Tonight we had a delicious dinner at Famous Dave’s in Burnsville. I’ll be honest, what brought us there was the offer of a free dinner. (It was in honor of Debbie’s birthday.) What surprised us was the amazing customer service we experienced. As we walked in we were greeted by Jacob. He made instant eye contact with us and delivered a big smile as he welcomed us into Famous Dave’s. The rest of the evening was a pleasant mix of BBQ pulled pork, mashed potatoes and fun conversation with Jacob. We learned a little of the history of Famous Dave’s. [...]
Customer Experience
The best customer service happens when you deliver the right customer experience. Whether your customers call it excellent customer service, great customer service or amazing customer service, it’s all based on giving your customers the experience they want. Look here for articles, resources and real world examples of how to deliver the best experience to your customers.
What is the future of customer service? Customer service is vital to the survival of any business, as it is your chance to listen to your customers and either address problems or enhance positives. This is a big part of the job of any business leader, and learning about this can start with a top education from the Gannon Online MBA Degree Program Related to this is an upcoming event hosted by Dell, next Monday (June 25, 2012) where we will talk about the importance and the future of customer service. The event is called a “Think Tank” and is [...]
In this video, Ross Shafer talks about an amazing customer experience he had at a well known hotel brand. The story is both funny and inspiring. But there’s something in the story that stands out and, in my opinion, tarnished the brand’s image. In the video it’s just a funny aside but in the real world it can make a big difference to companies and customers. About midway through the video, Ross is sharing with us how he talked to several people at the hotel about this wonderful employee. And each time he gave his glowing feedback to someone, they asked [...]
For the past 6 years (maybe more) a group of us have gotten together every Saturday morning for breakfast. In this time we have eaten at just about every breakfast place in our area. We often tried different restaurants for variety but also for service. Eventually we settled on one place (Perkins) and we have made that our permanent Saturday breakfast headquarters for the last several years. Until last week. Last week several of us thought it would be fun to try a new place for our weekly breakfast club. Actually, it was literally a new restaurant, having just opened. Some of [...]
While politicians use the state of the economy to serve their ends in a US election year, most of us just want things to get better. And, according to some people, things are improving. Steve Higgins, writing for advisors4advisors.com reveals numbers he believes indicate an improving economy. A quick search on Google News shows quite a few positive articles on how and why the economy is doing better. Also, Google Insight for Search shows a sharp increase since December 2011 of people in the US doing searches on the phrase: ‘improving economy’. While reading articles and posts about this trend, [...]
Many competitive industries rely on low prices and heavy discounting to attract and keep customers. But this strategy is not the only one that can help you increase customer loyalty. Even in a highly price competitive business, customer service can beat low prices. This article shares a perfect example of how one dry cleaner lost a customer by giving them a horrible experience. It also shows how another dry cleaner in the same market stands out by adding a personal touch to the customer service they offer. When Customer Experience Trumps Low Prices
A favorite place for my wife and I to go on weekends is the Mall of America (or as we like to call it: “MOA”). Though I’m not much for shopping malls (probably because I’m not much for shopping) I always enjoy MOA. Being there feels like being on vacation: It’s crowded, expensive and it’s all about shopping, eating and being entertained. More than any other shopping mall, the Mall of America is about designed to deliver an experience to its customers. One of their newest businesses does that very well. In fact they do it so well they have [...]
A while ago I wrote about a book called: “Choosing Civility”. One thing I like about the book is that it puts the responsibility for change on us, not on others, Even the title says it well. It reminds us we have the ability to choose how we act. Since my job is to help companies increase customer loyalty, this thrills me. Because the best way to increase customer loyalty is to treat your customers well every time with no exceptions. You need to deliver what I call “Amazing Service”. And to do this means you and your employees need [...]
