A couple months ago I tried an open source word processor, AbiWord . It’s a decent product and does everything you’d expect. I tried it because I was tired of Microsoft Word taking so long to start and crashing so often.

But before long I found myself using Microsoft Word again. Even though its startup and crashing problems remain, it still has something no other word processing software has (that I have found).

About a month ago, I posted the results of a customer service survey I did last year.

The number one thing customers said they wanted more of was better listening by the people they deal with.

This survey reflects a major weakness in how most organizations treat their customers. Listening skills are not a high priority for many people or their employers.

But they should be.

I visited the dermatologist today for a minor procedure. It was something I should have done a year ago but at that time the doctor talked me out of it with two solid arguments. One was that the condition would clear up on its own. Two was the treatment was painful. In fact, I seem to recall he used the phrase “extremely painful” as he described it.

So, on that advice, I decided against the treatment.

A couple weeks ago my mom was in the hospital. She had a knee replacement, a procedure she was already familiar with. So, she knew what was in store and she was not looking forward to it.

One of her concerns was the level of service in the hospital. For good reason. When you’re undergoing major surgery and recovery, there’s a lot of room for mistakes. Even if the operation is fine medically, the after care can make all the difference in the world.

Some years ago (I can’t even remember how long ago) one of the biggest and most influential fast food chains in the USA did something that changed how the fast food (or QSR) industry does business. They did something so simple yet so brilliant that before long, 99% of their competitors had copied them in some fashion.

The entire way they present products to their customers has changed. And, they have trained their customers to use their systems. They have in effect, branded specific combinations of their products.