CustomersAreAlways: March 2007 Archives

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Mar31	How Watching TV May Lead to Bad Customer Service Maria Palma March 31, 2007 Know More: Philosophies 2.0, Philosophies "I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens." - Dwight D. Eisenhower I came across this quote today and it made me wonder if part of the problem we have with bad customer service these days is that people watch too much TV. Ok, let me explain... Today we are subjected to all these messages about how to look younger, feel better, be richer, etc. Being these things isn’t so bad because it’s ok to want to be a better person, but at the same time it makes many people unhappy because they haven’t lived up to what our society feels is the “perfect person”. Well, these unhappy people go to work with a chip on their shoulder and it affects their mental state while at work. Therefore, they’re not as chipper and helpful as we’d like them to be. Any thoughts? Posted at 2:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar31	A Little Fun in the Call Center Maria Palma March 31, 2007 The great thing about working in a call center is that the customer you’re talking to cannot see what you’re wearing or how you look. When I worked in the Travelodge call center during college, I remember coming to work... Continue Reading Posted at 11:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar30	Do You Trust Your Customers? Maria Palma March 30, 2007 Here’s another blog to add to the reading list: Trusted Advisor Associates. Yes, because trust does matter in business. It matters alot. Trusting your ability to run a successful business. Trusting your employees. Trusting your coworkers. Most of all, trusting... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are You a Fred? Maria Palma March 30, 2007 I went to Rebekah’s Espresso today to enjoy a cup of bliss - that would be an iced mocha - and to relax after a productive week of writing and working on my jewelry business. The coffee shop has a... Continue Reading Posted at 8:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What Rainbows and Business Have In Common Maria Palma March 30, 2007 “But I see your true colorsShining throughI see your true colorsAnd thats why I love youSo dont be afraid to let them showYour true colorsTrue colors are beautiful,Like a rainbow..”The lyrics of Phil Collins’ song run through my mind as... Continue Reading Posted at 5:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Lesson From Dell: The One Thing Your Customer Service Page Needs Maria Palma March 30, 2007 As your business starts to grow, it’s inevitable that the inquiries and issues from customers will grow as well. Perhaps you would like to reduce the amount of customer service inquiries by phone because you just don’t have the staff... Continue Reading Posted at 11:52 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar29	A Sign of the Power of the Blogosphere Maria Palma March 29, 2007 It’s all over the blogosphere. In fact, her name is the #1 search over at Technorati. Kathy Sierra of Creating Passionate Users, one of my favorite bloggers, has been receiving death threats. I have no idea why anybody would want... Continue Reading Posted at 11:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Lessons From "Coach Carter" Maria Palma March 29, 2007 Here’s a good cure for writer’s block: watch a good movie. So, that’s what I did today. Curled up under the covers and threw Coach Carter into the DVD player. I love stories about underdogs who learn to overcome their... Continue Reading Posted at 7:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why Cutbacks Don't Help Maria Palma March 29, 2007 As I’m reading through the news headlines today I come across some stories...“Circuit City to Cut 8% of Staff”“Borders Slashes Buyer Rewards, Cuts Discounts” It’s sad and disheartening to see that companies are so focused on doing cutbacks instead of... Continue Reading Posted at 4:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Don't We Wish All Customers Were Like This? Maria Palma March 29, 2007 For those of you who work in customer service, you know how some days can be a little stressful. This is especially true for those in the airline industry who have to deal with customers who “need to be” somewhere... Continue Reading Posted at 2:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	More Reasons Why Your Company Should Blog Maria Palma March 29, 2007 So, you’re still debating whether or not your company should have a blog? What’s taking so long to decide? Are you that afraid of letting your customers know what really goes on behind the scenes of your company? Do you... Continue Reading Posted at 12:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar28	Overstock.com: A Tale of the Blame Game and Good Service Maria Palma March 28, 2007 It’s when things go wrong that we learn whether or not a company is really a company worth doing business with. Tom Vander Well of QAQnA shares his experience with Overstock.com which wasn’t very favorable in the beginning. The Overstock... Continue Reading Posted at 5:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What Supermarkets Are Doing To Gain Your Loyalty Maria Palma March 28, 2007 Are you loyal to one supermarket in your area? Chances are, you’re not. Am I right? In one area of San Diego where I used to live, there were about five supermarkets within a mile radius. Three of them had... Continue Reading Posted at 3:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are You a Lightworker? Maria Palma March 28, 2007 you’ll come to find that perhaps one could have a balance of light worker and darkworker characteristics. We do have this need to love ourselves first and we must be able to have that love in order to give and love others. Continue Reading Posted at 12:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar27	What Type of Business Person Do You Want to Be? Maria Palma March 27, 2007 Lewis Green shares a great list of the characteristics of people who “Do” and people who “Don’t”. So, what type of person do you want to be?I know just about everyone wants to be the person who “keeps on keeping’... Continue Reading Posted at 10:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How to Flush Money Down the Toilet Maria Palma March 27, 2007 Have you ever told a customer to go to your website after they’ve taken the time to call you for information? This is what Mary Schmidt experienced recently with two companies. When you tell your customer to go to your... Continue Reading Posted at 9:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Xbox Live Customer Service in Trouble Maria Palma March 27, 2007 Part of good customer service is keeping your customer’s account information private. This is especially true for banks and credit card companies. There’s been a great deal of fraud going on and even Xbox Live customers are not immune to... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Difference Between a Good Company and a Bad Company Maria Palma March 27, 2007 Learning to communicate effectively with your customers is an integral part of customer service. Whether it’s the way you explain how your service or product works or speaking to them in their native tongue - it’s all a part of... Continue Reading Posted at 5:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why You ARE Important Maria Palma March 27, 2007 You have a huge responsibility when you work in customer service. It’s the responsibility to give part of yourself to another person. Whether you’re the auto mechanic fixing someone’s car or the owner of a gift shop, you are a... Continue Reading Posted at 2:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar26	Carnivale of Customer Service: The Feel Good Edition Maria Palma March 26, 2007 Welcome! It’s another great day at CustomersAreAlways and another Carnivale of Customer Service! We have some warm, feel-good things to share in this edition of the carnivale and I hope it will start off your week in the right direction...The... Continue Reading Posted at 10:07 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar24	What Email or Blogging Will Not Do Maria Palma March 24, 2007 In the world of the “blogosphere”, it’s always nice to put a face to a name. Although many people put their pictures up on their blogs, it’s not as fun as actually meeting the blogger in person... Friday morning I... Continue Reading Posted at 8:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar22	The Customer Experience By Samsung Maria Palma March 22, 2007 Samsung has leased a 10,000 square foot store in Midtown Manhattan, but it's not selling anything. Yes, you read right. The company has turned this into an "experience" store where customers can go in to simply hang out and play... Continue Reading Posted at 8:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	March Madness and Loyal Fans Maria Palma March 22, 2007 For all you basketball fans (that would be me!), it’s that time of year again - March Madness! Although I haven’t really been paying much attention to college hoops this year, I did hear that UNLV made it the Sweet... Continue Reading Posted at 6:37 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar21	Good Customer Service Stories: Diamonds in the Rough Maria Palma March 21, 2007 I don’t know about you, but when I read a good customer service story, I feel like I’ve taken a breath of fresh air! It’s been a good week in that I’ve stayed clear of the negative stories out there. ... Continue Reading Posted at 9:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar20	Does Employee Ownership Mean Better Customer Service? Maria Palma March 20, 2007 If employees were given ownership stock in the company they work for, do you think customer service would be much better? I received this comment today that made me think about this as a great incentive for customer service reps. ... Continue Reading Posted at 2:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	10 Most Important Phrases in Customer Service Maria Palma March 20, 2007 The Customer Service Group shared these 10 most important customer service phrases which comes from Eric Harvey, the author of 180 Ways to Walk the Customer Service Talk. #10 - I apologize for our mistake. Let me make it right.#9... Continue Reading Posted at 10:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar17	The Importance of Living a Well Balanced Life Maria Palma March 17, 2007 As much as I love blogging and sharing with y’all about my experiences in customer service, sometimes I just need a break! I won’t be blogging tomorrow because I’ll be on the road for a short vacation. So, how about... Continue Reading Posted at 7:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar16	Customer Service Thought For the Day From Seth Godin Maria Palma March 16, 2007 It’s time for you to be picky about who you hire. You should treat each interview with a potential customer service rep as you would a blind date. Ask the right questions and measure their enthusiasm. Do they have that sparkle in their eyes? Continue Reading Posted at 10:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Proof That Blogging Brings More Customers To Your Business Maria Palma March 16, 2007 Congratulations to Tom Vander Well for reaching his first year blogging anniversary! Tom decided to give this blogging thing a try and he began sharing his experiences as a call center consultant. Check out Tom’s first post, The Secret of... Continue Reading Posted at 7:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jonathan Tisch Helps Reinvent the Customer Experience Maria Palma March 16, 2007 Jonathan Tisch, Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels has come out with a new book titled Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience. I don’t know about you, but I’m a chocolate lover and chocolates are good... Continue Reading Posted at 4:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Become a Successful and Outstanding Blogger Maria Palma March 16, 2007 I’ve always preached that a business should have a blog in order to connect with customers. Blogs are the way you communicate the news and happenings of your company, plus it gives customers a chance to get to know you... Continue Reading Posted at 1:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar15	Tip of the Day From Anita Campbell Maria Palma March 15, 2007 In the field of customer service it’s very common to see “cut backs” where the people that interact with your customers the most are the first ones to go. It can hamper the energy and create a very stressful working... Continue Reading Posted at 8:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar14	The Story of Your Business Maria Palma March 14, 2007 I subscribe to The Success Steps Newsletter offered by Small Business Consulting and in today’s newsletter is a piece written by Peter Tennis in which he says:Some businesses tell a story that sweeps you off your feet, or at least... Continue Reading Posted at 5:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Customer Service Thought for the Day Maria Palma March 14, 2007 "Though I might travel afar, I will meet only what I carry with me, for every man/woman is a mirror. We see only ourselves reflected in those around us. Their attitudes and actions are only a reflection of our own.... Continue Reading Posted at 4:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Enterprise Rent a Car Saga Continues Maria Palma March 14, 2007 The other day I shared this story about Enterprise Rent a Car which has stirred up quite a bit of emotion from my fellow customer service blogger, Glenn Ross. I feel that my response warrants another post as there are... Continue Reading Posted at 1:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar13	Do What You Love and Love What You Do Maria Palma March 13, 2007 I’d like to pass on this video and post over at Conceive, Believe, Achieve about an interview with Joseph Campbell that I find to be very motivating. It’s all about following your bliss - something I do every day of... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Blog Posts and "Numbers" Maria Palma March 13, 2007 I was reading Bill Belew’s post on The 100 Most Prolific Bloggers and decided to check out how many posts I’ve done here at Customers Are Always. This one will mark the 1,191st blog post I’ve done since starting this... Continue Reading Posted at 5:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar12	Lies and Broken Promises Maria Palma March 12, 2007 One of my biggest pet peeves about people is when they lie to me - especially sales people who lie just to get a sale. I’ve worked with people who constantly lied to customers and I can tell you that... Continue Reading Posted at 11:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Blogging to Change the World Maria Palma March 12, 2007 Once in awhile I like to see who’s blogging about me and today I came across Jim’s I’m Forty-What??!! Blog. Kinda funny I should come across his blog in that I was just thinking about how life would be when... Continue Reading Posted at 6:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Lessons From James Arthur Ray Maria Palma March 12, 2007 It wasn’t until I watched the movie, The Secret, that I learned about James Arthur Ray. If you haven’t watched The Secret, I highly, highly recommend you do! It will definitely change your perspective on life and how you act... Continue Reading Posted at 2:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Carnivale of Customer Service: The First Spring Edition Maria Palma March 12, 2007 Yes, it’s that time again, folks! Spring is in the air, the birds are chirping louder than ever, the bees are buzzin’, and it’s the first spring edition of Carnivale of Customer Service! I can’t believe how quick the time... Continue Reading Posted at 1:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 9	The Happy, Remarkable Birdie Maria Palma March 9, 2007 This morning I woke up and heard the birds chirping - much louder than usual! Ah, it’s finally spring, I thought and rolled over to see the sun shining brightly between the curtains. But then...I heard this one bird. It... Continue Reading Posted at 9:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Customers: What They Need vs What They Want and Do Maria Palma March 9, 2007 I received an interesting comment today on a previous post titled Innovation Over Customer Focus? There’s one part of the comment that stirred up some thoughts:“Customers are the source of innovative ideas. They are the ones doing the buying of... Continue Reading Posted at 7:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 8	Another Reason Why Your Company Should Blog Maria Palma March 8, 2007 This post by Ross of Random Bytes is an example of why a company should have a blog. Ross admits that his company has slipped in terms of offering good customer service, but that they’re working on improving. Instead of... Continue Reading Posted at 8:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Good Customer Service Stories: Spreading the Good Vibes Maria Palma March 8, 2007 Mike in DC shares a few good customer service experiences and I applaud him for sharing and passing on the good vibes. His stories made me stop and think if I had any to share myself. I sit here thinking... Continue Reading Posted at 6:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Lessons Learned From Yoda Maria Palma March 8, 2007 Star Wars is one of my all time favorite movies and just the other day I was thinking about Yoda and the one line he said, “Do or Don’t Do. There is no try.” Apparently, Mike Sigers and I must... Continue Reading Posted at 2:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Customer Service: Always Room For Improvement Maria Palma March 8, 2007 "If someone can find an organization that consistently provides perfect customer service, I will quit my job and become a full time evangelist for this company. I will walk around the country and preach this company’s product, services, and mission... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Happiness Habit Maria Palma March 8, 2007 There’s a book I’ve been hearing about titled Choose the Happiness Habit. I haven’t read the book yet, but I do like the title. Being happy is something we choose to be. Many of us like to blame other people... Continue Reading Posted at 10:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 7	"Intimacy Over Coffee" Maria Palma March 7, 2007 I’m a Starbucks evangelist, however, I’ll even admit that I’m not a true loyal fan. In fact, Starbucks seems to be losing their appeal. Maybe it’s because I’m starting to feel like just another face in the line. Maybe it’s... Continue Reading Posted at 11:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Little Poetry To De-Stress Maria Palma March 7, 2007 As I’m reading Meikah’s post about reading poetry to your customer service reps, I think about Mike Sansone and the poetry that he incorporates into his blog posts - another reason why I love Mike’s blog so much. His poetry... Continue Reading Posted at 4:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How Are You Thanking Your Customers? Maria Palma March 7, 2007 The other day I enjoyed a nice pizza for lunch over at Me-N-Ed’s pizza. This is the pizza place I talked about a few weeks ago that had only one register open on a busy night! I’m a thin, crispy... Continue Reading Posted at 2:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 6	How To Spy On Your Customer Service Candidates Maria Palma March 6, 2007 If you’re an employer looking to hire a new customer service rep but you’re still not quite sure about a candidate, have you thought of checking to see if they have a MySpace page? I have to admit that I... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 5	Highrise: A New Way to Organize Your Business Maria Palma March 5, 2007 It’s been awhile since I’ve covered the topic of CRM, especially new CRM technology and Duct Tape Marketing points out a new CRM application called Highrise. According to Jason over at 37signals, Highrise will offer these key features:See all follow-ups... Continue Reading Posted at 8:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Keeping Yourself Motivated at Work Maria Palma March 5, 2007 You’ve been working at your customer service job for some-odd years now and you are feeling a bit weary, unmotivated, and just down-right cynical. Or perhaps you’re a business owner who has found that your employees aren’t as vibrant and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Target Cashier Becomes a Believer Maria Palma March 5, 2007 Target is my destination of choice when it comes to getting life’s necessities, although I do go to Walmart now and then. I can’t seem to pinpoint what it is about Target, but the energy is a little more mellow. ... Continue Reading Posted at 2:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 4	A Realtor Who Wants to Improve Her Service Maria Palma March 4, 2007 And now for some Sunday funnies... After talking about realtor customer service in my previous post, incidentally I came across Teresa Boardman’s post about how she wanted to improve her customer service. Well, she pokes fun at the way customer... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Client Service: No, It's Not About You Maria Palma March 4, 2007 Is it all about you? In doing some reading for the San Diego real estate and home decorating blog I came across a realtor’s blog where his motto reads something to the effect of: “When my clients are satisfied it... Continue Reading Posted at 5:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Customer Service in the Comic Industry Maria Palma March 4, 2007 Does the Comic Industry have an obligation to provide good customer service? Well, you know my answer to this! It’s nice to hear the perspective of others from different industries because I tend to forget that customer service is in... Continue Reading Posted at 2:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 3	Are You Following Labor Laws? Maria Palma March 3, 2007 The following is a sponsored review... Time and time again I’ve said that happy employees equal happy customers. Well, part of insuring that your employees are happy is making sure your company follows labor laws and creates a safe work... Continue Reading Posted at 1:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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Mar31	How Watching TV May Lead to Bad Customer Service Maria Palma March 31, 2007 Know More: Philosophies 2.0, Philosophies "I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens." - Dwight D. Eisenhower I came across this quote today and it made me wonder if part of the problem we have with bad customer service these days is that people watch too much TV. Ok, let me explain... Today we are subjected to all these messages about how to look younger, feel better, be richer, etc. Being these things isn’t so bad because it’s ok to want to be a better person, but at the same time it makes many people unhappy because they haven’t lived up to what our society feels is the “perfect person”. Well, these unhappy people go to work with a chip on their shoulder and it affects their mental state while at work. Therefore, they’re not as chipper and helpful as we’d like them to be. Any thoughts? Posted at 2:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar31	A Little Fun in the Call Center Maria Palma March 31, 2007 The great thing about working in a call center is that the customer you’re talking to cannot see what you’re wearing or how you look. When I worked in the Travelodge call center during college, I remember coming to work... Continue Reading Posted at 11:50 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar30	Do You Trust Your Customers? Maria Palma March 30, 2007 Here’s another blog to add to the reading list: Trusted Advisor Associates. Yes, because trust does matter in business. It matters alot. Trusting your ability to run a successful business. Trusting your employees. Trusting your coworkers. Most of all, trusting... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are You a Fred? Maria Palma March 30, 2007 I went to Rebekah’s Espresso today to enjoy a cup of bliss - that would be an iced mocha - and to relax after a productive week of writing and working on my jewelry business. The coffee shop has a... Continue Reading Posted at 8:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What Rainbows and Business Have In Common Maria Palma March 30, 2007 “But I see your true colorsShining throughI see your true colorsAnd thats why I love youSo dont be afraid to let them showYour true colorsTrue colors are beautiful,Like a rainbow..”The lyrics of Phil Collins’ song run through my mind as... Continue Reading Posted at 5:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Lesson From Dell: The One Thing Your Customer Service Page Needs Maria Palma March 30, 2007 As your business starts to grow, it’s inevitable that the inquiries and issues from customers will grow as well. Perhaps you would like to reduce the amount of customer service inquiries by phone because you just don’t have the staff... Continue Reading Posted at 11:52 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar29	A Sign of the Power of the Blogosphere Maria Palma March 29, 2007 It’s all over the blogosphere. In fact, her name is the #1 search over at Technorati. Kathy Sierra of Creating Passionate Users, one of my favorite bloggers, has been receiving death threats. I have no idea why anybody would want... Continue Reading Posted at 11:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Lessons From "Coach Carter" Maria Palma March 29, 2007 Here’s a good cure for writer’s block: watch a good movie. So, that’s what I did today. Curled up under the covers and threw Coach Carter into the DVD player. I love stories about underdogs who learn to overcome their... Continue Reading Posted at 7:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why Cutbacks Don't Help Maria Palma March 29, 2007 As I’m reading through the news headlines today I come across some stories...“Circuit City to Cut 8% of Staff”“Borders Slashes Buyer Rewards, Cuts Discounts” It’s sad and disheartening to see that companies are so focused on doing cutbacks instead of... Continue Reading Posted at 4:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Don't We Wish All Customers Were Like This? Maria Palma March 29, 2007 For those of you who work in customer service, you know how some days can be a little stressful. This is especially true for those in the airline industry who have to deal with customers who “need to be” somewhere... Continue Reading Posted at 2:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	More Reasons Why Your Company Should Blog Maria Palma March 29, 2007 So, you’re still debating whether or not your company should have a blog? What’s taking so long to decide? Are you that afraid of letting your customers know what really goes on behind the scenes of your company? Do you... Continue Reading Posted at 12:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar28	Overstock.com: A Tale of the Blame Game and Good Service Maria Palma March 28, 2007 It’s when things go wrong that we learn whether or not a company is really a company worth doing business with. Tom Vander Well of QAQnA shares his experience with Overstock.com which wasn’t very favorable in the beginning. The Overstock... Continue Reading Posted at 5:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	What Supermarkets Are Doing To Gain Your Loyalty Maria Palma March 28, 2007 Are you loyal to one supermarket in your area? Chances are, you’re not. Am I right? In one area of San Diego where I used to live, there were about five supermarkets within a mile radius. Three of them had... Continue Reading Posted at 3:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are You a Lightworker? Maria Palma March 28, 2007 you’ll come to find that perhaps one could have a balance of light worker and darkworker characteristics. We do have this need to love ourselves first and we must be able to have that love in order to give and love others. Continue Reading Posted at 12:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar27	What Type of Business Person Do You Want to Be? Maria Palma March 27, 2007 Lewis Green shares a great list of the characteristics of people who “Do” and people who “Don’t”. So, what type of person do you want to be?I know just about everyone wants to be the person who “keeps on keeping’... Continue Reading Posted at 10:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How to Flush Money Down the Toilet Maria Palma March 27, 2007 Have you ever told a customer to go to your website after they’ve taken the time to call you for information? This is what Mary Schmidt experienced recently with two companies. When you tell your customer to go to your... Continue Reading Posted at 9:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Xbox Live Customer Service in Trouble Maria Palma March 27, 2007 Part of good customer service is keeping your customer’s account information private. This is especially true for banks and credit card companies. There’s been a great deal of fraud going on and even Xbox Live customers are not immune to... Continue Reading Posted at 8:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Difference Between a Good Company and a Bad Company Maria Palma March 27, 2007 Learning to communicate effectively with your customers is an integral part of customer service. Whether it’s the way you explain how your service or product works or speaking to them in their native tongue - it’s all a part of... Continue Reading Posted at 5:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Why You ARE Important Maria Palma March 27, 2007 You have a huge responsibility when you work in customer service. It’s the responsibility to give part of yourself to another person. Whether you’re the auto mechanic fixing someone’s car or the owner of a gift shop, you are a... Continue Reading Posted at 2:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar26	Carnivale of Customer Service: The Feel Good Edition Maria Palma March 26, 2007 Welcome! It’s another great day at CustomersAreAlways and another Carnivale of Customer Service! We have some warm, feel-good things to share in this edition of the carnivale and I hope it will start off your week in the right direction...The... Continue Reading Posted at 10:07 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar24	What Email or Blogging Will Not Do Maria Palma March 24, 2007 In the world of the “blogosphere”, it’s always nice to put a face to a name. Although many people put their pictures up on their blogs, it’s not as fun as actually meeting the blogger in person... Friday morning I... Continue Reading Posted at 8:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar22	The Customer Experience By Samsung Maria Palma March 22, 2007 Samsung has leased a 10,000 square foot store in Midtown Manhattan, but it's not selling anything. Yes, you read right. The company has turned this into an "experience" store where customers can go in to simply hang out and play... Continue Reading Posted at 8:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	March Madness and Loyal Fans Maria Palma March 22, 2007 For all you basketball fans (that would be me!), it’s that time of year again - March Madness! Although I haven’t really been paying much attention to college hoops this year, I did hear that UNLV made it the Sweet... Continue Reading Posted at 6:37 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar21	Good Customer Service Stories: Diamonds in the Rough Maria Palma March 21, 2007 I don’t know about you, but when I read a good customer service story, I feel like I’ve taken a breath of fresh air! It’s been a good week in that I’ve stayed clear of the negative stories out there. ... Continue Reading Posted at 9:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar20	Does Employee Ownership Mean Better Customer Service? Maria Palma March 20, 2007 If employees were given ownership stock in the company they work for, do you think customer service would be much better? I received this comment today that made me think about this as a great incentive for customer service reps. ... Continue Reading Posted at 2:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	10 Most Important Phrases in Customer Service Maria Palma March 20, 2007 The Customer Service Group shared these 10 most important customer service phrases which comes from Eric Harvey, the author of 180 Ways to Walk the Customer Service Talk. #10 - I apologize for our mistake. Let me make it right.#9... Continue Reading Posted at 10:38 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar17	The Importance of Living a Well Balanced Life Maria Palma March 17, 2007 As much as I love blogging and sharing with y’all about my experiences in customer service, sometimes I just need a break! I won’t be blogging tomorrow because I’ll be on the road for a short vacation. So, how about... Continue Reading Posted at 7:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar16	Customer Service Thought For the Day From Seth Godin Maria Palma March 16, 2007 It’s time for you to be picky about who you hire. You should treat each interview with a potential customer service rep as you would a blind date. Ask the right questions and measure their enthusiasm. Do they have that sparkle in their eyes? Continue Reading Posted at 10:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Proof That Blogging Brings More Customers To Your Business Maria Palma March 16, 2007 Congratulations to Tom Vander Well for reaching his first year blogging anniversary! Tom decided to give this blogging thing a try and he began sharing his experiences as a call center consultant. Check out Tom’s first post, The Secret of... Continue Reading Posted at 7:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jonathan Tisch Helps Reinvent the Customer Experience Maria Palma March 16, 2007 Jonathan Tisch, Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels has come out with a new book titled Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience. I don’t know about you, but I’m a chocolate lover and chocolates are good... Continue Reading Posted at 4:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Become a Successful and Outstanding Blogger Maria Palma March 16, 2007 I’ve always preached that a business should have a blog in order to connect with customers. Blogs are the way you communicate the news and happenings of your company, plus it gives customers a chance to get to know you... Continue Reading Posted at 1:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar15	Tip of the Day From Anita Campbell Maria Palma March 15, 2007 In the field of customer service it’s very common to see “cut backs” where the people that interact with your customers the most are the first ones to go. It can hamper the energy and create a very stressful working... Continue Reading Posted at 8:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar14	The Story of Your Business Maria Palma March 14, 2007 I subscribe to The Success Steps Newsletter offered by Small Business Consulting and in today’s newsletter is a piece written by Peter Tennis in which he says:Some businesses tell a story that sweeps you off your feet, or at least... Continue Reading Posted at 5:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Customer Service Thought for the Day Maria Palma March 14, 2007 "Though I might travel afar, I will meet only what I carry with me, for every man/woman is a mirror. We see only ourselves reflected in those around us. Their attitudes and actions are only a reflection of our own.... Continue Reading Posted at 4:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Enterprise Rent a Car Saga Continues Maria Palma March 14, 2007 The other day I shared this story about Enterprise Rent a Car which has stirred up quite a bit of emotion from my fellow customer service blogger, Glenn Ross. I feel that my response warrants another post as there are... Continue Reading Posted at 1:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar13	Do What You Love and Love What You Do Maria Palma March 13, 2007 I’d like to pass on this video and post over at Conceive, Believe, Achieve about an interview with Joseph Campbell that I find to be very motivating. It’s all about following your bliss - something I do every day of... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Blog Posts and "Numbers" Maria Palma March 13, 2007 I was reading Bill Belew’s post on The 100 Most Prolific Bloggers and decided to check out how many posts I’ve done here at Customers Are Always. This one will mark the 1,191st blog post I’ve done since starting this... Continue Reading Posted at 5:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar12	Lies and Broken Promises Maria Palma March 12, 2007 One of my biggest pet peeves about people is when they lie to me - especially sales people who lie just to get a sale. I’ve worked with people who constantly lied to customers and I can tell you that... Continue Reading Posted at 11:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Blogging to Change the World Maria Palma March 12, 2007 Once in awhile I like to see who’s blogging about me and today I came across Jim’s I’m Forty-What??!! Blog. Kinda funny I should come across his blog in that I was just thinking about how life would be when... Continue Reading Posted at 6:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Lessons From James Arthur Ray Maria Palma March 12, 2007 It wasn’t until I watched the movie, The Secret, that I learned about James Arthur Ray. If you haven’t watched The Secret, I highly, highly recommend you do! It will definitely change your perspective on life and how you act... Continue Reading Posted at 2:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Carnivale of Customer Service: The First Spring Edition Maria Palma March 12, 2007 Yes, it’s that time again, folks! Spring is in the air, the birds are chirping louder than ever, the bees are buzzin’, and it’s the first spring edition of Carnivale of Customer Service! I can’t believe how quick the time... Continue Reading Posted at 1:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 9	The Happy, Remarkable Birdie Maria Palma March 9, 2007 This morning I woke up and heard the birds chirping - much louder than usual! Ah, it’s finally spring, I thought and rolled over to see the sun shining brightly between the curtains. But then...I heard this one bird. It... Continue Reading Posted at 9:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Customers: What They Need vs What They Want and Do Maria Palma March 9, 2007 I received an interesting comment today on a previous post titled Innovation Over Customer Focus? There’s one part of the comment that stirred up some thoughts:“Customers are the source of innovative ideas. They are the ones doing the buying of... Continue Reading Posted at 7:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 8	Another Reason Why Your Company Should Blog Maria Palma March 8, 2007 This post by Ross of Random Bytes is an example of why a company should have a blog. Ross admits that his company has slipped in terms of offering good customer service, but that they’re working on improving. Instead of... Continue Reading Posted at 8:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Good Customer Service Stories: Spreading the Good Vibes Maria Palma March 8, 2007 Mike in DC shares a few good customer service experiences and I applaud him for sharing and passing on the good vibes. His stories made me stop and think if I had any to share myself. I sit here thinking... Continue Reading Posted at 6:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Lessons Learned From Yoda Maria Palma March 8, 2007 Star Wars is one of my all time favorite movies and just the other day I was thinking about Yoda and the one line he said, “Do or Don’t Do. There is no try.” Apparently, Mike Sigers and I must... Continue Reading Posted at 2:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Customer Service: Always Room For Improvement Maria Palma March 8, 2007 "If someone can find an organization that consistently provides perfect customer service, I will quit my job and become a full time evangelist for this company. I will walk around the country and preach this company’s product, services, and mission... Continue Reading Posted at 12:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Happiness Habit Maria Palma March 8, 2007 There’s a book I’ve been hearing about titled Choose the Happiness Habit. I haven’t read the book yet, but I do like the title. Being happy is something we choose to be. Many of us like to blame other people... Continue Reading Posted at 10:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 7	"Intimacy Over Coffee" Maria Palma March 7, 2007 I’m a Starbucks evangelist, however, I’ll even admit that I’m not a true loyal fan. In fact, Starbucks seems to be losing their appeal. Maybe it’s because I’m starting to feel like just another face in the line. Maybe it’s... Continue Reading Posted at 11:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	A Little Poetry To De-Stress Maria Palma March 7, 2007 As I’m reading Meikah’s post about reading poetry to your customer service reps, I think about Mike Sansone and the poetry that he incorporates into his blog posts - another reason why I love Mike’s blog so much. His poetry... Continue Reading Posted at 4:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How Are You Thanking Your Customers? Maria Palma March 7, 2007 The other day I enjoyed a nice pizza for lunch over at Me-N-Ed’s pizza. This is the pizza place I talked about a few weeks ago that had only one register open on a busy night! I’m a thin, crispy... Continue Reading Posted at 2:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 6	How To Spy On Your Customer Service Candidates Maria Palma March 6, 2007 If you’re an employer looking to hire a new customer service rep but you’re still not quite sure about a candidate, have you thought of checking to see if they have a MySpace page? I have to admit that I... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 5	Highrise: A New Way to Organize Your Business Maria Palma March 5, 2007 It’s been awhile since I’ve covered the topic of CRM, especially new CRM technology and Duct Tape Marketing points out a new CRM application called Highrise. According to Jason over at 37signals, Highrise will offer these key features:See all follow-ups... Continue Reading Posted at 8:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Keeping Yourself Motivated at Work Maria Palma March 5, 2007 You’ve been working at your customer service job for some-odd years now and you are feeling a bit weary, unmotivated, and just down-right cynical. Or perhaps you’re a business owner who has found that your employees aren’t as vibrant and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Target Cashier Becomes a Believer Maria Palma March 5, 2007 Target is my destination of choice when it comes to getting life’s necessities, although I do go to Walmart now and then. I can’t seem to pinpoint what it is about Target, but the energy is a little more mellow. ... Continue Reading Posted at 2:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 4	A Realtor Who Wants to Improve Her Service Maria Palma March 4, 2007 And now for some Sunday funnies... After talking about realtor customer service in my previous post, incidentally I came across Teresa Boardman’s post about how she wanted to improve her customer service. Well, she pokes fun at the way customer... Continue Reading Posted at 6:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Client Service: No, It's Not About You Maria Palma March 4, 2007 Is it all about you? In doing some reading for the San Diego real estate and home decorating blog I came across a realtor’s blog where his motto reads something to the effect of: “When my clients are satisfied it... Continue Reading Posted at 5:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Customer Service in the Comic Industry Maria Palma March 4, 2007 Does the Comic Industry have an obligation to provide good customer service? Well, you know my answer to this! It’s nice to hear the perspective of others from different industries because I tend to forget that customer service is in... Continue Reading Posted at 2:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Mar 3	Are You Following Labor Laws? Maria Palma March 3, 2007 The following is a sponsored review... Time and time again I’ve said that happy employees equal happy customers. Well, part of insuring that your employees are happy is making sure your company follows labor laws and creates a safe work... Continue Reading Posted at 1:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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