Here are those staggering statistics.

200 million Americans have registered their phone numbers on the FTC’s “Do not call list.”
86% of people skip the television ads.
91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email that they previously opted into. This is important for us bloggers!
44% of direct mail is never opened.

The number of smart phones [...]

Yes, Social Media is the ‘next hot thing’ for your company. However, like any other marketing strategy, it must be capable of bringing in customers, and you must be able to measure its effectiveness. Check out this Forbes article on social media and customer service.
Don’t get fooled into thinking that web traffic ‘likes and followers’ will [...]

Here are some thoughts about the little things.

Plant some flowers. What’s nicer to welcome the beautiful weather?
Patch up the parking lot, put in some new signage and pull the weeds!
Cut the bushes around your signs, so they can be seen from the highway. You’ve probably been thinking about that for awhile anyway.
Do you have fencing [...]

Customer service means getting it right for your customer in every aspect of the transaction, including your written communication. I’m amazed at how many things are sent out with misspellings—including my own, I might add! Sometimes it happens, but it still says a lot about you and your connections with your customers.
While I was driving [...]

I thought I would share this sign I saw in a coffee shop the other day. Did you notice the prices?
The first thing I said to the person behind the counter was, “Who would pay this much to learn how to knit?”
Her statement to me was, “Only someone who wants to learn how to knit [...]

I was in a small town outside of Knoxville last week when someone suggested a good restaurant for lunch. As we approached the door I saw this sign. Even the first reading left me cold. I felt like they didn’t want my business nor me. I thought it was just me, so I asked my [...]

If you ask a business owner what they do better than their competitors, they’ll all tell you they deliver the best customer service. If you ask them to define customer service, they will talk about pricing, products and all the usual things.
If you’re in the floor covering business,  having competitive pricing, a good selection, competent [...]

Recently, a woman traveler stopped at a restaurant called the Floor Zone to use the bathroom. (I won’t give them any additional press by highlighting their link.)
She really had to go—I’m sure sometime in life you’ve experienced this problem. She didn’t purchase anything and obviously didn’t see the sign that said, “No Public Rest Rooms.” [...]

This week I taught a class in goal setting for a customer service department. While doing my research, I came upon some interesting information about goal setting. Yes, you can read the ‘Secret,’ memorize your goals and say you’re going to be the best. But being the best is more than a mindset; it’s a [...]

I  must admit I love the clothes and shoes in Macy’s. In the 70’s, I had a Macy’s credit card and used to receive offers from them. It seemed like once I stopped using the card I never heard from them. Every time I would purchase at Macy’s the clerk would ask if I had a [...]