http://www.thecustomerauthority.com The premier Blog to help businesses learn how to increase profits, gain customer loyalty and retention, and become the front-runner in any industry through customer service excellence Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:51:19 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Howdy Folks! As you've probably already noticed, I haven't been updating the blog for a couple of weeks. Things have gotten pretty busy for me as of late and unfortunately The Customer Authority has had to take a back seat. Many thing going on right now. First and foremost is I ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/10/the-customer-authority-is-going-on-hiatus/ If you haven't heard of Zappo's by now, you should have. The little online shoe store has grown into a corporate giant - and they've done it all on the power of customer service. You've heard me talk about Zappo's on here before and how their dedication to a customer focused ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/09/zappos-to-give-free-webinar-on-how-to-build-a-customer-focused-culture/ Today is an important, emotional day for me, as it is for any American. Of course we will never forget that day. Always remember. But with that said - I wanted to lighten the mood a little and share something I had a few chuckles over as I was reading it. I ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/09/zany-laws-still-around/ Today we’re going to talk a little bit about marketing your business. Have you ever noticed when you go to other people’s websites, all they do is talk about themselves? It’s all “we do this”, “we do that”. “These are our features, aren’t we pretty?” “Don’t you want to buy ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/09/the-benefits-of-using-benefits-in-marketing/ Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! The Customer Authority will be back on Wednesday! See you then! Michelle http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/09/happy-labor-day/ I was raised to be a polite person. When I was a little girl, I was instructed by my parents to refer to them as “ma’am” and “sir”. I was also to refer to any elder of mine in this manner. If I didn’t I received a stern warning and ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/09/saying-%e2%80%9cthank-you%e2%80%9d-can-lead-to-repeat-business/ Have you ever had a customer service story that was so hysterical, you just had to share it with everyone you knew? And when they heard it, they said it was the funniest customer service story they'd ever heard? Well now you can share your story with everyone AND get paid ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/09/get-paid-for-your-funniest-customer-service-story/ I'm sure by now you've heard about the two airlines who each had over six hour flight delays -with the airplanes on the tarmac - within one week of each other. Because of these fiascos, lobbyists are pushing forward in their on-going fight to pass the "passenger bill of rights" ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/08/flight-delays-how-long-are-you-willing-to-wait/ Have you ever spoken with a customer service representative who told you he/she would be getting back to you with information – and then you never hear from them again? Usually, you’re the one having to call back in and then have to translate your problem all over again to ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/08/following-up-with-your-customers/ I read this article today that touched on a huge pet peeve of mine. I like to scour the want ads out there for customer service positions, just to see what the market is currently like and how our industry has been affected by the economy. One of the things I ... http://www.thecustomerauthority.com/2009/08/when-did-sales-become-customer-service/