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 […]
Category: Leverage
There’s been a lot of talk about over-communicating with customers during COVID to make sure they know they’re acknowledged and cared about. However, there are definite exceptions—in this case it involves a prospect but the same principles apply to existing customers. A few weeks back, I checked into Inogen, a portable oxygen concentrator company just […]
As important as providing and documenting great customer service is, discovering and acting upon customer dissatisfaction may be even more important. According to a recent business2community.com article: “Customer complaints provide valuable data…There are more of these than you may realize. A study by 1st Financial Training Services found that 96% of unhappy customers don’t complain, however, 91% […]
Hopefully, one of the most enduring COVID-19 crisis legacies will be a corporate culture where customer service reps offer an open hand to help versus a clenched fist. For far too long, corporate America has largely embraced the clenched-fist policy, in which customer service is provided in as small increments as absolutely necessary. In many […]
Have you gone out of your way to provide more compassionate and caring customer service during the COVID-19 crisis? If so, those efforts can become a cornerstone of customer loyalty and buying. In addition to those who already know, tell the rest of the world about it! This is a case where prior “good acts” […]
I had a huge revelation this past week. Beyond all the CRMs, company pronouncements about serving customers, and even our own “self-administered” customer service, there’s an inner strength that can endure when all other efforts falter. Here are a couple thoughts on the matter: You’ve just been ignored, dissed or misinformed by a “customer service” […]
Any company taking, storing and processing customer information is risking their reputation and the customer’s financial wellbeing every day. One data breach can undo many years of reputation-enhancement and consumer confidence. And now, even when there isn’t an acute problem, many consumers fear one may be on the horizon. Notes Forbes’ Shep Hyken: “Are you […]
In this era of fake news and fast communication, company reputation is more vulnerable than ever to one negative headline or storyline. Strong customer service ratings over a substantial period of time can limit the damage, showing a pattern of competence and caring that supersedes isolated hits to a reputation. Building and maintaining a positive […]
Customer experience futurist Blake Morgan addressed her thoughts on customer experience and digital transformation in a year-ending Forbes.com article. She emphasizes, “Digital transformation and customer experience go hand in hand. These 100 statistics show the growth and importance of digital transformation, its impact on customer experience and digital challenges and opportunities for the future.” According […]
While knowing your customers’ preferences, buying habits and idiosyncrasies is important, some would argue that it’s missing the point. Judd Marcello, EVP of Global Marketing at Cheetah Digital makes the case in Forbes.com that “The Customer Journey Doesn’t Exist … So Stop Trying To Manage It.” He points out, “Today, customers have more power, more […]
happycurmudgeon.com 