For those who think that shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving is all about sweet deals, you may be missing the point. I think of a couple of years ago and my son and two of his friends. We were standing in line at a CompUSA at midnight in order to capture some sweet Black Friday promotional goods. Did we freeze? You betcha. Memories? Off the chart. It was a zoo and the service a joke. But the memories of being with my son during the wee hours of night is forever. I remember the year where we also timed
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Archives for Customer Experience
I am Steamed Up. . . and that is a good thing!
The carpets in our Cave Dwelling had never been cleaned since we moved into our new home. With a social event on the horizon, the Supreme Commander undertook the task of getting someone to come and shampoo a few rooms of carpet. The TV advertisments for Stanley Steemer are masterful. There is the one that says, “Our certified AND BONDED employees will safely clean your carpets.” That “BONDED” thing is powerful. It causes the customer to have an internal conversation that goes something like. . . “Do I want someone who is NOT bonded to come into my home? I
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Paul Newman whoops up on James Bond
Maybe it is the blue eyes. The Customer Experience is so dependent on the dedication of those who deliver it. In a recent interview with Daniel Craig, the newest in the James Bond stars, he was reflecting back on some of his previous films. He was talking about working with Paul Newman in the 2002 film Road to Perdition. “The best thing I can say about Paul Newman was he worried about his craft and about what he was doing. He talked it through, and when he got it right it pleased him and when he got it wrong it
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The AT&T Death Star . . . Stands Down.
Every since I was a Vice President over several call centers with 500+ agents on the phone, I have been amazed at the antagonistic ways of AT&T. Over the years their shenanigans have been epic. Like the month that they charged me $1200 for dial up Internet service. Or there was the Herculean effort in demeaning service in a retail store one day. But alas . . . they have surprised me. My wife and I had stopped in an AT&T phone store to shop for cell phones for our daughter. The new Blackberry Bold had it’s release set
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Listening to the Customer – The Secret At DeWALT and Black & Decker
Having heard him speak before, I was somewhat hesitant to go. Previously he was less than electrifying. But this time he was different. He was talking about something that he had a passion about. Last night we got to listen to Nolan Archibold, the CEO of Black & Decker. He told the story of being a self conscious student who was oozing self doubts and insecurities while attending Harvard Business School. Later he found out that 80% of those who were at school had the same challenges. Each found themselves wondering why they were in this prestigious school and
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Brainwashing of the Computer User
Apple, long studied for their marketing and advertising has another winner. Ah, those humorous PC versus Mac TV ads. I worked at the company that sold the first Apple computer in the country (serial # 11 by the way). Over the years I have advertised, marketed, sold, managed the sales of tens of billions of dollars of computers to corporations across the country. My first computer was a Mac. Since then I have had many many computers. Today I am amazed by the Apple marketing that says, “buy a Mac and the world will get simpler”. And people buy that.
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"It's a Funny World". . . .everybody says that . . .but no one is laughing
We think of the Customer Experience as those moments when something is being bought or sold. “Not so Kemo Sabe” Since employees give their support to management by continued work and contribution, savvy organizations understand that employee surveys and 360 performance reviews are a must. In the middle of all of this comes some recent research by Fabio Sala on boss/employee laughter. He found that the top performing leaders elicited three times more laughter from their subordinates than the average leaders did. What does this say. When people are having fun, can laugh at themselves and their environment; where
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Put a Bullet in it – Customer Service is Dead. But rising from the ashes. . .
Customer Service is the minimum ante to get into the game. It used to be what you strived for. Not anymore. Unless you are moving past customer service to Customer WOW and creating Customer Experiences you are behind. This is a world where the customer is enveloped in a stage play like production that involves the product, service or shopping event. Customer Service was getting the patron to their seat in the theater. . .but the customer experience started with the raising of the curtain. For example, Customer Service was what you got when you went to Kings Point or
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Merger of Disney and Wal-Mart Announced
Disney is about to announce a major merger between themselves and Wal-Mart Stores. Each has their individual claim on the customer and leads their industry in creating a unique customer experience. Disney has over 25 million visitors to their theme parks each year. In one recent news story it was suggested the price for a family of four and a visit to Florida would put the trip at $5000 or more. Wal-Mart on the other hand, gives the customer an experience starting with their “Greeter” and cookie cutter store plan, right through to the check out. 84% of all Americans
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Welcome to the Customer Experience
Ah . . .the Customer Experience.The wedding, the graduation, the poor customer service, the stage play, the buying of that new appliance, the relationship with the visiting salesman, or the relationship you have with your doctor. Done right, they create experiences and events that change and mold our lives. They create drastic change in direction, are the fodder of sweet memories, and staging points for a return to “do it again.” They cause us to marvel and look in awe at the organizations who produce them. Done wrong, they are the core of anger, frustration, lost productivity, evaporated profits and
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