What's the most annoying thing about many mid-range and higher-end hotels? Charges for Internet. If you're like me, the idea of being nickeled and dimed over something as basic as going online makes you crazy. Especially when the "cheaper" brands are factoring the...
Have you ever let your expectations get in the way of your experience? I was in a Healthy Back store the other day to buy an exercise ball. When I got home, I discovered that the ball might have been opened before, and the plug & stem for blowing it up and sealing...
I've talked before about how picking up the phone is a key component to customer service. But that's really only the starting point for building customer loyalty. If you're lucky, your best customers are evangelists for your brand. Here are four ways to earn that...
Many years ago, I was donating money to the same organization as my parents. They were always talking about how responsive the group was, sending them updates, an annual congressional directory, and the like. When I observed that I wasn't getting any of that,...
Tony Hsieh's Delivering Happiness* is a good reminder that sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and follow your passion. Part autobiography, part tale of success-wrought-from-hard-work, part customer service bible, Delivering Happiness is a good read for...
Often, it's the unsung employee that can make or break your brand. Especially on days when everything is just a little off kilter. I popped into my neighborhood Staples recently at the end of a very long day to get something printed out. Standing by the copy counter...
So you want to know the secret to keeping customers happy? Answer your phone. Unless you've been living in an isolation tank, you've experienced phone tree hell. You know that state where you're trying to get a simple question answered, and after pressing too many...
Chevy Chase Bank (now owned by Capital One) appears to have discovered free business banking. I know; I used to be their customer. In fact, I had one or more accounts with the bank for over 20 years. While there are lots of reasons I left that bank, there's exactly...
There's been a lot of discussion about the new "chocolate and peanut butter" pact that enables cross-posting between Twitter and LinkedIn. My reading of LinkedIn's description of the new functionality is that people will have the option to selectively cross-post...
The Baltimore Running Festival turned 9 this year, and I've run either the half-marathon or the relay five times and signed up and been unable to run a couple more. In other words, I love this race--and it isn't for the unrelenting hills. Here are a few of the...