17 March 2010
In 2006, while writing an article for AllBusiness.com, I discovered Google had about 39,000 listings for the search: “Shamrock Shake”. Today, the same search throws us 877,000 possibilities. That’s like the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma, growing to the size of Detroit in four years. There are over 200 videos about these fun, minty shakes. Roughly 20,000 people [...]
17 March 2010
Today, Erik Qualman, at ClickZ, published his proposed list of social media thought leaders. It lays out his plan to create a crowd-sourced ranking of the most influential people in social media today. As I scanned the list of 32 contenders many of the names were familiar. Some more familiar than others. I counted at least [...]
16 March 2010
I recently popped into my local Staples to buy some new printer cartridges for my very hungry color printer. I needed two of every color under the rainbow, so I took my son with me because I was pretty sure it was going to cost me my firstborn to buy that much ink all at [...]
16 March 2010
Most organizations say they put the customer at the center of everything they do. Experiencing the service they provide, however, quickly proves otherwise. Their processes and policies demonstrate that the focus is on their convenience, not the customer’s. We’ve all been frustrated, for example, by phone trees that say; “For sales, press [...]
16 March 2010
Don’t insult your customers. I know this sounds pretty obvious. Why would any of us insult our customers on purpose? But it happens more than we realize. Here’s a recent example. I’m ordering a sandwich at my favorite sub shop. As I’m chatting with the sub-maker, the co-owner walks over. She notices that I’ve had the roast beef [...]
15 March 2010
Chet Phillips, Boardman Oregon’s new mayor understands the importance of a great greeting. In an article in the East Oregonian, Erin Mills reports about Phillips first city council meeting. At this meeting Phillips announced his “Welcome to Boardman” campaign. He has asked all business owners to greet every new customer with “Welcome to Boardman.” Read full story
15 March 2010
When I’m first approached to coach a client or give a presentation on customer service, people often ask me what difference good customer service can make on their bottom line. I’m quick to point out that by delivering excellent customer service, they will likely start to see a higher return on investment by means of [...]
15 March 2010
An extremely exclusive club has just lost another member. Now that Continental Airlines has bagged its free meals I can no longer include it on the “airlines I like to brag about” list. The list is getting very, very short, by the way. Let’s hope Alaska Air and Singapore Airlines stay in business or this list [...]
15 March 2010
Last week AT&T showed why you should hire people who care. Their customer service employee literally saved her customer’s life. Now Winn-Dixie is schooling us in the fine art of going the extra mile for your customers. Recently, employees in their Stuart, FL store helped two of their customers avoid losing almost $3000 as victim of [...]
15 March 2010
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle (A very funny and smart man!) Speaking of opportunity, here is an idea that will give you the opportunity to look like a star. You’ve heard of a Customer Service department. How about a Proactive Service department? This idea is not really new. Companies and people [...]
11 March 2010
The popular notion stating that if a customer receives poor service, he/she will tell nine other people, has been grossly out of date since the advent of the Internet. In reality, customers can electronically tell millions of people about their experiences. And now, with Twitter, people can tell others about their experiences as they happen. Read full [...]
11 March 2010
I clearly remember being in the conference room thinking What the hell are we doing? Our CEO just finished a rant on why should be paid well for the products and services we provide. The crescendo moment came when he railed against a customer who was behind in payment — they were withholding payment because [...]
Banquet Manager: Fro a waiter, thinking ahead should be standard pr...
Kevin Stirtz: Hey Erik - good to hear from you. I love your idea...
Kevin Stirtz: Wouldn't it be funny if technology helps us be mor...
Erik Qualman: Kevin: Thanks for the mention and great article. ...
Lee Odden: Great post Kevin - I guess being responsive is all...
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