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Customer Service Kudos

Of Costco and Shoehenge

My best friend Frannie’s cat, Shu Shu, has been ailing. So, I set out to do something to honor her life. I found it at Costco—15 pairs of “Shoes Shoes!” OK, so the first part is BS—except that I decided to pay homage to her after the buying spree with the shoes stacked in a […]

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Empowerment Techniques Leverage Opinion

Bernie Sanders, Oliver North are both right about school gun violence

Address NRA intransigence with your vote in November The Washington Post headline sums up one position: “Oliver North, incoming NRA chief, blames school shootings on ‘culture of violence’.” Via NBC News, Bernie Sanders expresses another: “Bernie Sanders lashes out at Congress over gun control after Santa Fe, Texas, shooting…The Vermont senator said legislators will need […]

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Opinion

All the shit that’s fit to print…or prints to fit

What do these top two Google headlines have in common? “‘I was going to get this over with’: Inside Giuliani’s explosive Stormy Daniels revelation…Rudolph W. Giuliani said President Trump personally repaid his lawyer the $130,000 that was used to buy Stormy Daniels’s silence about an alleged affair.” -Washington Post “A serial pooper targeted a N.J. […]

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Empowerment Techniques Opinion

When justice is at stake, ‘no comment’ only works for so long

  White House ‘de-press’ briefing is a ‘no’ show Watching the latest White House press briefing was depressing. I haven’t watched many lately for that reason, plus the fact that I wind up swearing loudly in the workout room. While Sarah Sanders’ never-ending string of non-answers is infuriating, it also makes me wonder why the […]

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Business Development Cultivating Positive Relationships Opinion Social Media

Saying ‘sorry’ can cut both ways

Mea culpas can be helpful or off-putting Depending on the circumstances and perceived sincerity, apologies can help solve a reputation problem or exacerbate it. Reputation management specialists hold a variety of views about if, when and how to apologize. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is the latest bigwig to apologize for his company’s actions. Whether or not […]

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Empowerment Techniques Leverage Opinion

David (Hogg) vs. Goliath: Sanction slingshot hits its mark

Sanctions work against countries…why not domestic scofflaws? Why shouldn’t young consumers level their brand of sanctions against corporate and celebrity targets who in many cases desperately deserve to be called to account? David Hogg has become, at least for the moment, a symbolic firebrand of this movement. To all the Laura Ingrahams and fellow believers […]

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Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service Empowerment Techniques General Marketing Good Content

Ways To Show That You’re Invested (Or Want To Be) In Human Caring

This post has been excerpted from: Is Personal Service in Fintech Getting Lost Amid the Digital Mindset? by Mark Lusky. …there’s a substantial segment of consumers that not only want, but demand, human service—particularly when it comes to customer support. Many people want to consult a live human being for help versus being relegated to […]

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Empowerment Techniques General Marketing Good Content Social Media

Time for scare tactics to become scarce

Diabetes affects your heart, so take this drug to decrease your odds of dying. Identity theft is right around the corner. Coffee is good for you…wait, bad for you…uh, good for you. (Repeat for eggs, coconut oil, etc.) We are deluged daily with “scary” information—much of it designed to goad you into buying a particular […]

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Customer Service Opinion

Tech support shortcomings try patience, thwart productivity

I’ve always been a fan of “artificial intelligence,” starting with an elementary robot that looked like an erector set in motion. I was a small child, and my next-door neighbor had discovered a way to repurpose the robot to function as a TV remote. Pretty cool and heady stuff back then. Today’s technology is both […]

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Customer Service Opinion Social Media

Fake news, flawed data and phony claims

Time was, big ad agencies held sway over consumers with grandiose claims of product and service excellence. Quite often, the claims were exaggerated or downright false. But, until a groundswell of consumer sentiment hit the headlines, a grassroots activist went on the warpath, or an investigative reporter uncovered falsehoods, the ads, PR campaigns, and promotional […]