Why Clients Are Created Equal
27 September 2006
A couple of cool things happened today, and it made me think about the advantages of our emphasis on quality of service, whoever we are working with.The first cool thing was a trip to see a new potential client. I won't name them for obvious reasons... but suffice to say that they would be a fantastic client for us, good folks with a genuinely fascinating business who it would be a pleasure to work with.
However, one of the issues that concerned them was that we would somehow see them as a 'small' client... not as important as some of the others. And this tied in with a discussion about references. They had asked us to supply a single reference, but `i wanted to make the point that that they were welcome to contact any of our clients, big or small... because I believe they'd get the same message from any of them... "Semantic are great guys to work with".
A while ago I wrote about the benefits of being nice to everyone, be they prince or pauper. I guess this is an addendum to that rule... do your best work for everyone, whether they be an international publishing company, or a start-up down the road. Because one day you get to say, in a meeting, that all your clients are potential referees... and that my friends is a pretty Cool Thing.
Posted by Nick Warren at 3:03 PM
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USBAH Organisers Go Live!
25 September 2006
Today we've launched a great new service that most of you will never get a chance to see. Usborne Books at Home Organisers can now purchase professionally designed USBAH branded web sites that they can customise via an easy-to-use web based admin system.The site includes a built-in database driven catalogue of Usborne's titles, online shopping and customisation for the organiser's personal URL, contact details, messages, home page layout, Special Offers and Events.
Of course most of you are not Usborne Organisers, and will never see the very cool and powerful ways that these sites can be customised... but fortunately for us the Client can. Here is an extract from a note the Managing Director of USBAH sent to each of us on the project team, including ourselves, Mark Franklin and Bryony Bishop at Usborne Books at Home, and Chris and Rick, USBAH's technical partners at Fourfront.
"WELL DONE EVERYONE – WE ARE SUCCESSFULLY LIVE!
Thank you all for an amazing effort of co-ordination – I think as a team you could be an example to at least the U.N., if not the England Football team.
Seriously, thanks to you all for all your hard work and in particular, brain power."
Nick again. We've been working on this system since I gave a keynote at USBAH's eConference in February. It's great to see it launched, and to hear from reliable sources that a 'shedload' of sites have already been sold to Organisers. Well done everyone!
Posted by Nick Warren at 6:12 PM
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Please help our friend?
15 September 2006
If you are involved with animation, know people who are, or like a good story... read on.A few summers ago I received an email from a young lady looking for a work placement. I guess she had seen our name on one of the theme park sites... moved onto our web site and decided working at Semantic looked like fun. Poor thing.
Obviously I tried everything to put her off, including a face to face meeting... but in the end, for the last two weeks of the summer term, Laura came to work with us.
Although 'work' is a pretty broad term. Laura clearly wasn't going to learn web development skills overnight, and anyway we wanted her to have some fun... so after some discussion we set her up with Bryce, an animation programme. "Muck around", we said, "we're here when you need us... and how would you like your tea?".
And muck around she did. A lot.
Very soon Bryce wasn't flexible enough for what she wanted, so she moved on to Carrara... she was story-boarding and animating and yes, having fun at work.
By the end of the second week Laura had an animated character playing out a little scene. We helped her set it to music and made her a DVD. Thank-you and goodbye. Have a great life.
But then something extraordinary and rather surprising happened.
I got a note from Laura to say she had talked her Dad into buying her Carrara, and a computer capable of running it.
A year later I got another note, saying that she was going to study animation at University.
Two years later, last week in fact, I got a note saying that Laura has just finished her second year at Bournemouth, with distinction.
And here's where the "help" part comes in. Laura has come full circle, and now needs to find another placement... something much much better than ours... somewhere she can continue to learn about, and practice, animation.
If someone out there can help Laura I would love to hear from them... and I can tell you that it feels pretty great to know that a small thing like a work placement can make such a difference to someone's life.
Way to go Laura!
Posted by Nick Warren at 5:07 PM
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A Great Way To End The Week
08 September 2006
A few days ago Laura, our fantastic Client at Thorpe Park, mentioned that we were her favourite agency. Naturally, being the gentlemen that I am, I badgered her for a quote... but I didn't expect this..."Semantic are a pleasure to work with - professional, efficient and always on time and to budget. Nick and the team have gone above the call of duty on numerous occasions to which I can only be thankful for, I cannot recommend them enough. Thank you Semantic for being my favourite agency!"
Wonderful.
Posted by Nick Warren at 2:28 PM
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Putting faces to voices
06 September 2006
Today I met a friend for the first time.If you think that this sounds like one of those cheesy "strangers-are-just-friends-you-haven't-met-yet" deals... you'd be wrong. Although I am constantly banging on about the importance of the relationships we have with our clients... there is something I haven't really touched on much before...
... we hardly ever see them!
Today I've come to Edinburgh and met Rachel Duncan for the first time... even though we've worked together on the Leckie and Leckie web site for ages, we had never met face to face. Just lots of phone calls and emails.
We've built five or six sites for Warwick Castle over the past four years, but I've only met Emma face to face twice...
... next week I am meeting Carol Spencer of Style Directions. She has been a client ever since I left IBM... and in that time we've made numerous updates to her site... but we've probably only met face to face three times in nine years.
I can't say whether this is usual or not, but I think Semantic is unusual in the amount of effort we put in to email and telephone calls. Although geography matters less than it did I still prefer to meet people and shake their hand... but I don't rely on it.
Written at Edinburgh Airport, drinking a coffee the size of my head.
Posted by Nick Warren at 5:40 PM
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