Users Not Customers: Who Really Determines the Success of Your Business [Paperback]

I bought the Kindle edition and enjoyed reading it. Along with the new B Corporation [...] movement the author promotes serving users (stakeholders?) as well as customers primarily by advocating quality digital design in addition to the the businesses other forms like stores. The examples including JetBlue, Apple, American Express are mostly large businesses but Crutchfields in Charlottesville (one of my favorites)was mentioned as well. I would have also enjoyed some examples of universities, govt and some professional services focusing on users. This book is a good start on the subject of business design that will be a big part of business education in the future especially as the "Post Digitals" come on board.

As a broad based Technologist by trade, it always surprises me when other professionals in my industries miss a huge paradigm shift. We are, after all, technologists. But sometimes we fail when we make subjective assessments about technology usefulness while ignoring the change it could make in the lives of its users.

I remember when Windows first came out and so many said it would never be allowed in their enterprise. It was wasteful with resources and the features weren't needed. The same people were saying that Local Area Networks were not needed as long as a floppy was available and a printer was close by. Then the internet came onto the scene and others like them could not see the value of email, or see what could justify the cost of getting good bandwidth (ISDN at the time) into their offices. Smartphone's were similarly dismissed as a young adult toy. I actually had a highly respected peer tell me after I purchased one of the very first Androids that the Google Android was a fluke and would die out soon. Now Android has taken over smartphone sales.

The sad thing about all of this is that many good people saw their careers fade into obscurity when they missed a technology curve. The pundits against windows were technologically obsolete when windows 3.1 came out and everyone adopted windows. A vast sea of top notch PC vendors who specialized in local support were relegated to commodity level vendors when Local Area Network houses started moving in and taking the high spot for local office technology support. Most of the executives that dismissed email and the Internet were no longer leading anything just a few years later. And smartphones, well that story tells itself. If you don't have one your not connected and everyone who has one knows it (including your peers and business partners).

"Users not Customers" by Aaron Shapiro quickly lays out the reasons for adoption of new technology in a way that bypasses the "technology" part altogether. All the pundits to technology I wrote about above were making evaluations based on what they perceived to be the usefulness of a technology. They all missed the fact that each technological step was an advance in user experience quality.

Aaron uses this foundation to lay out a road map that we all need to see and share. The best companies will fail if they fail to make "users" out of their customers. Aaron calls it "being in their inbox". Their inbox being the places they go to the most in the course of their lives, places like facebook, google, email, and text messaging are all examples of inboxes. They are the places people frequent when they need to find something or want to see what is going on around them.

But its not enough to just be there. You have to provide a useful, convenient, and fun experience for your now "Users", a portion of which become and stay "Customers".

We are now fully immersed in digital communication. And everyone from your customers to your stakeholders and your employees need to be seen as users. If you don't understand that when you are done reading "Users not Customers", read it again. Read it until you get it. Its that important.

I can't recommend this book highly enough if you rely upon marketing to reach your customers. The message is important and valuable to all regardless of size or type of business. In my case it brought together things I have learned and or observed over the years into a single analysis and projection. I have purchased copies for many of my peers and customers. I sincerely hope they read it. I would hate to see any of them fade into obsolescence or obscurity because they missed this curve.

Users Not Customers is a fascinating exploration of what it takes for a business to succeed in the digital era. Shapiro provides numerous examples of companies who had the right digital strategy as well as cautionary tales of those that did not-- forming a comprehensive portrayal of what works and what doesn't. The book contains not only enlightening anecdotes but also actionable steps readers can take to ensure their businesses thrive online. On top of that, it's a great read. I highly recommend Users Not Customers to anyone looking to understand the digital space.