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 […]
Category: Social Media
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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% […]
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 […]
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 […]
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