I rest my case...

I love the guy, but what the F does Obama have to do with a Sugar Cane drink??

A success story, not mine.

I have spent the last four years working on two huge projects that have or will spend hundreds of millions of dollars implementing a system will provide fantastic customer experience. Both projects boasted they will deliver state of the art CRM that will revolutionize the ordering process, reduce the need for customers to call and complain, blow customers away with the efficiency of how their calls and needs are handled, and eliminate the need to decipher bills.

One of these projects has apparently failed miserably - despite the the hard work, dedication, and the quality of team. The second of these projects, still in the works, will, I predict go much, much worse - based on the work, dedication, and the quality of team.

Although I personally did not attribute to the failure of these projects (with teams of hundreds), it's disheartening to see that such a common vision, is so difficult to achieve.

Attempting to complete a simple transaction with my Aussie telco confirmed my disappointment. First I couldn't find where to change my direct debit details on the web, when I found it and deleted the old info, it wouldn't let me add my new details. And I was trying to make a payment for crying out loud.

I was convinced it was not possible. That is until I saw a success story.

I have a soft spot for Amex... the only credit card vendor willing to give me a Canadian credit card! I've had an Amex since university, at the moment I carry three - two Aussie, and one Canadian.

They are the only providers of customer service that has me smiling when I hang up the phone. I was so impressed with their service that I jumped at the opportunity to provide feedback on a survey sent after my last interaction. No longer will I scoff at the vision of 'first call resolution', 'customers will only state their need once' and 'billing made easy'.

I'm not sure I want to implement another one of these projects, but if I do, it will be a success!

Obama Mania

It's a sunny but cold Sunday afternoon, the traffic is light, the seat warmer is on, the tunes are pumping... and there is a wave on the side of the road. Obama is waving at us from the side of the road with a goofy grin.

We stared incredulously at President Obama, well, the picture of him plastered on the outside of a box. The box was worn by some guy, it was big enough to cover him from head to knee, and even went as far as having a side window where a comical, over sized red glove is extended out in a enthusiastic wave.

We were so distracted with the Obama set-up, we didn't even catch what advert President Obama was being exploited over. The Marketing department was in despareate need for fresh inspiration.

Before we could give it another thought, 200 meters down the road, there was Obama again... grinning and waving enthusiastically. This time we took a better look... the box, was actually shaped like a cardboard house with a red roof, and Obama is pictured in front of the house pointing us to the right. A third Obama had to wave us down before we realized, that President Obama was waving us towards some Open Houses off the main road. If I wasn't already in the market for some real estate, I am now. No, not really.

This is not the first we've seen of Obama Mania, but from T-shirts and bumper stickers, it's been raised to brand new heights.

And I thought the dude who is opening a Cafe Obama needed help...


It's great to see that people have renewed hope. That for once, they have faith.

But this exploitation has gone way overboard. Every night, the White House will always hold a good few minutes of coverage on E! News, on Entertainment Tonight, on Access Hollywood... after the breaking news of another Hollywood starlet with weight issues, or before the ground breaking news flash of yet another split-up in Tinseltown.

I really hope that Obama's name will upstage the tacky signage of Obama Cafe, and the Obama coffee imported from Kenya will live up to the promise.