Supply chain disruptions increasingly are leading to bare shelves. In turn, many of those great products are out of stock—leading to disgruntled, frustrated customers. Many of those customers are now crying “bad customer service” as a result, and blaming those closest to the issue—retail front line workers. Business Insider freelance writer Elle Hardy interviewed one […]
Category: Empowerment Techniques
Great products are part of a great customer experience. Costco has figured this out. In addition to favorable pricing and excellent treatment, Costco has earned a reputation for carrying reputable products. While it’s not a perfect system, more often than not customers can buy products with confidence—figuring that only the crème de la crème will […]
Customer service representations that don’t hold up to actual performance are worse than no customer service at all. My Nextdoor post last week addresses my frustrating “Starry Snafu” experience: “As a backup to CenturyLink Internet/landline, which I’ve had nearly 5 years, I ordered Starry on a trial basis. When I put in the order, I […]
When a retailer or restaurant provides bad customer service, there generally are other choices. You can simply leave one and try another. But, what do you do when the company providing bad customer service is the only game in town (e.g., telecom provider)? Or, you have a lender (e.g., mortgage loan) that you can’t just […]
Recent furor about new voting legislation has caused companies and organizations to choose sides on the issue. Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game from Atlanta to Denver in the wake of Georgia legislation designed to restrict voting options. So, depending on how you feel about the voting rights issue, your prospecting process can have […]
Amazon gets high customer service marks. But, its employee treatment is controversial and, by most accounts, lacking. In contrast, Costco gets consistently high marks across both categories. As employees also are vital “customers,” mixed reviews can present a dilemma when deciding to court customer service stars as prospects. It’s not necessarily an all-or-nothing scenario. It […]
In addition to courting customer service stars, client prospects that emulate your personal preferences also can be good way to pursue new opportunities. Companies scoring high on both fronts will be more likely to sync up with you in a business relationship. There are many ways to assess preference and style compatibility. One obvious and […]
Engaging and exercising your Customer Force of 1 abilities isn’t always a one-time opportunity. Once relationships with key higher-ups are established, there may be reasons to reach out subsequently. My favorite example, of course, is Costco. (Why would you expect anyone else? 😊) Years ago, I had an issue with a third-party company partnered with […]
Airlines called on the carpet for perceived passenger mis-treatment. Companies seeing stock plummet after a negative quality report spreads like wildfire. Celebrities dethroned after a slur. It’s all part of our viral world. It can bring down captains of industry and raise up a single individual to immediate fame. The omnipresent potential for going viral […]
There is an etiquette of sorts that will help ensure achieving the best possible Customer Force of 1 results from higher-ups in the organization you’re targeting for help and resolution. Here are four tips to help you get there: Leverage your initial contact with the regular customer service department. Sometimes, when you’ve experienced poor customer […]
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