True or False? Measuring Performance Leads to Better Service
If you said “Yes” – you are either amazingly astute or you had a chance to look at the recently released Q1 Zendesk Benchmark report. In either case – Congratulations! Zendesk, the maker of customer service software that streamlines customer support and fosters self-service and engagement, studied the use of analytics and their impact on…
Beloved Brands Think Differently
Working remotely, I am sitting in a Starbucks with my laptop. (As you may have surmised, I’ve been having a substantive long-term relationship with the brand.) Across the way, a woman was also working away on her computer when…it happened. A keystroke run amok sends her beverage sailing across the table and onto the floor,…
Who Are Your Customers?
We don’t often think of Starbucks as being the new kid on the block. Yet, India Real Time, a blog published by the Wall Street Journal, fairly recently reported that the majority of India’s population of 1.2 billion people have never heard of it. Rather, their equivalent café experience is with Café Coffee Day (CCD)…
The Conundrum of Consistency: When More Becomes…More of the Same
Consumers value consistency. Consistency of service, consistency of product, consistency of availability, particularly when we travel. But consumers also value the unique and, of late, the local – that feeling of having discovered a secret gem. As a business owner, how do you cater to this perplexing paradox? Many brands enter communities and appear “out…
The Big Question – What’s Next For Our Business?
Growth and expansion are provocative words in business. They suggest all things good, abundant, and forward-moving – more revenue, more brand exposure, more leverage and influence. When seasons of success accumulate under your belt growth often feels like the next logical step, much like marriage after a long courtship. Yet, whether your business is big…
Getting Personal: It’s NOT Just for Valentine’s Day
Having the products and services your customers want and delivering them consistently is merely table stakes today. The real challenge is whether you get personal with customers! Let’s face it, we live in a service economy and are surrounded by service providers. Yet, oddly, we often feel that we are woefully underserved or worse –…
How to Speed-Train Seasonal Employees
Tis the season for…seasonal employees. This time of year temporary employees swell payroll rosters, even if only for a matter of weeks. When time is of the essence (or is nonexistent), how does your business train these new recruits to be an effective extension of your brand during the boom of commerce that engulfs November…
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