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Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service General Marketing Good Content Opinion Social Media

 Trump group chat gaffe reeks of inattention

Lying, cheating, and stealing are the hallmarks of present-day government and have permeated corporate America everywhere “We, the People” turn.

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Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service General Marketing Kudon'ts Opinion Social Media

 In a world gone mad, the ‘Mad Men’ TV series is more prophetic than ever

As consumers encounter ever-growing “Lie, Cheat, Steal” experiences, their yearning for “Trust, Like, Respect” is stronger than ever.

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Customer Service Kudos Opinion Social Media

Grocery stores step up to the customer service plate

I’m so accustomed to citing Costco’s legendary customer service that it’s hard to fathom that other retailers are making their own contributions. Two grocery store experiences over the last couple weeks deserve high praise for service above and beyond. While vacationing in Florida, I went to Publix (largest employee-owned US company according to Forbes) in […]

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Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service Empowerment Techniques Opinion Social Media

Conjoining vs. Conflating marketing and customer service

Near-term, commerce will see marketing and customer service conjoin—defined as “to join together (things, such as separate entities) for a common purpose.” Ultimately, I believe the two will conflate—viewed as combining two or more ideas into one. It’s kind of like the difference between a strategic partnership, where two companies work together toward a common […]

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Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service Empowerment Techniques Opinion Social Media

When will companies learn that ‘fake news’ backfires?

Companies continue to think they can BS and bluster their way through our human instincts and convince us of their customer service excellence—no matter what’s really happening. A recent article by ZDnet contributor Chris Matyszczyk illustrates the point poignantly when addressing one of the most important stakeholders deserving solid customer service—employees themselves. This interesting story […]

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Customer Service Opinion Social Media

Spotify: When customer service crashes

Customer service, especially a perceived lack of it, can impact a company’s reputation—and profitability—in no time flat. In part, this is why customer service really is a company’s “everything” at this point in time. Marketing campaigns unsupported by stable or stellar customer service are proving a waste of time and money—as consumers see through marketing […]

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Business Development Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service Opinion Social Media

Communications channels need to back up customer service reps

I got a reminder last week about the importance of “training” communications channels right along with reps to accurately inform and educate. The matter seemed to be simple: I wanted to donate an old flat-screen TV. After a couple hours calling around, based on website-based policies for such items, I learned that many communications either […]

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Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service Empowerment Techniques Social Media

Going viral potential amps up Customer Force of 1 influence

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 […]

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Building Bridges Business Development Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service Empowerment Techniques General Marketing Good Content Healthcare Leverage Opinion Social Media

Crisis frustration provides roadmap to better customer service

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% […]

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37 and Counting Cultivating Positive Relationships Customer Service Empowerment Techniques Healthcare Kudos Opinion Social Media

Tom Foolery on YouTube: All I can say is WOW!

Recently, I received a link to a four-minute YouTube under the “Tom Foolery” banner. This installment, entitled “The Great Realisation,” addresses the days when COVID-19 attacked the land. It’s a look back from the future. Amid all the conflicting overly-sanguine and gloom-and-doom reports about the pandemic and lack of certainty about its spread, containment and […]