Gummy Worms and Customer Experience Excellence!
July 15th was National Gummy Worm day and while that might not be the type of information you would expect from this blog, it turns out to have significance in our office. Specifically, National Gummy Worm day served as an opportunity to “surprise and delight” many of our clients and business partners. Additionally, it allowed…
Do you want return calls from sales prospects? Focus on the personal!
I’ve long championed a simple truth “all business is personal.” That’s why I believe customer experience is as much about relationship building as it is about product and transactional excellence. A recent study conducted by Reachable powerfully demonstrates the criticality of relationship building when it comes to gaining access to make sales. Here’s the big payoff…
A swing and a miss – wait it’s a home run?
Would you believe me if I told you that a company which experienced a data breach affecting twenty-four million customers was later determined to be one of America’s most highly rated on-line retailers? Well consider yourself told! The story is that of Zappos -the albeit unconventional but world class customer experience provider profiled in my…
Should You Ask for Complaints? Yes, No, Maybe?
During a consulting visit with one of my clients, a senior level leader stated “we don’t hear much negative from our customers.” He then asked an interestingly odd question, “should we be asking for complaints?” Like most questions of this nature, there are no easy answers! However, here were just a few of the highlights…
Giving Back – More than a Marketing Strategy
I’m fairly simple minded when it comes to business. I believe justice ultimately prevails and inevitably companies reap what they sow. So when people insert hidden fees, fail to be transparent in their pricing, or grab for more than what they deserve I assume those behaviors will ultimately be their undoing. Similarly, I contend that…
Scoreboard: Company Interests 1 – Customer Needs 0
What a week! Amid a travel filled 5 days of consulting and speeches, I had the good fortune to speak at a conference for a large American Banking Association conference. The timing of my presentation could not have been better (or worse depending upon your perspective) as it followed a scathing op/ed article that was…
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs
Recently while driving down the long peninsula that is Florida, I paid witness to a myriad of billboards, most of which featured restaurants promoting heaping food portions at attention-getting low prices. Enticing as many were, it was Cracker Barrel’s message that grabbed my attention. Alongside a picture of a pegboard puzzle were the words “Games,…
The Power of Story – Betabrand
I was backstage with Chris Lindland CEO of Betabrand recently at a Zappos All Hands meeting and I couldn’t help but conclude that he may have best demonstrated the power of an “engaging story.” In fact, I would dare to say that for awhile his entire brand with a fable without a deliverable product. Lest…
Intention is Fine but Where’s the Service?
You are going to have to indulge me for a moment because the following service breakdown story may initially seem like I’m venting but it is presented to highlights how “good service intentions” just don’t cut it . For me things did not start off well with a new utilities provider. When I called to…
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