The Peak-End Rule: A way to improve every customer experience

by William Cusick — President, Customerspectives

The only way you keep a customer, and get her to buy more, is to create a positive perception. And the only way a perception is created is through the customer…

The ten commandments of networking

by Harvey Mackay — Author, Mackay Mitchell

1. I will not assume that the person with the credentials is the person with the power.

Mystery shopping professional conference coming this fall

by Kimberly Nasief — President, Measure Consumer Perspectives

Mystery shopping agencies, companies and mystery shoppers from around the country will be in San Diego, California this October in order to attend one of the…

You don't need to be a jerk to give bad customer service

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

Great customer service — what I call anticipatory customer service — requires more these days than simply not being a jerk and not hiring jerks. It means…

5 reasons why plugging Best Buy into Target might work

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

As I departed on my around the world journey to teach IMS Retail University, I had ample time to watch people using technology during my lengthy airport…

Why the Apple Store hires for smiles

by Carmine Gallo — President, GCG

After spending one year researching the Apple Retail Store, I reached the conclusion that the secret sauce to Apple's astonishing success in retail lies in…

The Hippocratic Oath of customer experience

For thousands of years, physicians have been taking the Hippocratic Oath to "first do no harm." This philosophy is also excellent advice for anyone dealing…

Why don't the old customer service ways work anymore?

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

"Why don't the old ways work with customers anymore?" I hear this question frequently when I'm speaking at a business event or starting a new customer service…

Klout: More social influence equals a better customer experience?

by Colin Shaw — Founder & CEO, Beyond Philosophy

I was very interested to see that organizations are starting to provide a better customer experience to people that have more social influence. You may have…

Is your customer experience smashable?

When was the last time your loss prevention team became an Internet sensation because of excellent customer service? Well, that's what happened when Joshie…

Get the easy stuff right

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

A perfect product or service won't take you far if you serve it up cold. Lack of caring delivery will sink most any perfect product or service.

Eight mistakes that kill your retail sales training

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

You've only got one shot at training new hires. One. You can't go back...

How customer service builds brand loyalty

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

Karen Freeman, Patrick Spenner, and Anna Bird bring up Three Myths About What Customers Want in the HBR Blog Network. These myths are based on information from…

The seven reasons independent retailers go broke

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

When I was first starting my retail consultancy business back in the 90?s, independent retailers dreaded the arrival of retail super chains like Walmart in…

Staying on your customer's friends list

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Many of us strive to be No. 1, but when it comes to social circles, the first task is to make it into the 150.

Making the right choice ... for your customer

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

Retailers make subconscious choices between making things easier for themselves or delivering the best experience for their customers almost every day. We…

When will I see the results of my customer experience program?

by Colin Shaw — Founder & CEO, Beyond Philosophy

When we start working with a client to improve their customer experience I am often asked, "How long will it be before we see a result?" On the face of it…

Call center coaching: Five tips to ensure your success

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

Managing staff — in any form — is hard work and requires a well-stocked repertoire of people skills, business acumen, and the ability to juggle multiple…

Why customers seem scarce - part 2

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

Last week we discussed how to grow your revenues, profits and customer bases when facing the challenges of industry overcapacity or a dying industry. Both…

Anything they can do, you can do better

by Aaron Shapiro — CEO, HUGE

Take a look at the first-class section on any airplane today; it's full of corporate leaders lugging around Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography, searching…