We’re looking for 100 Examples of 3D Thinking – businesses that are ‘Dramatically and Demonstrably Different‘! We’d love you to let us have your examples – simply email us with the details!

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Here’s what we’ve got so far……(In the order that they’ve been put up here!)

 

#10: SapientNitro & Unilever – (N)icely Done!

Customers who smile get better service! Well, that’s definitely the case if you go to a brand new vending machine that gives you a free ice cream when you smile at it! This innovative use of facial recognition technology from customer experience company SapientNitro and ice cream makers Unilever is our latest example of 3D Thinking (Number #10 in our search for 100 Examples Of 3D Thinking)

They are currently testing it at Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival and after it prompts you to smile, the machine measures the wideness of your grin using facial recognition technology! It then snaps a picture of you, and, with your permission, uploads that snap to Facebook. (You can see a gallery of smiling faces here on Cannes Sapient Nitro’s Facebook Page). You then choose your ice cream reward and out it pops. The result? Customers who I suspect walk away with an even bigger smile on their faces (and, no doubt, tell others)!

So, what does this mean for businesses? It’s a great example of being ‘Remarkable’ which is an ingredient of 3D Characteristic #2: Establish A Dramatic Difference! It personalises’ the experience and creates a real buzz among customers who then go onto Facebook to see their photographs and I suspect ‘Remark’ to lots and lots of other people!

The whole concept of face recognition technology is an interesting one. I’ve thought of an even better way of using it to enhance the customer experience – There are lots of businesses who could perhaps benefit by turning the camera round and ‘rewarding’ their customer facing staff who actually smile at their customers!

(3D idea spotted by a great couple: Bob and Sara Brown at Inspire To Aspire! It’s number #10 in our 3D Challenge search for 100 ideas!)

(3D Characteristic #2 Establish A Dramatic Difference!)

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#9: Red Tomato Pizza - Dramatically Different Delivery!

Here’s a great way to create customer delight for pizza lovers – It’s the latest 3D example in our search for 100 Examples Of 3D Thinking and combines solving a common customer ‘problem’ with the use of technology to become ‘easy to buy from’! The result? It’s the emergency panic fridge magnet that when pressed automatically orders your favourite pizza to be delivered from your local pizza restaurant!!!!

The VIP Pizza Magnet is an innovation from the Red Tomato Pizza company in Dubai! It’s easy to set up – You simply link it to Bluetooth and enter your favourite pizza recipe on the website, along with your address and details, and every time you press the button, a fresh pizza gets delivered to your door!

Watch this short video below to see the story:

It’s a great example of being ‘Easy To Buy From’ which is an ingredient of 3D Characteristic #3 Create Devoted Customers. It also helps you ‘personalise’ the experience by changing your ‘favourite’ if you wish! It certainly seems to have created a ‘buzz’ in Dubai – It’s been so popular that they’ve actually run out of stock!!!! Don’t worry if you live out there – Apparently there are lots more about to be ‘Delivered’!

(3D idea number #9 in our 3D Challenge search for 100 ideas!)

(3D Characteristic #3 Create Devoted Customers!)

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#8: The Dollar Shave Club – That’s Razor Sharp Thinking!

In a world where innovation in razors is usually yet another blade (Marketing man to MD: ‘Hey, I’ve got a great revolutionary idea – let’s add a 6th blade!’, here’s a Dramatically and Demonstrably Different approach from The Dollar Shave Club!

It’s a very tongue in cheek, but clearly very ‘straight’ approach to shaving – cheap effective razors to your door every month! Here’s their video that exlains their approach – Are their razors any good? ‘No,’ they say ‘they’re f*%%king good!’

This 3D example (One of our 100 Examples!) was highlighted by James Ashford of Rocket Powered (a real 3D Thinker himself!) and he explained that the video cost just $4500 dollars to make and went viral before the company was even launched. They’re now at nearly 3.5 million viewers!

In the first 24 hours after the online ad went live, the company received 5,000 new subscriptions. More than 12,000 people have signed up for the service since the company officially opened for business last week!

The way it works is that The Dollar Shave Club will send customers a monthly supply of disposable razor blades starting at $1 a month. The company estimates its service will save members nearly $300 a year in shaving costs.

This is a great example of a business that’s attacking a ‘traditional’ marketplace with a Dramatically Different low cost approach to the production and distribution of a simple product! They’re ‘Demonstrating’ it in their ‘tongue in cheek’ marketing approach!

That’s razor sharp thinking!

(3D idea spotted by James Ashford at Rocket Powered and it’s number #8 in our 3D Challenge search for 100 ideas!)

(3D Characteristic #2 Establish A ‘Dramatic Difference’!)

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#7: Metro Bank – No ‘Woof’ Customer Service Here!

Does your bank welcome your dog with a treat when you take it in your local branch? Do your kids get a warm welcome and a lollipop when they go in? What do you mean, you never take them in (the kids or the dog!)?

Well, you probably do if you’re a Metro Bank customer because they are totally dog and child friendly and build this into their whole approach to ‘remarkable’ customer service!

Metro Bank is the UK’s first new high street bank for over 100 years and it certainly seems to be making an impact with its Dramatically and Demonstrably Different approach!

Their open plan branches don’t have bullet proof security glass, stay open outsie of working hours in the evenings and on Sundays! There are free pens, lollipops for kids, biscuits for dogs and a magic money machine that counts and sorts all your saved change for you!

They actively welcome your dogs (and kids!). Here’s a quote from their website:

“We understand how important man’s best friend is to our dog-loving customers so we actively welcome dogs into our bank. We even have a selection of dog goodies when you visit, including fresh water bowls and dog treats.

We are all about convenience and being a dog-friendly bank is part of this. Bring your dog in when you next visit – we’d love to meet them!”

It’s a great 3D example (One of our 100 Examples!) and certainly seems to be ‘hitting the spot’! The business set up in London in 2011 and already has 10 branches and 60,000 customers! The 11th opens next week and they are on target for 200 by the year 2020!

It’s not just about ‘gimmicks’ – they are ‘easy to buy from’ – it only takes 15 minutes to open a full account with debit and credit cards!

“Britons are dying for revolution in the banking business, focused on service, and we are here to provide it.” says co-founder Vernon Hill who has opened 500 plus similar banks in the United States.

Metro Bank believes that success involves creating and UBER culture through ‘fanatical execution’ which means huge ‘over – investment’ in facilities and people. This includes:

• Establishing very clear expectations of their people (Buy In or Opt Out’!) (We call that FIFO!)
• Empowering people (One Person To Say ‘Yes’, Two People To Say ‘No’!)
• Encouraging staff to challenge things that don’t work (No ‘Stupid Rules’!)
• Effective monitoring of performance (Over 100,000 ‘mystery shops’!)

And finally, they ‘reward’ the behaviours and performance they want – staff rewards are linked to customer service levels, not sales!

So, if a bank can do it, what’s stopping you?

(This is 3D idea number #7 in our 3D Challenge search for 100 ideas!)

(3D Characteristic #2 Establish A ‘Dramatic Difference’ and #5 Create An UBER Culture!)

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#6: Tesco – Customer Delight In South Korea!

Being ‘easy to buy from’ is a key ingredient of 3D Characteristic #3 Create Devoted Customers and Tesco have made a bold and innovative approach to addressing this in South Korea!

Instead of getting busy customers to come to them, they’ve set up virtual stores and taken them to the customers – in Tube stations! They have set up ‘virtual stores’ that allow people to buy goods through QR codes!

While waiting for their train, customers scan the codes with their phones to fill their virtual basket, they pay and their groceries get delivered when they get home! This innovative approach has made our 100 Examples of 3D Thinking!

Here’s a short video that explains the process and the success they’ve had:

It’s a great example of:

• Understanding your customers
• Identifying a problem / need and providing a solution
• Being ‘easy to buy from’
• Delighting customers!

Can’t wait until they come to Sheffield!

(3D idea spotted by Chris Black at Sound Leisure! It’s number #6 in our 3D Challenge search for 100 ideas!)

(3D Characteristic #3 Create Devoted Customers!)
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#5: British Gas Customer Service – Lovely To SEE You!

Are you one of those customers who prefers face to face contact when getting your enquiries and problems sorted? Are you one of the many who rank the ‘annonymity’ of call centres as one of your biggest frustrations? Do you like to see the ‘whites of their eyes’ when you’re making a complaint?

Well, you’re not alone! Apparently 66% of us believe that being able to see a customer service agent will help resolve our queries more quickly. Well, British Gas have come up with a solution! It’s face-to-face customer service calls via video chat!

They have introduced an innovative approach where you can now see the customer service representative on your laptop or computer when you call them! It’s an initial trial that will last for three months and video chat will be offered to some customers who have questions about their bill, need tariff information or would like to resolve complaints. The pilot will involve 20 customer service agents, based in their contact centres, who have volunteered for specialist training to take part in the cutting-edge trial.

It’s a good example of being ‘easy to deal with’ which is an ingredient of 3D Characteristic #3: It’s All About The Experience!

With over half of the UK population having now adopted video calling through things like Skype and Apple Facetime into their everyday lives, it will be interesting to see whether seeing the expressions, gestures and body language will help build rapport, understanding and trust.

If it does, it will certainly set a new benchmark on which we’ll judge other ‘call centres’ by…. which can only be a good thing!

(3D Characteristic #3 Create Devoted Customers!)

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#4: WANdisco Say Have As Many Holidays As You Like!

This fast growing business which is based in Silicon Valley and Sheffield (honest) has announced that its employees can have unlimited amounts of paid leave!!!

WANdisco’s Managing Director David Richards, said its employees will be able to take as much paid vacation as they need “to stay the same productive, enthusiastic employees who made this company what it is today”.

Wandisco believes that to keep its products on the cutting edge, they feel that their company culture should be as forwards-looking as their products.

It’s a forward thinking move – even a Dramatically and Demonstrably Different one! Our research suggests that winning businesses work hard to create a culture as competitive advantage (We call it UBER Culture) and WANdisco is clearly a great example of this. The ‘B’ in UBER stands for Building systems and processes to reinforce the culture you want, and this certainly does that!

David explained in his blog “This is not some sort of fad or publicity stunt. It’s real. Actions speak louder than words: we value actual productivity more than biding time at the office, we trust each other to do the right thing, we recognize that work is not actually at the center of everyone’s universe, we have unlimited paid vacation days!

It obviously sends a message to employees that they are trusted and valued, and a lot of other businesses could certainly learn from that! David goes on to say “Here’s the logic. If we really trust and value our employees then this shouldn’t be a problem. We are not running some sort of Dickensian sweatshop where everyone clocks in at nine and is playing solitaire to bide time until the clock strikes five”

It’s worth pointing out that this isn’t the only thing that WANdisco does to create and reinforce it’s UBER culture – They don’t believe in stuffy, company enforced fun but do believe that employees who socialize, and have a laugh together, work better together. They create time to have fun, and that includes nights out, office darts competitions, rounds of table tennis, and even a trip down the office slide! Every quarter the team nominates a ‘Social Captain’, whose job it is to organize fun nights out and day-trip adventures!

They are all somple things that reinforce the culture that the WANdisco leaders have clearly established to engage their people- How does your culture reinforce your ‘Dramatic Difference’? What do you need to do to make it do that?

(3D Characteristic #5 Create An UBER Culture!)

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#3: Smelly Adverts From McCain!

Forget simply looking at advertisements – you can now smell them!

Potato makers McCains have come up with some 3D advertisements that you can smell! Apparently, when you press the button on them in bus shelters in various cities around the country, you get the lovely aroma of freshly baked potatoes to help you on your way!

The smelly adverts are part of McCain’s new campaign celebrating the launch of their new frozen jacket potato! The potato aroma took three months to develop as they teamed up with a specialist scent lab to ensure they got the smell just right!

It’s a nice way of being ‘Dramatically and Demonstrably Different, and ‘engaging’ customers – Button pushers also get a discount voucher for baked potatoes!

(3D idea spotted by Jill! It’s number #3 in our 3D Challenge search for 100 ideas!)

(3D Characteristic #2 Be Dramatically Different and #7 Keep Working ON!)

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#2: Our Cow Molly: Fresh Milk By Text – That’s ‘Easy’!

Eddie Andrew is Sheffield’s ‘Remarkable’ businessmen! As well as providing some of the loveliest ice cream you will ever have (The Our Cow Molly lemon and ginger ice cream is absolutely amazing!), he has built a fantastic reputation for his innovative approach in a very ‘traditional’ industry.

This ‘innovative thinking’ extends to the most traditional side to the family business – the milk round! His family have delivered milk to folks’ door steps directly from their farm for over 60 years and it’s currently run by Eddie’s brother Dan!

Although it doesn’t always run smoothly on those early mornings!. As Eddie explains “The way it works is we load the truck up with what we think the customers want / usually have, you walk up their drive and you find there’s a note saying they want an extra pint or no milk at all!”

He also knows that customers sometimes go on holiday and forget to let him know!

This got Eddie thinking… the customer has had to find a pen and paper to leave him a note out and he thought ‘How old fashioned is that?’ So they introduced a texting service that meant that customers could simply let Dan know what they wanted via their mobile phones!

So now his milk customers text him for extra milk. They don’t have to put in their whole address and personal details as Dan has their address stored in his phone. They simply text the amount!

“We only load the truck up with the right amount of milk and we don’t have to walk up a drive to find a note saying no milk !!! Win Win!” explains Eddie.

It’s a great 3D example (one of our 100!) of being easy to buy from and deal with! What could you do to make yourself easier to deal with and help your customers?

Why not get some Our Cow Molly ice cream, chill out, and get thinking (in 3D)!

(3D Characteristic #3 Create ‘Devoted’ Customers!)

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 #1: DNB Bank: A 3D Automated Customer Service Phone System!

One of the biggest customer service frustrations is automated phone systems. Let’s be honest, very few of us enjoy dealing with them… press 1 for this… press 2 for that….la la la….. your call is important to us (honest!)….. In fact, it is often highlighted (by me and others!) as the most frustrating thing!

Well, here’s a great story of overcoming that from Norway, and it’s from a bank! Norwegian bank DNB sponsors the Norwegian Broadcasting Boy’s Choir and got them to sing the call options, and balances!

The impact was amazing and the result was over 2 million calls to the phone line in December – the population of Norway is only 4.9 million!

No, I’m not expecting my bank manager to sing to me next time I call (although it would certainly make me smile!), but it does show the impact of doing something ‘Dramatically and Demonstrably Differently’, even if it is just ‘answering the phone’!

You can listen to them here…..

 (3D Characteristic #2 Establish A Difference  and #3 Create ‘Devoted’ Customers!)

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