Facing extinction, video stores reinvent themselves

July 31, 2011

An article in the New York Times takes a look at the "few scrappy Davids" that are clinging to their video stores, staring down the goliaths that are redbox…

Three ways to make your training more effective

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

Whether you're a trainer for a company, or an executive, owner, or manager who is responsible for getting their employees trained, here are three ways to make…

Deceptive pricing

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

"I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Traditions build customer loyalty

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

Over the weekend, I went on a trip to my favorite vacation spot: Family Camp. This is a little spot nestled in the forest of the Sierras right outside…

Three ways you are frustrating your customers

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

A buddy of mine named Matt heard about a big electronics store that was closing. He wanted to finally get a flat screen TV, but he and his wife were nervous…

Customer experience: Southern hospitality at its finest

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

I live in the happiest place in America. No, it's not Disneyland, it's San Luis Obispo, California. At times, it feels like I'm in a small southern town where…

Mercedes Dealers get top marks for retail experience

July 10, 2011

According to a report in MediaPost.com, Mercedes dealers received the highest satisfaction index rating for the third year in a row in the Pied Piper Prospect…

Avoiding your Napster Moment

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

In a previous post I talked about how companies are often blind-sided by what I call Napster moments. Napster moments are radical, game-changing innovations…

Safeway Borrows a Page from the Travel Industry

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

We’ve known for a while that Safeway, North America’s second largest grocery chain, has been on the right track when it comes to the Enterprise Loyalty…

You know your brand stinks when the government adds regulations

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

The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued new rules for the airline industry including price disclosures and cash penalties for a variety of airline…

You have got to hit the customer

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

No, not literally! Although while hitting customers would obviously be bad for business, it would give you a chance to build a relationship with Bubba the Bail…

Custom men's fashion meets the house call

July 4, 2011

A story in the Centre Daily Times from State College, Penn. highlights the growth of J. Hilburn, a men’s clothier that specializes in bespoke shirts and…

Help the front line right the wrong

by Jeanne Bliss — Founder, CustomerBliss

Alma Rettew bought a holiday gift for a friend, and asked L.L. Bean, whom she bought it from, to get it to her friend on a specific date (the company has a…

No teller of loyalty

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Got a surprising piece of news in the mail recently from my bank. Effective July 1, it said, I will no longer be able to earn reward points on purchases made…

Customer experience lessons from Red Bull

Here are four ways the energy drink brand uses unconventional thinking to stand apart from its competition.

Opinion: Retailers, manufacturers need to work on collaboration

Collaboration shouldn't be exclusive to a new product launch, promotion or supply chain initiative.

You can't sell a Rolex like a Ram Truck

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

More and more brands are opening their own retail outlets in an effort to make their brand stand out. But more importantly to control their image.

Study: UK online customer service needs improving

June 20, 2011

A new report from Eptica, a UK-based provider of customer interaction management software, surveyed the online customer service practices of 100 leading UK…

FurstPerson launches Web-based retail-hiring solution

June 12, 2011

FurstPerson Inc., a provider of on-demand, pre-employment assessments and talent management solutions for customer contact organizations, today introduced an…

Walmart MoneyCenter kiosks should have retailers, banks shaking in their boots

June 12, 2011

According to Bank Investment Consultant.com, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recently announced that it will be rolling out automated kiosk-based versions of its…