We say it all the time, but how often do we ask our customers what they want, what they value, what experience they desire? I remember IN THE OLD DAYS when I worked for Pearle Vision, we’d hire a company to conduct exit interviews. People would stand outside the store and ask customers a series [...]
My mom recently had knee replacement surgery and when she left the hospital, she selected a live-in skilled nursing facility for her rehab therapy. One of the added bonuses has been the friends she’s made of the other patients during her two week stay. What do they talk about? Their surgery and their recovery. They [...]
I’m here at the Chautauqua Institute in New York and last Friday night Jason Alexander, in character as motivational speaker Donny Clay, was the entertainer. Chautauqua is a family oriented location with world renown speakers and entertainers who grace the stage each, many of whom come to support the weekly theme. The theme the week [...]
Yesterday’s post about my experience at Wal-Mart led Justin Flitter (writer of a great help desk customer service blog) to have this comment, in part: “What would happen if Walmart just told their staff, “go out there today and have some fun, we’re not measuring anything.” It reminded me of my early years with Pearle [...]
A friend of mine took her two young boys to Paris for Spring Break this year. Must be nice! So how was the trip? Great except for the last leg of their flight home. “Our flight from Philadephia was cancelled and here I was in an airport, wanting to get home and trying to entertain [...]
In my newsletter this month I ask this question and then share a shopping experience I had with a big box retailer over the holidays. I was returning two, unopened DVDs for a store credit. I already owned the DVDs and wanted to pick out something different. The scenario went something like this: The sign [...]
My daughter and I were in the car listening to the radio and Madonna’s Vogue came on the station. I said “That’s Madonna singing.” She’s not my favorite singer but I do enjoy several of her songs. I admire her as a business woman and seeing as we are the same age, I do envy [...]
Have you had an experience where a business owner or associate seemed more connected to their corporate policies than to making customers happy? Not long ago a friend of mine went to Subwayin Columbia, SC for his favorite foot-long turkey sub. He loves vegetables and banana peppers are one of his favorites. If you’ve eaten [...]
What do you think when you hear the word “empathy?” Webster’s defines it as “the capacity for participation in another’s feelings or ideas.” The Synonym Finder by J.I. Rodales lists similar words to “empathize” as: respond react understand be in tune be hip to be into be turned on to imagine project vicariously put oneself [...]
How many times do you make a purchase and the cashier says “Have a nice day?” How does that make you feel? I once heard a comedian say “I get stressed when someone tells me to have a nice day. The pressure. I’m doing the best I can to make it a mediocre day.” Someone [...]
