Blog
Avoiding the ‘Baby Armadillo’ Customer
Four identical armadillos were recently born under my house and this weekend made their first foray into our yard searching for food, unaccompanied by a parent. I hate armadillos! It is very personal. When I lived in Texas, I took great delight in eliminating their...
Stop the ‘Creepy Crack’ in Your Customer Service!
Crash!!! The rock hit hard on the top of my car windshield, a rocketed gift from the giant truck I was following on the interstate. I could see the small crack it created right beneath the rear-view mirror. I realized it was not likely to remain as it started. Sure...
Here’s Why You Should Serve Your Customers ‘Chicken Soup’
From the time I was a young boy, I heard that one of the best cures for a common cold was chicken soup. I recall in high school looking it up in the encyclopedia (that’s the early version of Google it) to discern what magic this concoction might have that would give...
Stop Rubber-Stamping Customer Experiences
I was in a well-known retail store recently and overheard a customer say to her friend, “I am not coming back in this store again. It is always cookie cutter service…the same ‘how may I help you,’ the same, ‘credit or debit,’ and the same boring ‘thank you for...
The Power of Embedded Revolution
Every month my black cat gets a tiny tube of Revolution® squirted on the back of her neck so she cannot lick it off before it gets absorbed into her skin. She hates it and always runs away for a while to privately work on re-shining her silky coat. She does not...
Is Your Customer Service Like Pollen to Your Customers?
It is that time of the year: Pollen Time! People with allergies are struggling. Car washes are thriving. And, most everyone I know is complaining about the nuisance of the powdery layer that seems to invade and cover everything. Who profits from this yellow film? The...
A Festival for Customers?
The cherry blossoms are peaking in Washington D.C. this very week. A jubilant array of over 3,000 pink and white trees decorate the Mall around the Washington monument and the Tidal Basin around the Jefferson Memorial. It is a sight of peace and beauty. And, on...
Random Customer Affirmation
A week ago, I was the “Guest of the Day” at the Hilton Garden Inn in Scottsdale, Ariz. A really nice sign on the check-in counter said so. The desk clerk shook my hand, enthusiastically congratulated me, thanked me for my customer loyalty, and gave me special bag of...
The Ritual of Customer Experience
It is the season for rituals. The Christian faith celebrates Easter with Maundy Thursday services, purple draped crosses, sunrise services, and poignant stories of resurrection. Judaism celebrates Passover to commemorate the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian...
Are Your Customers Perennial?
They surprise me every year with their unexpected beauty. One Spring day there is barren ground; almost the next day there are gorgeous flowers. They are the perennials in my yard. We have daylilies, daffodils, hydrangea (pink and blue) and more. The coolest part is...
Serve Your Customers When They Are ‘Hungry’
I learned an important lesson early in my marriage: Never buy groceries when you’re hungry. With an empty stomach sending seductive messages to my rational brain, it ensured there was no governor on my “impulse-buy-button.” And, I was likely to bring home...
Closed Due to Lack of Interest
The sign on the front door of the restaurant told a significant story. And, it was photographed recently at the front door of a barbecue restaurant near my home in a resort area. The owner-manager claims he pays wages above the norm, hours are only four hours...
‘Sir, We Can Do Anything!’
These powerful words were the front desk clerk’s response to my “I have a unique request.” Before even hearing my plea, he gave me a full-frontal view of the Ritz-Carlton hotel attitude. And, it was a few days before the Christmas holidays—a hectic time when I am...
Avoid Customer Service Water Traps
There is a gorgeous golf course at the end of my driveway. My lakefront house sits on the water but right near the 13th tee. It is a Jack Nicklaus-designed course and the setting for many golf tournaments. While the 13th hole is gorgeous; the 14th hole gets the...
In Praise of Passionate Inconsistency
Arthur Rubenstein is arguably the greatest pianist of this century. Click on to experience Rubenstein performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor at 90 years old. But, it is his attitude toward performance that is the subject of this blog. “At every concert, I...