I made the switch to Google Apps a few years ago, and even though it’s still missing a few “power-user” features I became used to with Microsoft Outlook and the Office Suite, I’ve never looked back. I’ve even helped and supported many of my corporate clients to make the switch as well, and have yet to come across anyone within their quarters who missed Outlook enough to switch back. On the contrary, most comments I hear are about praise to the efficiency and mobility they gained in their work.

What caught my attention about this letter is how well thought out is their approach. First there was an official Blog post about it, and now this letter (I included the full version below) stating clearly why they are doing it, when it’s happening and which Applications are being affected. I also like the fact that they are providing a note within their apps for users of these older browsers, so that they are reminded of the change.

As we move forward with innovation in the Web industry (and we do it fast!), most of us will be faced with similar situations, and as much as we believe in the innovation, it is still important that we take our users and customers into consideration. Not every one is as fast at keeping up with the pace for multiple reasons, and we need to ease them into change and show them how to do it. This way we avoid facing rejection or losing customers.

Here’s the full letter in case you’d like to read it:

Dear Google Apps admin,​

In order to continue to improve our products and deliver more sophisticated features and performance, we are harnessing some of the latest improvements in web browser technology. This includes faster JavaScript processing and new standards like HTML5. As a result, over the course of 2010, we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers.

We plan to begin phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor on March 1, 2010. After that point, certain functionality within these applications may have higher latency and may not work correctly in these older browsers. Later in 2010, we will start to phase out support for these browsers for Google Mail and Google Calendar.

Google Apps will continue to support Internet Explorer 7.0 and above, Firefox 3.0 and above, Google Chrome 4.0 and above, and Safari 3.0 and above.

Starting this week, users on these older browsers will see a message in Google Docs and the Google Sites editor explaining this change and asking them to upgrade their browser. We will also alert you again closer to March 1 to remind you of this change.

In 2009, the Google Apps team delivered more than 100 improvements to enhance your product experience. We are aiming to beat that in 2010 and continue to deliver the best and most innovative collaboration products for businesses.

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

The Google Apps team
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

Have you “gone Google”? What do you think of their approach?

Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.

I’ve been reading and following the reactions from the technology, new media and the publishing industry, and have been exchanging brief impressions with close friends from different cities like Toronto, San Francisco, New York, Madrid, Barcelona and my current home in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

And after these 24 hours, I must say I’m very excited about the opportunities the introduction of this new device brings.

That’s not to say that I don’t agree with most of the points being made around the world about what the iPad is missing. Excellent and valid points like the ones being made by the editorial team at Engadget or the guys at MacLife on some of the key features that would have made this a killer product right off the bat.  I can’t help but agree with some of Stan Schroeder’s comments in Mashable, on what Apple announced hidden between the lines. But perhaps we need to dig a little deeper, right through the false expectations and hype we created over the last few months, to truly appreciate the potential and the significance of the new iPad.

As much as I too would have loved to see some key features that reputable and knowledgeable people in our industry are mentioning the iPad is missing, none of these features, of lack thereof, can lessen the excitement I feel for the new opportunities it just opened for all of us.

For one many writers and the whole publishing industry are without a doubt very excited to count on a new device that is sure to inspire and bring a great deal of creativity and attention to it, and it is certain that most of the innovation it inspires will trickle down to other devices, both current and new.

There are also people in the sales and marketing industries thinking up of ways to take advantage of such a device.

And that’s just the thing, I firmly believe that it is up to us to make something great out of this device.  Apple has just done half the work by bringing this new device out, at an affordable price point.  It is up to us to build exciting content that pops out of its screen and takes full advantage of the features that ARE there, so much that we forget what’s missing.

Take for example my passion for cycling.  I am re-reading Lance Armstrong’s book “It’s not about the bike.” It’s a great read on the subject of cancer, and what the sport of cycling is all about, and as I flip through the pages and read about the cancer treatments, the creation of the Livestrong Foundation, the sacrifices in training for the Tour de France, and highs and lows of his career, I can’t help but wonder how amazing it would be to watch interviews and videos from the racing, see photos illustrating his feelings and amplifying every detail of his story.  The potential is there and it is up to us to enrich the user experience with this device.

Let’s build something truly exciting with it!

-Franklin

1. Be helpful: We all have problems, and if you can stop for a moment and listen to your customers and approach them with solutions, they’ll be grateful and remember you for it.

2. Extraordinary Customer Service: I know it’s been said before, but this time, get everyone in your company involved. Make it a personal goal of every department. If you are remarkable in the quality of your customer service, you will earn the respect and appreciation of your customers, and next time they need anything, they’ll think of you first.

3. Forget about Marketing. I know it sounds crazy, but please just bear with me for a moment. There are too many companies out there wasting their money on ads, when they would be better off focusing that effort and money on developing relationships with their customers, in reaching out to them, and in being helpful. The fact is that if you do what I’ve listed here today, you won’t have to do any marketing. Your customers will do it for you. And in today’s world, that’s more powerful than any ad campaign.

Thank you for listening, and please get in touch with me and let me know what you think. Until next time,

-Franklin

Here I’m posting the videos from the program, where we discussed various issues including the need to further improve the complementary offer, the impact of lowering prices, and a phrase I liked from Cesar Pacheco (economist): “think globally and act locally. ” Note: the videos are in spanish.

From this space I would like to thank the team behind Channel 4 and the show Economía Balear for their excellent work every week, and especially Beatriz for putting togeher a very interesting program and for extending me an invitation to participate.

-Franklin

One approach with which I’ve shared many intense discussions in recent months with friends in this sector is the quality of customer service. Specifically, the fact that, although I am in first attest to the multiple places in the Balearic Islands that offer unparalleled service and high quality, there is still much to be done in order to be known by our tourists by our excellence in service.

This week I read in an article by Rafel Amorós from the eQutel Blog, where he referenced the results of a survey conducted by the Gades Foundation, indicating that the level of satisfaction in tourists and their interest in returning to Mallorca has decreased.

An example of a destination that has established itself as a benchmark in quality offered to customers is the Riviera Maya in Mexico. I recently had the opportunity to experience it firsthand during a stay of 2 weeks and I came back eager to return. This is a short video I recorded a few minutes before going to the airport at the end of our stay, where I ask a hotel employee what he thought of quality in customer service. (The video is in Spanish!)

If we are to remain competitive in this sector, it is clear that we must be constantly improving in all areas, but particularly in the area of customer service, where we have much room for improvement. And the responsibility lies with everyone, not just those who are failing at it. Together we must learn to take better care of tourists, and share tips on how to do it.

-Franklin

Just a few steps from me there is a large supermarket offering a variety of products including a wide selection of fresh fruits. This morning when I walked by this supermarket on my way to a small grocery store on the corner, I wondered: How come I frequent this grocery store which also has fresh fruits, but the supply is very limited in comparison, and the prices tend to be much less competitive?

Because it has something I have not yet managed to find in any large supermarkets: an exceptional customer service. From the first day I entered her small shop, she struck me as a very attentive and friendly person. A smile that welcomes you and asks how she can be of help to you, how she can assist you, and during the whole process you feel like she really cares for you to find what you are looking for.  And if you don’t, she is the first one to suggest that you try and find it in the larger supermarket beside her!

It’s true that every day there are fewer grocery stores, and more large supermarkets. But this one has managed to survive and I assure you that after watching the traffic it gets every day, it will continue to exist for a while longer. Perhaps unknowingly, she has discovered that the secret to compete with the big ones is to go beyond simply providing a product.  Her success lies in caring and giving such a level of service that when you leave her shop you are feeling better than when you came in.

We live in times when stress is all around us. But this only means that it is easier to stand out and differentiate yourself in the area of customer service, because our human need to be heard and be taken into account, only gets intensified. Take a lesson from the lady in the grocery store and let us pay a little more attention and give better service. Remember that we all are clients, even you. This small change can become the reason why your customers will prefer to come to you, even if you’re a little further down the road, or even if your prices are not the most competitive.

-Franklin