAN and other coding efforts over the years.  Solutions were developed within the corporate walls, some were developed by academicians and programmers.  

Eventually the move towards solutions from Oracle, SAP, EMC, etc became more prevalent, with it the next iteration of the “Digital Enterprise”.  Significant amounts were spent on “backwards” integration efforts and companies became tied in to Service Agreements.

For the desktop, the development of the spreadsheet is great case study, with VisiCalc being the leading application in the initial stages, then being overtaken by Lotus 1-2-3, Quattro and Excel. Open Source in that period was represented by the GNOME free desktop software project.  Spreadsheet solutions where then bundled with presentation and word processing software, and this is when Microsoft excelled (no pun intended), leaving Lotus behind.

The free and open-source software movement was boosted with the publication of the Linux operating system in 1991, leading to developments on desktop and server use. 

In the 90’s the networking of computers then was the first true stab at creating the “Digital Enterprise”.  The leading carrier of this message became Cisco Systems, providing the necessary networking infrastructure to connect computers internally and with the outside world, creating the “Connected World”. 

The trust that enterprise placed on proprietary software platforms started to become a hinderance, especially with the advent of the .com business models, which gave rise to companies that were able to execute and deliver at a far faster pace than many traditional organisations.  Had it not been for the tragic events of 9/11/2001 the organisational landscape we have today would look very different.

The “Digital Enterprise” was retrenched, emphasis placed on security and compliance, in addition to savings in cost, time etc.  The shift from the “Old” Economy to the “New Economy” was unstoppable. Innovation became the buzz word. Corporate Board members were hurried by shareholders for their “Digital Strategies”. Roadmaps were developed to allow for the migration, especially in Government and Public Services. 

The German government opened up a tender for their IT requirements, only to have it scrutinised for the lack of Open Source opportunities.  With German software houses SAP and SUSE, which subsequently got acquired by Novell, sitting on opposite ends of the spectrum, key objections such as security and sustainability had to be addressed.  The proof points for enterprise grade deployments were established.

More intelligence was placed into the networks, RFID tags started emerging, Software as a Service  became a core part of the product offering.

In previous years business applications would spill over into the consumer market, but now the reverse was happening.

Apple’s introduction of the iPhone together with the App store allowed for the shift away from huge, bulky software applications, especially in the consumer market. Google then pushed the door even further open with the Android operating system, a low cost alternative.

The ability for users to publish their own content on sites such as YouTube for video, a myriad of blogging platforms, the emerging social media efforts such as LinkedIn, MySpace, and eventually Facebook, started to threaten the enterprise.  Employees wanted to use similar applications in their work environment.  The business world started to learn about “social”.

Not ignoring the hardware developments over the years, Moore’s Law still holds true, with processing power and speeds reaching exponential growth rates.  At the same time storage costs kept falling, with capacity increasing.  Portable storage devices, including USB memory sticks and iPods, presented enterprise with major challenges in managing security.  Display technologies advanced at a rapid pace, moving away from CRT displays to the flatscreens that are now ubiquitous. 

Against this backdrop where does that leave the “Digital Enterprise”? With the “Digital Enterprise” taking so many guises over the years, what actually is a “Digital Enterprise”? 

Taking this definition into account, it becomes clear that the “Digital Enterprise” is an entity that is in a constant state of flux, as digital technologies evolve and develop.  By the same token, it is the responsibility of management to incorporate change and innovation into the DNA of the organisation to be able to cope, adjust and react.  John Chambers of Cisco went as far as instilling a culture of paranoia with the prospect that the company would be out of business within 2 years.

Excessive?  Not really, if one considers upstarts like eBay, amazon, netflix, EasyJet, all relatively young companies, masked by the demise of other companies thru mergers and acquisitions.  Speed and excellence in execution are paramount, more so than ever before.  Discerning customers have social media at their disposal to amplify any mistakes.

In such a dynamic and difficult environment there are some key considerations that need to be constantly monitored and evaluated.  Processes, people, products/services need to be technology enabled and supported.  Fundamental are network infrastructure and the applications that run on those networks.  Maintenance and upkeep need be minimised, while development and improvements/innovations are maximised, whether it is for operational efficiencies or improved customer interaction/experience.

Easier said than done, especially in an environment laden with legacy applications, where vendor updates occur once a month, when they need to occur right now, while the competition is widening their advantage.

This is where the Open Source option comes in, software solutions that are developed in an open, collaborative manner.  While there are a number of advantages and disadvantages as in any option, the flexibility, speed and cost implications are of significant consideration for the future of the Digital Enterprise.

Once all the organisational infrastructure is in place, the last element that will undergo major shifts is the utilisation of the employee itself.  Static job descriptions will be a minority with more emphasis placed on "swarming" and contracting the capabilities required and deployed at the right time and location.

It'll be interesting to see how that will play out.

Apple's recent product introduction of the iPad Air 2 was headlined by "Change is in the Air"

Between the thinness of the device, improvements in processing power, the ability to deal in most mobile environments ...

...  Apple has kept a minor but very significant detail very stealthily under wraps.  

This is the "just one more thing" announcement that never was.

In the depths of the product details, you will find that this product comes with an "Apple SIM" - a SIM card that is preinstalled.

The potential implications of this are shown in the product shot

 where the user will have the ability to choose networks based on their requirements, pricing and availability.

This has the potential to disrupt the mobile operators in a major way.  Customers may no longer have to sign up to deals that lock them in for 24 months.  The ability to potentially switch easily between service providers must be sending shock waves thru the operator world.

Instead of preloading an iPad with a SIM card, what if the iPhone came preloaded with the "Apple SIM" card?  The popularity of the iPhone, with more than 500 million units sold according to June 2014 figures, will force operators to consider their options.  It is unlikely that operators will dump Apple in favour of Google, HTC and the likes.  Furthermore, Apple has direct access to consumers anyway.

The possibility that consumers will be able to shift preferences is becoming real, with messaging, voicemail, contacts etc already sitting on the Apple SIM.  

Even if Apple were not offering Virtual Mobile Operator services, with billing and collection capabilities thru Apple Pay, the user could find him/herself switching the phone in the morning to see which rates are most favourable, and connect to that network. Imagine the simplicity and convenience when travelling.

Currently the offer is only supported in the US (AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile) and the UK (EE).

So when the introduction is headlined by "Change is in the Air" ... they were not kidding.

There has been some noise made about the rising cost of ticket prices in football.  With the exceptional rise in transfer fees paid by clubs over the last few years, it amplifies the issue how sustainable the sport is and the revenue levels that need to be achieved in order to maintain competitiveness.

The graph below from Deloitte Money League, published in January 2014, shows the revenue breakdown of the top 20 clubs in Europe.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United stand out in revenue generated per seat, validating the concern over inflated ticket prices, in comparison to other European clubs. Are these clubs just running a shrewder business or do they have more dedicated fans? Against other EPL clubs the differential would be even more significant due to lower stadium capacities. 

Differentials in ticket price mixes, predominately driven by capacity, allows for greater flexibility.  Real Madrid has a £465 spread between the most expensive and cheapest match day ticket, Hamburg the biggest spread in Germany with £68 differential, Inter Milan in Italy with a £154 spread, while in the Premier League Arsenal leads with £100 yet offering the cheapest match day ticket at £26 compared to the other EPL clubs in the table. (Source:  Guardian 2013)

Is there room to be had for growth in the match day revenues?  With a number of teams looking to increase the capacity of their venues (ie Liverpool, Tottenham), increased revenues can be achieved.  Other clubs have potentially reached their maximum based on revenues per seat and are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market.

So the Cloud is supposed to be a good thing.  

Based on the concept of “always connected” users are gaining access to the internet and various applications on a continual basis.  The key for this to work properly lies in the access, which can range from wired connections via old fashioned simple copper wire to wireless on a mobile phone network, with a variety of other technologies in between.  Factors affecting access are availability, cost, speed and stability.  The access device determines which access technology is most effective for use based on availability. 

WiFi is a common wireless access technology, shaped by convenience, cost and latency.  As we move about, more and more WiFi hotspots are springing up to take us away from the more expensive mobile networks.

There are firms that are offering broader WiFi access services across the country, such as The Cloud in the UK, providing internet connectivity with more than 11,000 access points.

Some of these access points are in retail environments, airports, and other similar areas.  A typical user will spend a limited amount of time in such areas.  For retailers the “value-add” of provisioning WiFi, whether free or for a limited charge, is an important USP as part of their service offering.

However such a bundled proposition can have its drawbacks especially if the service provider fails to perform.

This particular incident happened in a car service environment.  A car needed to be worked on and the dealer requested the car for a period of 3-4 hours.  Not enough time to leave the dealership and with no courtesy car available, it made sense to stick around, especially since there was free WiFi access available, provided by The Cloud. 

As it turns out, the WiFi network could not be accessed.  The dealer had no technical capability, which makes sense, so no help from their end.  To aggrevate the situation my mobile carrier was conducting work on their 3G network in the area.  Mobile access was therefore slow, so tethering was not an option either.

A tweet to The Cloud alerting them of the situation raised an incident report, that was moved over to email communication.  Smart move, there is no point in having negative experiences accumulate on twitter.

Unfortunately a link for technical support that was embedded in the email was blacklisted.  A return email highlighting this fact was not responded to for another 3 hours. 

Ironically the eventual response email pointed me to an app on the iTunes store, which I could not get to as I had limited internet access to begin with.

At any rate, by that time I had already left the car repair shop.

Some of the take aways from this incident.

The car dealer worked very hard to accommodate my requirements - fix the car within a shortened time horizon - a goal they achieved, resulting in a very positive experience.

I wanted to use my time productively while waiting on their advertised free WiFi network - which I could not do, wasting time to resolve a technical problem, resulting in a negative experience.

Are these mutually exclusive events? No, they are tied together, both the offer and the resulting experience.

Does The Cloud have an understanding of their customers requirements? No, it took them 3 hours to respond to a problem, without resolution.  Chances are that a typical user will not spend more than 1 hour in a hotspot.

Does this experience propagate the increased usage and trust of the Cloud as concept, not the company?  No … on both accounts.

With some 11,000 access points to manage, The Cloud as a service provider, can easily dilute their ineffective technical support and customer service experience.

Losers in this situation are in the end user, retail partners and the technology.

May be it’s simply best to bulk up on the data plan with your mobile provider … if they are not working on upgrading the network.

UPDATE:  Got an email 24 hours after the incident.  The issue may be have been due to the rejection of cookies, therefore needing to clear entire browser history and make sure that there are no fixed DNS settings.  Why The Cloud does not communicate this on their website as a "Quick Fix" solution page is beyond me.

After Europe thrashing the Americans in this years Ryder Cup, the champagne bottles were still popping, when the knives had already come out to claim their victim in captain Tom Watson.  His leadership was already in question after a poor run up to the event, followed by some serious selection gaffes and the decision to bench his strong pairing of Mickelson and Bradley.

During the press conference following the closing ceremony on Sunday night, Mickelson took the time when asked to explain the difference between the 2008 approach, where the Americans were victorious, and the direction taken in 2014 which resulted in a less than impressive performance. 

In 2008, captain Paul Azinger went at great lengths to “get everybody invested in the process”.  The consensual approach differed from the “old school” philosophy, whereby you “get 12 guys and just put them together” like Lee Trevino has said before.  Watson installed a “command and control” structure, with his vice-captains as lieutenants, who made the decision as to how the players would be paired, with little or no input from the players themselves.

Mickelson also went on to say that “there was a plan” on how everything would be done to a minute level of detail.  The plan was communicated and shared, thereby creating a sense of purpose and a common goal.  Watson had not laid out such a plan.

While the common goal is to win, the breakdown of how this goal is achieved is critical.  Getting an understanding and buy-in from the players is essential in the execution. 

What makes this incident an interesting case is the clash between 2 different management philosophies.  It embodies the cultural and generational shift that has occurred, moving from autocratic and patriarchic to consensual and inclusive.

It will be interesting to see how this will get resolved. 

So the iPhone goes on sale on September 19, with pre-orders being accepted as of the 12th.

I thought it would be interesting to see how the different operators would handle this opportunity, either to gain new customers or upsell existing ones.

To start with, I am on the O2 network, and have been for years, which has been a poor experience and can be best described as “the devil you know”.  Since I am an existing customer with an open monthly contract and having clearly expressed my intention to move to the iPhone 6 once it becomes available to O2 in earlier engagements, I was hoping their CRM systems would have highlighted me as a potential target.  On the contrary, total silence.  Very disappointing, I then even signed up to be notified, again to no avail.  On the 12th itself, O2’s website went down so I could not even get pricing information.  In conclusion, failure all round.  

Vodafone was my other potential candidate.  Key reasons are that they have good infrastructure and I used to be on their network until they decided not to offer the iPhone when it was introduced ... actually it was until O2 undercut them in the bidding process with Apple.  

Be that as it may, I duly filled out the “register your interest” forms and waited for the reply.   This is what I got ...

Thanks for registering your interest Hello Thank you for registering your interest in the new iPhone. We'll let you know as soon as you can pre-order yours. Thank you Vodafone Customer Services team Get the most out of Vodafone Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact us Company Details Vodafone Limited. Registered address: Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2FN. Registered in England No. 1471587.

A generic "Hello" ... with no name?  No links?  And the text of the mail is about as inviting as a champagne reception on an ants nest. 

Oh well, obviously the folks at Vodafone were not only very excited about the upcoming iPhone launch but also thrilled by the prospect of getting some new customers (note: sarcasm intentional). I then received a text stating that my iPhone was in touching distance, with some pricing and legal mumbo jumbo. Long and behold I also got a call on the 12th from a very nice lady trying to sign me up, but failed as I could not get to the pricing information (family plan) that I was looking for.

Irregardless this raised another issue I have in this case - when you engage with a customer in one channel of communication and then switch channels, in this instance from email to text to phone, how trustworthy, professional, and customer friendly is the engagement?  How would this relationship, if entered into, work out?  The prospect of having to switch from email, to text, to voice messages, to jungle drums in order to communicate does not appeal.  Sorry Vodafone.

During the Apple keynote, mention was made of the ability to place phone calls over WiFi, instead of the airwaves.  I had seen that technology many years ago in a Cisco presentation when John Chambers had a call bouncing around different transmission technologies.  I know this is not an Apple development but as a feature it is very interesting to me, mainly because the O2 signal in my house is quite poor (even though I am 300m away from a transmission tower).  The EE network was mentioned as a deployer of that particular capability and that is how they came on my radar.

I promptly registered with them, I found their website a bit klunky and amateurish, but that is just a personal view.  After preregistration, I received a confirmation that my details had been received - bit of a shock because no one else did that!  On the 12th , I received the email from EE showing the iPhone 6 and 6+ and the following

Hello Constantin, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are available to pre-order on EE today. No other network is bigger, faster and more reliable.  You'll also get access to Apple's WiFi Calling – so you'll be able to make calls over WiFi in places you don't have coverage today.  iPhone 6 is available for £99.99 upfront on a £40.99 plan, which comes with 2GB of data on superfast 4GEE, unlimited minutes and texts. Or get iPhone 6 Plus for £99.99 upfront on a £53.99 plan, which comes with 20GB of data on superfast 4GEE, unlimited minutes and texts.  Plus, trade in your current iPhone and you'll pay even less.   PRE-ORDER TODAY Alternatively, visit us in store or call 0800 9566045 to pre-order yours today.

Their CRM systems work, I got addressed by name, lovely, link embedded, good, featured USP, excellent, pricing plan, very good, and the ability to trade in my old phone, superb.  What a deal, fantastic.  All systems should be go, except for one thing.

EE has a family pricing plan, which then led me to reassess my priorities.  Having a single plan, for voice, text and data, makes a lot of sense - I’ve got 3 phones on separate contracts.  So I got bogged down in comparison shopping for those plans.  By the time I was able to seek out the information, the shipping dates for the phones had already moved to 2-3 weeks.

Obviously I did not move fast enough.  Now I might as well wait until the units are actually in store and get a proper look and feel.

Oh why not buy a Samsung, HTC or any other make?  Have you seen a Samsung after a years use?  Not pretty.

Just to close out the point.  Considering the infrastructure, the expertise and capital tied into CRM systems, and the fact that the product launch was expected, I find it astonishing how poor the customer journey has been and the lack of urgency by the operators. 

But then may be the operators just hate the iPhone too.

While the announcement of the iPhone 6 and 6Plus are in line with what had been expected, the Apple Watch appears to have stolen the show (with the Apple Scarf Guy coming a close second).

The watch, even lacking in some details, such as battery life expectancy, will in future be a case study in innovation management, design development and execution.  Final judgement will be when the product is actually in store.  On first impressions though the product looks stunning, with an interesting feature set.

But the one announcement that caught my attention was Apple Pay.  With the iTunes stores Apple is already one of the largest holders of credit card details in the world.  The move into payment transactions does not come at a surprise.  

What does surprise me though is Apple's claim that they will not hold any information on the details of the transaction.  Google would have executed this in a totally different manner, bombarding you with advertisements and offers, prior, during and post transaction.

I find the prospect of ApplePay fascinating and the future tie in with iBeacons, having dealt with NFC and other technologies in this space.  It will also be interesting to see how PayPal will react.

This years Reid Trophy, the English Golf Union (EGU) U14 competition, was won by English boy Harry Bigham from Redbourn GC. While this is a solid win for English golf, the future and integrity of the event is under threat with the increasing proportion of international competitors.

There are reasons for some serious concerns.  

In previous years the Reid Trophy field comprised of about 60% English and 40% international competitors. In 2014 we saw a marked 10% increase in international players making up 50% of the 144 strong field International, resulting in more English boys being balloted out.

What are the implications? 

Chances are that this trend will continue and intensify in the coming years.

Many of the International Country Federations have ramped up their junior golf efforts and are starting to reap the benefits of their work by developing a strong talent flow.  Foremost are countries like France, buoyed by their Ryder Cup bid, Spain, Germany and Italy.  But entries from the likes of Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands and from Scandinavia are on the increase as well.  This is partially driven by the lack of or weak national U14 events locally, but mostly by the desire to benchmark performance on an international level, which in itself is the right thing to do.

The current application process for the Reid trophy only takes the players handicap level into consideration.  It seems ironic that if an English player plays in an international event, CONGU handicap adjustments are not made, because of a lack tournament details.  Yet international handicaps are accepted at first sight and adjusted to a CONGU equivalent.

If unchecked the current development will be to the detriment of English talent, who should have the ability to compete on a national or even international level. But in the future just the sheer volume of “eligible” players applying from foreign shores will stack against them.  This will not even be a reflection of lack of resources, coaching expertise or talent management in England.

It is not the responsibility of the EGU to run a pan-European U-14 competition. 

A lot of money and other resources are deployed, at national and county level, to get juniors into golf and keep them in golf, yet little is done for juniors to allow them to compete in their own national event, especially in the younger age groups.

Ask any competitive junior golfer in the U14 age bracket and they can tell you exactly what the handicap requirement is for the Reid Trophy. For some the end will justify the means, in other words they will do anything in order to get the handicap to a point that will ensure their participation.

Such pressure cannot be good for player development and the game overall, both in the short and long term.

Looking at the Reid Trophy results in detail, there are some players who have played in this competition, some a second or even a third time, without even getting close to their listed handicaps, whether that is in the Reid or even other international events.  This holds true for both English and International competitors.

Most countries place restrictions on international entries for their national championships either by allocating a fixed number of international slots with the slots reallocated to local competitors if not utilised, or by other means such as a required local in-country golf club memberships.

The time has come for the EGU to consider capping the number of slots for international participants.  International players should ballot themselves out, rather than English boys.

In addition to the current application process, the EGU should also set aside slots for County Unions to nominate players based on their tournament performances in local events and tours, like the ones that are run in Surrey and BB&O for example.  This would encourage and support development activities at county level and also provide an additional pathway to the national championship. 

The EGU should also consider the introduction of an U12 competition as a 1 day event.  There are enough competitive juniors in England to make this a viable proposition and it provides a hand-off from the work the Golf Foundation does. This will provide continuity as well reduce the pressure to work towards unrealistic handicap levels.  

Lastly, Junior Golf in England is a highly fragmented offer. Other countries have a Junior Golf Association to oversee a more structured approach and different pathways particularly with regards to competitions.  There is a requirement in England for this to be implemented, and the EGU needs to take the lead, even if there are a number of different stakeholders involved.  It is the juniors that are loosing out at present. 

A lot is being made of Juniors being the future of the game, there are a number of great initiatives in place, but decisive action needs to be taken now to shape current and future activities.