As I prepared for my first blog post ever, I read a recent survey entitled, “The Global Customer Service Barometer,” which was published by American Express (my previous employer).

The survey confirmed ideas that most of us suspect:

1)   Americans will spend 9% more with companies that provide excellent service

2)   Two-thirds (67%) feel companies aren’t doing enough to earn their business and nine in ten (90%) Americans consider the quality of customer service when deciding to do business with a company

3)   Three most influential factors when deciding which company consumers choose to buy from:

* Personal experience (98%)

* Company’s reputation or brand (92%)

* Recommendations from friends and family (88%)

Should companies invest more (or differently) in customer service to increase the value of their brands?  This is not a trivial question because in the vast majority of cases, it is the front-line customer service worker (whether he/she be on the phone, in the store, or showing up at the consumer’s home) that represents a company’s first and most important interaction between them and their customer.  These are the interactions that represent the moment of truth: the most important interaction with the company where the consumer forms his opinion.

Today companies with mobile workers have an unprecedented opportunity to transform what has traditionally been a “moment of pain” into a “moment of glory”.  This opportunity derives from the dual power of predictive analytics and improved forms of communication.

What can companies with employees who go to consumers’ homes do?

1)   Use the Information You Have to Make Better Decisions.  Most companies have the ability to know how long it takes to perform a task and how long it takes an individual worker to complete the task.  The problem is that they don’t use this information. They need to start!

2) Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.  And do it in the format that consumers want.  Call them, email them, text them, let them check on the internet to see what is going on.  And communication is a two-way street.  Let them be part of the conversation.  If you are going to be late, tell them; and let them decide what to do.  If they are willing to wait, great.  If they want to reschedule, let them.

3) Get Over the Idea That Cost/Service is an Either/Or Proposition.   With the advent of predictive scheduling software and communications it is possible for companies to delight customers and save money at the same time.  How? By giving consumers arrival windows that are short and accurate, by communicating with them so they know when you will arrive, and by showing up with the right personnel and tools to do the job right the first time.

I would be very interested to hear what other best practices exist in the sphere of customer service that are helping companies build their brands, especially for companies whose business takes them to consumers’ homes.  What else can companies do?

The Half-Life of Phones http://nyti.ms/cVtZts

Well I think it’s actually a dilemma that a lot of people have right now…a seminal zeitgeist dilemma!…

I lost my kindle – my favorite ebook reader (see previous post) – And now what do I do?

Do I buy another kindle? Or do I splurge and get myself an iPad?
I mean it’s not like I have a deficit of devices… and I am kind of a contrarian…this post is being written on the android nexus one after all, not on an iPhone.

But there’s something very tempting about that  beautiful thing…that iPad…clearly that’s where Steve Jobs has it totally right: it’s all about desire not about need (wasn’t that the question everyone asked at the launch – ‘who needs this thing?’  – ‘what’s it good for?’).

Desire for beauty, desire for the new, desire for more, desire for change, desire for image…because in reality I don’t think I really need an ipad… I’ve got a great macbook pro;  I’ve got the nexus one;  I have a blackberry; I have a mac mini at home and I had a kindle… till Thursday…

How many devices does one man need?

All I need to do is replace my kindle…right?  And it’s a third of the price of the iPad…so in the battle between reasons and desire who will win?
So you tell me.. the heart or the mind? Form or function? Beauty or the beast? A kindle or an iPad?

You choose!



I was flying from Denver to Atlanta sitting happily in my  first class upgrade… and I actually read a little bit…

And when I got off the plane and got to rental train station – I had that feeling…and I knew.

I knew I had left it behind in the pocket of the seat in front of me.

Boy, was I bummed.

Then it started… I tried to call Delta’s Lost and Found, and encountered many trees.  No, not forest trees, but many menu trees. And at that moment of stress, of loss, that’s the last thing I wanted to hear, menu trees…there was not a live agent to be found. That’s not much comfort for the distressed traveler.

And isn’t it always that way? When things are going right, they’re going right and you really don’t much care about the intricacies of the airline’s deeper customer service capabilities; and even a bad airline is fine, as long as the plane takes-off and lands.

But when something goes wrong…well…that’s a whole other story, a test for customer service. And if it wasn’t for the nice live clerk behind the counter at Delta’s Lost and Found in Atlanta Hartsfield…Delta would be Lost…and I’d probably be ranting and raving about the lack of respect for a traveler who’s lost something and is no doubt in an unfortunate situation and needs help. And I just lost a Kindle.  What if I had lost my wallet or my passport?

And of course, here it is… an opportunity for outstanding customer service that was missed.

And that’s when I realized that there was a difference between customer service and customer care.

Customer Service is about when everything is going right… and Customer Care is about when things go wrong.  How you are treated as a customer. Because it’s nice to get the perks of Customer Service and anyone who has read this blog knows that TOA and I are all about providing great Customer Service -  streamlining making sure people get the everyday things they need, thinking about it deeper, making it better. But Customer CARE… that’s another dimension….

That’s having the right attitude and approach, the right infrastructure and personnel to take GOOD CARE of people, your customers, when things don’t go well.  That’s when the rubber meets the road, that’s when we separate the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff.

And real customer service is all about Customer Care.