posts, articles, and infographics

Twitter As a Help Line? Have We Ever Come a Long Way

February 15, 2012 by Paul Simon
with 122 views

The extent to which some companies have embraced a progressive strategy in what I consider a relatively short time is impressive. Wasn’t it just yesterday that getting a response when you emailed a company was iffy, much less receiving a Tweeted response within hours, even minutes? [read more]

Why Social Media Is Like a Raucous Bar (video interview)

February 9, 2012 by Paul Simon
with 36 views

Social media is a lot like the activity at a bar. You know, the kind with drinks and sometimes loud music. That’s Dave Carroll’s take. Long before we started Linking In and Facebooking and Tweeting, he was playing his music in university-area pubs. [read more]

‘United Breaks Guitars’ Launched Dave Carroll's Career in Social Media (video interview)

February 8, 2012 by Paul Simon
with 88 views

Within four days of the video’s posting on YouTube it had a million hits. Two and a half years later, it’s been viewed 11.5 million times and Dave Carroll’s name is synonymous with customer service. [read more]

'United Breaks Guitars' Sparks New Customer Complaint Resolution Model (video interview)

February 7, 2012 by Paul Simon
with 55 views

Musician Dave Carroll always has had a passion for customer service. So it’s not surprising that in the wake of his highly popular “United Breaks Guitars” video on YouTube, he’s become a one-man band in support of companies treating their customers fairly. [read more]

'United Breaks Guitars' Made Dave Carroll a Customer Service Celebrity (video interview)

February 6, 2012 by Paul Simon
with 304 views

"United Breaks Guitars" went viral quickly after musician Dave Carroll posted it to YouTube. He talks about the experience in this video interview, the first of four segments. [read more]

10 Top Sales Trends for 2012: Staying Humble and Hungry

February 3, 2012 by Josiane Feigon
with 154 views

In 2012, you will find that companies continue to sit on their cash reserves, and stressed-out consumers continue to postpone purchases — just because they can. [read more]

Komen and Planned Parenthood: The Pace of Social Media Outrage

February 3, 2012 by Alyson Stone
with 76 views

Image: Mark HIllary/Flickr(creative commons)

When The Susan G. Komen Foundation took the unexpected action of cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood, they triggered an event that represents the power and reach of our increasingly social communication [read more]

5 Free Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Website

January 26, 2012 by Benji Hyam
with 134 views

Benji Hyam is a Social Media Coordinator at Vistage International,an <a href="http://www.vistage.com/">executive coaching</a> organization that helps CEO members build better companies through unique <a href="http://www.vistage.com/programs-overview/small-business.aspx">business coaching</a> opportunities. [read more]

Ways to Brand Your Business on a Budget

January 20, 2012 by Dominique Molina
with 62 views

Creating your business’ brand requires both internal and external elements. Internally, you need to determine the message that your brand conveys. What’s the one thing your brand is known for? What’s your USP, or your core business principle? [read more]

How Will the ‘Social Customer’ Change in 2012?

January 6, 2012 by Walter Van Norden
with 254 views

Image: Gavin Llewellyn/Flickr(creative commmons)

Social media is transforming the way brands interact with customers. Ten years ago, one-way communication through advertising was the norm. Now, a new breed of ‘social customer’ means that not only is two-way communication possible, but it’s expected. [read more]

5 Tools to Make Online Customer Service Effective

January 3, 2012 by Greg Muender
with 242 views

Great customer service is what separates the really successful online businesses from the forgettable ones. However, achieving truly great customer service takes work. It takes a lot of work. In fact, it takes so much work that many businesses never manage to achieve it. For some businesses, great customers service seems cost-... [read more]

C-Suite Marketing: InsideView's Ralf VonSosen on Sales Intelligence

December 15, 2011 by Paul Simon
with 48 views

First in a series of exclusive Customer Collective interviews with senior marketing executives. It comes as no surprise that Ralf VonSosen considers sales intelligence the secret sauce for getting in the door in pursuit of new business. [read more]

Customer Service – It’s All in the Name

November 20, 2011 by Michael Zimmerman
with 186 views

Sixty years ago, my father had an insurance agent named Jack Josephson. Jack was the embodiment of customer service. He answered his own phone, spoke in simple terms, told the truth, and would drop anything he was doing to respond to a client with a claim. Jack was a good guy in an age of good guys – but since good guys were everywhere... [read more]

Social Strategy and Crisis: A Video Interview with JetBlue

November 8, 2011 by Paul Simon
with 161 views

To learn more about JetBlue’s social media strategy and the thinking behind it, I interviewed Morgan Johnston, JetBlue’s manager of corporate communications and its social media strategist. [read more]

Why Web-Based Sales Tools Are Inside Sales Weapons

October 14, 2011 by Paul Simon
with 84 views

From SFA, we went to CRM and then, for many, just plain Web tools. And at least for the inside sales sector, they’re invaluable in achieving efficiency. [read more]

How a Social Care Strategy Can Increase Overall Brand Sentiment

September 30, 2011 by Jennifer Bach
with 308 views

As business continues to adopt social media into overall their communications, providing customer service through these networks is an emerging trend. “Social care” involves providing assistance to customers via platforms such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter. I’ve just finished pulling together a new benchmarking study of seven Fortune... [read more]

Your Customer 2.0 Is Motivated By Fear

September 9, 2011 by Josiane Feigon
with 89 views

Remember those crazy-busy independent customers who come to you on their terms — and only after they’ve checked you out socially? [read more]

Inside Sales: The Customer is Mad as Hell

September 1, 2011 by Josiane Feigon
with 77 views

Photo: Lara604/Flickr (Creative Commons)

This independent, busy, distracted, and opinionated buyer has something to say and it’s time for salespeople to listen, understand, and know how and why they make decisions. [read more]

@socialmedia2day Webinar: Inside Google+ w/ @MaggieFox

August 20, 2011 by Maggie Fox
with 51 views

Tune in Tuesday August 23rd at 12pm EST / 9am PST to the exclusive, live webinar from Social Media Today focusing on Google+. Many have argued that Google Plus could become a viable competitor to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other social media platforms. It is undeniable that Google is a force to be reckoned with, but... [read more]

Customer Service and Trains, Phones, and Hotel Shuttles

August 15, 2011 by Paul Simon
with 81 views

Photo: Michael de'Oz/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Juxtapose a conference on Social Customer Relationship Management with customer service irritations from the outside world. What does it all mean? [read more]