Volcanic LLC, one of the first service-design consulting firms in the nation, has launched in Kansas City.
Volcanic is a wholly owned subsidiary of integrated marketing and advertising agency Sullivan Higdon & Sink (SHS), which has offices in Kansas City; Wichita, Kan.; and Washington, D.C.
Unlike an integrated ad agency, which uses imaginative ideas to increase brand recognition and reputation, a service marketing firm seeks to ensure a high-quality experience “once a customer decides to engage with a product or service,” said SHS Creative Director John January in a release.
January is an executive on loan from SHS to get Volcanic successfully underway.
“The U.S. economy is already 80 percent service-based,” January said. “That means the unique service proposition has to replace the unique selling proposition as the primary point of competitive advantage. Think of all the service moments out there—from checking into a hotel, renting a car or picking up movie tickets to checking in at an emergency room or renewing your license at the DMV. Volcanic exists to bring human-centered thinking and purposeful design to the intangible experiences that make or break the crucial moments people spend with a product or service.”
Service design can be a key influencer of word-of-mouth recommendations via social media by producing moments that people will want to share. Customers, employees and the goals of businesses merge in a harmonious relationship that leads to service experiences that are pleasing and valuable.
For example, two fast-food restaurants may both swiftly and inexpensively serve tasty hamburgers. But it’s the one with a superior service design that is most likely to be recommended more frequently.
Yosef Shuman, lead service designer for Volcanic, said: “A well-designed experience thinks about the entire service ecosystem that predicts and meets needs before customers or employees even realize they need it. Volcanic was founded on the belief that brands and organizations become drastically more attractive when they are built upon great service experiences.”
To learn more, go to WeAreVolcanic.com.
