Leading and working in transparent times is challenging and even scary to some; however, this same risk offers untold possibilities as we discussed in "Twitter in Play".
Once again, Seth has written a concise insightful note for leaders in transparent times who are worrying and planning rather than doing, listening and evolving; an excerpt:
When your staff sees how much power you've given random consumers, they'll freak. And then, magically, they'll start treating customers differently, because maybe, just maybe, this customer is the one who's going to use the power. Suddenly, the answer to, "do you know who I am!!" is, "yes sire, forgive me."
Social media and transparency, jump in and see what happens.
ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.
Since January, we have been encouraging the indoor play industry from soft play suppliers to play centre operators to collectively explore and discuss the future of play; only through intelligent and creative exploration can we grow the industry and share the positive impact of "activity without purpose".
As developers and enthusiastic users of web technology, we believe in the potential of online communities to discuss important topics and collaborate in developing insightful solutions, our aim is to facilitate these discussions as broadly as possible.
To some, the socialisation of information is uncomfortable but we are beginning to see the embracing of this change with people using and contributing information more freely. In the last few days, I read this blog by Seth Godin discussing how to lose an argument online and how to make the social web work for you.
As one of the most popular bloggers on the web, this guy knows what works and this is what he says:
"Earn a reputation. Have a conversation. Ask questions. Describe possible outcomes of a point of view. Make connections. Give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Align objectives then describe a better outcome. Show up. Smile."
Simple, but effective.
ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.
When we started ShareAndComparePlay.com, it was an experiment to test if we could revolutionise an industry we care deeply about, by introducing the following philosophies:
1. Provide valuable and corroborated information, for Free 2. Introduce Transparency, improving standards and reducing costs
3. Facilitate collaboration to enable innovation in play (involving children, parents, play operators, soft play suppliers, designers and schools)
Since our launch in February, this “experiment” has evolved into a commercial organisation enabling growth in the play market and with the potential to support change in subsequent markets, such as weddings.
To introduce each of the above, we developed and rapidly tested several strategies, inviting all stakeholders to share what we have learned so that they may invest in the future and prosper.
In the last few days, Spi Play (where I was previously a shareholder and Director), one of the “traditional” soft play equipment suppliers took up our offer. What was scheduled to be a two hour meeting took four hours; we discussed the changes that our presence has caused and how the market may evolve, both a threat and opportunity for an organisation such as Spi.
As previously discussed, “radical transparency” is likely the most controversial and difficult of trends that are resulting from our launch. The value-added by each organisation is laid bare (add no value and you will be eliminated) and all strengths, weaknesses and actions will be exposed to the market.
The essence of transparency for me is that each business must imagine that each and every communication, installation and quotation were being exposed to a capacity-filled Wembley stadium; future customers being able to judge each action and make informed decisions.
In reality, no organisation is ever going to achieve 100% satisfaction all of the time, at least in part because a positive or negative experience is in the eye of the beholder. However, what is important is that organisations engage with reviewers, encourage customers and employees to participate in the play community, allowing all to learn and share their experience.
In the case of Spi Play, I was pleased that they have responded to a recent negative review by calling the customer (who re-visited our site to say he was much happier), accepting that they dropped the ball in that particular case and then committing their organisation to valuing each star rating.
It is in the latter point that the role of the reviewer has commercial impact. Our algorithm means that each star awarded has real value in terms of pounds. This is because that more people each week are visiting our site (thanks again) as they start an indoor play centre and the worse an organisations overall rating, the lower they appear in our listings and the less likely future play operators are to make contact.
In an “eco-system” such as ours, each participant has an important role to play; ours is to provide an independent platform for information exchange; the suppliers is to listen, engage and contribute; the (prospective) play operators is to share their experience and use the information in making decisions.
In terms of advice for play suppliers and others (the offer for a meeting is always open if you would like to personalise the information and share our experience), this is a (very brief) summary:
- Participate with the play community. Share experience and expertise using our play forum (please don’t just make it an advertisement for your business) and by commenting on blogs; if you have insightful views, please tell us and we will publish them or interview you for softplay.tv
- Encourage your customers and prospects to review your organisation. If you have no ratings, not only are you at the bottom of the charts, play entrepreneurs are assuming you have something to hide
- Look to innovate by forming partnerships so that you can share the costs of R&D (more about this in a future blog); no one organisation is profitable enough to invest in developing the play areas that children dream about and play operators will want to buy. Participating in our play design competition is an alternative and low-cost method of innovating, contact us to learn more
- Consider exposing your value chain to the free market for comparison. For example, if you manufacture play equipment, consider listing as a components supplier so that people starting a play area can choose which elements of your proposition they want to buy. Transparency enables working with "best of breed" in each supplier category (e.g. maintenance, design etc) , invest and compete in each category to provide customers with genuine choice and value
This is an exciting and potentially prosperous time for the play industry; we hope more organisations continue to embrace the potential of the three philosophies that started it all.
ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.
Asda recently announced plans to become a more “transparent” organisation “run by the consumer for the consumer,” (http://tinyurl.com/yc532er.) Excitingly, this announcement begins to convey the potential for Empowered Consumers on the way in which Organisations operate.
Although “Transparency” and Consumer Reviews influencing Purchasing (and other) Activities are still in their infancy, they gain momentum with each contribution; the impact will be felt from Governments through to Soft Play Equipment, Indoor Play Centres and Weddings where Share & Compare provide people with a platform for their voice.
Regardless of the size of the organisation, I accept that the Transparency Movement represents untold potential coupled with immeasurable risk.Traditionally, organisations don’t expose their Value-Chain and internal processes to comment but Social Media has changed the game and I see limited alternatives.Unless you are Apple http://www.apple.com/uk/ your Value-Chain will soon be fully exposed and Engagement combined with considerable Added Value is the only way to thrive; Opaqueness is only an option for a select few.
As Asda seem to have decided, when people have a voice and make decisions based on reviews and Social Media / their Social Network, the best (only) response is to open your organisation for inspection and comment, to genuinely listen to customers (both satisfied and not) and become part of the conversation where appropriate .
Although Asda has perhaps started small with a Webcam that may cause drowsiness, "the ambition is to reach a point where customers can trace the journey of every Asda product: from farm to fork or warehouse to wardrobe," said (Andy) Bond, CEO of Asda; what staggering potential this has for the future Consumer – Organisation relationship!
The great news about a Company like Asda adopting Social Media to embrace Transparency is that it nudges the needle for all industries.At Share & Compare, we are excited by the possibilities of mass dialogue and personal feedback driving constant improvement and collaborative innovation; we believe the resulting scenario may determine future Organisational and Individual success.
The impact will be profound but to keep it simple, here a few things to consider if you operate an Indoor Play Centre (or any other business):
-Are there any parts of your business that you wouldn’t want a newspaper or TV station to see?If so, change them NOW!
-What are the core values of your organisation and how do these impact the operation of your business? (Note how Asda intend to install a Transparent wall to enable visibility to areas normally closed off; would a transparent wall to your Kitchen convey a message of Cleanliness / Hygiene?)
-Which parts of your business / play centre do you need to keep Confidential? (even in a Transparent world, you may still choose to protect some Intellectual Property)
-What is your Marketing strategy and what role does Social Media / Transparency play in achieving business objectives?
-What stories do you / does your organisation have to tell that will engage or inform and audience?
-What websites / social media tools are people using to comment on your organisation and Market; are you listening and participating?
-What role can your staff play in Social Media strategy (will you allow them to contribute)?
-How can you listen to the ideas and thoughts of your customers and use this as a modern day suggestion box to drive innovation?
Regardless of the size or type of your business, the rewards go far beyond those briefly outlined above; start today and learn as you go, it is not as scary as it seems.
ShareAndComparePlay.com is the Indoor Play Supplier Comparison Website that Saves Play Operators £10,000s. The only source of independent reviews on every Supplier to the Play Industry, ShareAndComparePlay.com works to revolutionise the Play Experience for Children and to enable Businesses to profitably understand and meet the future needs of Families.
Follow us at Twitter.com/shareandcompare or (Un)subscribe to our Blog by e-mailing us at contact@shareandcompareplay.com
Over the coming weeks, more and more suppliers will be appearing on www.shareandcompareplay.com to provide our users, with useful, transparent and relevant information to help them make better informed decisions in the world of Indoor Play.
Part of my job is too try and ensure that these suppliers utilise all the services on the site to help improve the services they can offer and to educate our users, but also to encourage them to look at their overall business to try and get them to embrace the notion of transparency and giving information away for free
I recently received this newsletter from VEQTOR, a supplier currently appearing on our website. I decided to share it with you to show how certain suppliers do understand the value of keeping in touch with their customers, are open to constructive feedback and are prepared to share information for free.
This particular newsletter was sent to around 5000 prospective or existing customers and as you will see, it guides the reader through to www.shareandcompareplay.com where they can review this particular supplier and find information on VEQTOR's competitors.
This is just one of a number of recent examples I have seen, where some suppliers to the Soft Play market are opening themselves up in the knowledge that it will help to improve their products and services, and in the long run, the industry as a whole. Here's hoping the message will eventually get through to the majority!
Tue, 28-Apr-2009
Dear Sara, Happy No Pants Day! No, we’re not making it up. People really do mark this day, across the globe, in a bid to flaunt societal convention - or just as an excuse to go pantless!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Pants_Day
So, if you’re feeling a little adventurous, take a look at one of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies supplying today’s leisure industry.
VEQTOR’s latest range of projectile launchers and air cannons could be just the thing to promote your leisure attraction in the holiday season that fast follows this May Day.
Note: Sale of Air Cannons restricted in USA and Canada to comply with patents which apply in those countries. Please contact us to discuss what we can do for you in these locations.
If Air Cannons aren’t your thing, take a look at our other shooting gallery options to raise your attendance and your income
Just email us or call +44 1428 685660 (USA Tollfree: 1-888-801-4429) and talk with one of the team.
For more information about the Play industry take a look at this recently-launched website where you can read about VEQTOR as well as other companies’ Play offerings
If “hope is the best of things” then perhaps fear is the saddest, the most desperate and the most likely to result in actions that lead to decay.
Inevitably, fear results in attachment to the status quo rather than a willingness to embrace what is new, fresh, challenging but ultimately more rewarding; this is the same for individuals, organisations and industries.
Although we use the Internet everyday, I am not sure any of us comprehend the degree to which it changes everything.Organisations are generally woefully ill-prepared for change enabled at lightening speed, they fail to realise that decisions based on fear will result in organisations and whole industries becoming irrelevant.
Staggeringly, even witnessing the continuing decline of the soft play market (study the financial statements of indoor play suppliers and it has nothing to do with the credit crunch), some organisations continue to cling to the status quo and are afraid to embrace the transparency and opportunities provided by Shareandcompareplay.com.
During our recent workshop outlining the impact of the “Social Web” on the Soft Play industry, after five minutes one of our guests (the Manager of the Soft Play centre) stated it best, “we have lost all control of what is said about us”.Once we all accept that is the case, we can begin to work on how we can adapt and benefit from the chaos.
Perhaps for people or organisations of a certain mindset, this loss of control is impossible to take and difficult to grasp; unfortunately this is the case with some suppliers of soft play equipment.
For example; in the last few months, we have invited indoor soft play suppliers and their trade body, the Association of Play Industries (http://tinyurl.com/ded7rt) to participate in our website.
In its own words, “The Association of Play Industries (API) is the lead trade body in the play sector; with over 70 members it represents the interests of manufacturers, installers, designers and distributors of both outdoor and indoor play equipment and safer surfacing.
Working together through the various steering groups and committees, members separate themselves from commercial interests for the good of the industry, customer and suppliers.”
Shareandcompareplay.com aims to take a holistic approach involving play suppliers, trade associations, soft play operators, children and families to form a collaborative play focussed community to enable growth and innovation; as such, we hoped to share a common purpose with the API and find productive ways to work together.
Unfortunately, we recently heard that some member companies of the API (we should emphasise here that this relates only to the Indoor Play division and that the Outdoor division has made progress on some important issues) encouraged the Association to boycott http://www.shareandcompareplay.com.
This seemed a little dramatic and so we contacted an API representative and it was confirmed that a few larger suppliers (we decided to withhold their names for now) had suggested the website was not a positive thing for Members and so the API decided not to participate.
Apparently, the justification for this action related to questions regarding the independence of the website and the honesty of the reviews.
If this is the case, not only is this decision based on fear and false, biased and misleading information; it would seem to directly contradict with their mission to “separate themselves from commercial interests for the good of the industry, customer and suppliers."
Unfortunately, we were never given the opportunity to prove our independence or to demonstrate the current and future steps we take to ensure that reviews are genuine.
This decision does not impact us greatly because of the range of suppliers we list and the markets we will soon be covering.However, it is disappointing and potentially damaging to the future of indoor play because the larger the number of participants in a community, the great the potential for change and innovation.
Our response is to continue to list more suppliers (new companies are forming to take advantage of our platform), to provide more information for free and to review more sectors of the play industry (more information in the next few days).In time, as with every other market, the voice of reviewers will speak loudest and they will help decide which suppliers prosper and which continue to decline.
Thankfully, the Internet not only enables me to post this blog to a significant number of readers, it also allows new networks and partnerships to be established without the need for top-down approval or the involvement of established organisations interested in preserving the status quo.
Each individual, organisation or company has a choice whether to participate with Shareandcompareplay.com, a trade body or a boycott; surely our choices should be based on what is best for our industry and its customers because then we will all benefit.
I can personally assure you that the decisions of Share & Compare Play are based on helping re-build the indoor play industry by focussing on providing the best play experience for children, to do otherwise is exactly the kind of distraction that leads to the manifestation of all our fears and the decline of a potentially great industry.
In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to outline our plans to radically change the play market and ensure that the next generation of play centres reflect the needs of today’s families and children.
Thank you to people that care enough about the future of play to get involved; an open invitation remains for any individual or organisation that wants work with us in any way to deliver a play market that reflects our collective best hopes.
Having said all of this, we are beginning to witness ‘green shoots’ of recovery http://tinyurl.com/cdlbrn; perhaps first we need a little more sunlight!
This is a complaint letter sent to Sir Richard Branson that is considered to be one of the funniest complaint letters ever. We thought we would share this with you for the following reasons:
- It is a reminder (if one were needed) that 'feedback' can be global within minutes and can damage the most valuable of brands - It is a case study in how companies should respond to feedback (engage personally with the customer / community; addressing customer issues is a job for the most senior in a company; be seen to take action, we understand Virgin have subsequently offered the writer a job evaluating the food offering) - It is very amusing...
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