Communication is one of the most important industries in the world. People have a need to talk, to get in touch with their friends and family, no matter where they are in the world. We started with letters sent with any individual traveling in that direction, which progressed to the postal system. With the advent [...]
Customer service is all about the customer. As business owners or employees, we have all at one time or another had to deal with an upset customer. What happens when the upset customer is us?
Being in business does not guarantee success. The last thing a business owner wants is to lose our business, so when [...]
Help desk have now become a core part of good business service and operation. The term itself is generally associated with the end user support center. However, the fundamental role it plays on a company’s service function is to bring multiple resources together to solve issues about the customer’s satisfaction. It is no longer limited [...]
June
30
In Financial Services, You Can Smile Harder and Give Away Gifts, but Loyalty is Heartfelt
In banking and investing and insurance, many thousands of service-minded people enjoy client loyalty. Yet, most labour under a false basic assumption about why clients are loyal to them or their institution, rather than competitors. What really generates loyalty is warmth.
The dominant view of loyalty in financial services equates loyalty with simple continuity of service. [...]
It’s time to beat the old bad customer service drum again. I know, I’m sick of beating the drum, too, but as long as bad customer service runs rampant through so many businesses I feel it is my entrepreneurial duty to bring it to your attention. So grab a pew and prepare to listen to [...]
Last week I made an early morning trip to a seminar/book promo breakfast to promote my web site. After putting out flyers all over the place I took a moment to step in to the facility and caught a few moments of a morning with Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE.
As I stepped through [...]
If you are up to your ears in a stressful situation, it becomes difficult to think clearly. Sometimes, it is best to walk away from a problem, and think about it, rather than try to solve it with an instant solution.
My grandfather used to say: “Even the court jester can teach us something useful.” This [...]
June
7
Retail Store U-Scan Machines: Self-Serve or Voluntary Part Time Job?
Do many of us realize that we are working an unpaid part time job for the grocery stores and some home appliance stores? We are ringing up our own goods, are not getting any price discount for doing so and are saving these retailers money.
Each self-serve lane contains two to three self-serve scanners. Retailers have [...]
Call it a blind spot. Call it regimented thinking. Call it the-way-we-have-always-done-it. But by any name, there are actions and practices that far too many businesses engage in that can unknowingly drive customers away.
When I observe such practices, I move from being angry to just plain sad. Really sad. Because the truth of the matter [...]
If you are having a technical issue with your computer, and you need assistance, your best bet is to call your manufacturers technical support line. In most cases, technical support is part of the package when you first purchased your computer. If, for some reason, you are unable to use your computer manufacturers help desk [...]