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Customer Service Lessons from the Big 12

  • 3 min read

I believe my son is an average 6-year-old. He likes Star Wars, Transformers, Wii and sports. When we moved to Norman, Okla., he saw the OU football poster and wanted one. So up one went on his wall! Then he wondered if he could get posters from the teams OU was playing. And thus, a quest began! Because the DMOs in the cities of the Big 12 have a strong relationship I was able to drop the other eleven a line and make the request. As some went unfulfilled, I started contacting the universities’ athletic departments myself. The result is… 

Customer Service – 11 Hours with A Customer; 5 other Good Reads

  • 2 min read

In CTA trainings, Stephen has a simple exercise which demonstrates that if we take simply a minute or two to engage with the customer, we can learn about them and how to serve them best. Imagine spending nearly 11 hours with a customer!? That’s what one Zappos customer service rep did: A Zappos Employee Had the Company’s Longest Customer-Service Call at 10 Hours, 43 Minutes Other good reads this week on customer service: Why Honest Customer Service Policies Are Good for Business L.L. Bean offers a ‘lifetime’ guarantee on its products. Isn’t that pricey for the company? Not if you keep… 

Tourism Best Practices – CVBs Maximize Pokemon

  • 2 min read

For years, CVBs have been developing and promoting “be a tourist in your own city” encouraging families to venture out and discover local attractions they haven’t visited or re-visit a destination they haven’t been too in years. Leave it to a video game to truly drive families to be a tourist in their own city. PokemonGo is sending droves of game players to new parts of their community or attractions they haven’t visited in a while. How are CVBs maximizing Pokemon fever? CVBs Publish PokemonGo Guides to Draw Visitors While Pokémon Go continues to gain popularity, the game also presents… 

Customer Service – The Future of CX; What Gen Z Wants and Your Signature Service

  • 2 min read

Customer service is at an all-time low and customer satisfaction in dealing with a product or service issue is just as low, about 40 percent. Two of three consumers are likely to experience rage during an interaction with a customer service rep. In addition, 63 percent of consumers are likely to experience no satisfaction whatsoever in dealing with a product or service complaint. For retailers the outcome is not good as it is putting about $202 billion in revenue at stake and can slash consumer repeat business and loyalty to shreds. Only three good reads on improving customer service but three very… 

Tourism Best Practices – Republican National Convention Style

  • 2 min read

All eyes this week on Cleveland as the Forest City hosts the Republican National Convention. Tourism professionals in Convention and Visitors Bureaus – CVBs (or Destination Marketing Organizations – DMOs) in Cleveland around northern Ohio are implementing some innovative programs to increase visitation in their destinations. We call them Tourism Best Practices. Destination Cleveland Launches #AskCLE to Answer Visitor Questions During RNC (and Beyond) The visitors bureau opened a social-media headquarters and launched a new hashtag — #AskCLE – designed to aid Republican National Conventionguests as they navigate the city. Visitors can pose questions using a variety of social-media outlets, including Twitter,… 

Customer Service – Best Reads week of July 11

  • 2 min read

One would tend to believe customer service is customer service. No trends. A smile is a smile. Empathy, listening, going the extra mile are standards. Apparently things change and what might have been hot is not. Shep Hyken, the customer service and experience expert with What’s Hot In Customer Service — And What’s Not Other good reads this week: There’s Much More to Customer Service Than Policies And Rules — It’s A Philosophy Customer service is a way of thinking that needs to be adopted by everyone in an organization, from the newest employee all the way up to the CEO.… 

Tourism Best Practices – Week of July 11

  • 3 min read

Tourism professionals at Convention and Visitors Bureaus – CVBs (or Destination Marketing Organizations – DMOs) are implementing some innovative programs to increase visitation in their destinations. We call them Tourism Best Practices. Start this week with talk of visitor centers… Shenandoah CVB Grand Reopening Unveils Modernized Center Originally a part of the Montgomery County CVB, the Shenandoah CVB was housed in City Hall until relocating in 2010. The city has since remodeled the facility and adopted state-of-the-art, interactive technology to help visitors plan their stay. (Video) Bryan College Station Goes Mobile with Visitors Center The Bryan College Station Convention and… 

Social Media – Best Reads Week of July 4

  • 2 min read

You’ve started your social media accounts. You’re posting. You’re tweeting. You’re pinning. Wondering though if you’re doing it right. Perhaps the Simple Social Media Guide for Small Businesses from the SBA can help. Small businesses can leverage different platforms for a variety of reasons to either expand visibility, increase sales, or inform their audience. Whether you’ve been active or considering a brand refresh, focus on a few best practices when approaching social media. There’s also these 5 Things To Do Before Your Startup Launches A Social Media Marketing Campaign Social media is no magic potion. It takes a lot of time and effort to make… 

Customer Service – Best Reads Week of July 4

  • 3 min read

Customer service is at an all-time low and customer satisfaction in dealing with a product or service issue is just as low, about 40 percent. Two of three consumers are likely to experience rage during an interaction with a customer service rep. In addition, 63 percent of consumers are likely to experience no satisfaction whatsoever in dealing with a product or service complaint. For retailers the outcome is not good as it is putting about $202 billion in revenue at stake and can slash consumer repeat business and loyalty to shreds. Multiple good reads on improving customer service. We start with Why Great…