Google Docs and the Lonely Road Warrior

A friend who recently retired as an airline sales rep talked about the challenges of her job. Because she traveled across the Midwest making sales calls, she often felt disconnected from her manager and colleagues. Weekly office meetings were the only opportunity for the sales team to brainstorm, share customer comments, discuss new promotions, and review sales figures.

I told her about Google Docs and asked her to take a quick look at the Google Docs blog. When I asked if this tool's features would have made her life easier and the sales team more productive. I received a resounding, "YES!"

Using Google Docs, the six sales team members who traveled throughout the country could view and edit spreadsheets and crunch numbers together. Airline contracts are frequently affected by market conditions, i.e. oil prices, and her team could discuss adjustments before meeting with their next customer.

Documents could be uploaded, created, revised and polished before a presentation. Edits could be tracked and versions saved to gear marketing tools to specific clients. It was common to want to share customer feedback with team members after a sales visit. She described this feature as an answer to the prayer of lengthy emails with attachments "that I could never open".

She added, too, that today's market is so volatile that collaboration and discussion shouldn't wait, can't wait until all sales people can meet face to face. They need to be proactive in selling and responding to their customers, and having data at their fingertips is key. She sees Google Docs as a way to keep the lonely road warrior apprised and connected.

The power of bloggers

This article, Blogs on Glob Show Power of Populace appeared in today's Tribune. It's another example of corporations dealing with the groundswell!

Favorite Brand Quality Value Convenience

Yes, my favorite brand is the on-air, online shopping outlet, QVC. I'm hooked. While I feel guilty visiting brick and mortar stores since I've been unemployed, I feel no shame sneaking a peek at channel 95 to see what's selling. I don't have to make a purchase, but I can revel in the discussions and presentations. It's true the hosts' chatter can be a bit corny and overly zealous, but they're a lot more fun than surly salespeople. I can buy sandals, sterling silver jewelry, make-up or a camera at any time, day or night.

QVC is a multi-media retailer offering 24/7 shopping via on-air presentations, QVC.com , text messages, and an iPhone app. There are YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages supporting the company's efforts to build a loyal customer base. Conversations between followers/shoppers and the QVC team can be found at the Community page which also includes blogs. The latest thread announces the addition of yet another access point to QVC via Android. An April community posting by the QVC team announces improvements to the platform as a result of customer feedback. The two key ingredients of the groundswell can be found at QVC: technology and people.

I can set up e-mail alerts for reminders of an upcoming show of a favorite vendor. If I'm in doubt about a product, I can read reviews from other customers to help me decide. On the QVC site, I'm a "Spectator" as defined in Groundswell. I don't write reviews of the merchandise, but I'm an avid reader of them. QVC.com attracts more than six million viewers per month and yet the number or reviewers is much smaller suggesting what the Groundswell authors have noted, "since being a Spectator requires so much less effort than the other activities in the groundswell, it's no surprise that this is the largest group". I don't want to take the time to write a review, but what others say impacts my decision-making. Was that Isaac Mizrahi tartan plaid cheesecake really tasty?

The website also offers a chat feature for immediate customer assistance. I can create a wish list to share with friends via e-mail. No more excuses for not knowing what I want for my birthday! I'm not always ready or able to buy, but QVC is there...everywhere...when I am.