One concept in self-development that I learned from motivational speaker Tony Robbins is the concept of asking the right questions. The concept, brilliant in its simplicity, is that the questions you ask yourself frame the responses you will eventually provide yourself. If you ask yourself why does this keep happening to me then your brain …

5 Empowering Questions to Create a Customer Service Mindset Read More »

If you have not seen the greatest Facebook brand implosion in history, then congratulations, you must have been off the grid for the past few days. It began with an episode of Kitchen Nightmares so indescribable that you have to see it to believe it. The short version is this: Amy and Samy Bouzaglo, owners of …

5 Small Business Lessons from the Kitchen Nightmares Meltdown Read More »

We are pleased to present our next installment in the Inside Customer Service video series: Jayme Soulati of Soulati Media. I was able to catch up with Jayme back in April at Social Slam, and she was kind enough to give us our first “live” interview. Jayme has been interviewed here before (see How Great …

Inside Customer Service: Jayme Soulati Live! Read More »

Fads. Trends. Bubbles. Management is almost as susceptible to “what’s hot” as fashion and entertainment. In 1982 we were all in search of excellence. In 1998, we were all wondering who moved our cheese. And in 2001, we were all trying to go from good to great. It is easy to get carried away with …

Social Media Is a Channel Not a Strategy Read More »

The other evening my wife and I were discussing where to go to dinner when I said, “Let’s go to that place with the fancy nachos I like; you know, the one with the crappy service.” Unfortunately, she knew exactly which place I meant. Restaurants deliver a product and a service, and the best ones …

What You Don’t Want Me Thinking When I Buy From You Read More »

It begins innocently enough. The reservation got messed up. Your agent put down 10 p.m. instead of 10 a.m. It is a minor slip of the keyboard, a single letter. But you are in the airport car rental business. 12 hours is a gulf the size of the ocean. Fortunately, your confirmation system sends the …

6 Ways to Keep The Sucky Service Snowball from Rolling Downhill Read More »

As I read an article this morning about the Boston marathon bombing, I realized that it has been a long time since I have done a nonprofit spotlight. For those of you who are not familiar, occasionally, I will use this blog (or the previous incarnation) to highlight a nonprofit organization. Technically, today’s spotlight is …

Nonprofit Spotlight: Help a Boston Marathon Hero Read More »

We are pleased to announce our new video series, Inside Customer Service! The purpose of Inside Customer Service is to create short, easily digestible interviews with business professionals that get to the heart of what customer service is all about.  We wanted to hear from not only customer service and customer experience experts but also …

Inside Customer Service: The New Video Series Read More »

On June 7, 2012 we discussed the ways we can all be better customers and increase our chances of getting great service. The original post was titled How to Be a Good Customer: 16 Ways to Not Be a Jerk and is one of our most popular posts to date. We thought the post was …

Want to Be a Good Customer? Look in the Mirror Read More »