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Mar31
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It's almost the end of my working day for me and I'm skimming through customer service stories.... I come upon Dave's blog who certainly likes to "Play Well With Others". His humorous story had me bellying over with laughter - certainly a great way to end the day! You'll have to just read the whole thing at his post, Now THAT'S Customer Service
I do have to point out (and I'm sure Dave learned this) that it's better to have a meeting with your crew to discuss an issue like that! However, I do like what Dave says in his email to his team:
"As I've said before, customer service is the backbone of our success. As a new and highly-contested business, we must shine at every moment. No exceptions. If we cannot earn the basic respect and trust of our clients from the moment they contact us, we'll never get the opportunity to show them how well we work and add value to their daily lives."
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Mar31
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I'm going to bring up this topic again because I just can't stress enough how important it is to greet your customer.... If someone enters your home, don't you usually say something to them? Of course! You ask how they...
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In my days of working in customer service there were days when it wasn't all peaches and creams. Yes, there were days when I wanted to scream and pull my hair out. It was those days that I had to...
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I always say that a little competition is good for the soul, but you don't want to become obsessed with what the competition is doing that you forget what is most important: your own customer.
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My boyfriend is a price shopper. I shop on service. We've been having issues with our current phone provider, MCI, which has left us frusterated, to say the least. (Ok, I'll stay away from the negative first thing in the...
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Mar30
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Best Buy's Brad Anderson has his sights on transforming the way the company does business. He's taking Best Buy from a "pushing sales" business to a "catering to customers" business. A "high risk innovation" thought by most executives, I'm sure,...
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Being an online entrepreneur at heart, I often read Steve Browne's blog, LoneWolfTracks. Today, one his posts caught my attention: Do You Know How To Listen To Your Customers? where he offers some great tips on how to improve your...
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As I've posted here before, I've learned quite a bit from working at Nordstrom - more than I realize. One thing in particular that I noticed is that Nordstrom doesn't do much advertising. Sure, once in awhile you'll see an...
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Ok, so I live in the world of La-La Land, but wouldn't it be grand if cell phone companies had to sign an agreement that if they didn't fulfill their end of the bargain (i.e. they didn't "raise the bar")...
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Companies are pouring out tons of dollars to improve their customer service initiatives. All this money is spent, yet they still don't see any increase in sales. Why is this? Companies are still failing to provide that "wow" experience. That...
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Mar29
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Catherine Franz posts a great question on her blog, "Out of the Blog, Into the Light": " The question this morning for you is, how much do you care about your customers. Not just intellectually. But what are you doing...
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I came across someone's blog today and this is all it said in the post: " I need to find a non-customer service job. I dislike people." Ah, I remember those days. It was my last days at Nordstrom when...
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If you're looking for a great resource on customer service, I recommend visiting Customer Service Zone. This is the website of Robert Bacal, who has been providing customer service information for over 15 years and conducts customer service seminars. Bacal...
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I spoke with a friend who travels around the world and I asked her what country has the best customer service. She told me Japan has the best service because you are always greeted enthusiastically and people are just more...
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When I lived downtown, I always shopped at the mom and pop stores for food. I liked shopping there because the people were always happy to see me and didn't mind blabbing about random stuff. If I was short on...
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Mar28
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A call center solutions company, Five9, provides the results of their Call Center Customer Care Benchmarking Study: 76 percent of respondents said that 24x7 support is either important, or extremely important to their purchasing decisions. 96 percent of respondents said...
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A grand opening at a Wegmans supermarket has been compared to a rock concert. One just opened in Mount Laurel, N.J this past Sunday and there were 800 people waiting at the grand opening! Wegmans food markets has been rated one...
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"Complaining is good for you as long as you're not complaining to the person you're complaining about." --Lynn Johnston, cartoonist I've been hearing stories about employees who start personal blogs and then complain about their job or somone they work...
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I received an excellent customer service story via email today....This one comes from Diane Ensey of Digitalgybe.com : My husband and father-in-law own 80+ rentals and have patronized a locally owned franchise hardware store (Ace Hardware) for at least 25...
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Mar27
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I just read a post by Annieelf on customer service and I'm reminded of my pet peeve, people who were in a rush - particularly people who went shopping on their lunch break. Why do people do this and why...
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Imagine chaos in Cingular world if some 11,000 customer service employees were to go on strike. But give thanks because it didn't happen. According to news reports, there's been a tentative agreement between the Communications Workers of America Local 3204...
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Imagine staying at a hotel where every transaction can be done with your room keys. You can gamble at the casino, purchase souvenirs at the gift shop, and hey, you can even buy a coke in the vending machine down...
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It's one thing to deal with crazy customers, but crazy co-workers is sometimes worse. My friend who works for United Airlines recalled an incident with a fellow flight attendant who had a reputation for being a bit on the "loony"...
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I'm in the middle of watching "The Apprentice" and I'm learning just how tough it is to work in a team at times. There are different personalities, different opinions, and different ideas on how a project should go. Mr. Trump says,...
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Mar26
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So, it's been awhile since I've come across any good customer service stories...But this one just came in today - hot off the blogosphere - and the author lives in the same city as me :) Gotta give her the...
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Are you wondering why your website isn't bringing in any sales? Here are some statistics I found via a "Inter Web Entrepreneur". Some interesting things to think about if you have an online business: 1. 75% of all e-shopping carts...
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It's been awhile since I've watched Andy Rooney on 60 minutes, but I came across "Andy's Take on Outsourcing" at CBSNews.com, and thought it was pretty funny. My favorite part: " Too much of our work is being what they...
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What I learned during my management days at Wet Seal was that the biggest complaint that most employees make is that they are not appreciated or recognized for the work that they do. This is also one of the top...
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I just came across a great article called "Enhance Your Customer Experience" that gives us some pointers on how to create a great experience for your customers. · Positive thinking is a habit · Positive thinking is a choice· A...
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Mar25
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This is dedicated to the rude, the disrespectful, and the perverse customers out there. I suggest you read Meloukhia's post, "How To Behave Like An Adult Without Even Trying" and find out what it really means to be a good...
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I've never been to England, so I can't speak from experience on this subject, but Doryn over at Doryn's Dish tells us that there is a difference between America and England customer service: "...America has amazing customer service, don't ever...
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I thought I'd peruse the Know More Media network to check out what my fellow writers are talking about on the topic of customer service. Here is what I found: Gary Bourgeault over at ManagersRealm has many great posts and...
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It's funny how things start to "pop up" when you talk about it. You know how when you talk about or think about a person and the next day they call you? Yesterday I talked about Customer Service Academy and...
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When I was training to be a real estate agent, my trainer told the class that if you don't really care for the client, pretend to care for them. That statement didn't sit with me too well. I don't like...
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Mar24
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Having a good CRM product implemented into your business just isn't enough to better your customer service program or increase company sales. The author of CRM Blog says, "It (CRM) is just the use of superior, properly formulated technology to...
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I'm watching The Sopranos right now. Tony has lost his wallet and briefcase while on a business trip. He tries to recheck into the hotel he just checked out of, but the person at the front desk won't let him...
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I love being recognized when I walk into a store. And I love it even more when they know what I like. When I worked at Wet Seal I always remembered who the regulars were and I would always point...
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One of the many business lessons I learned while working at Nordstrom was following up with the customers I helped. Either through a phone call or a thank you note, we would make sure the shoes worked out for them....
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I really do think that all universities and colleges should have a business class devoted especially to customer service. Marketing, business law, and economics are great classes, but it's customer service that can make or break us in business. Enter...
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Mar23
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Imagine being a CEO or an executive of a company. You're at the top of the game looking down and don't have a clue what your customers are thinking about your company. This is what happened to Curt Allen, CEO...
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During college I declared Business Administration as a minor (Psychology was my major). Of course, as part of the Business Administration program at Chico State University, we're required to take a marketing class. In that marketing class I wrote a...
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Don't you love getting bargains? I think I get my biggest thrills in life when I can get a bargain for something. As a business person I also love to give people bargains, but as an artist, sometimes it can...
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In the book, A Million Little Pieces, the author, James Frey, tells a story about his life that was later found out to be only partly true. The reader, his customer, was essentially led to think that this book was...
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In a recent issue of Business Week, Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Stephen J. Adler sat down with Time Warner Chairman and CEO, Richard D. Parsons. When asked why the market is not happy with Time Warner at the moment, Parsons...
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Mar22
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I read an article called "Great Customer Service Is a Right, Not a Privilege" via someone's blog which had me thinking - IS customer service a RIGHT? I would say so, except that if you are a not-so-good customer, you...
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I just read an interesting article that said researchers at a German University conducted a study that shows people such as call center personnel, flight attendants, basically anyone working in service, are at risk of falling ill and harming their...
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Yesterday CRM Magazine announced that they will be holding a conference for sales, marketing, and customer service professionals at the San Jose Marriott in San Jose, CA from September 17-19, 2006. Attendees will learn everything from best practices in CRM,...
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It's important to know what you're customers are thinking. What better way to do this than to conduct surveys or questionnaires either on the website or at the place of business. Granted many people ignore these questionnaires (I often do),...
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I'm going to touch upon this subject again because it just dawned on me how much bigger the Internet is becoming and I'm becoming more irritated with the idea that companies still refuse to answer their email. There are millions...
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Mar21
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I just came across a news article from Ireland Online that had me laughing and shaking my head in utter disbelief. You know when your customer service is really bad when you don't even answer the Director of Consumer Affairs. ...
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It's most likely that we can't find a company that provides exceptional customer service 100% of the time. If you beg to differ, please let me know. Up until today, I thought In-N-Out had exceptional service (my food was really...
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I think it's important for customer service reps or sales people to realize that no matter what a person buys - whether it be a $2 item or $500 item, they should be treated the same. The person who bought...
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" The test of any company is how they respond to a complaint. Anyone can choose an off the shelf letter number to be sent in response. It takes commitment to customer service to engage with a customer and actually...
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There's a new wave of technology hitting the customer service sector. From blogs, to forums, chat, instant messaging, and email, keeping in touch and helping our customers is much easier than it was ten years ago. There are so many...
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Mar20
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Ah, a man after my own heart: Guy Kawasaki. In a recent post he offers his advice on how to be a good customer. In bullet points, this is what he has to say: 1. Understand the dynamic (i.e. be...
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The other day at the The Runway Scoop I touched upon the idea of judging people by the way they dress or look. This is a very touchy subject in the area of customer service. It's a known fact that most...
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It's been awhile since I visited Diary of a Customer Service Revolutionary, but today I discovered that the author of the blog, "CS", made a post about me that had me blushing :) CS works for a major company, "CompX",...
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You know when service is getting bad when fast food workers start to attack customers. A Burger King drive-thru worker, Michael Perez, allegedly burst into a rage and attacked two customers in their car. The camera surveillance caught him climbing...
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If you have a website and would like to integrate a way for your customers to leave feedback and reviews, you may consider Bazaarvoice. This is a great way for online businesses to interact with their clients. Bazaarvoice provides the...
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Mar19
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Entrepreneur Magazine dedicated a story to BOWA Builders, Inc. and recognized their commitment to customer service. BOWA, a construction company based in McLean, Virginia, produces more than $30 million of construction annually. I visited BOWA's website to find out more...
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Daniel Snyder, Washington Redskins owner, recently took over Six Flags, Inc. and has hired Solutions and Specialized Innovations Ltd. to develop a customer service training program to improve the customer experience at all 30 amusement parks. "Our brand must represent...
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Solving problems is the essence of customer service. When you create a product or provide a service, you are essentially solving some type of problem. And anyone can do this, but the bigger issue is, how well can you solve...
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Before working at Nordstrom, every job I was hired for in customer service did not provide any real "customer service" training. I was hired because I had prior experience in customer service, so I was usually just "thrown out to...
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Are you a small giant? Many entrepreneurs dream of making it big, hoping that one day the whole world will know who they are. However, if that's the only objective you have, you may not get very far. Same goes...
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Mar18
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I received my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology six years ago. However, in my last semester I decided that psychology may not be where my heart is. It began to sink in that helping people with their mental issues was a...
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BOTTOMLINE:"The differences that small businesses have over larger enterprises include the ability to connect to people to purpose, more effective communication, timely decision-making, more in-depth customer intimacy, and the ability to attract talented team members." This was posted over at...
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I just read a news report that had me shaking my head and wondering what the world is coming to.... Japan has built a seeing, hearing, and smelling robot that can carry human beings. They want to use these robots...
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If you're a company that provides technological products or services, I'm sure you're aware that technology doesn't always work. There are sometimes glitches, systems shut down, etc. And then there are times when the product you designed just doesn't perform...
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I sense a customer service revolution coming on soon! It's just this feeling that I've been having - a "gut" feeling. People are sick and tired of being sick and tired of getting the runaround, the "automated" phone service, and...
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Mar17
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I was in Michael's today, the arts and crafts store, shopping for beading materials when I came upon another customer asking a customer service rep if she knew where a particular item was. What not to say: "Well, you're in...
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Whenever I was interviewed for a position in customer service I was always asked, "What do you like about customer service/sales?" And my answer was always, "Because every day was different." I don't like routine jobs where I'm doing the...
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Hal Halladay made a post at the Know More Media main page that had me putting my chin in my hand and created churning thoughts running through my head... First, I have to say that since joining the Know More...
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