Demand Satisfaction!

What’s your opinion of the San Francisco Zoo? What would change that?

Thor, our CEO and big thinker, went with his family to visit the San Francisco Zoo this past weekend. The San Francisco Zoo, of course, is the place where a tiger got loose and attacked and killed someone last Christmas day. It was a very bad day, and nearly everyone’s perception of the zoo has somehow been altered by the event.

Since then, the executive director of the zoo has retired, and they aren’t even sure when they’ll go looking for a new one. I can only imagine that everyone who has supported the San Francisco Zoo, and everyone who works at the zoo, has had a tough time envisioning how they can begin to turn around public perception. This year is surely their lowest point.

And yet, someone at the zoo is chugging along, updating their Twitter account, and connecting with customers.

As Thor walked through the front gate — iPhone in hand, of course — and started down the pathway that leads into the zoo, he sent out a tweet, to no one in particular:

To Thor’s surprise, someone answered:

*

Thor asked a question that nearly everyone who’s walked through the gates of that zoo has asked in the last nine months: What’s the story with the tiger situation?

Even if you can’t answer the way you want to, even in the touchiest of sensitive situations, even when your customers have a legitimately skeptical view of the way things are, it pays to stay positive. This small answer to Thor’s throwaway question made a difference — and showed that the zoo still gives a damn. They weren’t able to answer his question, exactly, but they were able to reach out and make a connection. Great job, @sfzoo.

What’s your company doing to make sure your customers get some kind of answer to the honest questions they’re asking — or aren’t sure how to ask you face-to-face?

[* For those who don't live in San Francisco, Fleet Week is a weekend in October when Navy folks (and Blue Angels enthusiasts) have a big party. It's one event of many during the un-foggiest month of the year. If you're ever planning a wedding in San Francisco, October is your best bet.]