I’ve been to a conference on channel shift, encouraging your customers to move to different forms of interaction with your organisation. It was good, perhaps not worth the five hour train ride but you always pick up something interesting from these events. Lunch was nice too. But my gripe was that speaker after speaker talked … Continue reading Channel shift – it has to be more than just about money
The day I didn’t buy online
Len Goodman, head judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing says that he’s a wind-up watch in a digital world. I’m not. He has a few years on me but I am a silvering surfer, happy to be fully in tune with the shift towards the modern online way of doing things. I use social … Continue reading The day I didn’t buy online
Buy more – pay more
The system of commerce that we operate within has the underlying principle that if you buy more then you should pay less. Buy two get one free. 33% extra free. Bulk-buy discounts available. The thinking is that the more that is shipped then the lower the distribution cost, the lower the associated overhead and the … Continue reading Buy more – pay more
The internal customer
Treating parts of the organisation as customers in an internal market is a great idea except for one thing – it doesn’t work. Why not? Before I expand it is worth defining what is meant by a customer and a supplier. A customer is someone who has a demand for products and services and expresses … Continue reading The internal customer
Hawkeye
Sunday 11th August and the third day of the ashes test is well underway at the Riverside ground in Chester-Le-Street. Australia’s first innings is close to the end. Anderson takes a run up and bowls. The ball bounces and strikes Lyon on the pad. The England team turn to the umpire, raise their hands in … Continue reading Hawkeye
Work attractive design
My wife says to me when we have bought some new gadget, ‘Where’s the instruction manual?’ and I say to her ‘Pet (because that’s how we talk around our way), if you need an instruction manual then you shouldn’t have bought it.’ What I mean is that a product these days should just work. It … Continue reading Work attractive design
Customer satisfaction
Today I have been to a great event laid on by the Institute of Customer Service Institute of Customer Service It was one of their regular forums but this time the subject was measuring and using customer satisfaction. This builds on the recently announced figures by the institute on their UK Customer Satisfaction Index July … Continue reading Customer satisfaction
First, second and third line
It is a very common approach to have service provision to customers split into layers, or lines. The first line is the one that greets the customer and gathers information about them and their requirements. This is where the customer gains their first impression of the business and usually covers their high level and easy … Continue reading First, second and third line
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 