Travelocity's Terry Jones on Digital Relationships

At December's CASE VII + VIII combined district conference, the opening keynote speaker was Terry Jones, the founder of Travelocity, which helped revolutionize the way we shop for travel. Jones, who also has a consultancy called Essential Ideas, gave a fast-paced talk about innovation, the internet and the need to adapt.

The key points I took away:

"Innovation can come from anywhere in the organizational pyramid." So encourage people throughout the organization to share their "what if" ideas, and provide positive feedback when they do.

But you can't do this, says Jones, if there's a Bozone Layer blocking them. This is what he calls "middle management that stops new ideas from filtering up because they're afraid of taking risks."

"Face-to-Face [interaction with customers] is no longer enough....We have to learn how to form digital relationships with our customers." This applies to alumni and development professionals whose interaction with prospects and donors is increasingly via online communities, networks and platforms.

Jones also talked about web sites and the increasing irrelevance of the home page:

Online retailers have simplified and structured their sites, so "each [search] leads to the page with the product you want. One more click buys it."

What is the implication for universities, alumni associations, and fundraising sites? We don't necessarily want people to go to "the home page." As Jones points out, if we're successful, then "every page is a home page."

In the end, says Jones,

people who buy a drill don't want a drill; they want a hole. You have to think like a customer if you're going to solve their problem.

But of course, first we need to know what the customer's problem is. And that's a topic for another posting.