We know that it is six to seven times more costly to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one. In addition, 40 percent of consumers stated that they would spend more money with a company that made improvements to the overall customer service experience. The key to retaining customers and your business is to create a culture of exceptional customer service. Think about customer service in two dimensions: procedural and personal. The procedural dimension relates to a company’s established processes used to deliver their products and/or services. The personal dimension relates to how employees interact with customers,...
Hospitality Desks have been a staple of travel management companies since the very beginning. The idea is well intentioned, make it as easy as possible for travelers to get the help that they need. Travel has changed a lot over the years, but the hospitality desk has more or less remained the same. Now that travelers can instantly access information from their smartphone, is a Dry Erase board the best place to put important updates? When seeking improvement, start with the end goal. The #1 goal of a hospitality desk is to provide a high level of service for travelers....
Musician Dave Carroll watched as his expensive Taylor guitar was carelessly tossed by baggage handlers at O’Hare airport. His complaints to United Airlines flight attendants and ground crew were ignored so he was not surprised when he arrived at his destination to discover the guitar was damaged beyond repair. Over the next few months he sent countless emails and letters and spent hours on hold and in conversations with United employees spouting company policy. A songwriter, he channeled his frustration into a song and a light-hearted music video. He never imagined what would happen as the song entitled “United Breaks...
As a kid, I knew the best houses to stop at while trick or treating. The ones with friendly people, houses that were fun and welcoming, and especially the ones who gave full-size candy bars! When we ran into our friends while we were trick or treating, we told them what houses to be sure to go to and what ones to skip. We even remembered our experiences the following year! Customers are looking for full-size service. Customers act much the same way as trick or treaters. They look for friendly, welcoming businesses that provide a full-size equivalent of products...
In recent years, the usage of chatbots has drastically increased. Bots now account for more internet traffic than humans do. By 2025, the global chatbot market is expected to reach $1.23 billion, an annual growth rate of 24.3%. Chatbots behave as little digital website assistants and can be used for a number of tasks. They are frequently used as a customer service tool, popping up in the corner of a website asking if you need assistance. They are also used as sales and marketing tools, personal assistants on a website, or as digital voice assistants (e.g. Alexa, Siri) Part of...
It has been 9 years since the release of the now-infamous song “United Breaks Guitars.” The protest song detailed the customer experience nightmare singer-songwriter Dave Carrol experienced after United Airlines broke his guitar during a flight and refused to compensate him for it. The accompanying music video, uploaded onto YouTube in July 2009, amassed more than 150,000 views in one day and resulted in a public relations nightmare for the airline. In an increasingly digital age, poor customer service experiences are often posted online, on review sites such as Yelp or on social media sites, particularly Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes,...
On a recent trip, our pilot was excited to announce that he got us to our destination 20 minutes early. I was happy to hear that and it seemed my fellow passengers were too! As we sat on the tarmac, our pilot announced that we were so early there was no open gate. We waited awhile longer and then finally parked at a gate where we waited for someone to extend the walkway for us to deplane. In the end, we were actually on the plan longer than we would have been had we landed at on time. This incident...
Do you know if you lost a customer today? Chances are good that you did and don’t even know it. Studies have found that as high as 95% of customers don’t complain even when they have minor complaints about a business. They just don’t come back. What does this mean to your business? First, make it easy for your customers to voice complaints. Many people are uncomfortable bothering managers and frontline employees especially with minor issues. And when they do, follow these 5 golden rules for handling them in a way that makes your customers feel valued and important. After all,...
Many companies provide traditional customer service. They wait until customers have questions or find out about problems before they take action. This is reactive service and can irritate customers, erode trust and destroy brands. Some examples include not informing customers about a delay in shipping or a delayed service call. An extreme example is GM’s delayed recall of 2.6 million vehicles for a defect that they knew existed and had already led to 13 deaths. While, companies often have to be reactive, there are opportunities to provide proactive customer service. Proactive customer service is staying ahead of customer questions or...
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine leased a new GMC vehicle. As part of the lease, he received a complimentary 3-month subscription to OnStar, the service that keeps a driver safe, connected and ready for the road. As part of this service, he receives a diagnostic report on many aspects of the vehicle including transmission, emissions, brakes, airbags, tire pressure, and oil life remaining. The report also reminds the driver of mileage and maintenance needed. It really is an amazing report full of feedback on the condition of various systems of the vehicle. The diagnostic report is great...
