If you wear glasses you know that shopping for them at the traditional places like LensCrafters and EyeMart etc.. is mildly, well…. antiseptic. One thing it is NOT is sexy or fun. Stores are boring with bad lighting, doctors smocks, mysterious pricing and ultimately, very expensive. I found this out first hand recently when I…
Category: Customer Service
Improving Life on the Road: Inspired Creative Minds
Traveling a lot certainly has its ups and downs (yes.. literally). One of the surprising “ups” is stumbling upon marketing and design brilliance, sometimes in the most unexpected places. For me (admitted marketing geek) I get true inspiration from creative, elegant and insightful solutions that demonstrate deep understanding of the plight of the customer. And…
The Art of the Up-Sell
For a very brief and slightly dark time in college I waited tables at Bennigan’s. For some reason I had a romantic notice of working there. I think it came from 1980’s Brat Pack movies. I thought it would be uber social, with lots of slow motion laughs around a big Cheer’s-like bar and hot…
Sometimes “Good” Marketing Isn’t a Good Idea
I appreciate good marketing. Duh. Especially when you can tell they were thoughtful about the brand (and its touchpoints), understand the impact of customer service, are consistent in the environment and truly 360. But alas sometimes, as I have learned, good marketing may in fact be a red flag. Case in point… the dentist. Recently I was referred…
When Good Service Brands Go Bad
Think of brands known for service and you think of Nordstrom, Enterprise Rent a Car, Ritz, Virgin Airlines, Zappos, Starwood. These are brands known for differentiating themselves by their service DNA. And yet, sometimes even the brands that are known for getting it right, get it wrong. Somehow this is even more devastating then if they…
Email and the Demise of a Civil Society
Have you ever noticed how rude people can be when communicating via email? Especially when the email is to an unknown recipient. It’s as though we’ve all forgotten that there is still a real person on the receiving end of every email. Slipped our minds that our complaint, issue, concern or frustration has to be…
A Delightful See’s Candies Experience
Yesterday I had a totally unexpected and absolutely charming customer service/brand experience that still makes me smile to think about. I was in the Bay Area on business and noted a See’s Candies store. I have distinct emotional memories of See’s Candies from when I was a little girl – a good friend’s grandparents would…
A New Era of Customer Service Is Upon Us. Are Ya Listenin?
The Internet has forever changed the business of customer service. Period. Response time has to be faster, more understanding, more flexible and more, well human. Its amazing to me that in an era of the Zappos’s of the world – where “surprising and delighting” customers with perks like unexpected and free overnight delivery is like…
