Paul Adams, Facebook's global head of brand design (and a former Google alum), has left the company to take a position with Intercom, a company that makes customer communications, messaging, and analytics tools.
Adams is famous for his presentations on how people actually use social media, and for taking a key role in the design of Google+. Basically, he's one of the more important "thinkers" in social media.
At Facebook he took a lead role in ad product design, and reported to ad products director Gokul Rajaram and director of global creative solutions Mark D'Arcy. He had a hands-on role designing Facebook products for companies like Nike, P&G, Unilever, Coca Cola, and Starbucks.
Adams' role at Intercom will be head of product design. He received equity in the company as part of his hiring.
"I loved my job at Facebook. I had a fantastic position there. I had a lot of freedom and flexibility," Adams tells us.
But he started advising Intercom several months ago, and became increasingly fascinated with the company's main challenge: How do you design social customer interfaces that increase the level of contact with new customers?
Most companies regard customer relations management as a cost-center, Adams tells us, and try to limit the amount of time they have to interact with their consumers. Forward thinking companies want more consumer communication, Adams says.
He cites Zappos— with its legendary phone staff — as an example of a company getting it right.
At Intercom he will design systems that segment customers as thinly as possible, so that messaging to each consumer will be as accurate, useful and relevant.
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