Last week I read that the Minneapolis – St. Paul (MSP) Airport had been named the best large airport in North America (and #3 in the world) for customer service quality. As a lifelong Minnesotan, I felt some pride that our hometown airport did so well in this survey. But I also saw something I didn’t like with the survey.

It’s missing something.

I have spent more time in airports than I like to think about. I know

In a recent report published by Forrester, AOL earned the top score among the USA’s largest Internet Service Providers. This seems like something to crow about until you look at the details, as Larry Dignan (of ZDNet) did. What he found took most of the air out of AOL’s sails.

AOL did in fact have the highest score in the report. But that’s like bragging about hitting the longest shot at your local putt-putt golf course. AOL’s score of 71 gave it a highly coveted “okay” ranking in Forrester’s Customer Experience Index. Verizon earned a “poor” rating and Comcast and Charter trailed the pack in the “very poor” range.

“Good” and “excellent” rankings were nowhere to be found in this industry segment.

I doubt this surprises many of us. The last time I requested help from Comcast through their regular channels I never heard back from them. If they didn’t have Frank Eliason and his team monitoring Twitter then I would have no idea how to get help from Comcast.

Mega-bank and credit card issuer JPMorgan Chase & Co. has decided to stop charging certain monthly fees. And they’ve agreed to refund $4.4 million in fees they have collected in the past several months. The impetus behind the move was a barrage of negative customer feedback that eventually led to the New York attorney general’s involvement.

The decision was made after many customers complained about the fees.  Some felt the fees were a “bait and switch” tactic.  No doubt the bank saw them as a profitable new source of revenue that appeared to have few costs associated with it. It seems they were wrong.

This bank got burned by Toxic Revenue.

I won’t comment on

Recently, on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation”, I heard an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Segal, founder of an organization called Medical Justice.  He was explaining why he and his organization want patients to waive some of their rights to offer feedback about their medical providers.

Dr. Segal does not like the many websites that offer people the ability to publish anonymous comments about doctors. He fears it can damage their hard earned reputations. Therefore he wants patients to voluntarily waive their rights to publish such comments unless their medical provider has specifically approved them.

You can learn the details of Dr. Segal’s organization and their position here.

While I share Dr. Segal’s thoughts that comments posted on websites have the potential to harm doctors, I disagree with

Many of us early adopters have experienced the power of Twitter as a customer service tool.  Whether you just want to rant or you’re looking for results, Twitter has proven a useful tool for customers and companies who want to communicate better.

Now, Salesforce.com has added legitimacy to the concept of Twitter as a customer service tool. By integrating Twitter into their online customer management platform, they are helping position Twitter as a business tool that has tangible value.  It’s not just for fun anymore!

Companies like Zappos and Comcast have done a good job using Twitter to talk with their customers. That alone makes Twitter a wonder since Zappos and Comcast couldn’t be more different in terms of the customer experience they deliver and the relationship they have with their customers. Zappos has used Twitter to continue to engage their customers and build an increasingly loyal fan base. While Comcast has used Twitter as a customer service safety net, a back channel for service when the normal channels fail.

We all know what the typical customer service call center experience is like. It’s so entrenched in our culture, it’s cliche.  The automated voice, the multiple options ans the joy of waiting on hold for what seems like forever, are all well known aspects of many call center customer service experiences.

Customers get this. And we complain about it. And the media does news stories about it. And people like me write books and articles about it. Yet companies continue to do the same thing. They claim to want to offer good customer service yet they still offer us the same old stuff.

Maybe one reason is the decision makers at these companies don’t really understand how ridiculous their phone service is. Maybe they need a more vivid example of what an awful experience they are delivering to their customers.

They should watch this video. It’s funny and entertaining. But more importantly, it’s enlightening. It shows hows just how dumb these experiences can be.

Amazing Service Rule #2

Acknowledge your customer’s presence

This seems too basic to even mention.  What breathing is to living, this rule is to working with customers.  So, why even have a rule that deals with it?

Because, as basic and fundamental as this idea is, it still gets forgotten on a regular basis. Every day customers are made “invisible” by employees who are there to serve them.  But rather than serving them, they ignore them.  They act as if the customers don’t exist.  Or maybe it’s wishful thinking.  Either way, the problem is rampant and it’s dangerous to any organization.

Remember, 68% of customers leave because of the service they receive.  If a customer is ignored, how might they rate their service?  (Bad is my prediction.)

A couple months ago I was managing an event for a nonprofit I work with. Prior to the event our speaker indicated he did not need a screen or projector for his presentation. Then, at the event, (an hour or so before his presentation) he changed his mind and asked for a projector and screen.

I understand last minute changes can be a hassle. And the hotel we held the event at has fantastic catering staff who handle these situations like they’re no big deal. And that’s how it should be. That’s a big part of their job.

But the hotel management sees these situations as golden opportunities to make money. So instead of charging us the regular fee (which I believe was under $100) their “11th hour special” price was $450.

This is TOXIC REVENUE.

Welcome to the March 20 edition of the Amazing Service podcast, the world’s only customer service podcast that originates in Burnsville, Minnesota.

Today we talk about Toxic Revenue, what it is, why it’s dangerous for your business and how you can avoid it. We also discuss Amazing Service Rules #25 (Put Yourself in Their Shoes) and #34 (See you customer only as someone who needs your help).

Enjoy the show!

(Note: This interview was done by ComputerWorld. Schuckenbrock was CIO of Dell at the time of the interview).

This interview of Steve Schuckenbrock is interesting for what it does NOT contain. Though Schuckenbrock talks about their past problems and likely causes, he fails on several counts as he addresses a huge customer service problem for Dell.

Watch the short interview and see what you think is missing.

What do you think he should have said that he didn’t? (Let me know using the COMMENT form below.)

Welcome to the “Good Luck” edition of the Amazing Service Podcast. In this segment we talk about Amazing Service Rules #1 (You’re here to serve your customers) and #6 (Give your customer your complete attention).

We start the podcast with a news items about my new book and a mention of the free resource page now available at this website.

Enjoy the podcast.

Today’s lesson on customer service comes from an unexpected source: Donald Trump and his show, “The Apprentice”. This week’s episode saw the project leader (popular skater, Scott Hamilton) get fired because he ignored a cardinal rule of customer service: give them what they want.

The project this week was to create a cartoon character (for marketing purposes) for Zappos. If Zappos is known for one thing it’s customer service. They go to great lengths to give their customer the experience they want. And they have passionately loyal customers because of this.