Posts Tagged ‘customer listening’

The Tower of Babel by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1563). During a recent flight on US Airways, I heard the following cabin announcement:  “We are dimming the cabin lights but you can find your personal light in the passenger service unit.” Passenger Service Unit? They were referring to the

No doubt you’ve seen a building with broken windows. This is often due to neglect or vandalism and it is a clear message that "no one cares." What signals does a company give off that sends the same message? Frankly, too many to list here, but last week a company reminded me of a few of those indicators of not caring. EZ Lube is a chain of

I picked up this survey at a local restaurant because I was impressed with its simplicity. I’m a fan of well-designed, brief, yet specific surveys. (I notice every survey that I can – inside stores, restaurants and such.) I like the simplicity

Today’s social media – blogs, social networks, etc., allow a company to engage in more dialogue with customers. It certainly affords an easy way to listen to feedback and respond. For example, many companies use Google Alerts to receive email notification when their company name is mentioned online. I use it to see how my company, Customers That Click, is talked about on

Here is a quick refresher on the basics of writing a survey. I'm bringing this up because I recently received a survey that violates several of these commandments. 1. Keep each question focused on a single issue and be specific. 2. Keep the questions clear (don’t confuse the survey respondent). 3. Keep the survey brief. 4. Make sure to allow for comments. 5. Write the questions so you can take

Regular innovation is a key part of business today. I love seeing the role that customers play in shaping a growing company through innovation. Recent research confirms the importance of listening AND responding to customer ideas and suggestions. The most significant sources of innovative ideas are: employees 41% business partners 38% customers 36% R&D 14% Marc Chapman of IBM, the global leader of strategy and change services, said, "One of the

Here are some mistaken assumptions about a business that puts the customer first or makes them a top priority in business. Mistaken assumptions: 1. That putting the customer first means doing everything a customer says. 2. That valuing the customer means taking any customer you can get. Why these are mistaken assumptions: 1. No business can do every thing every customer says – it is impossible based on limited resources