Category: Customer Service

Which Department “Owns” Social Media?

I participate in a number of online forums that cover various communication issues and a question that invariably comes up is “what department should ‘own’ social media”?

It’s a legitimate question and, as a former corporate communication/marketing director, I definitely “get” turf wars. But, while I tend to believe that all organizational communication should be managed through a single channel to ensure consistency and effective brand management, “owning” social media Continue reading “Which Department “Owns” Social Media?”

Facebook’s Apology Over My Head – But Maybe I’m Not The Audience…

Facebook had an outage yesterday that apparently created a lot of angst for users. Not being a heavy user, I didn’t actually experience the outage, or even know about it, until I came across the apology issued by Facebook. It started out like this: Continue reading “Facebook’s Apology Over My Head – But Maybe I’m Not The Audience…”

Don’t Forget About Gathering Client Feedback

(Thanks to Gina Abudi for contributing this guest blog)

It is important for service-oriented organizations to regularly gather feedback from their clients.  Unfortunately, too many organizations don’t bother to check in with their clients to see how things are going. The feedback you gather from clients will help in many ways, including: Continue reading “Don’t Forget About Gathering Client Feedback”

Are You Ready to Serve GenY?

For years, the “baby boomers” represented the focus of much of society – from television programming, to advertisers’ focus to social media commentary from journalists and academics. But, today there is a new generation that is rapidly gaining attention and focus from these groups. Continue reading “Are You Ready to Serve GenY?”

Why Are You Hiding Your Contact Information?

Have you ever noticed how difficult some people make it to connect with them? I can understand the very elite, supremely famous celebrities that are so inundated with attempted contacts from masses of strangers that they absolutely need to put up barriers. But, what about those whose web sites and professions would lead one to believe that they make a living based on their ability to serve the needs of potential customers, existing clients or others who could help them make valuable connections? Continue reading “Why Are You Hiding Your Contact Information?”

Can Your Brand Be *Too* Well-Recognized? Apparently Yes!

An article in the November issue of Entrepreneur raises an interesting perspective on the proliferation of big brands and whether having a big brand can, in some cases, be a negative.

Apparently, Starbucks – arguably a big, big, brand – is going incognito in some markets. It’s opening up neighborhood coffee shops Continue reading “Can Your Brand Be *Too* Well-Recognized? Apparently Yes!”

What Do Your Customers Want?

Last weekend I was at a craft show – an annual outing where I sell beaded jewelry that I design and “dabble at” throughout the year. Unlike previous shows, this year I sold hardly any ear rings, usually a high demand item both because of their uniqueness and low price I think (I have to be honest with myself!). This year I sold Continue reading “What Do Your Customers Want?”

Little Touches Leave Lasting Impression

Our water heater went out recently and my husband researched and ordered a part online from – www.plumbingsupply.com. Not the kind of company that one might, necessarily, expect anything special from, right? After all, a plumbing part is a plumbing part.

But the day the part was delivered – I heard my husband exclaim first: Continue reading “Little Touches Leave Lasting Impression”

Social Media as a Process Improvement Tool?

While Facebook can be fun and Twitter seems to have captured the interest of the masses who are all tweeting in 140-character mini-blogs about everything from what they had for breakfast to the emerging news event they just saw outside their window, many still point to these tools as more of a diversion than a legitimate business tool.

Until recently. Continue reading “Social Media as a Process Improvement Tool?”