Foursquare, The Odyssey and Squaring the Hospitality Circle

A late night conversation with a new friend of mine forced me to go into my sack of marbles, and I think I came out with some pearly nuggets for us all. I was asked what exactly I do for my clients, and yes, even now, with a 2010 looking brighter all the time, I get this question all the time. It’s a legitimate inquiry, and because social media marketing is such a new world, I’ve had to learn how to answer it in such a way that disarms my enquirer. Because, to be frank, the question is normally framed in such a way as to entrap me. And not because the questioner is doubtful or overly skeptical, but just because, as with anything new, there is an element of mystery (and potential bullshit) embedded in it.

In as few words as possible, my answer was “I Help My Clients Tell Their Story.” Nothing new there. Human beings love narratives and story telling is one of the most primal human endeavors. I learned that one early when in the 5th grade I chose to take on Homer’s The Odyssey for a year-end book report. Of course, I skipped reading the book, my precocious 11-year old mind consistently intimidated by the length and scope of the book, until the day before the assignment was due. I played hooky that day, read the entire book in one sitting and finished my report on time. It was one of the most impactful days in my entire life and I can remember with ease the thin parchment pages flying by as I devoured the book as Polyphemus (the cyclops) devoured Odysseus’s poor drunken sailors.

So anyway, back to storytelling. It might be our most human endeavor. Either that or war.

What is Storytelling?

Storytelling is communion. For thousands of years, we’ve sat around fires, hearths, drum circle and lecture halls and told stories to one another.

Only now we more frequently sit alone in our rooms and offices and commune with our friends, our loved ones, even strangers by the faint glow of computer screens. Not exactly a fire but it will have to do yes? I personally don’t mind it because it means several things: my fire is warmer, the circle is larger and I get to hear more stories. As a human this has made me exceptionally happier over the past year. It’s why I am slowly starting to lose my connection to people who are resistant to engage social media. As much as I recognize that my use of social media is pretty exceptional from a volume standpoint, I am still shocked that there are denier’s out there. Fact is I meet them every day, and they think I am the one who has lost his mind. I tell them I have but that it’s not a bad thing.

Foursquare Is Part of the Drum Circle

Well, as one of the last place’s we go to commune in real life with our friends, our loved ones, our lovers, our family, venues like bars, restaurants and music clubs become shrines. They are temples to me now.  The more time I spend online, the more precious my days and nights out become. I make it a point to break bread or see music with friends as often as possible. It sustains me in a way that empowers my online activities.

Foursquare, as even the Taliban must know by now (@OsamabinLaden just became the Mayor of Cave No. 428 in Waziristan) is a geo-location based mobile application that allows one to find venues in their area, get directions, see reviews, browse neighborhood deals, and “Check-in.” Check-ins garner points and special badges giving the app a gaming aspect. But perhaps more importantly, we can see who else is around. We can see who the “Mayor” of a particular restaurant is, can see who else is “in the house.” It’s fun, and I’ve made countless friends this year because of my Foursquare usage. The reality is that if someone is the mayor of one of MY favorite restaurants, we’re probably born soul mates, and even if that is overstating it a bit, we most likely have something in common besides how much we appreciate this particular restaurant.

One of the most important opportunities the hospitality business has with social media is to “square the circle” between the online and offline worlds. It’s why the hospitality industry is my main focus for my social strategy business. I want to help my clients get this right and in the process improve their businesses and make people’s lives better. Does that sound hokey? I hope so, cause it is, but it’s also what I believe.

How Deep Into Our Lives Can Foursquare Go?

Pretty Friggin’ Deep. What if Foursquare found a way to connect to a restaurant’s Point of Sale (POS) system. Now, when I checked into a restaurant the host or servers would see that I checked in. They would have access to my Twitter and Facebook accounts (all via Foursquare’s technology) be able to see what I looked like in order to identify me perhaps greet me by name, as well as what my last tweets or status updates were: @ZacharyCohen Headed to Morandi for prosciutto panini lunch, anyone down to join?

Let’s take this further though. Foursquare could also tell them where I just came from, and based on prior information, where I might be going next. That is exceptionally rich data. And if it’s connected to their POS system, they could pull up what I ordered when I last ate there. Maybe I sent something back or that I requested a salad to be lightly dressed. They would know this. And when I ordered that same salad, the waiter could say, “would you like us to go light on the dressing again?’ Now THAT would be outrageous customer service.

Or let’s take the sommelier for a moment. Perhaps last time I was in I ordered a bottle of Negroamaro and told the waiter/ waitress how much I enjoyed it. The sommelier could come over, mention that he just got a lovely bottle of something new in, something similar to the wine I enjoyed previously and he’d like to offer me a taste. Now THAT would be outrageous customer service

One last hypothetical: As I was eating my meal, the host or manager took a brief perusal through my foursquare checkins and noticed that I check in at jazz clubs a lot. What if at the end of the meal, he came over and told me that a good friend of his owns a new club over in Brooklyn and based on where I’ve been spending my time, he thinks I might really dig this new venue. And then he says that if I am ever interested in checking it out, to give him a call and he’ll make sure I’m well taken care of. And by taken care of I don’t mean free food and drinks. I like to pay for myself thank you very much. But just that the club owner will be looking out for me, maybe introduce me to the musicians playing that night or spend a few minutes chatting. Nothing major, but as we know, it is the little things that count.

Except it IS Major. All of these little minor things that I’ve mentioned above would be perfect examples of OUTRAGEOUSLY AWESOME customer service. I would feel like a king. I would be motivated to tell almost all my friends about it via Twitter, Facebook updates, a blog post, or two, and anyone who knows me personally, several weeks of non stop chatter. In less than an hour, they would have turned me from an occasional customer into a highly motivated frequent customer and brand evangelist.

And so to square the circle, my communal fire would burn all the brighter.

Image Source: Photo by Chetan S on Flikr

Tagged as: Foursquare For Business, Social Media Communion