There is an interesting study on big retailers and their Facebook pages. STELLAService tested how 20 top retailers handle "general service questions." The results: "Of the 20 retailers measured, five failed to respond to a question posted on their wall within two...
I wrote recently about the gap between empowered customers and many sales and customer service teams. That post dealt specifically with the disconnect between what a company is offering online and what they're telling you when you call them. And that doesn't even...
This should be obvious, right? [Insert BIG SIGH here.] There's a lot of talk these days about "empowered consumers" and what this means for companies. It's an issue for pricing and sales, and for what consumers want and expect from the brands we...
We talk a lot about connecting with customers (and clients, prospects, and so forth)--but are they feeling the love? In other words, are they connecting with us? These are not the same thing. What a Two-Way Connection Looks Like I've always highly valued my University...
I've talked before about how brand loyalty isn't eroding (we're just saving our loyalty for where we feel valued). Today I'm doing to share four lessons from an organization that just doesn't get it: The Shakespeare Theatre. Lesson #1: People are more likely to donate...
Is brand loyalty dead? One of the interesting findings in the IBM survey of CMOs ( here is is my take on the overall report) is that companies are unprepared to deal with "decreasing brand loyalty." They're asking the wrong question. Were travelers loyal to Wells...
I received the following letter the other day: Dear Valued [name of organization] Member, Please excuse this form letter, but it is an inexpensive way for us to let you know that your membership is up for renewal. We wanted to be sure you have the opportunity...
I always count the pills. And the widgets. (And pretty much anything I buy "by the numbers.") It's not that I expect any problems, it's just that I want to make sure I'm getting what I pay for when it comes to products bought in open bulk. When it comes to...
There are very few Soup Nazis in business. In other words, most of us have to provide good customer service to be sucessful. You can screw up and recover--companies do it all the time. But how many use the opening to move from apology to enchantment? Stubhub did this...
I was watching Restaurant Impossible the other day. It's a show about a chef who works to help turn around failing businesses. In two days. This is reality TV, so one presumes the producers vet and select restaurants where the business issues are so blatant that a few...