Marbury vs Madison provides an excellent case study on a decision-making strategy that can be used to improve customer service. Last week, we proposed that Marbury vs Madison, a landmark Supreme Court case that focused on the constitutional principle of judicial review, presents an excellent case study of a decision-making strategy that can improve customer…
Marbury vs Madison provides an excellent case study on a decision-making strategy that can be used to improve customer service. Back in high school civics, you might have learned about a landmark Supreme Court decision rendered in 1803: Marbury vs Madison. Your teacher probably taught you that the case established the principle of judicial review,…
To avoid frustrating customers, use creative strategies to “overcommunicate” information and expectations. Those of us who have seen the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke likely remember the prison warden’s iconic quote: “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Years later, business guru Tom Peters modified the infamous quote to read — perhaps more accurately…
These three questions will turbocharge your customer service survey. Administering a customer service survey on a regular basis is one of the most effective strategies to gauge and improve customer service. Indeed, the advent of the Internet has made it easier — and less expensive — to capture customer sentiment, often within mere seconds following a…
Do you have any dead fish polluting your business? Last year, a colleague and I decided to meet for lunch at a local restaurant. The restaurant attracts a sizable lunch crowd, and both of us had enjoyed eating there before on multiple occasions. We sat in a booth near the front of the restaurant, directly…
Can we finally dispense with the myth that the customer is always right? Do you remember the first time a supervisor told you that “the customer is always right”? I do. I was 16 years old when I left my job at Santa Rosa Golf Course to work at Winn Dixie, a grocery store in…
Calling the cable company involves five distinct phases: the greeting phase, the holding phase, the ringing phase, the trivia phase, and the Simon Says phase. Which one is your favorite? Life is accompanied by tasks we are reluctantly required to perform, such as cleaning the litter box, visiting the in-laws in West Virginia during the summertime banjo…
Similar to baseball, how well your business guards home plate can make the difference between scoring and striking out with customers. While in Memphis last week, I observed a restaurant “strike out” with a prospective customer. How? I’ll share that in a moment, but first I wanted to provide the context in which this entirely…
How does your business respond to “off the wall” live chat questions? We recently integrated a “live chat” component into our business website. A few years ago, when I worked at a community college, my staff suggested that the college offer a live chat service. We investigated a variety of options, and we ultimately selected…
What should your business do when customers break rules? Some time ago, we stayed at one of our favorite places: the Ramada Hotel & Suites in Sioux Falls. Although the hotel’s indoor water park attracts most guests to the hotel, we enjoy the exceptional customer service. Scott, one of the front desk managers, always treats…