Service-Centric

Starbucks Trenta – Can your experience get “too big?”

I knew “Trenta” was coming  but I continue to be amazed at the media storm and second guessing Starbucks receives.  In case you missed it, Starbucks launched their new 31oz drink size option (named Trenta) in 14 states this week including Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Hawaii and Arizona and will add California to the Trenta…

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Building the road with hope and positivity

Half full or Half Empty? A new Gallup poll suggests optimists outnumber pessimists 2 to 1 – at least when it comes to expectations for the US economy in 2011.  Given that data, I have a series of questions for you and your company: Do you share optimism for 2011? If so, how are you…

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An honest letter from YOUR customer. Do you dare read it?

I KNOW that my brain works in strange ways.  But for some reason, I started thinking about what a customer would say to owners and leaders about their honest wants, needs, and desires if they wrote them in a compact letter.  Here’s my take…. Dear Business Owner/Leader: Please do what you say you will and…

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How much permission do you have? Lessons from Zappos and Clorox

Something smells around here!  Ah yes, it’s the distinct aroma of Clorox! I just finished the first draft of my new book The Zappos Experience (which will be released in the fall) and was revising a section concerning the Zappos brand platform. So I thought I might share a paragraph from the upcoming book to…

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AT&T vs Verizon – A seriously improved customer experience?

Much will be written about the battle of the titans  – AT&T vs. Verizon!   Thanks, of course, to AT&T’s lost monopoly on the Iphone. AT&T will argue they have a “faster” customer experience and Verizon will suggest they are more “reliable.” In the end, prices should come down on Iphone data plans and features…

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Listen – All Business is Personal

In most of my books (including two to be released later this year about Zappos and UCLA) I find myself touching on a theme that sounds something like “all business is personal.” I think I am attracted to this message because well-intentioned business leaders can get drawn into tasks, products, and profits and lose sight…

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It’s Time for Truth – Measure It/Reward It

It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) what gets measured gets attention! What gets measured and rewarded gets done! I state this seemingly obvious truth because I continue to be brought into organizations that talk about customer centricity but that lack customer engagement metrics and in no way link rewards to performance…

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New opportunities for old and new customers

Meister Eckhart  once said “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” A new year is symbolic of new beginnings. Thank you for making 2010 the most professionally successful ever for The Michelli Experience! May all of us start each day this year with the same spirit of new beginnings that we ascribed to…

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Doing Good and Doing Well

Installment 6 of my holiday retrospective is a classic example of how businesses can create truly memorable experiences…. From my book The New Gold Standard …  Salazar, age 12, was a champion figure skater who began noticing pain in her legs while preparing for a regional competition as a step toward the Olympics. While originally thinking…

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FREE RESOURCES

The Starbucks Experience: Leadership Tips eBook
Elevating Care in Healthcare: Lessons from the UCLA Health System eBook
How to Win Every Customer, Every Time, No Excuses! Article