There’s a warm feeling you get when you walk into a familiar place. When the staff knows you by name, greets you with delight and serves up “the usual”, you feel honored, respected and welcome. This is the differentiator between the “mom and pop shop” and the mega mall; between the corner store and the […]
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Tag Archives: technical support
Influence and Advocacy
August 10, 2011 
13 Comments
I recently had the honor of being included alongside close friends on the Mindtouch customer service influencers list. I’m grateful to Mindtouch for investing in the research, and grateful to all who voted to place me on the list. I’m even more delighted that the message of customer advocacy is spreading and gaining traction. This […]
Continue readingLose Some “Wait”
February 25, 2011 Comments Off on Lose Some “Wait”
Nothing says “DISRESPECT” quite like forcing someone else to wait. And yet, that is exactly what so many brands do daily to the very customers they claim to value! It’s conventionally accepted that the customer (who NEEDS something) should be willing wait for the service provider (who HAS what they NEED.) However, somewhere along the […]
Continue readingNet Promoter Score: The Ultimate Question
February 2, 2011 10 Comments
I swiped my debit card and stared at the tiny screen… I expected a prompt for my PIN. Instead, the monitor read, “How likely are you to recommend K-Mart to a friend”?” This caught me off guard. K-Mart wants to know if I LIKE them? Not only that, they want to know if I like […]
Continue readingSeek or Go Hide
January 27, 2011 11 Comments
“Hide and Seek” had screeched to a halt! My 11 year-old son had outsmarted his younger sisters by hiding BEHIND the dryer! My poor daughters had looked every place they knew. They were now wailing that he’d run away from home. It was time for Dad to get involved. With a loud shout, I commanded […]
Continue readingDocumentation as a Support Channel
December 14, 2010 6 Comments
The technical communication profession collectively peers through a window of opportunity. I work at the intersection of technical communication and customer service. My digital strategy tasks focus on the efficient delivery of effective content. So when I see someone who truly understands how valuable quality content can be to a customer, I jump for joy. […]
Continue readingRenewable Service in Disposable Industries
December 10, 2010 13 Comments
“Please state your date of birth.” A few feet in front of me, an elderly woman looked up at a young cashier. Stunned and flustered, the elegant matron asked “Why do you need to know my date of birth?” The cashier deadpanned, “Halo 3 is rated M for Mature: I can’t sell it to you […]
Continue readingPlanned Inconvenience
December 8, 2010 27 Comments
The Customer Service revolution is OVERDUE. This week, I called my bank to close an extra business account that I no longer needed. What happened next was stunning. Before the bank finally closed the account: I spoke with five different humans I was read a formal apology sentence by all five I was authenticated four […]
Continue readingRenewable Documentation in a Disposable World
November 15, 2010 12 Comments
Recently, the Lead Change Group invited me to share my thoughts on Renewable Leadership in a Disposable World. In the post, I explain how several 20th-Century organizations fixated on quarterly profits at the expense of their own long-term viability. There are many differences between the disposable and renewable organization and I won’t repeat them all […]
Continue readingMusical Chairs
September 13, 2010 8 Comments
The room spins as you march in a circle, laughing to a lively tune. As your mind wanders from dizzy repetition, you return to reality with a start: The music has STOPPED! Throwing yourself backward toward a chair, you meet the ground with a rude thud. With a sheepish grin, you slowly look up to […]
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