My elderly Dad has been in hospital this week for some major surgery so my thoughts in recent days have inevitably been focused on how bad the NHS is at patient/relative communication. But getting specific here wouldn’t win me any friends in the High Dependency Unit so the obvious connected topic is the human side … Continue reading why overlooking the human side of CRM can end up in a Comcast
I know I go on about consistent brand delivery across all customer touchpoints a lot, but below are some edited highlights from a 30 minute long online Live Chat between O2 and my sister (whose new phone doesn’t work and who would rather have called them but gave up after 2 ½ hrs on hold...) … Continue reading have O2 made a call that rubbish customer service pays?
I’ve been thinking A LOT about the retail shopping experience recently. Partly because I’ve got relevant projects on the go or in the works and partly because I’ve been ‘impulse storing’ – which I’ve just invented to describe popping into a store on impulse to try and knock some items off the worrying large festive … Continue reading is the answer to Shopping Hell that we need to be nicer to each other?
I have a fairly big bee in my bonnet about Customer Service. It’s such a crucial part of the brand experience and so often overlooked or a last minute consideration. Which is why I was so impressed by the Games Makers at London 2012, who were spot on. My hairdresser shares my interest in the … Continue reading instilling customer service that’s a cut above the rest
I was at Greenwich on Tuesday watching TeamGB win the Olympic Dressage. The whole day was pretty amazing, but one thing I hadn’t expected was how good the volunteer Games Makers were. the BBC's Clare Balding leaves Greenwich at the same time as the Games Makers (pic from her twitter) There were literally hundreds of … Continue reading Games Makers really deliver
The last couple of weeks for me have been about contrasts in customer service. And they’ve all been frontline contact, whether face to face or on the phone. Take Holiday Inn Express. Their website promises an improved experience with “Real Service. Really.” But trying to book a meeting room and couple of bedrooms was more … Continue reading what happens when the brand’s frontline doesn’t deliver – and why we should be bothered
I stayed at an amazing hotel last week – in Morecambe. The two concepts don’t sit terribly well together, unless you’ve already heard of what developers Urban Splash did to the Midland Hotel to bring it back to its former Art Deco glory and how it sits at the heart of the regeneration plans for … Continue reading design fans should check out the Midland Hotel
I’ve been lucky enough to eat out quite a bit recently – and unlucky enough to experience some pretty appalling service in the process. Last week (*cough* Piccolinos) it took ten minutes to get served at the bar, half an hour to be sat at our table and another twenty minutes to order. A few … Continue reading Project Management might be really about Customer Service
I sent a load of old Uni textbooks off to the charity shop the other week and one called ‘Compensation’ included lots of cautionary tales about compensation schemes that were supposed to boost productivity/quality/customer service but ended up having the opposite effect. Like the vegetable processing plant that started paying their quality checkers extra for … Continue reading is your research being subverted by its subjects?
Due to the fact that practically everything I own has decided to break in the last week I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to Customer Services. I continue to be amazed that for the sake of saving a bit of dosh some companies are prepared to have such appalling front line representation. Shouting … Continue reading when a brand’s frontline only works face to face
