Awaken the Force: Six Powerful Commitments for 2016
As December comes to a close, many of us will do a “year in review” (and if we don’t, Facebook will do it for us). A lot of us will also think about how we can succeed in the year to come. I have long stopped doing “New Year’s resolutions” since I’ve repeatedly lost and gained back the same 10 pounds I…
Why Businesses Should Embrace Live Chat Software for Sales and Customer Service
Live chat has been an up and coming technology for a number of years now, but its importance was driven home when we saw new research from the online help desk buyers’ research firm Software Advice. They found that regardless of the nature of the question, 56% of millennials preferred live chat over the phone,…
The best metrics for getting started with employee engagement {Guest Post}
During the last decade or so, human resource management has been essentially flipped on its head. What was once a decidedly employer-centered market has become one driven by the needs and concerns of the employee. Despite still relatively high competition for jobs in a recovering global economy, more and more companies that require a skilled…
Automated Call Answering Cuts Costs But Also Cuts Customers {Guest Post}
The size of a customer service department is, of course, directly related to the size of the business it is serving. A small company with only a limited number of customers will not have the same demands as a large one serving millions of people. For the latter, it can become a costly operation to…
The Cost of Serving Well
It was such a thought-provoking question. In an interview this week, I was asked, “how much does it cost a business owner to deliver memorable service?” Earlier in the day, I had read about a police officer in Connecticut, Michael Castillo, who was on a call to break-up a fight at a Target store. After…
“It’s not what you know but…”
According to the old adage that sentence stem ends with “who you know.” On stage and in writing lately I have concluded that the old adage doesn’t tell the whole story. As such I have modified it to say: “It’s not what you know OR who you know. It’s what you know ABOUT who you know.”…
Seeing through the Eyes of Your Customer
Having just finished my new book about Mercedes-Benz and given that I recently spent time with Mercedes-Benz dealers at their annual conference in Las Vegas, I took the liberty of modifying a popular children’s logic puzzle by inserting a Mercedes-Benz E class. Can you solve this puzzle in 20 seconds? What parking lot number is…
Are your property values up? Thank Starbucks
What does brand equity get you? Among other things – happy neighbors! According to recent reports, when a Starbucks opens nearby your property values rise – alot. Before you think this phenomena occurs anytime a multi-national company opens its doors in your vicinity, the research also shows that its better to have Starbucks than Dunkin…
Would you have your wedding at Starbucks? Becoming a Beloved Brand
So would you? Would you have your wedding at Starbucks? How about your reception? Lets switch venues, how about at Taco Bell or Subway? While I have never heard of a Taco Bell reception, I have been tracking the phenomena of Starbucks weddings and receptions since I worked on my first book about the company…
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