General rants Archives - Page 25 of 28

GREAT CUSTOMER CONTACTS ARE TRAINED, NOT BORN

May 30, 2012 by Scott Flood

Companies that want to be better at customer service will often put a great deal of effort into trying to hire the “right” people. “If we just find the right people, everything will fall into place,” they believe.

It’s true that there are a lot of people out there who view helping others as a calling. And there are people who may not be quite as dedicated, but who genuinely enjoy seeing customers walk away with a smile and a promise to return. But if you simply place even the most well-meaning people into your customer-service settings, you probably won’t get the results you want.

GIVE FRONTLINE STAFF THE AUTHORITY TO FIX THINGS

May 16, 2012 by Scott Flood

I called the quick-service restaurant with a large carry-out order, and was told it would be ready at 5:45. At exactly 5:46, I walked in and discovered that nobody had started to prepare my food. The manager muttered an apology and snapped at the crew to get to work, then disappeared from sight.

A smiling teenage employee walked up and said, “Sir, if you’d like to have a seat, I’ll bring your order to you when it’s ready.” I thanked her and declined, primarily because I wanted to watch the kitchen crew prepare my food. I’m funny that way, especially after the cooks have just been scolded.

PET PEEVE #462

May 9, 2012 by Scott Flood

Put a brochure or a magazine in front of you. Now take your index finger, and tap it repeatedly. Does anything happen? Aside from the object developing a slight dimple and you receiving some kind of repetitive stress injury, that is?

Microsoft Word is a dandy piece of software that has many helpful tricks. One of those tricks is automatically turning website and email addresses into hyperlinks and giving them a pretty blue color. When you’re exchanging documents online, that can be handy, because you can use your mouse (or finger on a tablet) to connect with that link.

IF YOU INNOVATE, YOU MUST EDUCATE

April 4, 2012 by Scott Flood

Three cheers for the companies that are dedicated to developing the new and the exciting! The companies that aren’t satisfied with what’s already available, or who have recognized an entirely new way to accomplish something. The companies that are constantly focused staying at the forefront of their industries. If you run (or work for) one of those companies, I’d take my hat off to you (if I wore a hat).

But when you take on the mantle of “innovator,” you also assume the responsibility of an educator. That’s because when you stake out new territory, it’s new to everyone else, too. The advantages and superiority of your new approach may be obvious to you, but they may not be quite as clear to the rest of the world.

STOP! YOU’RE BOTH RIGHT!

March 14, 2012 by Scott Flood

Within the world of advertising and marketing, there are several subgroups of professionals. One of those groups is the so-called “creatives” — the writers, graphic designers, and art directors who come up with ideas for communications tools and then execute those ideas.

Within the community of creatives is an unending debate about whether design or content is more important. It shouldn’t surprise you that writers tend to advocate for content, while designers and art directors focus on the importance of design. I’ve listened to more of those arguments than any person should be expected to bear.

IS IT OPINION OR KNOWLEDGE?

September 21, 2011 by Scott Flood

Much of what I learned in high school was most effective at setting one up for a lifetime of therapy. But there were a few gems here and there that have managed to stay with me throughout the ensuing years. One of those was the difference between facts and opinions. Several of my teachers devoted many class periods to helping their charges grasp what separates the two.

It’s a lesson that seems to be lost on many people, who develop their own opinions about something and then state those opinions as though they were factual knowledge. While the most obvious examples are those modern-day idea marketplaces — talk radio, cable news channels, and online forums — I’ve also seen the trend drift into the ways in which companies promote themselves or their beliefs.

WHERE’S THE PEE-ZONE?

August 3, 2011 by Scott Flood

If you’re going to come up with a cleverly invented name or spelling for your product or service, make sure it doesn’t create any inadvertent pronunciations.

Case in point: Pizza Hut has been promoting its line of calzones as P’Zones. They want you to pronounce that as “puh-zones.”

COWERING CAN COST YOU BUSINESS

July 20, 2011 by Scott Flood

Sometimes, businesses have to deliver bad news to customers. That’s a fact of life, but it’s rarely easy to do. In most cases, the best way to do it is just that — do it, get it done, and move on. If the business relationship is solid, it will withstand one instance of bad news.

Not long ago, a service provider with whom I’ve worked for well over a decade decided that it was just too tough to share some bad news. As a result, they damaged their working relationship with me, and I’m willing to wager they’ve done the same with other clients.

ON THE CARE AND FEEDING OF EDITORS, PT. 2

July 13, 2011 by Scott Flood

In my last post, I talked about the role of editors and why most are comfortable with publicity. This week, I’d like to offer some simple advice that will make you a valuable resource for an editor instead of being viewed as that most despised of creatures, the “flack.”

The most important advice of all is to never send an editor anything that doesn’t have relevance to his or her audience. If the editor runs a magazine for chicken farmers, his readers probably won’t care about a new device to floss swine teeth. Not only will the editor delete your news release; he’ll store your name in his memory as someone who wastes his time. Each time you do that, you lose more credibility. Eventually, your emails will be filtered directly into the trash.

DOING JUST ENOUGH VERSUS REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE

June 15, 2011 by Scott Flood

A client was planning to advertise in a publication produced by a printing company with which I had worked in the past. Wanting to verify that the company was still producing that publication, I emailed the customer service contact I had dealt with, and asked her a simple question: is your company still printing this publication?

Her reply didn’t answer my question. “I’m now working in a different department and Jane Doe is now handling projects like that.” Clearly, she didn’t want to be bothered by my request.