Don’t Be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish with today’s Wired & Dangerous Customer
A few years ago, John Barrier, in Spokane, Washington, asked a bank receptionist to validate his parking slip after he'd cashed a check.  With a glance at his dirty construction clothes, the receptionist informed him that he hadn't conducted a real “transaction” and suggested he make a deposit.

Title: Don’t Be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish with today’s Wired & Dangerous Customer Format: HTML Article Month: March 2024

Are Your Customers Experiencing Unconditional Service?
Ramen is a traditional Japanese noodle dish that, well prepared, is a highly-desired delicacy.  That is the back story for the movie, The Ramen Girl.  A young woman finds herself in Tokyo and wants to understudy a master ramen chef.

Title: Are Your Customers Experiencing Unconditional Service? Format: HTML Article Month: February 2024

Farewell to a Very Turbulent 2023!  Hello to a Challenging Yet Fantastic 2024!
As this year draws to a close it is a time to reflect on all of the good that came from 2023 along with the turbulent economic times and a world on the edge.  I want to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year as we send 2023 off into history and look hopefully toward a fantastic 2024!

Title: Farewell to a Very Turbulent 2023!  Hello to a Challenging Yet Fantastic 2024! Format: HTML Article Month: December 2023 & January 2024

November Holidays – 2023
This month we celebrate Veterans Day which is November 11th and as a federal holiday it will be observed on November 10th.  We deeply thank all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country!  We also thank those who served their country for their service.

Title: November Holidays – 2023 Format: HTML Article Month: November 2023

National Customer Service Week is October 2-6!  Are You Loving Up Your Customers?
National Customer Service Week is October 2-6!  The official 2023 Customer Service Week theme is Team Service“™”.  It serves as a reminder that everyone is on Team Service “™”.

Title: National Customer Service Week is October 2-6!  Are You Loving Up Your Customers? Format: HTML Article Month: October 2023

Do You Have a Plan for Handling Customer Service Emergencies?
The dinner party was super important because of the particular guests invited.  It was one-fifth entertainment, one-fifth showcase, and at least five-fifths big-deal sales opportunity!

Title: Do You Have a Plan for Handling Customer Service Emergencies? Format: HTML Article Month: September 2023

You Make Me Want To Be A Better... Customer?
Most great movies have one line worthy of frequent repeats: Show me the money; Frankly, my dear…; Win one for the Gipper; Make my day; Greed is good.  The list goes on and on.  One of my favorite movie lines came from As Good As It Gets.

Title: You Make Me Want To Be A Better... Customer? Format: HTML Article Month: August 2023

Gratitude – Important for Independence Day and A True Measure of your Service Warmth – A repeat from last year because it deserves repeating!
“Thank you” are the two most important words in the English language.  Yet, how often are you served and end up the only one in the equation doing the thanking?  As we approach the celebration of Independence Day we are reminded to take a moment and thank the brave founders of our great country.

Title: Gratitude – Important for Independence Day and A True Measure of your Service Warmth – A repeat from last year because it deserves repeating! Format: HTML Article Month: July 2023

Are Your Customers Experiencing Service from the Heart?
Ramen is a traditional Japanese noodle dish that, well prepared, is a highly-desired delicacy.  That is the back story for the movie, The Ramen Girl.  A young woman finds herself in Tokyo and wants to understudy a master ramen chef.

Title: Are Your Customers Experiencing Service from the Heart? Format: HTML Article Month: June 2023

Memorial Day
This month on May 29th we celebrate Memorial Day.  We deeply thank all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country!  We also thank those who served for their service.

Title: Memorial Day Format: HTML Article Month: May 2023

Great Customer Experiences Require Incredible Teams!
Customers today are picky, fickle, vocal and vain.  They are Vain--expecting treatment that telegraphs they are special and unique, not just one of the masses.

Title: Great Customer Experiences Require Incredible Teams! Format: HTML Article Month: April 2023

How Many Advocates for Customers Work in Your Organization?
Today’s wired and dangerous customers crave organizations that consistently deliver great service and create emotional connections with customers.  Do you have people in your organization who consistently deliver great customer service?

Title: How Many Advocates for Customers Work in Your Organization? Format: HTML Article Month: March 2023

Do Customers View Your Service As Only Eye Candy?
Eye candy.  It is such a really cool label.  It should be a phrase that has a terrific reputation.  After all, who doesn’t like candy?  And, “a sight for sore eyes” is a positive and encouraging statement.

Title: Do Customers View Your Service As Only Eye Candy? Format: HTML Article Month: February 2023

Farewell to a Very Turbulent 2022!  Hello to a Challenging Yet Fantastic 2023!
As this year draws to a close it is a time to reflect on all of the good that came from 2022 along with the turbulent economic times and a world on the edge.  I want to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year as we send 2022 off into history and look hopefully toward a fantastic 2023!

Title: Farewell to a Very Turbulent 2022!  Hello to a Challenging Yet Fantastic 2023! Format: HTML Article Month: December 2022 & January 2023

November Holidays – 2022
This month on November 11th we celebrate Veterans Day.  We deeply thank all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country!  We also thank those who served for their service.

Title: November Holidays – 2022 Format: HTML Article Month: November 2022

National Customer Service Week is October 3-7!  Are You Loving Up Your Customers?
National Customer Service Week is October 3-7!  I hope you have many special activities planned to “love up” your customers during this special week!

Title: National Customer Service Week is October 3-7!  Are You Loving Up Your Customers? Format: HTML Article Month: October 2022

Are You Up to Date on Customer Thresholds for Service Delivery?
We are seeing a lot of threshold alarms these days.  Highway freeways tell us “minimum speed 40 mph.”  It is a way of keeping horse drawn buggies off the road.  Minimum orders signal that only volume purchases are allowed.

Title: Are You Up to Date on Customer Thresholds for Service Delivery? Format: HTML Article Month: September 2022

Can Your Employees See the Details Critical for Delivering Innovative Service?
New arrivals to combat zones quickly learn that the difference between a veteran and a novice is far more than war stories.  They had an expression for it on the front line in Viet Nam: “grunt eyes.”

Title: Can Your Employees See the Details Critical for Delivering Innovative Service? Format: HTML Article Month: August 2022

Gratitude – Important for Independence Day and A True Measure of your Service Warmth
“Thank you” are the two most important words in the English language.  Yet, how often are you served and end up the only one in the equation doing the thanking?

Title: Gratitude – Important for Independence Day and A True Measure of your Service Warmth Format: HTML Article Month: July 2022

Using Customer Intimacy
Even in traditional manufacturing (and manufacturing-style services), where “careful is correct and rational is right” has long been the managerial axiom, service quality is being recognized as the competitive edge that can differentiate one offering from another.

Title: Using Customer Intimacy Format: HTML Article Month: June 2022

Be an Undercover Provider
We were working with a large quick-service restaurant company who was doubting the power and profitability of their offering a great customer experience.  They were convinced that product, price, PR (as in advertising), and the proper restaurant location would always win the day.

Title: Be an Undercover Provider Format: HTML Article Month: May 2022

Does Your Customer Journey include Happy Processes?
What is a service process?  A service process can be defined from two perspectives.  From the inside looking out, it is a collection of procedures and practices that govern a complete operation.

Title: Does Your Customer Journey include Happy Processes? Format: HTML Article Month: April 2022

Beware of Assumptions About Your Customers
We were working in Philadelphia and stayed at a chain hotel that did not have the practice of sliding the receipt under your hotel room door the morning you checked out.

Title: Beware of Assumptions About Your Customers Format: HTML Article Month: March 2022

Does Your Customer Journey Have Too Many Hoops?
Chip once had a wonderful colleague whom he worked with as a co-facilitator of workshops with senior leaders.  He was a very bright and confident presenter who could lead a spirited discussion with the most challenging participant.

Title: Does Your Customer Journey Have Too Many Hoops? Format: HTML Article Month: February 2022

Good bye to a very difficult 2021! Hello to a fabulous 2022!
As 2021 draws to a close it is a time to reflect on all of the good that came from the past year along with the disastrous and far reaching impact of the pandemic.  I want to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year as we send 2021 off into history and look hopefully toward a great 2022!

Title: Good bye to a very difficult 2021! Hello to a fabulous 2022! Format: HTML Article Month: January 2022

Fostering Innovation Requires Character!
“Would your work practices change if your son or daughter was watching you in order to learn life lessons?” I asked a group of senior leaders.  The company was famous for its profit at any cost mentality and had indicated a desire to become more customer-centric with a long-term view.

Title: Fostering Innovation Requires Character! Format: HTML Article Month: December 2021

Be Sure to Make it Right?
John’s mother passed away several years ago.  One thing he remembers vividly about his mom in her later years was how much she enjoyed receiving flowers on special occasions.

Title: Be Sure to Make it Right? Format: HTML Article Month: November 2021

Creating Long Term Loyalty with Today’s Wild & Dangerous Customer
Even in traditional manufacturing (and manufacturing-style services), where “careful is correct and rational is right” has long been the managerial axiom, service quality is being recognized as the competitive edge that can differentiate one offering from another.

Title: Creating Long Term Loyalty with Today’s Wild & Dangerous Customer Format: HTML Article Month: October 2021

Can You Utilize Anthropology to Better Understand Customers?
What would he see or think if you brought in Dr. Indiana Jones to help you better understand your customers?  Or, better still, if Margaret Mead or Ruth Benedict was your customer anthropology coach?

Title: Can You Utilize Anthropology to Better Understand Customers? Format: HTML Article Month: September 2021

Are You Consistently Taking Your Customers Breath Away?
In today’s hyper competitive market customers long for organizations they can trust.  They trust organizations who consistently deliver great experiences.  The kind of experiences that take their breath away!

Title: Are You Consistently Taking Your Customers Breath Away? Format: HTML Article Month: August 2021

What’s Driving Your Response To a Major Crisis?
On January 28, 1986, the world watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of all of its seven crew members.

Title: What’s Driving Your Response To a Major Crisis? Format: HTML Article Month: July 2021

Great Service Experience is Like a Puzzle
Puzzles are fun…especially, on a rainy day when there’s no ballgame on television.  Puzzles can be a great bonding experience for families.  Putting a puzzle together has a lot of similarities with creating a great customer experience for today’s wired and dangerous customer.

Title: Great Service Experience is Like a Puzzle Format: HTML Article Month: June 2021

Creating Long Term Loyalty with Today’s Wild & Dangerous Customer
Even in traditional manufacturing (and manufacturing-style services), where “careful is correct and rational is right” has long been the managerial axiom, service quality is being recognized as the competitive edge that can differentiate one offering from another.

Title: Creating Long Term Loyalty with Today’s Wild & Dangerous Customer Format: HTML Article Month: May 2021

Is Your Service Menu Memorable?
Menus can tell you a lot about a restaurant.  Some menus have limited choices; some have way too many.  Some have language like “no substitutions,” “salad bar extra,” or “breakfast only served until 10:30 am.”

Title: Is Your Service Menu Memorable? Format: HTML Article Month: April 2021

Do Your Customers Feel Special?
You take your car in for regular maintenance and your body in for a physical exam.  Women get a mammogram; men get a PSA check.  The optometrist checks your eye sight; the audiologist your hearing and your dentist checks for cavities.

Title: Do Your Customers Feel Special? Format: HTML Article Month: March 2021

How Are You Receiving Early Warning of Customer Discontent?
Sitting by the window on the top floor of a high-rise Dallas hotel provides an amazing panoramic view.  Weather becomes up close and personal.  We watched a major rain storm crawl across the distant plains and deliver a hard punch to downtown Dallas streets.

Title: How Are You Receiving Early Warning of Customer Discontent? Format: HTML Article Month: February 2021

Are Your Customers Helping Set Your Direction?
Chairs are a big deal.  The big boss sits in the chair at the head of the board table.  The best player in each section of an orchestra is called “first chair” and the first chair of the first violin section is the “concertmaster.”

Title: Are Your Customers Helping Set Your Direction? Format: HTML Article Month: January 2021

Are You Delivering Great Customer Experiences?
Amex reports that US consumers say they’re willing to spend 17 percent more to do business with companies that deliver excellent service.  Connect with one of your favorite service providers and you immediately feel the difference in the experience that makes this establishment one of your chosen few.

Title: Are You Delivering Great Customer Experiences? Format: HTML Article Month: December 2020

Do You Have a Strong Service Breakdown Plan?
Customers have changed!  Nearly 80% of American consumers point to speed, convenience, knowledgeable help and friendly service as the most important elements of a positive customer experience.

Title: Do You Have a Strong Service Breakdown Plan? Format: HTML Article Month: November 2020

Does Your Organization Partner Internally to Deliver Great Service?
Customers are so different today!  Their expectations have increased exponentially in the last 12 months even without considering the impact of the pandemic!  They have raised the bar to a very high level on how they view customer experience.

Title: Does Your Organization Partner Internally to Deliver Great Service? Format: HTML Article Month: October 2020

Are You Keeping Up with Customer Expectations?
Customers are different today!  Their ever changing expectations continue to increase!  54% of customers have higher expectations for customer service today compared to one year ago!  They have raised the bar on how they view customer experience.

Title: Are You Keeping Up with Customer Expectations? Format: HTML Article Month: September 2020

Can your front line team provide a Great Service Exit?
The opening keynote was preceded by the safety briefing for the large banquet hall attendees.  It was the usual “in case of fire” cautions and instructions.  It dramatically and clearly called attention to the exit signs over the doors completely invisible in an otherwise “take it for granted” perspective.

Title: Can your front line team provide a Great Service Exit? Format: HTML Article Month: August 2020

As You Re-open Are Your Employees Making Special Experiences?
As businesses reopen their physical locations and customers adapt to the new normal of all kinds of virtual experiences it has become more important than ever before to deliver consistently great experiences.

Title: As You Re-open Are Your Employees Making Special Experiences? Format: HTML Article Month: July 2020

How has the Pandemic changed your Customers’ Journey?
A man lived right by the railroad track.  For years, the train roared by his bedroom window at two-o’clock every morning.  He grew so accustomed to it that it never disturbed his sleep.  One night no train came through.

Title: How has the Pandemic changed your Customers’ Journey? Format: HTML Article Month: June 2020

Communicating Who & What Matters Most
The “new normal” is anything but normal.  We have witnessed a terrible pandemic with reverberations throughout our country, our people and our economy.  This is a very difficult time for many people, We know that we’ll get through it but these are challenging times.  We wish all our readers the best.

Title: Communicating Who & What Matters Most Format: HTML Article Month: May 2020

COVID-19 Crisis Management Planning with a Customer Focus
On January 28, 1986, the world watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of all of its seven crew members.

Title: COVID-19 Crisis Management Planning with a Customer Focus Format: HTML Article Month: April 2020

Are You Rewarding Behaviors for Great Service?
We believe there are three ingredients that create a superb service greatness recipe for today’s Wired & Dangerous customer.  Those ingredients are: the dream, the drive, and the discipline.

Title: Are You Rewarding Behaviors for Great Service? Format: HTML Article Month: March 2020

Keeping the Relationship in the Customer’s Experience
CX (customer experience) has been hot for a few years.  But, IT wizardry and the push to cut costs by un-humanizing the service experience has too often removed the “relationship” aspect from “customer experience.

Title: Keeping the Relationship in the Customer’s Experience Format: HTML Article Month: February 2020

Today’s Wired & Dangerous Customers Want It Their Way and Want It When They Want It!
Early one morning Chip Bell was in his side yard and walked up on a huge elaborate spider web complete with its designer-tenant.  As he approached the artwork, the spider began to vibrate the web sending early morning dewdrops everywhere.

Title: Today’s Wired & Dangerous Customers Want It Their Way and Want It When They Want It! Format: HTML Article Month: January 2020

Happy Holidays 2019!
The holiday season is a great time to stop and reflect on your efforts to ensure your customers feel appreciated for no other reason than they are your customers!

Title: Happy Holidays 2019! Format: HTML Article Month: December 2019

Seeing Your Customers in a New Light
What would he see or think if you brought in Dr. Indiana Jones to help you better understand your customers?  Or, better still, if Margaret Mead or Ruth Benedict was your customer anthropology coach?

Title: Seeing Your Customers in a New Light Format: HTML Article Month: November 2019

Are You “Loving Up” Your Customers?
National Customer Service Week is October 7th - 11th.  I hope you have many special activities planned to “love up” your customers during this special week!

Title: Are You “Loving Up” Your Customers? Format: HTML Article Month: October 2019

Does Your Service Menu Meet Your Customers’ Expectations?
Menus can tell you a lot about a restaurant.  Some menus have limited choices; some have way too many.  Many have rules like “no substitutions,” “salad bar extra,” or “breakfast only served until 10:30 am.”

Title: Does Your Service Menu Meet Your Customers’ Expectations? Format: HTML Article Month: September 2019

Recipe for Great Customer Experiences!
In today’s hyper competitive market customers long for organizations they can trust.  They trust organizations who consistently deliver great experiences.  The kind of experiences that take the customer’s breath away!

Title: Recipe for Great Customer Experiences! Format: HTML Article Month: August 2019

What Kind of Character Does Your Service Deliver?
Recent research shows that 86% of customers say loyalty is primarily driven by likeability and 83% of customers say TRUST.

Title: What Kind of Character Does Your Service Deliver? Format: HTML Article Month: July 2019

How Powerful is the Experience You are Currently Delivering to Customers?
Customers have changed!  Research shows their expectations for customer service have increased significantly in the last 12 months.  When it comes to deciding where to shop, 64% of people rate quality of customer experience as more important than price.

Title: How Powerful is the Experience You are Currently Delivering to Customers? Format: HTML Article Month: June 2019

How Can You Put Customers In Position To Guide Your Direction?
Have you noticed that your customers have changed?  79% of customers say they want brands to demonstrate that they care before they will consider a purchase.  They have raised the bar on how they view customer experience.

Title: How Can You Put Customers In Position To Guide Your Direction? Format: HTML Article Month: May 2019

What’s Your Plan In Case Of A Service Breakdown?
Customers have changed!  79% of customers say they want brands to demonstrate that they care before they will consider a purchase!  Made smarter by the internet, they are empowered and emboldened to accept nothing short of value.

Title: What’s Your Plan In Case Of A Service Breakdown? Format: HTML Article Month: April 2019

Are Your Customers Free to Come and Go?
Growing up on a cattle farm is a chance to see both the promise and perils of freedom.  For months cows leisurely graze, sleep in the shade, and drink water from a nearby pond.

Title: Are Your Customers Free to Come and Go? Format: HTML Article Month: March 2019

Great Teams = Great Customer Experiences
Customers today are picky, fickle, vocal and vain.  They are Vain--expecting treatment that telegraphs they are special and unique, not just one of the masses.

Title: Great Teams = Great Customer Experiences Format: HTML Article Month: February 2019

Have You Created a Great Service Exit?
The opening keynote was preceded by the safety briefing for the large banquet hall attendees.  It was the usual “in case of fire” cautions and instructions.

Title: Have You Created a Great Service Exit? Format: HTML Article Month: January 2019

What Does Your Attitude Convey to Customers?
You are in complete control of your attitude.  Victor Frankl in his classic book, Man’s Search For Meaning, described how prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp in World War II determined their longevity by the way they imagined their future.

Title: What Does Your Attitude Convey to Customers? Format: HTML Article Month: December 2018

Are You Learning Via Your Customer Intelligence Process?
What do you do with customer complaint magnification?  How do you ferret out certainty from behind the customer’s emotional camouflage?  How often do you reach out to customers to hear how they really feel about their experience with your organization?

Title: Are You Learning Via Your Customer Intelligence Process? Format: HTML Article Month: November 2018

Does Your Team Have a Back-Up Process for Service?
The opening keynote was preceded by the safety briefing for the large banquet hall attendees.  It was the usual “in case of fire” cautions and instructions.

Title: Does Your Team Have a Back-Up Process for Service? Format: HTML Article Month: October 2018

Today’s Customers are LOUD!
The internet has increased customers’ assertiveness in voicing their views.  Social media is completely changing the landscape of communication.  Social media drives five times the impact of traditional word of mouth.

Title: Today’s Customers are LOUD! Format: HTML Article Month: September 2018

Customers Today Call For Consistency!
Customers today are more powerful than ever!  And they base the majority of their decision on where to spend their hard earned dollars on the customer service experiences they encounter.

Title: Customers Today Call For Consistency! Format: HTML Article Month: August 2018

The Real Worth of Great Service
I had a funny dream that I was in a fast-food restaurant.  Instead of the proverbial, “Would you like fries with that?” I got “Would you like good service with that?”  When I answered affirmatively, the counter clerk added fifty cents to my five-dollar tab.

Title: The Real Worth of Great Service Format: HTML Article Month: July 2018

Symbols of Customer Allegiance
Allegiance pledging is often done through a symbol.  We say, “I pledge allegiance to the flag…and, to the republic for which it stands.”  We have religious symbols—a cross, a star of David, a statue--to which we pledge allegiance.

Title: Symbols of Customer Allegiance Format: HTML Article Month: June 2018

What Happened to Relationships?
CRM has been hot for a few years.  But, IT wizardry and the push to cut costs by de-humanizing the service experience has too often removed the “relationship” from “customer relationship management.”

Title: What Happened to Relationships? Format: HTML Article Month: May 2018

How Do Your Customers Rate Your Level of Innovation?
You take your car in for regular maintenance and your body in for a physical exam.  What about the service you provide to your customers?  Does it get a regular check-up?

Title: How Do Your Customers Rate Your Level of Innovation? Format: HTML Article Month: April 2018

Delivering Great Service Begins with a Spirit of Greatness
Customers have changed!  We know that customers’ expectations are higher than ever.  Research we have reviewed suggests customer expectations have risen as much as 33% in a year!

Title: Delivering Great Service Begins with a Spirit of Greatness Format: HTML Article Month: March 2018

The Magic of Service Sand!
The oyster is an amazing member of the sea world. It maintains a pristine environment inside its cloistered tough shell used for protection and for camouflage.  However, once in a great while a grain of sand gets inside the shell.

Title: The Magic of Service Sand! Format: HTML Article Month: February 2018

Handling Customer Service Emergencies
The dinner party was super important because of the particular guests invited.  It was one-fifth entertainment, one-fifth showcase, and at least five-fifths big-deal sales opportunity!

Title: Handling Customer Service Emergencies Format: HTML Article Month: January 2018

How Graceful is Your Service?
“Thank you for being my customers,” the shop owner said to a group of prospects who seemed to be loitering in his small mall-based store.

Title: How Graceful is Your Service? Format: HTML Article Month: December 2017

What’s Up With Thought Leaders?
“Thought leader” is the new “big deal” label in corporate America.  I completely get the meaning of team leader or shift leader or ring leader.

Title: What’s Up With Thought Leaders? Format: HTML Article Month: November 2017

Viewing The Customer Journey Through A New Lense
What would he see or think if you brought in Dr. Indiana Jones to help you better understand your customers?  Or, better still, if Margaret Mead or Ruth Benedict was your customer anthropology coach?

Title: Viewing The Customer Journey Through A New Lense Format: HTML Article Month: October 2017

Are Your Customers Experiencing Unconditional Service?
Ramen is a traditional Japanese noodle dish that, well prepared, is a highly-desired delicacy. That is the back story for the movie, The Ramen Girl.

Title: Are Your Customers Experiencing Unconditional Service? Format: HTML Article Month: September 2017

Take Your Customer’s Breath Away!
Today’s wired and dangerous customer is looking for organizations that are continuously pushing to improve the customer journey and take their customers’ experience to new heights.  Delivering a customer experience that satisfies the customer is not nearly enough to create loyalty and growth.

Title: Take Your Customer’s Breath Away! Format: HTML Article Month: August 2017

Can You Afford NOT To Offer A Lifetime Customer Experience Warranty?
Lifetime warranties are a common feature of the product world.  They essentially say “we guarantee that the object you bought will work as long as you own it.  If the product ever fails, we promise to replace it or repair it to your satisfaction.”

Title: Can You Afford NOT To Offer A Lifetime Customer Experience Warranty? Format: HTML Article Month: July 2017

Does Your Service Have An Emergency Back up Capability?
Customers have changed!  Made smarter by the internet, they are empowered and emboldened to accept nothing short of value.  It has made them Fickle—quicker to leave if unhappy.

Title: Does Your Service Have An Emergency Back up Capability? Format: HTML Article Month: June 2017

Are Your Customers Creating Storms?
Last year, Forbes reported that businesses are losing $62 billion per year through poor customer service.  93% of Americans say organizations fail to exceed their customer service expectations!

Title: Are Your Customers Creating Storms? Format: HTML Article Month: May 2017

Your Service Sucks!
We are in the peak of the season of hyperbole. Spend a few minutes listening to the scream of the media and you learn, according to some pundit, every politician is a saint, insane or Satan.

Title: Your Service Sucks! Format: HTML Article Month: April 2017

Oversee Your Customer’s "Real Time" Journey
Customers are changing rapidly and keeping up with customer expectations in a world where nobody wants to complete another survey can be very challenging!

Title: Oversee Your Customer’s "Real Time" Journey Format: HTML Article Month: March 2017

Taking Care of Loyal Customers
And as new customers become long-term customers, their worth increases--they buy more, spend more, advocate more, and generally are less expensive to serve since they do not require customer training when they deal with you.

Title: Taking Care of Loyal Customers Format: HTML Article Month: February 2017

Did You Bring Your Service Greatness Attitude Today?
You are in complete control of your attitude.  Victor Frankl in his classic book, Man’s Search For Meaning, described how prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp in World War II determined their longevity by the way they imagined their future.

Title: Did You Bring Your Service Greatness Attitude Today? Format: HTML Article Month: January 2017

Two Very Powerful Words
As the holiday season approaches I think it is very appropriate to stop for a moment and reflect on how we show our gratitude.  “Thank you!”  These are arguably the two most powerful words in the English language.

Title: Two Very Powerful Words Format: HTML Article Month: December 2016

How Would Your Customers Rate Your Integrity?
Customers today are Picky — more cautious in their choices (and they have many more choices), and interested only in getting obvious value for their money.  Customers are Fickle — much quicker to leave if unhappy.

Title: How Would Your Customers Rate Your Integrity? Format: HTML Article Month: November 2016

National Customer Service Week: Twenty Five Ways to Show Your Loyalty to Your Customers
Welcome to this special article marking National Customer Service Week – October 3-7th.  I hope you are delivering special care and appreciation to your customers this week but also every other week.

Title: National Customer Service Week: Twenty Five Ways to Show Your Loyalty to Your Customers Format: HTML Article Month: October 2016

Four Keys to Crafting an Effective Service Vision
Creating a service vision for your company is vital to ensuring your customers and you have a keen understanding of what you offer and how it is differentiated from today’s hyper competitive market.

Title: Four Keys to Crafting an Effective Service Vision Format: HTML Article Month: September 2016

Hosting Customers
I was on my way to a meeting and stopped for lunch.  I am a major fan of McDonald’s French fries—the best on the planet.  I also enjoy the Chick-fil-A salads.  Luckily the two fast-food restaurants were right next door to each other.

Title: Hosting Customers Format: HTML Article Month: August 2016

Searching for the DNA of Customer Experience
What is the DNA of customer service?  What if we assumed there was a component in the service encounter unique to each customer?

Title: Searching for the DNA of Customer Experience Format: HTML Article Month: July 2016

Happy Processes for Innovative Service!
What is a service process?  Given the high level of importance that customers today place on their experience, making certain your processes are “happy” is critical for service success.

Title: Happy Processes for Innovative Service! Format: HTML Article Month: June 2016

It Takes a Country to Deliver Great Service!
Customers are different today!  Their expectations have increased over 33% in the last 12 months!  They have raised the bar on how they view customer experience.  They are looking for service providers who consistently deliver service experiences that drive loyalty!

Title: It Takes a Country to Deliver Great Service! Format: HTML Article Month: May 2016

You Make Me Want To Be A Better...Customer?
Most great movies have one line worthy of frequent repeats: Show me the money; Frankly, my dear…; Win one for the Gipper; Make my day; Greed is good.  The list goes on and on.  What would service need to be like for your customers to say, “You make me want to be a better customer?”

Title: You Make Me Want To Be A Better...Customer? Format: HTML Article Month: April 2016

Politics & Your Customer
The political season is upon us!  And, with a presidential debate every few days, candidates are getting plenty of opportunities to utter misspoken sound bites.

Title: Politics & Your Customer Format: HTML Article Month: March 2016

Making Emotional Connections for Great Service
We have studied the ingredients for GREAT service for many years and we have consulted with some of the brands most renowned for great service.  Here are our favorite eight rules for building customer loyalty through emotional connections.

Title: Making Emotional Connections for Great Service Format: HTML Article Month: February 2016

Where Does Respect Fit in the Customer Journey?
Designing and implementing a customer journey that drives great experiences is a hot topic today.  Customers have their “antennae” on high alert for journeys that are not easy or frictionless, They quickly leave providers whose journeys lack appropriate expressions of gratitude for their business.

Title: Where Does Respect Fit in the Customer Journey? Format: HTML Article Month: January 2016

The 5 Star Service Puzzle
Puzzles are fun…especially, on a rainy day when there’s no ballgame on television.  Puzzles can be a great bonding experience for families. Putting a puzzle together has a lot of similarities with creating a great “5 star” customer experience.

Title: The 5 Star Service Puzzle Format: HTML Article Month: December 2015

The Power of Now
The root canal had a hiccup.  Three weeks after the dental procedure, I called my world-class dentist to alert him that mild discomfort had returned to my wayward tooth.  I was calling for an appointment. “He wants to see you right now,” said the receptionist.

Title: The Power of Now Format: HTML Article Month: November 2015

Do You “Love Up” Your Customers?
National Customer Service Week is October 5th – 9th and I hope you will be showing your customers your own brand of "special customer love" during this week!

Title: Do You “Love Up” Your Customers? Format: HTML Article Month: October 2015

Taking Service Out of Customer Service
We were participating in a panel discussion at a conference of Fortune 100 CIO’s.  One senior leader of one of the 10 largest banks in the nation asked: “How can we maximize the profitability and efficiency of our call centers while minimizing the customer’s involvement?”

Title: Taking Service Out of Customer Service Format: HTML Article Month: September 2015

The Significance of Customer Semantics
At what point does a pond become a lake?  A farmer becomes a rancher?  A boat becomes a yacht or ship?  We have a lot of confusion in semantics in our language.  How about customers?

Title: The Significance of Customer Semantics Format: HTML Article Month: August 2015

Don’t Be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish with today’s Wired & Dangerous Customer
A few years ago, John Barrier, in Spokane, Washington, asked a bank receptionist to validate his parking slip after he'd cashed a check.  With a glance at his dirty construction clothes, the receptionist informed him that he hadn't conducted a real “transaction” and suggested he make a deposit.

Title: Don’t Be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish with today’s Wired & Dangerous Customer Format: HTML Article Month: July 2015

Read Your Customer’s Mind
It all started at one of those traveling fairs...the ones that set up in the parking lot of a shopping center with a few rides and attractions.

Title: Read Your Customer’s Mind Format: HTML Article Month: June 2015

What Makes GREAT Service GREAT?
What is it that enables these organizations to consistently wow their customers?  We believe from our latest research, consulting and everyday experiences there are 5 characteristics shared by great service providers that make great service great.

Title: What Makes GREAT Service GREAT? Format: HTML Article Month: May 2015

Leading “Mad Scientists”
We use the label “mad scientists,” not as a reference to some evil maladjusted type like Dr. Strangelove or Frankenstein, but rather as the catch-all phrase for the gifted eccentric and unconventional wild ducks that occasionally enter organizations.

Title: Leading “Mad Scientists” Format: HTML Article Month: April 2015

SURPRISE! Add Sprinkles to Your Customers’ Experiences
“Anyone who’s a chef, who loves food, ultimately knows that all that matters is:  Is it good?  Does it give pleasure?” wrote Anthony Bourdain, celebrity chef and host of the TV show Parts Unknown.

Title: SURPRISE! Add Sprinkles to Your Customers’ Experiences Format: HTML Article Month: March 2015

Innovative Service: Delivering Service that Creates Customer Advocates
We walked into the Marriott Windsor, Connecticut on a Monday about 8:20pm after a two hour flight from Atlanta to find a crowd at the Front Desk.  Looking for dinner we headed directly to the restaurant and requested our favorite server, Lacey.

Title: Innovative Service: Innovative Service: Delivering Service that Creates Customer Advocates Format: HTML Article Month: February 2015

Innovative Service: Customer Connections for Great Experiences!
Walk into one of your favorite service providers and you immediately feel the difference in the experience that makes this establishment one of your chosen few.  What is the difference?

Title: Innovative Service: Customer Connections for Great Experiences! Format: HTML Article Month: January 2015

Great Service the Atlanta Cycling Way!
Customers today use experience (what providers put them through) as their number one decision factor when selecting an organization to do business with.

Title: Great Service the Atlanta Cycling Way! Format: HTML Article Month: December 2014

Designing a Survey Your Customers Will Actually Complete
Asking your customers to rate their service experience from “unsatisfied” to “very satisfied” is like asking them to give you no grade higher than a C!

Title: Designing a Survey Your Customers Will Actually Complete Format: HTML Article Month: November 2014

Innovative Change + Remarkable Service = Customer Loyalty
It is not ironic that the word for “transformation” and the word for that “jingle in your pocket” are the same: change.

Title: Innovative Change + Remarkable Service = Customer Loyalty Format: HTML Article Month: October 2014

Innovative Service: Service with a Spirit of Greatness!
Customers have changed!  As we exit the “great recession” we know that customers’ expectations are higher than ever.

Title: Innovative Service: Service with a Spirit of Greatness! Format: HTML Article Month: September 2014

Creating Consistency for Innovative Service
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on a hot August afternoon in 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a well-chronicled speech.  His oratory did not start with the words, “I have a strategic plan.”

Title: Creating Consistency for Innovative Service Format: HTML Article Month: August 2014

Chopped Liver: Why Your Customers Leave
The etymology (word history) of the question, “What am I, chopped liver?” originated from the use of chopped liver as a side dish.

Title: Chopped Liver: Why Your Customers Leave Format: HTML Article Month: July 2014

Great Leaders are Champions, Not Shepherds
John Longstreet is the CEO of Quaker Steak and Lube, a motor-themed, family fun restaurant chain.  He is also one of the best leaders we have ever known.

Title: Great Leaders are Champions, Not Shepherds Format: HTML Article Month: June 2014

Customer Forensics
Columbo was a wildly popular television series in the 1970s.  The late Peter Falk portrayed Lieutenant Columbo, a seemingly naïve, disorganized investigator attempting to unravel a crime.

Title: Customer Forensics Format: HTML Article Month: May 2014

Customer-Centric Crisis Management
On January 28, 1986, the world watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of all of its seven crew members.

Title: Customer-Centric Crisis Management Format: HTML Article Month: April 2014

How to Serve As Expert
It all started with a discussion with a start-up company about how customers assess the quality of the performance of a service skill they know nothing or little about.  The particular performance happened to be an auto mechanic.

Title: How to Serve As Expert Format: HTML Article Month: March 2014

Serving When Customer Pain Must Be Involved
Castor oil:  “A foul tasting oil used in the 1950s to cure whatever ailment a kid claimed he had that would keep him from having to get on the early-morning school bus.”

Title: Serving When Customer Pain Must Be Involved Format: HTML Article Month: February 2014

Serving Today’s Wired and Dangerous Customer
The landscape of customer service has been re-contoured.  Today’s customers are not at all the way they used to be 20 years ago.  What has caused customers to be so different?

Title: Serving Today’s Wired and Dangerous Customer Format: HTML Article Month: January 2014

Service Gifts
This is the season of gifts.  Christmas trees are filled with gifts.  Hanukkah has eight days of gift giving.  Almost every faith in the world uses the giving of gifts for important symbols.

Title: Service Gifts Format: HTML Article Month: December 15, 2013

If Service Were a Christmas Ornament
Sooner or later it happens if you decorate enough Christmas trees over a long enough time.  At some point you discover that almost all of the ornaments are handmade or have some special meaning.

Title: If Service Were a Christmas Ornament Format: HTML Article Month: December 1, 2013

Season of Servicegiving
Blame it on the pilgrims!  We are about to experience Thanksgiving, at least in the U.S., in a very traditional way.

Title: Season of Servicegiving Format: HTML Article Month: November 15, 2013

The Halloween of Service
Halloween has come and gone!  Parents reflect on October 31st with colorful pictures in their minds—sugar highs, “who ‘ya gonna be this year.

Title: The Halloween of Service Format: HTML Article Month: November 1, 2013

Serving with Pride
Today is the day we celebrate our veterans.  I am a veteran and served as an infantry unit commander in combat with the elite 82nd Airborne.

Title: Serving with Pride Format: HTML Article Month: October 15, 2013

The Fall of Summer
Fall leaves are a lot like customers.  They typically don’t depart simply due to the lure of a competitor like gravity invites a leaf to the ground.

Title: The Fall of Summer Format: HTML Article Month: October 1, 2013

Protecting the Good Stuff
“Matt, give a $10-12 Merlot with an attractive label.”  The request came from the customer in front of me at my favorite adult beverage store.

Title: Protecting the Good Stuff Format: HTML Article Month: September 15, 2013

Service and the Art of Grilling
Holidays like Labor Day are excellent times to sharpen your grilling skills.  I am an avid steak griller.  When entertaining guests, it is important to begin the grilling process by gathering a bit of steak intelligence.

Title: Service and the Art of Grilling Format: HTML Article Month: September 1, 2013

Solo, Duet or Chorus Service?
I love self-service...when it works.  But when solo service fails me, it feels like losing your dollar in a vending machine at a remote location.  Who you gonna call?

Title: Solo, Duet or Chorus Service? Format: HTML Article Month: August 15, 2013

Panning for Service Gold
A fun activity for my grandchildren when they visit my North Georgia weekend home is panning for gold.  The sand comes from a sandy river bank near a sight that was a part of the gold rush in the early 1800’s.

Title: Panning for Service Gold Format: HTML Article Month: August 1, 2013

Service as Circus
“The circus is coming to town!” were words that started every child’s heart racing where I grew up.  You did not “go” to the circus; it came to you.

Title: Service as Circus Format: HTML Article Month: July 15, 2013

Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave
Conjunctions are so bland!  Especially when verbs can bring to language so much more inspiration and animation.  And, Independence Day is clearly a time for verbs.

Title: Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave Format: HTML Article Month: July 1, 2013

Insuring Swimming Pools against Theft
Customers are getting weary of service providers overselling them features they do not need and will never need.  When my phone bill seemed higher than it needed to be I called my phone service provider.

Title: Insuring Swimming Pools against Theft Format: HTML Article Month: June 15, 2013

Great Service is Summer Camp
We are just beyond the season of summer camp!  My eight year old granddaughter, Kaylee, went to her first overnight camp in July...for two weeks and in another state!

Title: Great Service is Summer Camp Format: HTML Article Month: June 1, 2013

Are You a Proud Service Veteran
Veterans are people who serve or have served in the military.  Proud veterans also served, but never were able to get the memories, pride and faithfulness out of their system.

Title: Are You a Proud Service Veteran Format: HTML Article Month: May 15, 2013

You Are Not an Island
It all started with a missing subwoofer speaker cord.  I had purchased a set of speakers which the new receiver promptly blew.  The electronics store was an hour from my home.

Title: You Are Not an Island Format: HTML Article Month: May 1, 2013

Air Conditioned Service
The air conditioning system broke in the little country church we attend when we have a getaway weekend to our North Georgia river house.

Title: Air Conditioned Service Format: HTML Article Month: April 15, 2013

Serving Eagles
An eagle got the neighbors talking.  My backyard fronts a large lake with a cove wrapping around each side of the lot.

Title: Serving Eagles Format: HTML Article Month: April 1, 2013

Missing the Sign
If you saw a familiar white triangular-shaped highway sign that had a red border but the letters were missing, would you recognize the shape and know exactly what to do?

Title: Missing the Sign Format: HTML Article Month: March 15, 2013

Electric Service
Did you ever wonder why electricians refer to an ineffective electrical connection as a “bad” connection, like it was misbehaving and in need of punishment?  It is how many service providers view angry customers.

Title: Electric Service Format: HTML Article Month: March 1, 2013

Are Customer Relationships on the Demise?
What do you expect from the elevator or escalator where you frequently traffic?  You probably want the service to be quiet, reliable and traverse up and down at just the right speed.

Title: Are Customer Relationships on the Demise? Format: HTML Article Month: February 15, 2013

Are Stupid Rules Hiding in Your Organization?
When Alexander II was the Czar of what is now Russia in the mid 1800’s, he look out of his palace window and observed a soldier guarding an area of the palace lawn which appeared to be little more than empty space.

Title: Are Stupid Rules Hiding in Your Organization? Format: HTML Article Month: February 1, 2013

Service Lessons from a Speeding Ticket
I admit I was driving 70 mph!  It was a bright Sunday morning and I was driving on a four-lane highway in a rural area with not car on the road.  Without warning (and without any change in the setting), the speed limit dropped to 45 mph.

Title: Service Lessons from a Speeding Ticket Format: HTML Article Month: January 15, 2013

The Storm of Customer Discontent
Sitting by the window on the top floor of a high-rise Dallas hotel provides an amazing panoramic view.  Weather becomes up close and personal.  I watched a major rain storm crawl across the distant plains to deliver a hard punch to downtown Dallas streets.

Title: The Storm of Customer Discontent Format: HTML Article Month: January 1, 2013

Service Gifts
This is the season of gifts.  Christmas trees are filled with gifts.  Hanukkah has eight days of gift giving.  Almost every faith in the world uses the giving of gifts for important symbols.

Title: Service Gifts Format: HTML Article Month: December 2012

Electric Service
Did you ever wonder why electricians refer to an ineffective electrical connection as a “bad” connection, like it was misbehaving and in need of punishment?  It is how many service providers view angry customers.

Title: Electric Service Format: HTML Article Month: November 2012

If Service Were an Auto Show
It was a perfect Saturday afternoon.  The local merchants association used a festive antique auto show as the magnet to pull customers into the small town square.  The spirit was ramped up even higher by the local radio show broadcasting from the square.

Title: If Service Were an Auto Show Format: HTML Article Month: October 2012

How Tabby Got Rescued
Tabby was a new kitten to the neighborhood.  Escaping from her brand new owner’s side porch one afternoon, she climbed to the top of the tallest tree in the area.  Neighbors advised the owner to let Tabby come down on her own.

Title: How Tabby Got Rescued Format: HTML Article Month: September 2012

Bad Gas in a New Generator
It has been an unusual season for tornadoes in the South—several records have been set for most tornados in a day, longest on the ground, most deaths in some states, etc.  It made me glad I bought a gasoline-powered generator three years ago.

Title: Bad Gas in a New Generator Format: HTML Article Month: August 2012

A River Runs Through Service
Standing on the banks of a magnificent river, your imagination can run wild.  A mighty river can take you many miles, connecting you with countless ports and people along the way.  Rivers are still an important source of commerce transportation.

Title: A River Runs Through Service Format: HTML Article Month: July 2012

My Lawnmower would like to Meet Your Weed eater
Futurists use to tell us the day would come when your appliances would be able to communicate with each other.  Imagine your microwave asking your refrigerator, “What’s for dinner?” and your air conditioner telling your tub to, “Start a hot bath!”

Title: My Lawnmower would like to Meet Your Weed eater Format: HTML Article Month: June 2012

Fly-Fishing for Customers
Very big disclaimer!  There are parts of a fishing metaphor that do not work when it comes to great customer service—like bait, hook, catch, or reeling in.  But, regular fishing is to fly-fishing what whittling might be to scrimshaw; or grilling might be to gourmet confectionary baking!

Title: Fly-Fishing for Customers Format: HTML Article Month: May 2012

The Spring of Service
The spring season is a time of metamorphous.  Ugly brown bushes become green blossoms.  Dreary trees become an engaging lush habitat for colorful birds to sing their very best mating songs.  Fat bumble bees visit bright flowers to lap up nectar that nurtures more growth.

Title: The Spring of Service Format: HTML Article Month: April 2012

Protecting the Good Stuff
“Matt, give a $10-12 Merlot with an attractive label.”  The request came from the customer in front of me at my favorite adult beverage store.  The customer smiled at the clever name on the bottle of wine Matt picked for him.  It made me recall my early experience with moonshine whiskey.

Title: Protecting the Good Stuff Format: HTML Article Month: March 2012

The Super Bowl of Service
There is always something about those “best in class” or “top 10” lists that attract us.  Unless selection is determined by some objective score, we argue with the results.  “I had lousy service from Acme Pyrotechnics!  How come they are on this big deal list?”

Title: The Super Bowl of Service Format: HTML Article Month: February 2012

Dance Me to the End of Service
The deep, gravelly voice of Leonard Cohen sings his hit song “Dance Me to the End of Love” to a lingering Hungarian-like melody.  A single violin makes the experience haunting.  The mystery of the tune matches the romance of the words.

Title: Dance Me to the End of Service Format: HTML Article Month: January 2012

Taking Care of Service Air
There is no season that announces its arrival as loudly as the winter holiday.  Drive down the neighborhood streets at night and you witness an array of colorful decorations.  It reminds me of my first Christmas as a married adult.  We bought a tree early so we could get the best shape.

Title: Taking Care of Service Air Format: HTML Article Month: December 2011

The Future of Service
What is the future of customer service?  One recent author claimed that the best service is no service.  That might become truer than you think.  What if we took the current trends and pushed them out a few years?

Title: The Future of Service Format: HTML Article Month: November 2011

Looking Forward from the Service Museum
A quick trip to any museum not only provides an interesting picture of yesteryear, it reveals an instructive barometer on the ways we have changed.  What would be the artifacts and displays in a Service Museum?  And what would it tell us about the ways customers have changed?

Title: Looking Forward from the Service Museum Format: HTML Article Month: October 2011

Rethinking the Meaning of Service
“There is absolutely no ambiguity about the true meaning of a back blast,” barked the Army sergeant as he was cautioning recruits in boot camp to avoid getting behind an anti-tank bazooka (now the M72 LAW) about to be fired.  How many things in life have “absolutely no ambiguity about their true meaning?”

Title: Rethinking the Meaning of Service Format: HTML Article Month: September 2011

How to “Serve in the Dark” Like a Partner
How do you create a partner-like relationship with customers whose face you never see?  There have always been a host of service providers whose only service signature was the quality of the work they left for the customer--the hotel housekeeper, the auto repair person on the other side of the "customers not allowed beyond this point" sign.

Title: How to “Serve in the Dark” Like a Partner Format: HTML Article Month: August 2011

How to Serve As Expert
It all started with a discussion with a start-up company about how customers assess the quality of the performance of a service skill they know nothing or little about.  The particular performance happened to be an auto mechanic.

Title: How to Serve As Expert Format: HTML Article Month: July 2011

Are You a Genius or Smart?
Chip traded in his Motorola flip phone and Blackberry for a brand spanking new iPhone at his neighborhood AT&T store.  Warren Burgess was the perfect sales person.  But, within a week Chip’s happy scale had dropped from delight to disappointment––the iPhone speaker would not advance past the whisper level.

Title: Are You a Genius or Smart? Format: HTML Article Month: June 2011

Honesty is Not a Policy
The Delta regional jet was packed.  As the flight backed away from the gate, the flight attendant began her ritualistic safety spiel about seatbelts, sudden turbulence and smoking.  She ended by saying, “The flying time to Grand Rapids will be two hours…no, it will be an hour and a half…no, actually, I don’t know.”  The cabin erupted with laughter and applause.

Title: Honesty is Not a Policy Format: HTML Article Month: May 2011

Let Your Customers Count Cows
“Counting cows” was a backseat game parents used years ago in rural areas to quell the endless “Are we there yet?” queries from their children.  The rules were simple:  each person took one side of the car when the journey began.  One point was given for every cow you saw on your side; five points for every horse, and if a graveyard appeared on your side, you lost all your points and had to start over again.  Active participation in a simple, competitive game made the car trip seem much shorter.

Title: Let Your Customers Count Cows Format: HTML Article Month: April 2011

Hitting the Culture Change Wall
Culture change is fun!  It always starts with lots of exciting meetings, colorful new posters, really cool buttons to wear, and even new screen savers reminding you to “Thrive on!” or “Right First Time Every Time” or “We Break for Breaks” or whatever the code name is for the super important, this-is-the-big-one culture change effort.  People get to leave their regular jobs and go to special training.  And, there is always the special banquet with its banter, banners, and big deal speeches from the folks at the tippy top of the organization’s food chain.

Title: Hitting the Culture Change Wall Format: HTML Article Month: March 2011

The Pursuit of Customer Insight
The mayor of Santa Clarita, California annually holds a hairdresser’s luncheon.  The goal of the special event is a focused one--to learn what citizens are really concerned about.  The mayor knows citizens will tell their hairdressers what they would never report in a city-wide survey.

Title: The Pursuit of Customer Insight Format: HTML Article Month: February 2011

The Music is Not in the Guitar
“The music is not in the guitar” are lines from an extraordinary new book called Life is Good by Jake and Rocket (aka, Bert and John Jacobs).  It holds a special message for remarkable service.  Examine how much energy and resources organizations typically spend on CRM software, ironclad return policies, service processes and procedures, and call center metric mania.  In the end, service is not about stuff--it is about people creating positively memorable experiences for customers.  Even erudite and super sterile business to business connections are far less B2B than P2P--people to people.

Title: The Music is Not in the Guitar Format: HTML Article Month: January 2011

Leading Mad Scientists
James Cameron is a "Mad Scientist"—and director of the two highest grossing movies ever made—Titanic and Avatar. Apple CEO Steve Jobs is probably a "mad scientist."  So were Ludwig Beethoven, Henry Ford and Amelia Earhart.  Who could deny their gigantic contributions or incredible gifts?  We use mad scientists not as a reference to some evil maladjusted type like Dr. Strangelove or Frankenstein, but rather as the catch-all phrase for the gifted eccentric and unconventional wild ducks that occasionally enter organizations.  Some are nerdy, some are whiz kids without manners, and some are amazing talents marching to their own drum.  For organizations they bring a mixed blessing.

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With Trumps For
How many times have you looked at a product and thought, "I wish I'd thought of that?"  Today's winning organizations—the ones with the endearing and enduring products and services, design them with customers rather than for customers.  The for group creates a product or service and then conducts market research, including focus groups to get customers' reactions for refinement; "I prefer the blue one over the green one" The customer is viewed as a judge not as a partner.

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Service Leaders Simplicity
"Good Morning!  Welcome to our USAToday route.  Now, if I should miss you, please call me at the number below.  I'll personally re-deliver your paper as soon as possible.  If you have a complaint that you and I can't solve, you may call my district manager directly.  His name and number are also below.  Thanks a lot.  We really appreciate your business."  This is the letter to the USAToday home delivery Chip received with his first paper.  It was crafted, copied, and conveyed by the local delivery person, Hazel.  Look at its tone and message!  The top concern of newspaper customers is "not getting a paper."

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Growing Champions
What do Clint Eastwood in the movie Million Dollar Baby, Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire, and Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans—have in common?  They are characters who supported and sought the best in others, even in their darkest hours.  Growing champions isn't necessarily about applause, cheers, or approval.  Those actions may be present, but champion growers go above and beyond run-of-the-mill recognition.  They use the philosophy: if you want something to grow, pour champagne on it.

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Imaginative Service
Delight your customer!  Provide value-added service!  These have been mantras of customer service gurus.  How do utilities avoid sending a mixed message by telling the front line to "wow" their customers in the morning and announcing staff cutbacks and expense reductions in the afternoon?  How do you add value when there are diminishing resources to fund the addition?  In a phrase—imaginative service.

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Surprising Customers
If you've ever taken the shuttle bus between the Atlanta airport terminal and the Hertz car rental lot, you may have experienced Archie Bostick—a quirky but highly effective example of how today's business leaders must provide imaginative service to remain competitive—especially in tough economic times.  The first thing you notice about Archie is the welcoming grin on his face.  Instead of a tip jar (baited with a handful of bucks to encourage reluctant tippers), Archie paper-clips dollar bills across the front of his shirt.

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Imaginative Service: You Need it More in Tough Times
Take the Hertz Shuttle Bus at the Atlanta Airport, and you might meet Archie Bostick.  Archie greets you with a welcoming grin.  Instead of a tip jar, Archie paper-clips dollar bills across the front of his shirt.  Nothing subtle about that ploy—it’s an attention-getter that announces this is a unique experience.  Once on the bus, Archie delivers a comedy routine and uses any excuse to break into song.  As Archie pulls up to the terminal, he announces, “Now, I may never see you again, so I want us all to say together, ‘I love Hertz!’” And everyone hollers, “I love Hertz!”  You witness a service innovator at work—he takes your breath away.

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Spirit Leeches: Learn How to Remove Them
One Hazard of fishing Swampy rivers is the risk of getting a leech.  Unlike many parasites, you cannot feel a leech attaching to your leg.  A ritual among river anglers is to always check for the bloodsuckers after emerging from the water.  And, the typical way to remove the slimy hitchhiker is with a lighted match or lighter.

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Accountability Payoffs Are Impressive
Accountability is both the sweet spot and Achilles heel of most leaders.  Leaders learn early the importance of holding employees accountable for results.  Despite its downbeat reputation, accountability, effectively executed, remains the keystone for trust between leaders and employees, employees and customers.

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Customer Intelligence: Connecting the Dots for Service Insight
A map confiscated from an enemy courier revealed the location of shallow caves, each containing a cache of weapons used to re-supply enemy troops.  However, when a wise Army lieutenant sent the captured map to a friend he knew could provide a deeper assessment of the terrain covered by the map, he learned that each cave was located on a similar site—same type of soil, same typology and same elevation.  Checking other areas comparable to the cave sites produced another major discovery: there were many more caves not marked on the map that contained even larger collections of weapons.

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Attracting Loyalty From All the New Customers
Today's customers get terrific service in pockets of their life, and use those experiences to judge everyone else.  When the UPS or FedEx delivery person walks with a sense of urgency, we expect the mail carrier to do likewise.  Customers also have choices.  Shop for a loaf of bread, and you're confronted with 16 brands and 23 varieties packaged 12 different ways.

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Bridging the Customer Trust Gap
"I’ll be back to get you when school is out,” a parent promises as her youngster exits the car with book bag in tow.  So begins an all-important matter of trust between child and parent.  The level of trust that results depends on whether past experiences are more “Mom [or father] always comes” or “Sorry, I’m late again; traffic was terrible.”

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Competing With Service Air
Customer satisfaction has been the hallmark of customer evaluations.  But if you look up the definition of “satisfactory,” you will find “good enough to fulfill a need or requirement.”  The verb “to satisfy” comes from the Latin word satisfacere which means “enough.”  It also means “adequate” or “sufficient.”  Because we live in an era of too many choices, data over load and sensory excess, our taste for “sufficient” is…well, insufficient.

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Customer as Boss: Go from Leader- to Customer-Centric
When Organizations are Led by charismatic, demanding or memorable leaders, the focus often turns to compliance, obedience, or obsession with the leader’s way, style and vision.  Centering on customers takes leaders who are more interested in excellence than ego.  It takes a total alteration in agenda, attitude, and action.  To make the shift, employ three strategies.

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Focusing on a Customer Experience Survey
"We need to survey our customers!"  When these words are uttered by a senior leader it can prompt all manner of meeting, mania and macerations.  It triggers a group of questions someone in marketing masterminds to send around to various departments for critique.  This is where the fun begins.

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That’s Great Advice, Charlie Brown: New Rules for Mining Customer Intelligence
Best selling tomes tell us to “get to know your customers’ needs” while the board room is demanding we “get lean or get lost.”  Yet the demands of the competitive arena to attract and retain customers are ever increasing.  We think the lessons from simpler times can be instructive in how we balance competitive necessity for timely customer intelligence with the corporate constraint we do it fast, good and most importantly - cheap.  We found new rules for mining customer intelligence in a 1975 Peanuts comic strip.  We marveled at how timely it had remained and how insightful its counsel for today’s challenging business environment.

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Customer Intelligence Through New Eyes
Customer surveys are a potent tool for gathering customer intelligence.  However, surveys are fraught with more inaccurate fiction and erroneous folklore than all other customer intelligence methods.  Breaking free of these mythical restrictions can come through “new eyes” questions.  These “out of left field” questions can yield valuable insights and refreshing “corner turners” for elevating the pursuit of what customers really think.  Below are our top ten favorite themes.  They may make you squirm, blush or feel a bit guilty; they may also help you learn.

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Don’t Skip Dessert
Dessert has gotten a bum rap.  Customer service survey application has gotten a similar rap.  In our hasty pursuit of the next initiative we fail to mine the intelligence nuggets gained.  We too often fail to make the “application of data learning’s” as valued as the “acquisition of data.”  Checking the box that we “did another survey” has won out over making the process meaningful.  And, the richest part of the survey effort is overlooked and left behind.

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What Great Service Leaders Actually Do
"Sure, you’re supposed to be a role model.  We know all about making service excellence a priority and how we need to communicate the service vision," they chided.  "But, that’s just consultant-talk.  What does ‘being a service leader’ look like up close on a Monday morning when the sh_t is hitting the fan?"  We compared their list with what we have witnessed among leaders known for inspiring, instigating, and sustaining a culture famous for service.  Some have names that identify their enterprise—Bruce Nordstrom, Debbi Fields, Bill Marriott, etc.  Most are known only to their associates, stockholders, and customers.  Their actions have similar themes.

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The Customer Service Dashboard
Dashboards are vital tools for direction, alteration, maintenance, early warning, and the setting in which the organization is operating.  As such, they provide a critical part of the guidance system needed to traverse the marketplace.  Like the odometer of our vehicles alert us to change the oil or the speedometer warns us to slow down, various components of the organization’s dashboard provide a myriad of information key to progress and success.

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Forget Customer Feedback, Try Customer Intelligence Instead
Focus on Learning, not Evaluation.  Customer feedback is about evaluation; customer learning is about problem solving.  Problem solving means learning for improvement.  Problem solving requires more customer intelligence than customer evaluation; more ideas than critique.  And, customers enjoy solving problems with you when they are invited.  Shifting from a customer evaluation to a customer learning focus requires new tools, new methods and above all, new mindsets.

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Command Presence; Animate and Engage People
Great leaders are all about spirit…that is, being, not just doing.  They focus on being there, everywhere, not in absentia.  And, when they are there, they are all there…focused, attentive and engaged.  Great leaders like the mail room air better than the atmosphere on mahogany row.  They hunt for genuine encounters.  They upset the pristine and proper by inviting vocal customers to boardroom meetings.  They spend time in the field and on the floor where the action is lively, not in carefully contrived meetings where the action is limp.  They thrive on keeping things genuine and vibrant.

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Happy Processes: Keeping High Spirits in Service Delivery
The Native Americans believed every creation was alive.  A tree had a spirit in the same way as a horse or a bird.  Organizations that create customer devotion look at their service processes in a similar way.  While we rationally know the order entry process is not really alive, if we thought of it like that--a part of a living, organic system to achieve goals--we would ensure it was the appropriate process for our “tribe.”  Caretaking “live” processes would ensure the service process always worked well and worked cooperatively with other processes.  A “live” perspective would increase the chances the process received proper maintenance.  It would guarantee custodians of the process oversaw it with great respect, not only for the process itself but for what it helped provide to customers.  Service processes receiving this type of TLC would always have high morale.

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