Blog

How an investment in customer service paid for itself

In the February 19, 2009 issue of BusinessWeek, an article titled Customer Service in a Shrinking Economy featured customer service enhancements at BMW dealerships. Specifically, the automaker rolled out Wi-Fi service at its dealerships last year with the intent of giving customers an inexpensive way to pass the time while

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Because of You, my limo ride was memorable!

I had worked a full day in Washington, D.C. and then flew to Detroit for a presentation the following morning. I arrived late at the airport in Detroit and as I exited the terminal with my bags at around midnight, was confronted by a number of aggressive limo drivers. I

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Who’s the Joker behind this policy?

My wife had ordered a set of Batman and Robin walkie-talkies on-line from the website of a national toy retailer. After they arrived and my boys had a chance to try them out, we learned that the reception was poor if the handsets were more than one or two rooms

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Conveying authentic enthusiasm leaves an impression

Conveying authentic enthusiasm that adds a bit of a spark to an otherwise predictable transaction is an effective way for employees to express their uniqueness while making it memorable for customers. Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, says that, “Any job is twenty percent knowledge

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Communicating personal importance reinforces positive memories

Personal importance is often misunderstood at the frontline service provider level in the hospitality industry. I’ve had participants in customer service classes who challenge the notion that anyone should be treated any differently than anyone else. Some see acknowledging one’s personal importance or “Elite” status as favoritism. Others see it

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Effective recognition is not pi in the sky!

I recall a Gallup statistic from a few years ago that 65% of American workers claim to have received no recognition in the workplace in the previous 12 months. If that’s true—as it apparently is for those workers—then ask yourself, “How might I be contributing to this perception by employees

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Comcast customer service is all a-Twitter!

Honestly, I never thought I’d be writing a positive customer service story about a cable company in my lifetime. Cable companies, in my mind, have always been grouped together with poor service heavyweights like the postal service, IRS, and DMV. My Twitter conversation last month with @ComcastBill changed all that.

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My partnership with United Airlines

A few years ago I left a book in my seat on a United Airlines flight. I’m sure it happens all the time and in most cases the books are never reunited with their owners because, let’s face it, they’re relatively cheap and easy to replace. I bet most passengers

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