- You Can’t Solve Problems with Instant Coffee
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written on January 20, 2012
by Tom Scully
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Customer Service
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If you’re old enough, you may remember a time when the only thing “instant” was instant coffee – magic crystals that, when mixed with hot water, turned into actual coffee. Today, however, almost everything is “instant.”
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- I Just Called To Say
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written on July 26, 2011
by Diane Helbig
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Customer Service
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We all know how important it is to follow up with a client after we do the work. The question is how to do it well. Many small business owners struggle with creating their marketing message and selling their product or service. There are various reasons for this including not knowing the answers to some basic questions.
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- How To Increase Sales With Your Customer Base or How to Grow 20 Percent Without Really Trying
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written on July 22, 2011
by Matt Minarik
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Customer Service
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Our consulting group offers 5 services, but none gets the attention more than our Customer Sales programs, and for good reason. Studies that we have done and from the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) has shown that it is 5 to 50 times easier to resell to an existing account than to a new account.
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- Avoiding “Buyer’s Remorse”
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written on July 22, 2011
by Tom Scully
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Customer Service
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Sometimes a prospect will second-guess an agreement he just signed. You’ll experience such “buyer’s remorse” much less frequently if you deal with if straightforwardly, while you’re still on the scene.
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- Customer Service and JetBlue
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written on September 07, 2010
by Joe Mayer
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Customer Service
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The internet is buzzing with stories about the new “hero” flight attendant Steven Slater who made a statement swooshing down his plane’s inflatable slide while holding on to a can of beer and his carry-on when quitting his job in the middle of debarkation.
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- I Dont Want Your Accident Forgiveness
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written on August 04, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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A new marketing campaign by a major insurance carrier tauts that they will "forgive" you for an accident by not raising your rates with their new "Accident Forgiveness" policy. They say they're doing this because most insurance companies will raise your rates after you have an accident. This is true - and it does stink. But the whole idea of them "forgiving" me kind of rubs me the wrong way. Maybe - quite possibly - it's just me.
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- Prank Call Provides Insight
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written on August 03, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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The phone in my office started to ring, and through some technological confusion, instead of a client on the other end, it was one of my employees who unknowingly answered the phone courteously and professionally. This was too much for me to resist - I immediately switched to some random foreign accent and started asking a myriad of questions that made no sense at all.
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- Provide Solutions for your Customers
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written on July 29, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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I stopped at Home Depot yesterday trying to find a solution for a simple household repair. I wasn't sure what the fix would be, but I was hoping someone could help me.
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- Customers Find New Ways to Complain About Your Bad Service
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written on July 27, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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Sometimes bad service leads to some pretty creative methods of sharing bad experience with the world. Here's a great song (and video) by musician Dave Carroll who was on a United flight when he watched as baggage handlers manhandled bags and threw Carroll's $3,500 Taylor guitar on the ground causing about $1,200 in damage.
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- A Matter Of Perspective
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written on July 23, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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Exceptional service is often a matter of perspective. Great service to one person may be a disappointing encounter for another. I recently had just such an experience.
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- McDoggie Bone
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written on June 29, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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I am a huge proponent of the "unexpected surprise" when it comes to customer service. The little something special that occurs out of the blue to make an ordinary experience - EXTRA-ordinary.
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- Preposterous Pizza Policies
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written on June 15, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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My daughter's soccer team just finished up another great season. Although they lost the championship game, they played with great intensity and gave it their all. To celebrate, the coaches decided to take the girls out for a pizza dinner and several parents decided to join the party. A group of about 40 people was ready to descend on a local eating establishment. One of our coaches called the locally-owned restaurant to notify them that a large group was headed their way. We wanted to make sure that they could handle a group of our size without too much trouble and to verify that we could all sit together.
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- Great Service In The Snow
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written on June 10, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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Managers and owners are always trying to come up with ways to "teach" service. And without a doubt, businesses need to clearly identify what service means to the organization and how it is delivered to the customer. No argument here.
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- Take Care Of What You Got
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written on April 16, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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Sure it's a tough economy. Everyone is trying to bolster their sales - everything from marketing campaigns to value-based promotions and even "new, lower" prices. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, these may all be good ideas to help your business get through these tough times. But sound business principles shouldn't change based on the economy. Sure, you should try everything you can to bolster your sales, but instead of focusing all of your energies on finding new business; there may never be a better opportunity to "wow" the customers that you already have.
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- Give Your Customers A Treat
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written on March 30, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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A few hands into my experience a waitress came over and asked if I would like a drink. Absolutely! I placed my order and she returned a few minutes later with my "free" adult beverage. I gladly tipped the waitress and went back to my video poker game.
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- Ole to Customer Service
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written on February 02, 2009
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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It seems like just about every town in America has a Mexican restaurant. Some are good - some aren't. From the outside you can't typically tell a good one from a bad one based on the typical hole-in-the-wall buildings they often occupy. My hometown, Wadsworth, has just such a Mexican restaurant. I happen to think that it's quite excellent even though you couldn't tell from the retro-fitted Stuckey's that it now occupies.
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- Disney Service Basics
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written on December 22, 2008
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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I recently came across this article focusing on the basics of customer service at Disney. I wanted to share this article with you because, as the name of my company implies, great service begins with a strong idealogical foundation. Who are we and why do we do what we do.
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- Expecting Too Much
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written on November 06, 2008
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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A few weeks ago, my laptop died and it needed to be serviced. Instead of going to a big, box store, I thought I would patronize the local computer repair company. I called them at about 2 pm to check their hours. The young man at the store told me they would be open until 6 pm.
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- Service Magic
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written on September 02, 2008
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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I've worked in the family entertainment business for many years. And whenever my profession came up in conversation, people would always remark, "how much fun it must be to work at an amusement park." And they were right. It was fun.
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- Foundations of Service
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written on August 13, 2008
by Scott Brown
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Customer Service
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Customer service is an elusive target - one that is more often missed than attained. The irony is that it's a target that every business wants to hit. Although, if you pay attention to advertisements on television, radio and in print you'll notice that most businesses seem content with at least being able to claim that they deliver excellent service. More often than not, when you finally break down and do business with these organizations you find that their service claims maybe shouldn't have been so bold.
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