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…

Where Best Buy went wrong

Experts discuss why the retail giant is shrinking and whether it can stage a comeback.

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…

E-commerce sites improving customer service

May 9, 2012

A record 36 of the Top 100 online retailers achieved the "threshold for excellence" on the annual Top 100 E-Retail Satisfaction Index from customer experience…

Fact or excuse? It depends.

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

While working with executives, owners and managers I hear a lot of reasons why something did or did not happen. Recently I've noticed that sometimes it feels…

To ignite your customers, fire up your employees

I'm one of those connected customers. I scan QR codes. I read product reviews. I'm never without my phone and it is loaded and ready with Google Shopper, Red…

Two tales of retail showrooming

by Jeff Weidauer — Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Vestcom International, Inc.

By now most folks have heard about "showrooming," the relatively new activity where consumers visit a brick and mortar store, look at a product they are…

Why small retailers must work harder on customer service

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

This is a tale of two retailers, one of them a single-location local boutique shop, the other a major multinational corporation. One of them recently gave me…

Sometimes, taking care of non-customers makes your customers happier

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Caring about people isn't enough on its own to create a transformational customer experience. Without caring, however, treasured moments of genuine human…

Take your work seriously, don't take yourself seriously

by Harvey Mackay — Author, Mackay Mitchell

"Dilbert," which is carried in 1,100 newspapers, has helped us laugh at the crazy dynamics of the workplace. Now if we could only start laughing at ourselves.

Social media raising stakes for customer service

May 2, 2012

Americans are growing more frustrated with customer service, and their social media savvy is making it hard for businesses to get away with ignoring the…

Six retailers who blew it - BIG

When I give presentations, I typically like to use case studies to show customers best practices. However, it is frequently the object lessons of who blew it…

Kroger's prescription for phone relief

by Lisa Biank Fasig — Director, JZMcBride and Associates

Anyone who regularly goes to the pharmacy knows that the sound of a ringing phone is as prevalent as the rattle of bottled pills. Now Kroger Co. is testing a…

When to use customer service games in training

by Peggy Carlaw — VP, Impact Learning Systems

Customer service games can add spice to a training program. I ought to know, I wrote the book! Unfortunately, I've seen too many games used just because ...

Infographic: The evolution of customer experience

Sheridan Orr gives an overview and history of the ever-changing customer experience.

Who's running your business?

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

What would you say if someone told you that they were responding to 600 proposals a year versus 150 in prior years? Who among us wouldn't like to see that…

Bike seller bridging e-commerce, brick-and-mortar gap with build-a-bike kiosks

April 18, 2012

According to the Fort Collins (Colo.) Coloradoan, Fort Collins bicycle retailer Big Shot Bikes is using build-a-bike kiosks to bridge the gap between…