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Should customer service go retro? Toyota has a customer service problem Is your product made by your customers? Better customer service means staying in the game What if these parents didn’t have to protest? Don’t upsell or cross-sell
 
Should customer service go retro?

Should customer service go retro?

In MetroNews.ca today, Charles Davies proposes a radical change to how organizations handle their customer service. He says they should ditch the automated phone technology and go back to having real people on the phones: “The idea is simple: Get rid of automated telephone systems and bring back the switchboard.” He makes a good point. Though technology [...]

Toyota has a customer service problem

Toyota has a customer service problem

A lot of people think Toyota has a quality problem these days. But I would say their biggest problem is a customer service one. Let’s look at the basics. Customer service is all about giving customers the right experience. Do this and they’ll remain loyal. Fail at this and they’ll leave you faster than you can [...]

Is your product made by your customers?

Is your product made by your customers?

I’m usually not a fan of ad campaigns. But I do like Microsoft’s new ad campaign for Windows 7, “Made by me”. It features people (average, ordinary Windows users, we are supposed to believe) who talk about how Windows 7 has the features they want, because they TOLD Microsoft they wanted them. Of course, this is [...]

Better customer service means staying in the game

Better customer service means staying in the game

Too often when a company (or person) fails at customer service, they run from the failure. They never return to the “scene of the crime”. I understand why. Most of us would rather move on to future successes than be reminded of past failures. But the best customer service companies take their failures head on. [...]

What if these parents didn’t have to protest?

What if these parents didn’t have to protest?

An elementary school teacher gets removed from her classroom and placed on administrative leave. When parents find out why they are outraged. They respect this teacher. They know she does good work with their kids. They want her in the classroom, not sitting at home wondering if she’ll ever teach at that school again. Read full [...]

Don’t upsell or cross-sell

Don’t upsell or cross-sell

Many companies expect their employees to cross-sell and upsell customers. We see this all the time. Paying for a book at Barnes & Noble I ALWAYS gets asked to buy their membership. Recently, our waitress at Doolittles tried four times to sell me something I didn’t want. I can’t even workout at my fitness club [...]

Recipe for a great customer experience

Recipe for a great customer experience

08 February 2010

by Kevin Stirtz

Recently, at our weekly breakfast club meeting we were treated to one of the better dining experiences I have had in a long time. It didn’t happen because the food was spectacular. It wasn’t. It wasn’t because the restaurant team did everything right. They didn’t. And it’s not that our server was overly funny or charming [...]

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Published in All, Customer Perspective0 Comments

What Can Paul McCartney Teach About Customer Service?

What Can Paul McCartney Teach About Customer Service?

08 February 2010

by Dennis Snow

A key customer service principle is to “deliver on the promise of the brand.” Every organization owns a particular brand image in the minds of customers, and anything out of alignment with the brand creates a disconnect and a disappointment for the customer. Imagine, for example checking into a Ritz Carlton hotel only be treated rudely [...]

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Published in All, Experience1 Comment

If I Could Do It Over, I Would . . .

If I Could Do It Over, I Would . . .

08 February 2010

by Marilyn Suttle

I rushed down to the lobby of the SE Hotel in San Diego a couple weeks ago to grab a cup of coffee for myself and hot tea for a friend. It was 7:00 a.m. and I was on a tight schedule. As I whisked toward the elevator, a hotel employee dashed from behind a [...]

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Published in All, Attitude2 Comments

Don’t assume everything is clear to your customer

Don’t assume everything is clear to your customer

05 February 2010

by Kevin Stirtz

Communication is the surest path to delivering Amazing service to our customers. But it’s often harder than we realize to be on the same page with our customers. Here’s a funny (and true) example of how something can seem so clear to an employee but not their customers. Thanks to the good people at NotAlwaysRight.com for [...]

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Published in All, Customer Perspective0 Comments

Burger King learns lesson about customer loyalty

Burger King learns lesson about customer loyalty

05 February 2010

by Kevin Stirtz

A recent article about Burger King points to a weakness in what seemed like a profitable marketing strategy.  It reveals lower earnings by the company at a time when many of their so-called “Super Customers” are leaving them. According to the article, BK has focused much of their marketing on customer 18 to 34 years [...]

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Published in All, Feedback0 Comments

Social Media helps Dave Carroll tell his customer service story

Social Media helps Dave Carroll tell his customer service story

05 February 2010

by Kevin Stirtz

In 2009, Dave Carroll (a professional musician from Nova Scotia, Canada) engaged a massive worldwide audience to share his customer service story about United Airlines. Using YouTube.com to deliver his message, he wrote and performed a song that has made an impact.  Some people estimate 100 million people saw his video. You see, United Airline broke [...]

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Published in All, Service Recovery0 Comments

Do What Is Not Expected

Do What Is Not Expected

05 February 2010

by Shep Hyken

Most people do what they are supposed to do – what is expected by the customer. When someone goes out of the way to help us, we are surprised. Our expectations are exceeded. Doing a little something extra or special is not difficult. Sometimes it means just doing whatever you are supposed [...]

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Published in All, Attitude0 Comments

The Curse of Arrogance

The Curse of Arrogance

04 February 2010

by Dennis Snow

Southwest Airlines has been my favorite airline for a long time – I’ve written about them often in this blog and talk about them often in my speeches. I’m a Southwest fan not only because of positive experiences, but also because their success and almost cult-like following has been a great case study as a [...]

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Published in All, Attitude5 Comments

Always close the loop

Always close the loop

04 February 2010

by Kevin Stirtz

Recently I submitted a help ticket to a company about a problem with their product. It was not a critical issue but one that needed fixing. After reviewing the issue they marked it as “resolved”. But they never told me it was resolved. And they didn’t tell me how to apply the fix. So, from where I [...]

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Published in All, Customer Perspective0 Comments

Don’t Make It Hard For Customers To Spend Their Money

Don’t Make It Hard For Customers To Spend Their Money

03 February 2010

by Bill Hogg

I went online t0 Mrs Fields Cookies to place an order. However, after placing the order, providing the shipping address and credit card information, at the very last step, I discovered I was not able to place the order because the billing address for the credit card was in Canada. I called the Mrs. Fields phone number [...]

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Published in All, Customer Perspective0 Comments

Stop Saying “It’s Our Policy”

Stop Saying “It’s Our Policy”

03 February 2010

by Laurie Brown

Unbelievable. In this dire economy companies are still telling customers “Sorry, I can’t do that, it’s our policy.” Can you really afford to push your customers away because of some stupid misguided policy? Really? Last Saturday I went to a local dim sum restaurant to celebrate my friend Mary’s birthday. There were 10 of us dining [...]

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Published in All, Customer Perspective1 Comment

Amazing Service visitors have a voice

Amazing Service visitors have a voice

03 February 2010

by Kevin Stirtz

A big priority for me is making sure customers have a voice.  Many of an organization’s problems can be overcome by having better conversations with their customers. Intuitively, we know this. But we don’t always do it. And in some ways it’s harder than in “the good old days” because of how our world has changed. The [...]

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Technology

When Customers Tweet – Do You Listen?

When customers are having problems they want your company to help. When they can’t get help in person or by phone, they turn to their computers. Many reach out to social media sites like twitter to get a company’s attention.

Something you might not know about your customers is this: Their perception of you is damaged when you don’t respond to their tweets.

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