Really living service

Des Dearlove & Stuart Crainer

Marc Silvester and Mohi Ahmed of Fujitsu map talk about a new approach to service which they anticipate as being as powerful in the service world as Toyota's has been in manufacturing.

Make your customer service authentic and fast

Dan Bobinski

Training in customer service doesn't require much money. It's mostly about instilling a service mindset throughout the organization. Such a mindset reaps great rewards, yet time and again we see companies do badly and even fail because of poor customer service.

Customers: love 'em or lose 'em

Dan Bobinski

Do you ever wonder how many customers your business may have lost due to customer service blunders? Statistics show that after only two negative incidents at any place of business, people are likely to shop elsewhere – which makes customer satisfaction a more important goal than ever.

Customer service, or disservice?

Dan Bobinski

When was the last time you approached your business as if you were a brand new customer? What would your customers say about how you greet them, how you treat them, and how you talk about/treat your co-workers?

10 questions to ask your customers

Andy Hanselman

Lots of organisations invest a lot of time and money in getting customer feedback. But much of this time and money is wasted because they either ask the wrong questions or ignore the answers. So here are 10 questions that can't be ignored.

How to lose a customer in two steps or less

Dan Bobinski

When our shopping experience is negative, statistics show it takes only two such incidents and we're likely to shop elsewhere. That's not a lot of wiggle room. Think of it as 'two strikes and you're out.'

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More on Customer Service

How powerful are your customers?

Bob Selden

For too long, customers have taken a back seat to investors. But are they now making their voices heard? Three recent news stories suggest to me that they are.

Competitive advantage and UBER culture

Andy Hanselman

In real customer-focused businesses, 'culture' is integral to competitive advantage becuase it is the thing that gives customers a reason to come back and to tell others.

Why customer focus is overrated

Martin Koschat

It's simply not true that an organization has to be customer-centric to be successful. In fact, many companies are successful with a minimal amount of customer focus and customer engagement.

Dealing with disappointment

Andy Hanselman

One sign of good customer service is how an organisation deals with customer disappointment. In fact, successful companies go out and look for complaints because they know that the easier they are to complain to, the more customer-focussed they are likely to be.

Plan a bit of spontaneity

Andy Hanselman

Planned spontaneity is a great way for any organisation to enhance the customer experience. Not just that, it's also a great way of engaging your people in helping demonstrate to your customers that you do actually care.

RIP the 4Ps

Andy Hanselman

Traditional marketing theory has for years been based on a fundamental principle known as the 4Ps. But it's time to forget about them. The original 4 Ps are Passe, Past it, kaPut and Pointless. Instead, I offer you a new set of P's for the age of customer control.

Give, give, give

Andy Hanselman

What could you give your customers or colleagues this Christmas? I'm not talking about discounts or donations, but things that won't cost you anything but still add real value to others.

The £15 billion black hole

Andy Hanselman

Poor customer service is costing UK businesses an astonishing £15.3 billion a year. So what does 'poor service' mean in practise? And what can orgainsations do to provide better service?

Service with a smile

Bob Selden

You can try whatever gimmicks you like to try to get staff to provide excellent customer service. But good service starts with good management. Unless managers treat their staff the way they want their staff to treat their customers, they'll never get good service results.

Surviving the downturn and forging ahead

Robert Heller

The great economic disaster rumbles on, but the 21st century economy will continue to thrive and grow in the astonishing environment of the Digital Revolution.

Contemporary management is obsolete

Robert Heller

Management is out of date. Managers are failing to take advantage of a unique moment in history where the gathering pace of change opens the door to revolution and new types of organisation.

Keep on keeping on

Andy Hanselman

When I'm asked how organisations can create devoted customers, I reply 'just keep doing great things to them'. It seesm obvious, but creating 'devoted' customers is about consistently doing things that make customers feel valued.

The lessons of total quality management

Robert Heller

How could a project as high-profile and important as the opening of Heathrow airport's new Terminal Five have gone so disastrously awry at such a sensitive moment? Robert Heller dissects the fiasco.

Do you know who your customers are?

Bob Selden

Knowing who its customers are is the foundation for any successful organisation. And as the US Federal Aviation Administration has demonstrated, getting this wrong can be disastrous.

Don't write off those old fashioned ways

Andy Hanselman

I received a handwritten postcard recently from a supplier of mine last week. It had a real impact on me and reminded me that sometime, doing things the old way is a great way to stand out from the crowd.

Forget Resolutions, think Revolutions

Andy Hanselman

January is traditionally the time for New Year Resolutions. But instead, here are 10 ideas for New Year Revolutions - simple things that can help revolutionize your approach to your customers in 2008.

In praise of praise

Andy Hanselman

Many organisations are quick to act when things go wrong. But what about when things go well? Given the importance to staff of praise and recognition, why is customer praise not handled with the same energy as customer complaints?

Every little difference can be magic

Max McKeown

If you're looking for that ground breaking, market changing new idea, you need to think big, right? Well, not necessarily. The biggest advances often come from focusing on the smallest things.

Sometimes you need to apologize

Dan Bobinski

When a customer brings a complaint to our attention we have a choice. We can be arrogant and pigheaded, or we can listen carefully - and, if necessary, apologize and make it right.

The ties that bind

Andy Hanselman

Tying customers into your business has huge benefits, but only if it's their choice. The best businesses aren't just easy to buy from, they ought to be easy to walk away from, too. In the long run, keeping customers locked in against their will is no good for anybody.

Keeping up with your customers

Adrian Slywotzky

Have you ever been blindsided by changes in your customers' behavior? These shifts may happen gradually or literally overnight. Either way, they can destroy a business unless you take steps to ensure that they don't.

Don't mind the gap, expand it!

Andy Hanselman

The attitude of many businesses towards customers is all about consistency. Consistent mediocrity, that is. It's 'aim low, reach your goals, avoid disappointment'. And by focusing on minimum standards, they become the norm. The only way to break this habit is to break the rules.