Chip R. Bell's Blog, page 16
September 27, 2015
Celebrating National Bottom Line Week?
Check out this quick video to find out what I’ve cooked up for “National Bottom Line Week!”
Alright! Now that you know what we’re really celebrating here on the blog for the next two weeks let’s get on with number 10 in our countdown of National Customer Service Week tips.
Give ’em Your Best
How would you feel if the grand opening of your new upscale steakhouse restaurant was in the fall of 2008? As your doors were opening, the Dow was falling 3600 points. Discretionary income was suddenly z...
September 14, 2015
The Egress of Service
Most every bridge in the country has the sign, “Bridge freezes before road.” The reason for the warning is grounded in the fact that every side of the bridge is exposed where only the surface of the road is exposed. And, bridges are often constructed of steel and concrete which are better conductors of heat than road asphalt. But, the sign is also a metaphor for the service journey of customers.
The egress of service includes the junctures where one state is bridged to another. It is the self...
August 31, 2015
Cirque du Service
Cirque du Soleil performances are like sprinkles…they touch you in an emotional way and with a kind of whimsical flair. They make you want to eat the icing and skip the cake. Analyzing the magic of a Cirque du Soleil can be in very instructive in what it can teach us about service with sprinkles.
Sprinkles make a cupcake or cookie distinctive, charming and most of all, alluring. I gave it a test at a recent party my wife and I were hosting for about ten couples. For dessert, we put out a larg...
August 17, 2015
Sprinkles as Invisible Service
This photo is a powerful symbol of service invisibility. Here’s the back story. Luxury hotels of yesterday were concerned about protecting guests’ privacy. Housekeepers never wanted to disturb. During the wee hours of the morning, housekeepers leaned a broom straw against the bottom of the guest room door. A straw in place signaled the guest was in the room; knocking on the door to clean the room only happened if the straw was disturbed. It seemed awe inspiring to guests to return to their fr...
August 3, 2015
The Egalitarian Delight-Maker
When famed anthropologist Margaret Mead first visited Samoa in the South Pacific, it led her to write in the preface of her book Coming of Age in Samoa, “Courtesy, modesty, good manners, conformity to definite ethical standards are universal… It is instructive to know that standards differ in the most unexpected ways.” Her non-judgmental approach to the target of her research enabled her to gain a level of intimacy with Samoan inhabitants that few researchers had been able to attain.
Customer...
July 20, 2015
The Kaleidoscope World of Innovative Service
We have a coffee table with three antique viewing devices displayed. There is a magnifying glass, a set of opera glasses, and a kaleidoscope. It is always interesting to watch which apparatus our three granddaughters will enjoy when they come for a visit. Let’s just say the kaleidoscope gets the most attention.
The kaleidoscope has three features the other two viewing apparatus lack. The unique characteristics make it much more like great innovative service. It is first a presentation of deli...
July 6, 2015
Innovative Service is Super Comforting
Tabby was a new kitten to the neighborhood. Escaping from her brand new owner’s side porch one afternoon, she climbed to the top of the tallest tree in the area. Neighbors advised the owner to let Tabby come down on her own. But after a night in the tree, the young kitten seemed determined to not go kitty skydiving.
The fire department said there would be a $200 fee for a visit from the fire truck with the really long ladder. Tabby’s owner was going crazy with panic…and, guilt. Then, she rem...
June 22, 2015
Innovative Service: Making Your Mark
My nephew came home after his first semester at college sporting a brand new tattoo on his ankle—the Greek letters of his new fraternity! He was very proud of it and eager to show it off. Despite the wintry conditions of the Christmas holidays, he refused to wear socks. His parents were less than amused.
We teased him with the question—“How would you feel today if that tattoo said VBS?” “VBS?” he asked with a puzzled look. “Yes, you were crazy about Vacation Bible School ten years ago?!”
“O...
June 8, 2015
Innovative Service as a “Jack-in-the-box”
There is something magical about a jack-in-the-box. First, the toy is always colorful. Most make happy music as you wind the crank. But, the coolest part is the fact that you never know exactly when the “jack” is going to pop out of the box. What makes this toy such an alluring novelty is the element of surprise.
Innovative service is like a jack-in-the-box–colorful service punctuated by a joyful surprise. Like the toy, innovative service is service with novelty. And, the root meaning of the...
June 1, 2015
On The Other Side of Service Basics
“When USA Today, Temkin Group, and Business Week all picked Amazon.com as the #1 best service company—an on-line fulfillment company—it’s proof good old fashioned service is dead.” The comment sounded like a “kids are going to the dogs” statement someone’s grandfather might make. But, it was coming from a non-computer savvy physician in one of our client focus groups.
Suddenly others in the room jumped into the discussion with jubilant praise for Amazon.com. “Their website is so easy,” “I al...
