Employee engagement is a force behind success

Employee engagement is the motivation, commitment, and loyalty of  people working in order to further an organization’s interest. Top companies recognize how this tremendous force can bring customer satisfaction, able suppliers to productively be in involved in the company’s best interest, and consequently mean profitability as all... [read more]

Clear customer communication: Life lessons from your math teacher

 What do these two situations have in common with the advice you got from your fifth grade math teacher? Situation #1: Market assessment to support valuation of an M&A target. We are working with a client to shape a consumer survey. This includes targeting what type of consumer is really best suited to comment on future demand... [read more]

65th Check-In | The Publix Foursquare Watch

I’ve had a lousy 24 hours, so I am a little more cranky than usual… I’ve been at this Publix Foursquare Watch for a while now. 35 total check-ins…14 blog posts. And, I am not proud to report, a growing list of people and blogs that are talking about this little crusade of mine. Just yesterday, I had a gentleman retweet the link to the... [read more]

What creates customer loyalty?

Customer loyalty is the attitude of a customer when he purchases a particular product of a particular brand over another. The customer retains that brand loyalty and re-purchases or re-uses that product or service. In order to gain a customer’s loyalty, the brand has to be trusted and presented as trustworthy, competent, efficient, and... [read more]

Yo! That’s A Nice Way To ‘Delight’ A Customer!

It was Jill’s birthday yesterday and she got a nice email from our local Yo! Sushi that said: Hey Jill! We hope we are the first to say ‘Happy Birthday to you’ today and unlike all of your Facebook friends, we actually did remember! To celebrate, we are giving you 1/3 off your birthday meal at YO! Sushi, but hopefully someone... [read more]

An Algorithmic Versus a Heuristic Business Approach (to Customer Engagement)

I’ve been reading Dan Pink’s book, “Drive,” and while I’m only 50 or so pages in, I can say that so far it’s a pretty interesting read.  One particular area of the book mentions the difference between algorithmic vs heuristic ways of getting things done.  Dan breaks down the difference between algorithmic and heuristic ways of... [read more]

MWKS Helps Wal-Mart Harvest Web Chatter and Online Conversations

Since 1991, Los Angeles-based company, MWKS (Marketingworks) has been on the forefront of interacting with Key-Influencers in the marketing space.  MWKS uses state-of-the-art web-monitoring and crawling technology.  Sophisticated “web-chatter” tools provide clients with a way to “listen and learn” what is being said (in blogs,... [read more]

Interview with Doria Camaraza from American Express – Part 2 of 4

This is part two of a four part interview with Doria Camaraza, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Fort Lauderdale Service Center for American Express. This part of the interview includes information on how American Express decides to hire new employees versus promote them from within, more information on the compensation... [read more]

The Hip Bone Is Connected To The Thigh Bone, The Thigh Bone….

No, I’ve not decided to convert this blog into a lesson on Anatomy, I actually want to talk about systems.  But I don’t mean systems–technology, I mean systems–the way thing work, how things interrelate, specifically in acquiring and retaining customers. The way we acquire and retain customers is a complex inter-relationship of... [read more]

Why Attend a Conference?

Does this sound like you? Day after day, it seems that you’re merely going through the motions.  Maybe it has even gotten so bad that you are beginning to think a mildly-skilled monkey could adequately perform your duties.  I’m here to tell you that we’ve all been there and it’s not a fun place to be!  While your... [read more]

The receiving side of customer service

We buy on emotion, and we justify those emotions with our own particular logic. Yesterday was my day; it was Saks Fifth Avenue calling to me with one of their huge shoe sales. I think it’s important to be on the receiving side of business to know what great customer service really entails, and purchasing a designer pair of shoes at a... [read more]

Customer and Company Value, You Must Define Both

In my presentations I oftentimes reference a quote from Gartner which says the following:  “By 2010 more than half of companies that have established an online community will fail to manage it as an agent of change, ultimately eroding customer value.  Rushing into social computing initiatives without clearly defined benefits... [read more]