Touch Points

To My Surprise and Delight, the Manager Did the Right Thing!

Submitted to Drive-You-Nuts.com by Kathy K. of Bethlehem, PA
This is a cool website if you are interested in further customer service stories like the one below. You have to join in order to gain access to the whole site, but they have a few good free stories too.

JC Penney was having a half price sale on bras. I was interested in nursing bras and wanted to be sure these were included in the sale before I took the time to drive to the store. I called the department and was assured that "yes, the sales included all bras." I even asked if she was "sure" and was she reiterated what she had told me...

Readers Share Customer Service Stories from the desk of David Pogue

Published: November 6, 2003

You can’t imagine the outpouring of anger, passion and inspiration that resulted from last week’s column about what I call passive-aggressive robbery. That’s when phone companies and others make nickel-and-dime errors on our bills, on the premise that a certain percentage of customers won’t notice or won’t bother spending the time to get them corrected.

Over 500 of you wrote within two days. I won’t repeat the individual stories here, because they’re unsettlingly similar.

(Nor will I say anything except, “Right on!” about another sleazy practice that you decried: rebate rip-offs.)

But your other thoughts about this topic are too thoughtful not to share. Some excerpts:

For Whom Ma Bell Tolls

A theme that seems to be emerging on this blog is that there are some great people working for companies with notoriously bad reputations for customer service. These great people stick out from the crowd and deserve recognition because they are so exceptional. A case in point.

Our new radio station needed a funky phone number...

Out of the office

Hello all,

I am out of the office for a few days, so I'm sharing a chapter of my book that didn't make the final edit. Enjoy! Steve



Seven Ways To Optimize Your Brain and
Your Life

Daniel G. Amen, MD
Author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (Times Books 1/99)

Dr. Daniel G. Amen writes: “The thoughts that go through your mind, moment by moment, have a
significant impact on how your brain works. Research by Mark George, MD and colleagues at the
National Institutes of Health demonstrated that happy, hopeful thoughts had an overall calming effect
on the brain, while negative thoughts inflamed brain areas often involved with depression and anxiety.
Your thoughts matter.” ...

Maybe there’s hope!

Canada’s national air carrier, Air Canada has been in money troubles and teetering on the brink of
financial ruin for a few years now. Some of the troubles have stemmed from waste of resources,
but as of late, they seem to be getting their house in order in that category. The other thing that
has driven customers from Air Canada has been poor customer experiences. Like bumping paying
passengers from flights so staff could travel and overall malaise with ticket and attendant staff.

But maybe there’s hope...

Customer Service Sinners

This is an old article, but I would be interested in hearing from you if it's still accurate?

Steve

AnchorDesk Staff
ZDNet AnchorDesk
Monday, August 28, 2000

Customer service on the Web sucks. And I've got the research to prove it.

I've told you before of the importance of customer service for ecommerce sites. Today let's look at why top Web sites are still failing to measure up. Then you can take a turn and nominate the winning and losing shopping sites.

AND THE LOSERS ARE…

What is Customer Service?

By Dr. John T. Self

What the heck is Customer Service and why is it so hard to define?

When asked to define Customer Service most people get a puzzled, glazed look about them. You can't define it, they'll say. Or when pushed, they'll mutter something about being treated like you want to be treated or it's when you're made to feel at home...

Best Buying Experiences Start With A Complaint

Sometimes, the best buying experiences start with a complaint.
And other times — at least according to a month's worth of my reader mail — a firm's response to a single complaint can destroy years of customer good will.
Many of you still have plenty to say about good and bad customer service, including reader Sue Ann...

Foolproof Customer Service Strategies

by David Leonhardt

Ever notice how customer service varies from store to store? You walk into some stores, and before you can say "Buzz off!" a salesperson asks "May I help you?"

"No thanks."

"May I help you?" asks another.

"No thanks."

"May I help you?" asks a third....

Back on Track!

Right from the moment we set foot on the train, the steward, Peter looked after us like we were
members of his family. He joked with us, brought us extra things to do to pass the time and made
train travel on the top of my list of things to do again. At the end of our trip, he then presented my
daughter with a box of chocolates (that are only available on VIA Rail) and wished her a good
year at school...