April 8, 2008

Is Blogging the Sweat Shop of Technology?

Are you one of those world-class bloggers bit by the bug of competition and the rewards of being heard around the world? Bravo if you are -- but please take care and remember that you are not a veal. Lift yourself up out of your chair and walk around the block every once in a while. And by all means take your daily aspirin. The world needs to continue to hear what you have to say!

April 7, 2008

Who would have thought that YouTube would start to modify people's behavior? It may sound nuts, but people are thinking twice before they do things now, for fear that they'll be "YouTubed" and come off as:
a) less than noble
b) dishonest
c) a complete jerk

April 1, 2008

This past week, TSA agents in Lubbock, Texas made a set of decisions on how to implement the rules regarding customers who set off screening devices. Clearly a debate can be had about how the front-line TSA agents translated and handled the situation. That is often where organizations care to focus when things go wrong: How the people at the front translated the rules and regulations they have to follow.

March 25, 2008

Zappos is an internet shoe store that is known around the world for its service. One of their connections with customers is that they actively promote that they give free overnight shipping of orders and also free return shipping.

March 6, 2008

I had to go to the mall today to run an errand. Now, as a normal citizen of the world, it seems that all that’s required is that I show up clean and don’t forget to pay. But, no. Ask any woman, when you walk into any "fashion" store -- you get assessed.

March 3, 2008

They’re not using peanut butter and a bell to change our behavior as consumers, but the latest Visa commercials sure have behavior modification in mind.

February 27, 2008

Question: Name 4 things to do while being strapped in an airline chair?
Answer: Work, listen, eat and watch.

February 25, 2008

Howard Schultz must have a headache. For good reason. AND, for the right reasons. This just came through the newswire announcing that Starbucks Corp. is "slashing" 600 jobs. They're laying off 220 jobs and not refilling 380 open positions. All because they're thinking about customers.

February 22, 2008

Hey, the University of Michigan's (UM) American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) for the fourth quarter of 2007 just came out. And they revealed something that customers around the world all know. And that’s that there is a disconnect between the service level and experience they have in a company’s store versus their website.

August 30, 2007

Louis Vuitton has created a Tribute Patchwork Handbag priced at $52,500. It is created by dissecting 14 already pricey Louis Vuitton bags and rebuilding them into one bag as an iconic symbol of the brand.

August 24, 2007

Nuts, this is nuts! Anyone who's an early adopter of the Apple iPhone is likely also to be a big user of their phone. So get ready for the bill coming your way - it might be in a box!

August 23, 2007

Netflix has recognized that they need to go back to the "olden times" of providing people on the phone to talk to customers. The New York Times pays homage to the move.

August 20, 2007

The latest round of Mattel recalls heighten and escalate the lead paint issue, as well as the health hazard to children related to products with magnets. If ingested, these magnets could cause fatal internal damage. This latest round of recalls totals nearly 19 million. And so I pose an ethics and business question on how to best handle this growing situation: Aggressive Recalls and Increased Oversight? Or, Stop, Retool and Rebuild?

August 9, 2007

Seems the big "aha!" has finally occurred. Jim Lentz, executive vice president for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., told industry leaders gathered in Traverse City for the annual Management Briefing Seminars that "auto companies must do more to improve the customer experience in showrooms" in this report. The big message: Consumers dread car shopping.

August 8, 2007

As if being a parent weren't already laden with worries and considerations: Parental controls on the television and internet don't hold a candle to this report summarizing a massive recall by Mattel toys. They recalled almost 1 million Chinese-made toys because they may contain lead. Eighty-three types of toys are on the list, including popular characters such as Elmo, Big Bird, Dora and Diego.

June 4, 2007

Seems the movie theatres have decided that it's best to have the foxes watching the hen house. In an interesting move, Regal Cinemas has decided to build customer loyalty by giving their best customers devices to tattle on fellow movie patrons!

April 6, 2007

Last week, I turned 48. Here's the rundown as I saw it by generation of how customers were treated then versus now...

March 30, 2007

I've been watching intently to see how Menu Foods (the manufacturer of wet dog and cat food sold by the millions under private label brands at major stores such as Petco and Walmart) is stepping up to help their customers with the growing illness and losses of their beloved pets. This page on their Web site is what I found. Another majorly missed opportunity. For a number of reasons.

March 20, 2007

Now, THIS I love! Southwest has essentially hired a Chief Forgiveness Officer.

March 19, 2007

Either the day we've all been waiting for is here, or we're crawling faster than we thought in some parts of the world toward becoming customer-focused. In this account, we see that after an avalanche of poor service complaints from customers, Time Warner Cable Inc. disconnected its chief cable guy in Southern California.

February 21, 2007

Jet Blue this past week has joined the ranks of airlines who have had an operational melt-down with the results landing in a heap in their customers' laps. Unfortunate timing this is, too, since many families are traveling as it is mid-winter break for many schools.

February 8, 2007

A revelation is taking hold in medical schools across the country that deprving medical students may not be good for their cognitive skills required to care for patients! Talk about great customer focus....

February 5, 2007

The WSJ Reported that TowerBrook Capital Partners LLP is close to an agreement to acquire fashion-shoe designer Jimmy Choo Ltd. for about £180 million, or $354 million. The question is, can a beloved brand retain its passion as the ownership torch is passed...?

January 30, 2007

According to Interbrand we've all been "googled" this past year. Google has landed the top spot as our favored brand....

January 19, 2007

Companies deliver customers a defaulted, unplanned experience... THEN wonder: Why don't they like us The truth is: the experience many of you are delivering to your customers today is likely a blueprint of your organization chart....

January 9, 2007

Anyone traveling this holiday season could feel the cuts. There was less staff and less flexibility and just plain less of everything it seemed....

September 11, 2006

Ahhh, that time of life when you've got to begin paying (really) for your clothes yourself, and when those four-years-of-college food impact whether you'll really ever wear low-rise jeans again...!

August 21, 2006

A big mea culpa to anyone I might have offended on the title of my last article. But the saga continues...and I had another taste of it yesterday at my local bank....

August 16, 2006

With this latest round of heightened security...we are now in an ever-increasing era of being a consumer that requires patience....

April 11, 2006

I walked into a store today to hear the tail end of a disturbing conversation....

April 4, 2006

Did anyone see the Business Week online article?...

Did anyone see the Business Week online article?...

March 30, 2006

CEOs no longer need to be convinced of the importance of developing relationships with profitable customers and keeping them around. What they need now is...