> Reflecting on this past Fourth of July weekend, there were several moments that caught my attention that I believe exhibit the values and actions of great customer service. The first was the Casey Anthony case.  Such coverage, such a spotlight, not only on the judge, attorneys and Casey, but also upon our local Orlando [...]

> I’ve had the opportunity several times in this past month to ride Southwest Airlines and each time it has been a great fun-Luving experience!  They have started celebrating their 40th birthday this month and are taking the occasion to reinforce the foundation of their culture and what they are all about.  Southwest Airlines started [...]

>A culture of service doesn’t just happen.  It must be planned and managed.  First it starts with the leadership defining the vision of what Service will look like in your organization and then what are the behaviors/standards to deliver that level of service with every customer. Customer workshops for everyone from the senior management to the [...]

> Two weeks ago, my house was hit by a small twister that ripped the roof off the back half of the house. I have lived in Florida all my life through hurricanes, thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and never really had much damage to deal with; now guess it was my turn. For years, my husband [...]

>Philip Crosby believed in the power of “Thank You”.  And so he created Thanksgiving Week at Philip Crosby Associates and it was celebrated in April.  Why April? it was something to look forward to between all the holidays and was tied into a recognition event called the Thanksgiving Ball that was held every year for employees. Thanksgiving [...]

> TRUST is a huge factor in building loyal customer relationships.  What does it take to create Trust?  A simple acronym you can use to assess the level of trust between your business and customers: T – TRUTHFUL:  Are we honest in the information we share with our customers?  Do we act with integrity even [...]

You are at a fast food restaurant and step into the restroom. There is water on the floor and countertops. The toilet roll dispensers are empty and the trash container is overflowing. Wouldn’t you start worrying about the food you were about to order? Every detail of your business’ physical environment “speaks” to the customer. [...]

Remember the 1980’s when quality was the competitive edge? By the 1990’s, many organizations had met the quality challenge to the point that most products/services had become commodities. It was difficult to distinguish between who had the best coffee, cellular telephone, rental car, medical care plan, hotel room; therefore, the competitive differentiation came in the [...]

All businesses can tell you very quickly what is the physical product or service they sell, but few take the time to identify clearly for their employees what is the “true product” of the organization.  The “true product” should encompass the emotion that results from the customer’s interaction with your business.  Top management may know [...]

Every day in the paper we see another business closing shop, not making it in this historic downturn.  With the shrinking demand for total goods and services, there is a major shake-up of winners and losers.  Customer loyalty is a key to being one of the winners.   Loyal customers will keep coming back as long [...]