Walt Disney was an innovator and a visionary. But he was also one of the most successful business leaders of his time. Here are eight principles that made Walt Disney one of the greatest icons of the 20th century:
1. Provide a promise, not a product: The legend goes that Walt Disney was sitting on a bench watching his daughters ride a carousel when he came up with the concept for Disney World. He noticed amusement parks and state fairs were always littered and poorly organized, and the employees were generally rude and resentful.His wife once asked, “Why do you want to build an amusement park? They’re so dirty.” To which Walt replied, “That’s the point. Mine won’t be.” From day one, Disney has focused on “the experience” as a key component to increasing the value of its parks.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.businessbrief.com/walt-disneys-8-secrets-to-success/
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Inc. Magazine-There is No Substitute for Great Service
Small businesses should keep good, old-fashioned customer service in mind when implementing new technology.
By Lauren Folino Nov 3, 2009
Small businesses struggling to keep customers and entice new ones can test out new call center technology or sign up for social media sites or even implement customer relationship management (CRM) software, but there's no substitution for treating customers well. Experts suggest that small business owners keep this in mind when looking at new technologies.
According to customer service expert Kristina Evey, president of the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based customer service management company Centric Strategies, people don't buy products or services – they buy relationships.
Read the entire article: http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2009/11/customer-service.html
By Lauren Folino Nov 3, 2009
Small businesses struggling to keep customers and entice new ones can test out new call center technology or sign up for social media sites or even implement customer relationship management (CRM) software, but there's no substitution for treating customers well. Experts suggest that small business owners keep this in mind when looking at new technologies.
According to customer service expert Kristina Evey, president of the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based customer service management company Centric Strategies, people don't buy products or services – they buy relationships.
Read the entire article: http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2009/11/customer-service.html
Friday, November 13, 2009
November, 2009-Customer Service Rankings
With over 20 years of experience in customer service training and evaluation of customer service systems, we are qualified to rank and comment on some of our interactions during the month. Here are the winners and losers:
The Top Five
1. Fed-X/Kinkos (Lake Mead and Tenaya)
+'s Remembering customers, different service levels for commercial customers, very pleasant greetings.
2. Via Brazil Steakhouse
+'s Remembering regular customers, service level and attention is very good, adds some extras.
3. Ted Wiens Tire and Auto
+'s Rembering customers, very good greetings, explanations very good and no slimy upsells.
4. Southwest Airlines (National)
+'s Pleasant, gets you where you need, three singing flight attendants on the last flight.
5. American Express (National)
+'s Good representatives during the week and daytime, great internet interface, very response.
The Bottom Five
5. United Blood Service
?'s Calls after 9:00pm, what part of I can't don't you understand?
4. Office Depot
?'s How many times do you need to ask about your rewards card?
3. Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
?'s Note to Michelle at Flamingo-Yes you hold the priviledge of driving in your hands but can't you be a little human?
2. Wendy's
?'s Do you really need my money before handing me the drink (that cost you $0.15 to produce)?
1. Bank of America
?'s After nearly 20 years, is remembering me really that big of deal? Why are my three accounts not linked? Could your on-line banking be more complex and less useful?
The Top Five
1. Fed-X/Kinkos (Lake Mead and Tenaya)
+'s Remembering customers, different service levels for commercial customers, very pleasant greetings.
2. Via Brazil Steakhouse
+'s Remembering regular customers, service level and attention is very good, adds some extras.
3. Ted Wiens Tire and Auto
+'s Rembering customers, very good greetings, explanations very good and no slimy upsells.
4. Southwest Airlines (National)
+'s Pleasant, gets you where you need, three singing flight attendants on the last flight.
5. American Express (National)
+'s Good representatives during the week and daytime, great internet interface, very response.
The Bottom Five
5. United Blood Service
?'s Calls after 9:00pm, what part of I can't don't you understand?
4. Office Depot
?'s How many times do you need to ask about your rewards card?
3. Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
?'s Note to Michelle at Flamingo-Yes you hold the priviledge of driving in your hands but can't you be a little human?
2. Wendy's
?'s Do you really need my money before handing me the drink (that cost you $0.15 to produce)?
1. Bank of America
?'s After nearly 20 years, is remembering me really that big of deal? Why are my three accounts not linked? Could your on-line banking be more complex and less useful?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Business Week-Why it Pays to Aplogize
What's the best way for a company to disarm a disgruntled customer? A simple apology beats a cash rebate, according to a new study.
Researchers at Britain's Nottingham School of Economics worked with a large German wholesaler that sells goods on eBay (EBAY), tracking the lukewarm or negative comments posted on the site by the company's customers over six months.
They then responded to the 632 complaints—about defective salt shakers, say, or the late delivery of a leather belt. Half of the e-mailed responses offered a brief apology. Half offered instead a "goodwill gesture" of a small cash rebate (from $3 to $8). All the e-mails asked the customers to remove the comments they had posted online. For those offered the rebate, it was a condition of receiving the cash.
The result? About 45% of customers who received an apology withdrew their so-so or negative ratings, compared with 21% of those offered money to do so.
Johannes Abeler, a Nottingham research fellow and co-author of the study, says it's worth noting that the e-mailed apologies were effective even though they were brief and impersonal—and asked for something in return. His explanation? Despite the suspicions people might harbor, "apologies trigger this biological instinct to forgive that is hard to overcome."
—Douglas MacMillan from Business Week
Researchers at Britain's Nottingham School of Economics worked with a large German wholesaler that sells goods on eBay (EBAY), tracking the lukewarm or negative comments posted on the site by the company's customers over six months.
They then responded to the 632 complaints—about defective salt shakers, say, or the late delivery of a leather belt. Half of the e-mailed responses offered a brief apology. Half offered instead a "goodwill gesture" of a small cash rebate (from $3 to $8). All the e-mails asked the customers to remove the comments they had posted online. For those offered the rebate, it was a condition of receiving the cash.
The result? About 45% of customers who received an apology withdrew their so-so or negative ratings, compared with 21% of those offered money to do so.
Johannes Abeler, a Nottingham research fellow and co-author of the study, says it's worth noting that the e-mailed apologies were effective even though they were brief and impersonal—and asked for something in return. His explanation? Despite the suspicions people might harbor, "apologies trigger this biological instinct to forgive that is hard to overcome."
—Douglas MacMillan from Business Week
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Great Trust Offensive-Business Week
Companies as diverse as McDonald's, Ford, and American Express are revamping their marketing to win back that most valuable of corporate assets.
"The spark began where it always begins, at a restaurant downtown, in a shop on Main Street," intones a narrator as the camera lingers in a restaurant, bakery, and bike factory. "Entrepreneurs like these are the most powerful force in the economy. As we look to the future, they'll be there ahead of us." The music swells, and the narrator concludes: "While we're sure we don't know all the answers, we do know one thing for certain. We want to help."
The commercial, which began airing across the U.S. this summer, was developed by Ogilvy & Mather for American Express (AXP). Its mission: to cast AmEx not as a financial titan but as a humble service provider assisting mom and pops—establishments consumers typically like to support. AmEx, its gold-plated reputation tarnished by subprime bets, wants to regain the trust of its customers.
Read the Entire Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_39/b4148038492933.htm
"The spark began where it always begins, at a restaurant downtown, in a shop on Main Street," intones a narrator as the camera lingers in a restaurant, bakery, and bike factory. "Entrepreneurs like these are the most powerful force in the economy. As we look to the future, they'll be there ahead of us." The music swells, and the narrator concludes: "While we're sure we don't know all the answers, we do know one thing for certain. We want to help."
The commercial, which began airing across the U.S. this summer, was developed by Ogilvy & Mather for American Express (AXP). Its mission: to cast AmEx not as a financial titan but as a humble service provider assisting mom and pops—establishments consumers typically like to support. AmEx, its gold-plated reputation tarnished by subprime bets, wants to regain the trust of its customers.
Read the Entire Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_39/b4148038492933.htm
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Ten Steps to Building a Service Culture
From the Soaring Eagle Enterprises Service Management and Service Culture training program:
Determine, measure and report service levels.
Recognize and reward excellence in customer service.
Recruit and retain customer driven team members.
Treat fellow team members with the courtesy, urgency, compassion, and respect given to external customers.
Empower customer contact personnel to answer questions and complete common transactions.
Evaluate all personnel on service related job standards.
Define organizational mission in terms of customer service.
Understand customer needs, wants, and expectations.
Devote serious levels of training to customer service.
Build mechanisms for constant improvements in service levels.
Determine, measure and report service levels.
Recognize and reward excellence in customer service.
Recruit and retain customer driven team members.
Treat fellow team members with the courtesy, urgency, compassion, and respect given to external customers.
Empower customer contact personnel to answer questions and complete common transactions.
Evaluate all personnel on service related job standards.
Define organizational mission in terms of customer service.
Understand customer needs, wants, and expectations.
Devote serious levels of training to customer service.
Build mechanisms for constant improvements in service levels.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Coming Soon-Webinars from Soaring Eagle Enterprises
Soaring Eagle Enterprises has spent a great deal of time and effort in developing a series of webinars. Our first launch will be with a private customer in early February and is built around our Customer Service Excellence program.
A webinar is an on-line seminar that incorporates a presentation, audio, video and some interactive elements. Although some elements of interaction are not available, they are a good substiute for some programs and to augment other training activities.
Look for more information in the coming weeks about more webinar titles and availability.
A webinar is an on-line seminar that incorporates a presentation, audio, video and some interactive elements. Although some elements of interaction are not available, they are a good substiute for some programs and to augment other training activities.
Look for more information in the coming weeks about more webinar titles and availability.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Top Ten Customer Expectations
• To Be Understood
• To Be Informed
• To Receive Timely Service
• To Be Appreciated
• To Receive Help And Assistance
• Respect
• Comfort
• Empathy
• Friendly Service
• Professional Care
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Best Auto Responder Messages
1. I am currently out of the office at a job interview and will reply toyou if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared for my mood.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I'm at the doctor's having my brain andheart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the e-mails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your e-mail. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection. Yourmessage has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and trysending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can seewho did this over and over and over....)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system.You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply inapproximately 19 weeks.
8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I've run away to join a different circus.
10. I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Lucille' instead of Steve.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I'm at the doctor's having my brain andheart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the e-mails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your e-mail. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection. Yourmessage has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and trysending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can seewho did this over and over and over....)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system.You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply inapproximately 19 weeks.
8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I've run away to join a different circus.
10. I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Lucille' instead of Steve.
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