Word of Mouse the Killer App for the Teenies

The Times newspaper today revealed its most likely 50 trends for the next decade. Looking through that list from a service perspective reveals more evidence of the growth of referral power as the most significant channel in marketing. To check the trends follow;

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article6968328.ece

The world of "show not tell" is firmly upon us. No one can bluff their brand anymore, the customer armed with smart phone, linkedin, plaxo network, facebook, flickr, You Tube, blog, vlog (Video log) or a combination of the above can spill the beans on exactly what service they receive and precisely what they feel about it. Forget the quasi scientific approach of Which magazine and say hello to emotional outbursts.

Spending £50,000 on the EPOS system and 50p on training is the kamikaze route for business in the next decade. It's time to get serious about how good our people are, to focus on the service processes and to make sure the physical environment that we provide is second to none.