CustomersAreAlways: November 2006 Archives

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Nov30	The Starbucks Gift Card Dilemma Maria Palma November 30, 2006 Know More: Starbucks 2.0, Starbucks I received a comment from Scott the other day where he shared a story about trying to purchase Starbucks gift cards for the staff Holiday party. You can read the story here, but in a nutshell, Starbucks (SBUX) gave Scott the run around and basically made it difficult for him to purchase a bulk of gift cards. You would think that a transaction like this would be pretty simple - after all, they’re just gift cards.... But apparently the Starbucks “system” can’t handle big transactions. Yes, it’s a shame that Starbucks made something that is so easy into something so very, very difficult. Why is that we are so dependent on computers to conduct transactions for us? Couldn’t someone in the corporate office have overrided the 14 card limit and the shipping costs? Posted at 8:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov28	Customer Service Lessons From Michel Fortin Maria Palma November 28, 2006 Michel Fortin tells a great story about using pressure to prevent procrastination. Oftentimes when salespeople (or online salesletters) are trying to sell something to a customer, they'll give these "deadlines" to buy - knowing that the deadline is not really a deadline. ... Continue Reading Posted at 7:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov27	Free Customer Service PDF Download and Thoughts on Repeat Business Maria Palma November 27, 2006 My fellow customer service blogger at Service Untitled has created a free PDF download of an article titled “An Executive’s Guide to Customer Service” which provides one of the secrets to creating a great business. Doug says something that I... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Carnivale of Customer Service: The CRM Edition Maria Palma November 27, 2006 I hope all of you had a great holiday weekend (if you live in the U.S.) and you’re back to tackle the last month of the year with a positive attitude! Let’s hope that the well-being you experienced with your... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Workers on Strike Don't Make For a Good Shopping Experience Maria Palma November 27, 2006 I’m on the hunt for new black shoes and since I’m in San Francisco this week, I thought I’d check out the Macy’s in Union Square because I know I’m almost guaranteed to find something. With a whole floor of... Continue Reading Posted at 6:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov26	Airlines Still Having Trouble with Customer Service Maria Palma November 26, 2006 According to an article at Reuters, airlines are still having a hard time with customer service. Apparently the biggest complaints that people have when it comes to dealing with the airlines is that the airlines are very slow to communicate,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Two Important Tips For Online Business Owners Maria Palma November 26, 2006 Today I wanted to check out the newly renovated mall here in San Francisco, but it’s pouring cats and dogs (where the heck did that phrase come from?) out there, so I decided to venture into cyberspace for my shopping... Continue Reading Posted at 5:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov25	Money and Customer Evangelism Maria Palma November 25, 2006 When people love your product or service, they feel compelled to tell others about it whether they are paid or not. I somewhat disagree with Kawasaki's statement because there are dozens of companies nowadays who offer affiliate programs in which website owners can link to a company and receive commissions for selling the company's product. Continue Reading Posted at 11:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mobile Technology Offers an Edge on Customer Service Maria Palma November 25, 2006 When it comes to technology, I’m amazed at how far we’ve come in ten years. Flashback to 1996 when beepers were the closest thing I came to “technology” - well, besides my computer ;) Remember beepers? Now it seems that... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov24	Five Things I'm Thankful For Maria Palma November 24, 2006 I didn’t get to post this yesterday, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving I wanted to post some of the things that I’m thankful for. Every day I try to make a list of five things I’m thankful for and... Continue Reading Posted at 10:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Didn't I Say Mark Cuban Is the Man? Maria Palma November 24, 2006 For those of you who know me, you know that I loooove basketball. It’s been awhile since I’ve visited Mark Cuban’s blog, but I give a hat-tip to Treadin’ Water for reminding me to read Cuban’s blog because he... Continue Reading Posted at 8:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Does Capital One Really Hate Deaf People or Do They Just Need to Fix Their System? Maria Palma November 24, 2006 I was browsing through my Bloglines feeds for “customer service” and came across this post from The Consumerist. The title was “Capital One Hates Deaf People”. The word “hate” is such a strong word to use, so it caught my... Continue Reading Posted at 6:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov22	What Would the World Be Like? Maria Palma November 22, 2006 BusinessWeek just published an article today called “Customer Service Is Back in Style”. Of course I had to take notice! Finally - my dream is in motion... To have businesses realize that in order to succeed, to truly succeed as... Continue Reading Posted at 8:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Does One Bad Apple Ruin It For the Bunch? Maria Palma November 22, 2006 Oh, wow. I just read Phil Gerbyshak's thoughts about Antonella Pavese’s Starbucks experience. Some of you who are regular readers of this blog know that I love Starbucks, so it was a little heartbreaking to find out that someone out... Continue Reading Posted at 7:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov21	Jonathan Schwartz on Blogging and Communicating With Customers Maria Palma November 21, 2006 Fortune Magazine recently interviewed Jonathan Schwartz, the CEO of Sun Microsystems. The title of the article is “Blogger in Chief” and for those of you who keep up with Schwartz’s blog, you know that he probably is one of... Continue Reading Posted at 5:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Growing Issue of Online Business Reviews and Blog Comments Maria Palma November 21, 2006 The growing concern among many consumers who shop online is that any person who works for the company, for instance, someone in public relations or the marketing department, could pose as a “customer” and write a very favorable review of the company. This could certainly influence the buying decisions of consumers as many people will often do searches on a company to see what the company’s reputation is. Continue Reading Posted at 2:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Companies That Cater To Their Customers Maria Palma November 21, 2006 There’s a new Barnes & Noble in San Diego, so I decided to check it out today. When I go to the bookstore usually my first stop is the business section of the magazine racks. I was a little... Continue Reading Posted at 12:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Double Your Way To a Million and Customer Service Maria Palma November 21, 2006 “Dream big dreams; only big dreams have the power to move men’s souls” - Marcus Aurelius This year I started this experiment called Double Your Way to a Million. Have you heard of the guy who started with a... Continue Reading Posted at 10:54 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov20	Carnivale of Customer Service: The Short & Sweet Edition Maria Palma November 20, 2006 The Carnivale of Customer Service is pretty short and sweet this week as I’m sure everybody has been quite busy with the holiday here coming up. Besides, I failed to post a reminder last week! However, Sagar of CRM Lowdown... Continue Reading Posted at 7:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov19	Forth & Towne May Change How We Look at Service in Fashion Maria Palma November 19, 2006 Gap, Inc. (GPS) has a new retail brand called Forth & Towne and the other day I got to tour the new store here in San Diego with their PR rep, Kelly Lynch of Brand Building Public Relations. I’ll have... Continue Reading Posted at 9:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov18	What May Be Expensive To You May Not Be For Your Customer Maria Palma November 18, 2006 Antonio Thornton is a customer of Dell...(Oh, I can just hear the groans now!) He shares his Dell saga with us at his Think Banc Law of Attraction Blog. (I believe in the Law of Attraction as well) However, Antonio... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How MySpace.com and Your Business Are the Same Maria Palma November 18, 2006 It all begins with building relationships. This is the last line of an article that Bob Furniss, President of Touchpoint Associates wrote. Jim Berkowitz shares a snippet of this article, but it is this last line that resonates and echoes... Continue Reading Posted at 6:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Share Your Random Acts of Kindness Maria Palma November 18, 2006 Have you received any random acts of kindness lately? As I type this, I’m wondering why acts of kindness have to be random... Hmmm, why can’t they be ongoing and consistent? Why is that we are so surprised to even... Continue Reading Posted at 4:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	More Thoughts on Blogging for Business Maria Palma November 18, 2006 Shout out to Lewis Green for leaving a comment about spirituality and business. Without going into a full-blown discussion about spirituality, I’ll simply say that it is your spirit, your good energy, and how you view life that is the... Continue Reading Posted at 3:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Telling Lies Is An Industry in China Maria Palma November 18, 2006 Do you think your customers will ever find out that you lied to them? It’s very tempting to tell a little white lie for the sake of short-term profit, but what if your customer is Wal-Mart? I came across this... Continue Reading Posted at 2:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov17	A Mall That Caters to Dogs Maria Palma November 17, 2006 There’s a new mall in San Diego, the Otay Ranch Center, which has created quite a buzz in the community - especially since it’s known to house high end stores that rivals what I consider to be the Fashion Mecca... Continue Reading Posted at 3:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Surveying Your Customers on a Budget Maria Palma November 17, 2006 Isn’t the internet one of the best inventions? Access to information is as easy as the click of a button and now more than ever our voice can be heard, read, or watched all across the world. With this democratization... Continue Reading Posted at 11:39 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov16	San Diego Restaurant Review: Brians' Eatery Maria Palma November 16, 2006 Sometimes I like to play tourist here in San Diego, so yesterday I headed downtown to do some shopping. Of course I needed energy first so I walked down Fifth Avenue to get some breakfast. Considering all the restaurants lined... Continue Reading Posted at 10:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov15	Heinz Still #1 In Customer Satisfaction Maria Palma November 15, 2006 It's better to hold off launching a website until you get all the kinks straightened out. You don't want to frusterate your customer with invalid links! Continue Reading Posted at 10:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov14	Hotel Industry, Customer Service, and Bling-Bling Businesses Maria Palma November 14, 2006 "It's all about giving the customer a great experience..."These are the words of Faith Taylor, the V.P. Of Innovation and Product Development for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. Hotel industry execs gathered at the recent “Staying Ahead of the Design Curve”... Continue Reading Posted at 5:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fortune 500 Blog Project: Avon Products Maria Palma November 14, 2006 Unfortunately after much research I found that Avon does not have a company blog. I think that this would be a good company that could benefit from having a blog. Talking to my friend who is an Avon rep, I... Continue Reading Posted at 4:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Thought For the Day From Kazuo Inamori Maria Palma November 14, 2006 I subscribe to the National Retail Federation’s daily newsletter and at the bottom of every email there is a quote. Today’s quote is very fitting to the ideas that I value in regards to customer service: “Too many people think... Continue Reading Posted at 3:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov13	The Box Stuffers Would NEVER Forget the Power Cord Maria Palma November 13, 2006 Seth Godin tells the story of a recent Radio Shack experience in which a lady comes in claiming that her new phone did not come with the power cord. Well, the manager basically called the customer a liar by saying... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Adventures of a Starbucks Addict Who Loves Hearing Her Name Maria Palma November 13, 2006 I love Starbucks. I really do. My regular readers know I do! Here’s another Starbucks adventure I encountered today.I walk in the door...An employee filling the straws and napkins turns to me with a cheerful “Hi! Welcome to Starbucks! How... Continue Reading Posted at 4:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ralph Lauren Media Opens Customer Service Center in North Carolina Maria Palma November 13, 2006 While many companies are shutting down their customer service centers, here comes Ralph Lauren (RL) opening up shop in North Carolina. The company will invest $11.8 million to launch a customer service center that will add 200 jobs to the... Continue Reading Posted at 1:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Restaurants Have a Duty of Offering Quality Service Too! Maria Palma November 13, 2006 Awhile ago I posted a restaurant review of Mr. Wasabi, a sushi place here in San Diego. I never did get around to doing more restaurant reviews, however, a recent visitor to this blog has inspired me to get out... Continue Reading Posted at 12:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Carnivale of Customer Service: Unlimited Resources! Maria Palma November 13, 2006 Step right on up, folks! It’s Monday and you know what time it is! Carnivale of Customer Service! We have a great lineup today chock full of information to bring your business up to the next level. So, without further... Continue Reading Posted at 10:58 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov11	What It Takes to Become An Airline Customer Service Rep Maria Palma November 11, 2006 If you’re thinking about applying to become an airline customer service representative, Jam Mayer over at Call Center Script offers some advice on what an airline agent should know when talking to customers. I like this piece of advice:“Patience and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Reminder That a Happy Employee Equals Great Service Maria Palma November 11, 2006 See? I’m not the only one who thinks that happiness in employees is the key to great service! I just came across this article which talks about the Customer Management Conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. 81% of employees... Continue Reading Posted at 2:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov10	Are You a Coach or a Trainer? Maria Palma November 10, 2006 The other night I was in Ralphs grocery store and when I went to pay for my purchase, I was greeted by a smiling, cheerful lady. Her smile exuded with kindness and turned my tired mood into a good one.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Welcome New Authors to the Know More Media Family Maria Palma November 10, 2006 We have several new authors this week here at Know More Media, including David Sandusky of Your Individual Brand, Carolynn Duncan of Biz Impresario, Joseph Carrabis of Biz Media Science, and Krissy of BPO Tiger. One particular post that stood... Continue Reading Posted at 9:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	One of the Worst Things You Can Do To A Customer Maria Palma November 10, 2006 What do you think is one of the worst things you can do to a customer? Imagine walking into a store where you walk up to a customer service rep and kindly ask them a question about one of the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 9	Incredible Hall of Acclaim: Third Edition Maria Palma November 9, 2006 I was going to designate Tuesdays as the day I announce the new inductees into the Incredible Hall of Acclaim, but I had the case of It’s November and what am I going to do about everything I had on... Continue Reading Posted at 8:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 7	How Do You Build Your Customer Relationships? Maria Palma November 7, 2006 Call me an information junkie, but I am big on subscribing to newsletters that come from people of interest. One list that I recently subscribed to is Andrea J. Lee’s Money, Meaning, and Beyond and today I received my first... Continue Reading Posted at 8:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	QAQnA Shares 10 Things Not To Say To A Customer Maria Palma November 7, 2006 Tom Vander Well of QAQnA shares 10 phrases that customer service reps should avoid saying. The one I don’t like to hear is "It's not my job..." I have to come clean and say that I have said this before... Continue Reading Posted at 5:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Spillover Thoughts From the Bathroom Maria Palma November 7, 2006 I’m visiting my friend today and use her bathroom when I looked down to see the newspaper on the floor. No doubt it was left there by her husband because it was opened to the sports page. Then a random... Continue Reading Posted at 3:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 6	Carnivale of Customer Service: More Reminders! Maria Palma November 6, 2006 Is it Monday already!?! I have to be honest and say that I really wanted to take the day off today (I worked all weekend on jewelry and writing), but I couldn’t let you readers down. It’s Carnivale of Customer... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 5	Customer Service Thought For the Day Maria Palma November 5, 2006 The thought for the day comes from Sir Colin Marshall, CEO of British Airways:"The customer doesn't expect everything will go right all the time; the big test is what you do when things go wrong."As much as we would like... Continue Reading Posted at 7:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are Your Practicing What You Preach? Maria Palma November 5, 2006 Browsing through the news today, I came upon this article with a noteable quote: "If we already know that the most successful businesses in every industry are the ones that execute the highest levels of customer service, then why don't... Continue Reading Posted at 5:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Day in the Life With Public Transportation Maria Palma November 5, 2006 The other night I was on the bus, heading home after a long day of writing. It was late evening and I could sense that the bus driver had a long day as well. Just as we were about to... Continue Reading Posted at 4:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	My Little Hershey Website Review Maria Palma November 5, 2006 I was checking out Easton Ellsworth’s update on the Fortune 500 Blog Project and being the chocoholic that I am, checked out the Hershey Review by Kian Ann. Hershey doesn’t have a corporate blog, but I figure that regardless if... Continue Reading Posted at 3:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 4	Enthusiasm, Spirituality, and Karma in Business Maria Palma November 4, 2006 Enthusiasm. Some people in customer service have it. Many don’t. Sad, but true. I often wonder... When did people start to lose this enthusiasm for what they do? How do we get back to the days when people found meaning... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	More Customer Service Agents Are Working at Home Maria Palma November 4, 2006 Working at home as a “virtual” customer service agent is starting to become a more common way to work at home these days. This article at The New York Times says that there are currently over 100,000 home-based customer service... Continue Reading Posted at 9:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 3	The Retailer Who Knows How to Design Restrooms Maria Palma November 3, 2006 Well, I’ve saved the best for last.... What’s a Bathroom Blogfest if we don’t mention a Nordstrom restroom? As most of us know, Nordstrom is known for their phenomenal service and their restrooms are popular with mommies. I’ve known of... Continue Reading Posted at 11:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Reminder: Carnivale of Customer Service on Monday! Maria Palma November 3, 2006 Just a little reminder that Monday is the Carnivale of Customer Service! Yours truly will be hosting the Carnivale again, but I surely would love for someone to share in the fun ;) For those of you who are here... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Things We Don't Do To Tick Off the Customer Revisited Maria Palma November 3, 2006 I think it’s a good time to revisit the things we should not do to piss tick off our customers - especially when it comes to helping them over the telephone. Tim Stevens of LeadingSmart.com shares with us his Customer... Continue Reading Posted at 5:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Restrooms in Tijuana's Night Clubs: Good Times Maria Palma November 3, 2006 I remember back in my wild and carefree days my friends and I would head down to Tijuana (“TJ”), Mexico to party on Friday and Saturday nights. As you may well know, at any dance club - whether it be... Continue Reading Posted at 4:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 2	It Doesn't Cost a Thing to Smile... Maria Palma November 2, 2006 Start off the day with a smile. That’s what I do every day and I recommend this to everyone! There’s a line from an India Arie song titled “There’s Hope” that came as a reminder today:There's hope It doesn't cost... Continue Reading Posted at 3:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	953 Posts and Counting...A Walk Down Memory Lane Maria Palma November 2, 2006 I was looking at some of the archives of Customers Are Always and noticed that Wow - I’m getting close to the 1K mark! And in just a couple months I will hit my one year birthday/anniversary with Know More... Continue Reading Posted at 1:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New Survey: Top 10 Retailers With the Best Customer Service Maria Palma November 2, 2006 A new survey was just released by the National Retail Federation/American Express that listed the retailers with the best customer service and guess who topped the list? Amazon.com! What? What happened to Nordstrom? Well, they came in second.... Here’s a... Continue Reading Posted at 12:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Have You Made a Ripple Today? Maria Palma November 2, 2006 Not too long ago I happened upon Steve Harper’s blog, The Ripple Effect: Maximum Ripple where I signed up to receive his newsletter. Last night I received the latest news from Steve in my email box and I had to... Continue Reading Posted at 11:56 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 1	Bathroom Blogfest: Shouldn't Employees Know To Wash Their Hands? Maria Palma November 1, 2006 I find it interesting that some businesses have this sign in the bathroom that reads “Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning To Work” Isn’t that something we were all taught as children to do? In the sign pictured here, there... Continue Reading Posted at 5:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Maria Palma November 1, 2006 I used to be a very shy person. At middle school dances I was the wallflower and as a young adult I avoided eye contact with the people I met. But that’s no longer the case! Ever since I started... Continue Reading Posted at 12:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	These Companies Know the True Value of Service Maria Palma November 1, 2006 I just read a great article that talks about how investing in customer service can increase the “bottom-line”. It covers several companies such as Starbucks, Westfield Malls, and Staybridge Suites. What these companies have learned is that increasing employees or... Continue Reading Posted at 9:45 AM \| Permalink \| Comments

« October 2006 | Main | December 2006 »

Nov30	The Starbucks Gift Card Dilemma Maria Palma November 30, 2006 Know More: Starbucks 2.0, Starbucks I received a comment from Scott the other day where he shared a story about trying to purchase Starbucks gift cards for the staff Holiday party. You can read the story here, but in a nutshell, Starbucks (SBUX) gave Scott the run around and basically made it difficult for him to purchase a bulk of gift cards. You would think that a transaction like this would be pretty simple - after all, they’re just gift cards.... But apparently the Starbucks “system” can’t handle big transactions. Yes, it’s a shame that Starbucks made something that is so easy into something so very, very difficult. Why is that we are so dependent on computers to conduct transactions for us? Couldn’t someone in the corporate office have overrided the 14 card limit and the shipping costs? Posted at 8:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov28	Customer Service Lessons From Michel Fortin Maria Palma November 28, 2006 Michel Fortin tells a great story about using pressure to prevent procrastination. Oftentimes when salespeople (or online salesletters) are trying to sell something to a customer, they'll give these "deadlines" to buy - knowing that the deadline is not really a deadline. ... Continue Reading Posted at 7:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov27	Free Customer Service PDF Download and Thoughts on Repeat Business Maria Palma November 27, 2006 My fellow customer service blogger at Service Untitled has created a free PDF download of an article titled “An Executive’s Guide to Customer Service” which provides one of the secrets to creating a great business. Doug says something that I... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Carnivale of Customer Service: The CRM Edition Maria Palma November 27, 2006 I hope all of you had a great holiday weekend (if you live in the U.S.) and you’re back to tackle the last month of the year with a positive attitude! Let’s hope that the well-being you experienced with your... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Workers on Strike Don't Make For a Good Shopping Experience Maria Palma November 27, 2006 I’m on the hunt for new black shoes and since I’m in San Francisco this week, I thought I’d check out the Macy’s in Union Square because I know I’m almost guaranteed to find something. With a whole floor of... Continue Reading Posted at 6:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov26	Airlines Still Having Trouble with Customer Service Maria Palma November 26, 2006 According to an article at Reuters, airlines are still having a hard time with customer service. Apparently the biggest complaints that people have when it comes to dealing with the airlines is that the airlines are very slow to communicate,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Two Important Tips For Online Business Owners Maria Palma November 26, 2006 Today I wanted to check out the newly renovated mall here in San Francisco, but it’s pouring cats and dogs (where the heck did that phrase come from?) out there, so I decided to venture into cyberspace for my shopping... Continue Reading Posted at 5:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov25	Money and Customer Evangelism Maria Palma November 25, 2006 When people love your product or service, they feel compelled to tell others about it whether they are paid or not. I somewhat disagree with Kawasaki's statement because there are dozens of companies nowadays who offer affiliate programs in which website owners can link to a company and receive commissions for selling the company's product. Continue Reading Posted at 11:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mobile Technology Offers an Edge on Customer Service Maria Palma November 25, 2006 When it comes to technology, I’m amazed at how far we’ve come in ten years. Flashback to 1996 when beepers were the closest thing I came to “technology” - well, besides my computer ;) Remember beepers? Now it seems that... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov24	Five Things I'm Thankful For Maria Palma November 24, 2006 I didn’t get to post this yesterday, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving I wanted to post some of the things that I’m thankful for. Every day I try to make a list of five things I’m thankful for and... Continue Reading Posted at 10:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Didn't I Say Mark Cuban Is the Man? Maria Palma November 24, 2006 For those of you who know me, you know that I loooove basketball. It’s been awhile since I’ve visited Mark Cuban’s blog, but I give a hat-tip to Treadin’ Water for reminding me to read Cuban’s blog because he... Continue Reading Posted at 8:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Does Capital One Really Hate Deaf People or Do They Just Need to Fix Their System? Maria Palma November 24, 2006 I was browsing through my Bloglines feeds for “customer service” and came across this post from The Consumerist. The title was “Capital One Hates Deaf People”. The word “hate” is such a strong word to use, so it caught my... Continue Reading Posted at 6:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov22	What Would the World Be Like? Maria Palma November 22, 2006 BusinessWeek just published an article today called “Customer Service Is Back in Style”. Of course I had to take notice! Finally - my dream is in motion... To have businesses realize that in order to succeed, to truly succeed as... Continue Reading Posted at 8:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Does One Bad Apple Ruin It For the Bunch? Maria Palma November 22, 2006 Oh, wow. I just read Phil Gerbyshak's thoughts about Antonella Pavese’s Starbucks experience. Some of you who are regular readers of this blog know that I love Starbucks, so it was a little heartbreaking to find out that someone out... Continue Reading Posted at 7:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov21	Jonathan Schwartz on Blogging and Communicating With Customers Maria Palma November 21, 2006 Fortune Magazine recently interviewed Jonathan Schwartz, the CEO of Sun Microsystems. The title of the article is “Blogger in Chief” and for those of you who keep up with Schwartz’s blog, you know that he probably is one of... Continue Reading Posted at 5:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Growing Issue of Online Business Reviews and Blog Comments Maria Palma November 21, 2006 The growing concern among many consumers who shop online is that any person who works for the company, for instance, someone in public relations or the marketing department, could pose as a “customer” and write a very favorable review of the company. This could certainly influence the buying decisions of consumers as many people will often do searches on a company to see what the company’s reputation is. Continue Reading Posted at 2:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Companies That Cater To Their Customers Maria Palma November 21, 2006 There’s a new Barnes & Noble in San Diego, so I decided to check it out today. When I go to the bookstore usually my first stop is the business section of the magazine racks. I was a little... Continue Reading Posted at 12:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Double Your Way To a Million and Customer Service Maria Palma November 21, 2006 “Dream big dreams; only big dreams have the power to move men’s souls” - Marcus Aurelius This year I started this experiment called Double Your Way to a Million. Have you heard of the guy who started with a... Continue Reading Posted at 10:54 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov20	Carnivale of Customer Service: The Short & Sweet Edition Maria Palma November 20, 2006 The Carnivale of Customer Service is pretty short and sweet this week as I’m sure everybody has been quite busy with the holiday here coming up. Besides, I failed to post a reminder last week! However, Sagar of CRM Lowdown... Continue Reading Posted at 7:00 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov19	Forth & Towne May Change How We Look at Service in Fashion Maria Palma November 19, 2006 Gap, Inc. (GPS) has a new retail brand called Forth & Towne and the other day I got to tour the new store here in San Diego with their PR rep, Kelly Lynch of Brand Building Public Relations. I’ll have... Continue Reading Posted at 9:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov18	What May Be Expensive To You May Not Be For Your Customer Maria Palma November 18, 2006 Antonio Thornton is a customer of Dell...(Oh, I can just hear the groans now!) He shares his Dell saga with us at his Think Banc Law of Attraction Blog. (I believe in the Law of Attraction as well) However, Antonio... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How MySpace.com and Your Business Are the Same Maria Palma November 18, 2006 It all begins with building relationships. This is the last line of an article that Bob Furniss, President of Touchpoint Associates wrote. Jim Berkowitz shares a snippet of this article, but it is this last line that resonates and echoes... Continue Reading Posted at 6:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Share Your Random Acts of Kindness Maria Palma November 18, 2006 Have you received any random acts of kindness lately? As I type this, I’m wondering why acts of kindness have to be random... Hmmm, why can’t they be ongoing and consistent? Why is that we are so surprised to even... Continue Reading Posted at 4:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	More Thoughts on Blogging for Business Maria Palma November 18, 2006 Shout out to Lewis Green for leaving a comment about spirituality and business. Without going into a full-blown discussion about spirituality, I’ll simply say that it is your spirit, your good energy, and how you view life that is the... Continue Reading Posted at 3:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Telling Lies Is An Industry in China Maria Palma November 18, 2006 Do you think your customers will ever find out that you lied to them? It’s very tempting to tell a little white lie for the sake of short-term profit, but what if your customer is Wal-Mart? I came across this... Continue Reading Posted at 2:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov17	A Mall That Caters to Dogs Maria Palma November 17, 2006 There’s a new mall in San Diego, the Otay Ranch Center, which has created quite a buzz in the community - especially since it’s known to house high end stores that rivals what I consider to be the Fashion Mecca... Continue Reading Posted at 3:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Surveying Your Customers on a Budget Maria Palma November 17, 2006 Isn’t the internet one of the best inventions? Access to information is as easy as the click of a button and now more than ever our voice can be heard, read, or watched all across the world. With this democratization... Continue Reading Posted at 11:39 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov16	San Diego Restaurant Review: Brians' Eatery Maria Palma November 16, 2006 Sometimes I like to play tourist here in San Diego, so yesterday I headed downtown to do some shopping. Of course I needed energy first so I walked down Fifth Avenue to get some breakfast. Considering all the restaurants lined... Continue Reading Posted at 10:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov15	Heinz Still #1 In Customer Satisfaction Maria Palma November 15, 2006 It's better to hold off launching a website until you get all the kinks straightened out. You don't want to frusterate your customer with invalid links! Continue Reading Posted at 10:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov14	Hotel Industry, Customer Service, and Bling-Bling Businesses Maria Palma November 14, 2006 "It's all about giving the customer a great experience..."These are the words of Faith Taylor, the V.P. Of Innovation and Product Development for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. Hotel industry execs gathered at the recent “Staying Ahead of the Design Curve”... Continue Reading Posted at 5:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fortune 500 Blog Project: Avon Products Maria Palma November 14, 2006 Unfortunately after much research I found that Avon does not have a company blog. I think that this would be a good company that could benefit from having a blog. Talking to my friend who is an Avon rep, I... Continue Reading Posted at 4:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Thought For the Day From Kazuo Inamori Maria Palma November 14, 2006 I subscribe to the National Retail Federation’s daily newsletter and at the bottom of every email there is a quote. Today’s quote is very fitting to the ideas that I value in regards to customer service: “Too many people think... Continue Reading Posted at 3:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov13	The Box Stuffers Would NEVER Forget the Power Cord Maria Palma November 13, 2006 Seth Godin tells the story of a recent Radio Shack experience in which a lady comes in claiming that her new phone did not come with the power cord. Well, the manager basically called the customer a liar by saying... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Adventures of a Starbucks Addict Who Loves Hearing Her Name Maria Palma November 13, 2006 I love Starbucks. I really do. My regular readers know I do! Here’s another Starbucks adventure I encountered today.I walk in the door...An employee filling the straws and napkins turns to me with a cheerful “Hi! Welcome to Starbucks! How... Continue Reading Posted at 4:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ralph Lauren Media Opens Customer Service Center in North Carolina Maria Palma November 13, 2006 While many companies are shutting down their customer service centers, here comes Ralph Lauren (RL) opening up shop in North Carolina. The company will invest $11.8 million to launch a customer service center that will add 200 jobs to the... Continue Reading Posted at 1:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Restaurants Have a Duty of Offering Quality Service Too! Maria Palma November 13, 2006 Awhile ago I posted a restaurant review of Mr. Wasabi, a sushi place here in San Diego. I never did get around to doing more restaurant reviews, however, a recent visitor to this blog has inspired me to get out... Continue Reading Posted at 12:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Carnivale of Customer Service: Unlimited Resources! Maria Palma November 13, 2006 Step right on up, folks! It’s Monday and you know what time it is! Carnivale of Customer Service! We have a great lineup today chock full of information to bring your business up to the next level. So, without further... Continue Reading Posted at 10:58 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov11	What It Takes to Become An Airline Customer Service Rep Maria Palma November 11, 2006 If you’re thinking about applying to become an airline customer service representative, Jam Mayer over at Call Center Script offers some advice on what an airline agent should know when talking to customers. I like this piece of advice:“Patience and... Continue Reading Posted at 3:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Reminder That a Happy Employee Equals Great Service Maria Palma November 11, 2006 See? I’m not the only one who thinks that happiness in employees is the key to great service! I just came across this article which talks about the Customer Management Conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. 81% of employees... Continue Reading Posted at 2:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov10	Are You a Coach or a Trainer? Maria Palma November 10, 2006 The other night I was in Ralphs grocery store and when I went to pay for my purchase, I was greeted by a smiling, cheerful lady. Her smile exuded with kindness and turned my tired mood into a good one.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Welcome New Authors to the Know More Media Family Maria Palma November 10, 2006 We have several new authors this week here at Know More Media, including David Sandusky of Your Individual Brand, Carolynn Duncan of Biz Impresario, Joseph Carrabis of Biz Media Science, and Krissy of BPO Tiger. One particular post that stood... Continue Reading Posted at 9:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	One of the Worst Things You Can Do To A Customer Maria Palma November 10, 2006 What do you think is one of the worst things you can do to a customer? Imagine walking into a store where you walk up to a customer service rep and kindly ask them a question about one of the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 9	Incredible Hall of Acclaim: Third Edition Maria Palma November 9, 2006 I was going to designate Tuesdays as the day I announce the new inductees into the Incredible Hall of Acclaim, but I had the case of It’s November and what am I going to do about everything I had on... Continue Reading Posted at 8:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 7	How Do You Build Your Customer Relationships? Maria Palma November 7, 2006 Call me an information junkie, but I am big on subscribing to newsletters that come from people of interest. One list that I recently subscribed to is Andrea J. Lee’s Money, Meaning, and Beyond and today I received my first... Continue Reading Posted at 8:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	QAQnA Shares 10 Things Not To Say To A Customer Maria Palma November 7, 2006 Tom Vander Well of QAQnA shares 10 phrases that customer service reps should avoid saying. The one I don’t like to hear is "It's not my job..." I have to come clean and say that I have said this before... Continue Reading Posted at 5:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Spillover Thoughts From the Bathroom Maria Palma November 7, 2006 I’m visiting my friend today and use her bathroom when I looked down to see the newspaper on the floor. No doubt it was left there by her husband because it was opened to the sports page. Then a random... Continue Reading Posted at 3:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 6	Carnivale of Customer Service: More Reminders! Maria Palma November 6, 2006 Is it Monday already!?! I have to be honest and say that I really wanted to take the day off today (I worked all weekend on jewelry and writing), but I couldn’t let you readers down. It’s Carnivale of Customer... Continue Reading Posted at 1:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 5	Customer Service Thought For the Day Maria Palma November 5, 2006 The thought for the day comes from Sir Colin Marshall, CEO of British Airways:"The customer doesn't expect everything will go right all the time; the big test is what you do when things go wrong."As much as we would like... Continue Reading Posted at 7:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are Your Practicing What You Preach? Maria Palma November 5, 2006 Browsing through the news today, I came upon this article with a noteable quote: "If we already know that the most successful businesses in every industry are the ones that execute the highest levels of customer service, then why don't... Continue Reading Posted at 5:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Day in the Life With Public Transportation Maria Palma November 5, 2006 The other night I was on the bus, heading home after a long day of writing. It was late evening and I could sense that the bus driver had a long day as well. Just as we were about to... Continue Reading Posted at 4:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	My Little Hershey Website Review Maria Palma November 5, 2006 I was checking out Easton Ellsworth’s update on the Fortune 500 Blog Project and being the chocoholic that I am, checked out the Hershey Review by Kian Ann. Hershey doesn’t have a corporate blog, but I figure that regardless if... Continue Reading Posted at 3:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 4	Enthusiasm, Spirituality, and Karma in Business Maria Palma November 4, 2006 Enthusiasm. Some people in customer service have it. Many don’t. Sad, but true. I often wonder... When did people start to lose this enthusiasm for what they do? How do we get back to the days when people found meaning... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	More Customer Service Agents Are Working at Home Maria Palma November 4, 2006 Working at home as a “virtual” customer service agent is starting to become a more common way to work at home these days. This article at The New York Times says that there are currently over 100,000 home-based customer service... Continue Reading Posted at 9:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 3	The Retailer Who Knows How to Design Restrooms Maria Palma November 3, 2006 Well, I’ve saved the best for last.... What’s a Bathroom Blogfest if we don’t mention a Nordstrom restroom? As most of us know, Nordstrom is known for their phenomenal service and their restrooms are popular with mommies. I’ve known of... Continue Reading Posted at 11:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Reminder: Carnivale of Customer Service on Monday! Maria Palma November 3, 2006 Just a little reminder that Monday is the Carnivale of Customer Service! Yours truly will be hosting the Carnivale again, but I surely would love for someone to share in the fun ;) For those of you who are here... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Things We Don't Do To Tick Off the Customer Revisited Maria Palma November 3, 2006 I think it’s a good time to revisit the things we should not do to piss tick off our customers - especially when it comes to helping them over the telephone. Tim Stevens of LeadingSmart.com shares with us his Customer... Continue Reading Posted at 5:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Restrooms in Tijuana's Night Clubs: Good Times Maria Palma November 3, 2006 I remember back in my wild and carefree days my friends and I would head down to Tijuana (“TJ”), Mexico to party on Friday and Saturday nights. As you may well know, at any dance club - whether it be... Continue Reading Posted at 4:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 2	It Doesn't Cost a Thing to Smile... Maria Palma November 2, 2006 Start off the day with a smile. That’s what I do every day and I recommend this to everyone! There’s a line from an India Arie song titled “There’s Hope” that came as a reminder today:There's hope It doesn't cost... Continue Reading Posted at 3:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	953 Posts and Counting...A Walk Down Memory Lane Maria Palma November 2, 2006 I was looking at some of the archives of Customers Are Always and noticed that Wow - I’m getting close to the 1K mark! And in just a couple months I will hit my one year birthday/anniversary with Know More... Continue Reading Posted at 1:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New Survey: Top 10 Retailers With the Best Customer Service Maria Palma November 2, 2006 A new survey was just released by the National Retail Federation/American Express that listed the retailers with the best customer service and guess who topped the list? Amazon.com! What? What happened to Nordstrom? Well, they came in second.... Here’s a... Continue Reading Posted at 12:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Have You Made a Ripple Today? Maria Palma November 2, 2006 Not too long ago I happened upon Steve Harper’s blog, The Ripple Effect: Maximum Ripple where I signed up to receive his newsletter. Last night I received the latest news from Steve in my email box and I had to... Continue Reading Posted at 11:56 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Nov 1	Bathroom Blogfest: Shouldn't Employees Know To Wash Their Hands? Maria Palma November 1, 2006 I find it interesting that some businesses have this sign in the bathroom that reads “Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning To Work” Isn’t that something we were all taught as children to do? In the sign pictured here, there... Continue Reading Posted at 5:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Maria Palma November 1, 2006 I used to be a very shy person. At middle school dances I was the wallflower and as a young adult I avoided eye contact with the people I met. But that’s no longer the case! Ever since I started... Continue Reading Posted at 12:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	These Companies Know the True Value of Service Maria Palma November 1, 2006 I just read a great article that talks about how investing in customer service can increase the “bottom-line”. It covers several companies such as Starbucks, Westfield Malls, and Staybridge Suites. What these companies have learned is that increasing employees or... Continue Reading Posted at 9:45 AM \| Permalink \| Comments

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