I will apologize in advance for the detailed account that follows of an Orbitz service failure. It’s my preference to avoid long-drawn-out accounts of customer service stories – whether chronicling heroic triumphs or abysmal failures. Let’s face it: we all have plenty of experience with both. And while the details
An article titled Some Absurd Airline Rules in the August 18, 2016 Wall Street Journal caught my attention. What stood out to me was that each of the six rules highlighted in the article increased airlines’ ancillary revenues at the expense of overall customer satisfaction. North America’s airlines charged nearly
Q. Steve, in your latest blog post, you asked: “Do you have any employees who perform incomplete work or avoid undesirable work entirely? If so, consider ways to reframe the employee’s job assignments as contributions to a higher purpose.” Can you provide an example? A. Sure. Let’s say you manage
Yesterday, on the way home from the orthodontist, my 15-year-old son, Coleton, and I were discussing his plans for the day, which included a handful of household chores. One of those chores was to dispose of any dog poop that may have accumulated in the yard since the previous day.
Last month, I returned to one of my favorite hotels in New York City. It was my first stay since the hotel completed an extensive renovation in 2012. I’ll withhold the name of the hotel because it’s not important. What matters are the observations below – which apply to countless
A colleague recently asked for my opinion regarding the skills that customer service representatives (CSRs) need the most help with. I qualified my response by saying that it assumes CSRs already possess a positive attitude and a willingness to expend discretionary effort in the moment of choice. If they lack
My family and I stopped by the mall last week to pick up some last-minute items for my 13-year-old’s summer camp in New Mexico. We were tight on time as my wife had called ahead to add our name to the list at Yard House, where the hostess predicted that
Yesterday I was asked for my opinion about which key performance indicator (KPI) was the most important. I think if you ask five different people who work in the space, you may get five different answers. As important as overall satisfaction, value for price paid, intent to return, and a
Over spring break last month, like many Colorado families, we headed to Breckenridge for the week to ski and board. I had booked a 3-bedroom condominium through VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) at a lodge at the base of Peak 8. I booked this unit in particular because of the
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