Touch Points

Cecil, Charlie, and Lagniappe

From the Wizard Tower Chronicles on Making Ads Work
By Roy H. Williams. Originally published on this blog in August 2004. Worth reading again.

Lagniappe (Pronounced - Lan-Yap, for us Aussies)

“I was charged a fair price,” is not the statement of an excited customer, yet many business owners mistakenly believe they need only to convince the public that they will be treated “fairly” to win their business. Phrases like “Honest Value for Your Dollar” and “Fair and Honest Prices” tempt me to say (with no small amount of sarcasm), “Yippee Skippy, call the press.”

If the most your customer can say when he walks out your door is, “I was treated fairly,” your business is pitifully stale and you have virtually nothing to advertise. Why? Because the expectation of “fair treatment” is such a basic assumption in business dealings that most people take it for granted. What we really hope to find is “the delight factor.”

Taking Note of the Little Things

From my good friend and colleague Michele Miller about her stay at the Delta Winnepeg:

I've spent more time on the road than off lately, and have gotten to the point of saying things like, "Well, if it's Tuesday, it must be Philadelphia." Seems to be the only way I can keep track of my current location, short of purchasing a GPS navigation device.

Last week it was Winnipeg, including great meetings with a client and hundreds of kilometers put on the rental car driving between their chain of stores across southern Manitoba. The funny thing is, I would arrive back at the Delta Hotel in the early evening, exhausted but actually looking forward to walking into my hotel room.

When I arrived in Winnipeg, instead of checking me into a regular room and making me pay for all of the "extras" (such as high-speed internet), they asked a simple question: Would you like to upgrade to our Signature Club room for $25 more? After they explained what it included, how could I say no?

Success Through Discontent

Roy H. Williams -Monday Morning Memo

Success is conceived in the womb of the mind the moment you look around and say, "I don't belong here. These are not my people." And it is born when you cogently express - to yourself and to the world - who you really are.

So who are you, really, and how will you express it? Will you rise above your circumstances? Please understand I'm not talking about money...

Withering

This is posted by Wizard of Ads Partner and friend - Tim (New Daddy) Miles from his Blog "Sound Thinking"

My wife and I celebrated our first anniversary earlier this summer. I wanted to get her some lilies like she carried down the aisle.

I went to a downtown flower shop.

I was in a hurry.

The young lady working there was not....

5 Secrets Of Good Customer Service

from ©© Albert E. Schindler

Part 2: More Secrets Of Good Customer Service

Customer Service Secret Number Two - provide true customer service. In today’s market environment, service has become a cliché and it seems like "everyone’’s doing it." So, if everyone is doing it, why not jump ahead of the wolf pack by providing even more creative, personalized service to your customers than your competitors can?

One size shoe does not fit all feet. Nor is one type of customer service suitable for all your customers. Let’’s say your advertised featured customer service is Home Delivery. The first customer may welcome this Home Delivery because it’’s difficult for him to get out and shop in person...

5 Secrets Of Good Customer Service

from © Albert E. Schindler

Part 1: Build Business to Customer Loyalty

Good customer service is the bread and butter of your business.

For instance, I paint outdoor signs and create various types of indoor/outdoor promotionals for people in our small town. I’ve been at this business now for over 20 years. I rarely advertise, yet I enjoy about 80 percent of our town’s sign and display business. How do I do it?...

Customers whose complaints were satisfactorily resolved tell an average of 5 people about the good treatment they received.
Customers who have an unsatisfactory experience tell an average of 20 people about the poor treatment they received."

TARP Research, USA

Dealing with Customer Complaints

by Ron Kurtus

A business that provides quality products or services is seeking complete customer satisfaction. In situations where customer complaints occur, the complaint must be dealt with immediately and the cause of the complaint rectified. Some companies are not concerned with quality and often ignore complaints or deal with them dishonestly.

Questions you may have include:....

Maurice’s special wagon!

Last week was the Wizard Academy reunion in Austin, Texas and the grand opening of the new
campus. It was a very exciting weekend. By far the best customer experience we enjoyed was
from Maurice, the bus driver.

His bus transported us from the rental car return to the terminal in Houston Texas...

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...