Building Loyalty, One Customer at a Time

August 19th, 2010

I hear a lot of talk about ways to “WOW’” your customer and how the only way to keep your customers are to ALWAYS provide over the top experiences.  I’m not sure when this started, or why for that matter, but I’m not sure I agree with it.

When I first heard the concept I thought, “Yep, that sounds about right.”  After all, we are an instant gratification, I should get the best because I deserve it kind of world.  (Even if I’m the ONLY one who thinks that highly of me.)

Then I put on my customer hat.  I’ve been a customer for many years for a variety of businesses.  Some disappointed me greatly.  Others have, on occasion, knocked my socks off.  However, when I think about the businesses I frequent, it isn’t the “WOW” factor that keeps me coming back.  It’s the consistency of product and service.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the “WOW” experience from time to time.  I think everyone does.  It is the “WOW” that draws the attention and gets people talking.  But the “WOW” can’t be sustained.  It would be draining to have to be constantly one-upping yourself, much less your competition.

If you want me to be a loyal customer just be true to your brand, tell me what to expect and give me that experience.  If you have the right employees, the “WOW” experiences will come from time to time and I will be surprised and appreciative when they do. 

I will also tell my family, my friends, and even my acquaintances about my “WOW” experience with your business.  And, at the same time, I will tell them that your business satisfies – every time!

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Red Light Runners and Customer Service

August 11th, 2010

Every time I stop at a red light in Omaha I see cars that blow right through the intersection as the light changes from yellow to red. The last of these cars usually fly through after the light is very red. I’m sure you’ve seen it too, even if you’re not in Omaha.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m guilty of running the occasional light myself. I try not to make a habit of it and rarely do it when the light is red but it is, sometimes, very “orange.” (yellow and about to turn red) This is not meant to be a sermon from my soapbox about people who run lights. However, it made me wonder, is there a connection between the attitude that makes people run the lights, especially red lights, and customer service?

Consider this. When someone runs a red light it is, at its core, a self-serving action. It’s a message to all other drivers that it is more important that I get through this intersection and to my destination, even if you have to wait, than for me to obey the law, stop at the light, and have to wait for the next green light. And, it is a choice.

When an employee makes the choice not to provide great, or even good customer service it comes from much the same attitude. An employee who rushes through a customer interaction so they can get back to the mechanics of their job (restocking shelves, cleaning up, etc) is telling me how unimportant I am to that employee. It’s even worse if the rush is to return to a personal conversation with a fellow employee!

Isn’t helping the customer the most important part of most anyone’s job? After all, if there are no customers, there are no sales. If there are no sales, there is no revenue. If there is no revenue, there is no paycheck. Etc, etc, etc.

Even if that is not the employees’ intention, from a customer’s perspective, the message is the same. Next time I’ll try a little harder to stop at that yellow light. How about you?

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More Scams Coming Around . . .

July 29th, 2010

Apparently the scammers never sleep and are always looking for new ways to get your valuable information.  We received the following from a contact in our trade association:

My mother just got a text message about shop opportunities in her area. She called them just to see what it was all about. They asked her for a credit card number, so she hung up.

Well, I called them. The number is 1-866-749-1238. They call themselves Shopper Systems. She told me that I would make up to $50 an hour and that they would train me for free. All I would have to do is provide my credit or debit card number and they would process the registration fee of $2.95. She went on to say that if I had to make any purchases I would be prepaid. She said I would be shopping places like supermarkets and restaurants, including Wendy’s and CVS.

When I asked her for a web address to check them out, she refused to give me one. She said that I could not see the site until I had paid the fee. We went back and forth on the matter, and then I just declined and hung up.

I guess the message is to always be careful.  Scammers will try to reach you with whatever means are available to them including email, snail mail, text, and advertisements, just to name a few.

To see what a scam can look like visit our Scam Warning page at http://ispymysteryshoppers.com/be_a_spy/scam.html.

Have a great day!
Cory

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Marketing Firepower Interview, part 2

June 11th, 2010

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Marketing Firepower President, Jeff Dostal.  I hope you enjoy part 2 of 2 below.

Make it a great day,
Cory

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Are You Listening?

June 7th, 2010

Right now, sitting in my office are three empty toner cartridges.  I’ve been staring at them for a few days – okay, two of them for a couple of weeks – trying to decide what to do with them.  Throwing them away is not an option but do I send them back to the manufacturer with their handy mailing labels or take them to my office supply store for “Rewards” credit?

The problem is, I wasn’t sure if my preferred office supply store would A) accept them or B) provide “Rewards” for them.  Below is the transcript of my online chat with them:

CSR Ella has entered the session. 
Cory: Does [store name] accept used toner cartridges for recycling? If so, are reward credits issued for each cartridge?
CSR Ella: Thank you for contacting [store name], please wait a moment while I review your request. Live Chat
CSR Ella: Thank you for being on hold.
CSR Ella: Our recycling program has been in place for several years and is continuously evaluated to best suit our customer’s needs.  Our current offer is for the following:
The program requires a loyalty membership (customers must be a  Rewards Member to participate).
Limit of 5 eligible cartridges in store per day, per person.
Customers will receive $3 back in Rewards for every eligible Ink or Toner cartridge recycled – coupons are NO LONGER issued as credit for the dollar amount recycled.
CSR Ella: Rewards are paid quarterly in the form of an [store name] Reward Card when a member earns a minimum of $10 in Rewards. Rewards carry over from quarter to quarter until the end of the calendar year. Reward Cards will be sent via mail 60 days after the end of the Reward Quarter.
CSR Ella: You can recycle any Ink or Toner cartridge – no matter which brand it is.
The following recycling program restrictions apply:
Ink tanks do not qualify.
CSR Ella: Is there anything else I can assist you?

Don’t get me wrong.  I actually like the ability to ask a question or two through an online chat.  It tends to save some time and allow me to do a few other things while I’m waiting for a response.  However, the response from “CSR Ella” made me wonder if she was really listening to me, her customer.

In this case all I really needed was a Yes or No response.  Had CSR Ella really listened to my questions, she would have realized that.  Instead I was forced to search through lines of text, including information not relevant to my question, to find my answer. 

Are you really listening to what your customers are asking, saying, and need?

- Cory

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Going Green and Maintaining Your Brand’s Promise

May 30th, 2010

My wife and I recently attended a conference in Las Vegas and stayed in a well-known casino on Fremont Street in the old part of Vegas. Overall it was a very enjoyable stay. The hotel is under renovation but our room had already been completed including a big screen TV, “updated artwork” (their sales pitch), and a VERY comfortable new mattress. It also had the usual placard in the bathroom that talks about their desire to conserve natural resources and asks you to participate by re-using your towel, “A towel on the rack means, ‘I’ll use it again.’”

Now, understanding the importance of conservation and protecting our environment, my wife and I have been getting progressively more green. We recycle as much as we can, re-use what we can, and try to waste as little as possible. Of course that means we also planned to re-use our towels and, every day, we would leave our towels “on the rack” after our shower.

Here is where this particular casino’s brand promise fell short. Every day, the housekeeper would come in and straighten up, re-make the bed, replace the glasses, and do everything you would expect the housekeeper to do. The problem is, every day, she broke the brand promise by replacing the towels we left on the rack and were planning to use again.

This made me wonder about a few things:

  1. What is causing the disconnect from the casino’s conservation promise to the housekeeper’s failure to execute that promise?
    1. Is Management not communicating their objectives well or is housekeeping ignoring them?
    2. Does Management even know this policy is not being followed?
  2. If the casino is truly concerned about conserving, why was it necessary to replace and clean water glasses that had barely been used?
  3. If they failed to keep this promise, what other promises do they push to the side?

I guess the important take-away for me was, if you make promises to your customer (or family, friends, co-workers, etc), no matter how small it is, it is crucial that you take the steps necessary to fulfill those promises. If you don’t keep the small promises, why should anyone believe that you would put forth the effort to keep the really big ones?

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Scam Victims Recovering Losses

April 29th, 2010

As much as we hate to give scammers any press at all, sometimes it is necessary and this is the kind of press we like to share.

In the fake check scams that involve mystery shopping, MoneyGram is frequently used to transfer funds to the scammers.  The FTC just released an article talking about how MoneyGram is reimbursing many people who were victims of these scams.

To read the full article, please click on the title: FTC Mails Redress Checks to Fraud Victims Who Lost Money Through MoneyGram’s Money Transfer System.  After clicking, you will be taken to the FTC’s webpage and the article.

For more information about the scams, please visit our Scam Warning Page by clicking HERE.

Please feel free to share any or all of this information.   The more people who know about these type of scams the less likely the scammers will find new victims.

Make it a great day!
Cory

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Interview #1 with Marketing Firepower

April 21st, 2010

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Marketing Firepower President, Jeff Dostal.  I hope you enjoy part 1 of 2 below.

Make it a great day,
Cory

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Come One, Come All!

April 1st, 2010

Hello.  Come on inside.  Take off your shoes and get comfortable.  We would love to have you join our conversation.  Our goal here is a simple one – to get to know each other. 

Our first full post will be coming soon.  In the meantime feel free to make yourself at home, take a stroll around our pages, ask questions if you like.  It’s a pleasure to have you here.

Make it a great day,
Cory

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