Chip R. Bell's Blog, page 28

Unbridling Crazy Horses

Crazy Horse was a Sioux (Lakota) Indian chief who fought against Major General George Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn in the black hills of Montana during the summer of 1876. Crazy Horse demonstrated extraordinary bravery in that battle. One witness indicated that Crazy Horse rode closest to the soldiers, yelling encouragement to his warriors. One myth is he reared up on his horse and shouted to the U.S. cavalry, “This is a great day to die!”—a chant picked up by other Indian braves a...

Serving the Least of These

The Good Samaritan is a story of kindness widely known across all faiths, not just those anchored to the New Testament. But, in many ways the back story is particularly instructive to delivering innovative service.

The story starts with the words: “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” That route was seventeen miles long descending steeply over two thousand feet and very difficult, rocky terrain.

The parable continues: “…and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and be...

Measuring an Easter Egg Hunt

A good friend once told me that using quantitative metrics to assess a qualitative experience is a bit like trying to drive a nail with a B flat. Now, there is nothing wrong with B flats. Mozart used them all the time in his symphony-composing work. But, when he elected to do a little carpentry, he preferred a strong hammer to a musical note.

With the squeeze on profit margins and thepush for expense control we are witnessing leaders getting a little silly on trying to quantify things that are...

Mentoring Magic: Awesome Queries

If there were a Mentors’ Hall of Fame, Socrates would be an instant inductee. In a heated argument over whether slaves have souls (the ancient Greeks believed that only smart people would have eternal life), Socrates bet a case of mead (no doubt Greek for Bud Light) that he could teach a common slave the Pythagorean theorem (for those who used it in high school and then filed it away: the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides)....

Service Decoration: Why my website is purple

My love affair with service aesthetics started when working with a large aerospace company trying to win a humongous government contract to build a new fighter plane for the armed services. The company had done lots of customer intelligence gathering about the expectations of generals and admirals. They had learned a lot from the appropriations people on Capitol Hill. But, they had spent little time learning from the fighter flyer who would actually be piloting the new fighter jet.

In one focu...

Thanking Customers the Innovative Service Way

Most customer relationships don’t end in conflict…most vanilla to death. Neglect is more dangerous than strife; indifference more costly than error. Great relationships are fueled by affirmation. Nurturing the bounty of customer loyalty requires more than proper cultivation and seeding. It must be fertilized with attention and care. “Courting” the customer does not end with the sale or transaction.

Superior service providers never take a valued relationship for granted and remain ever vigil fo...

Empowerment: The Engine of Customer Surprise

Imagine this. You are having breakfast in a midtown New York City hotel. It is your second morning with the same friendly waitress. You had given her a nice tip the morning before and learned she had been with the hotel restaurant for five years. Half way through your meal, she asks you a question: “Are you going to be taking a taxi immediately after breakfast?” she asks. When you acknowledge that you are she continues by asking you a favor.

“When I came in this morning,” she tells you, “there...

Are We Mechanizing Customer Delight?

Standing in the gate area of Delta Airlines at DFW Airport, I was watching the monitor to learn if my name appeared on the “upgrade to first class” list. Honestly, I was feeling totally entitled since I fly a gazillion miles a year on Delta. Had my name not appeared, I would have been disappointed, maybe even angry. But, this time my name appeared. Today, you do not go to the gate attendant for a new boarding pass, the computer issues you a new seat assignment as you board with the first clas...

Flower Your Customer’s Experience

Nature can be a powerful inspiration for innovative service providers. The flower on the left just popped up unexpectedly one bright sunny morning after four straight days of grey clouds and dreary rain. It made me smile…as if the flower knew I would be walking by and elected to brighten my day with its special song. It reminded me of the “Have an Excellent” lady at CVS Pharmacy.

University of Rhode Island students enjoy going to the CVS/pharmacy nearby in the Kingston Emporium to buy a snack...

Where Did All the Surprises Go?

When I was ten years old, I did a very naughty thing on Easter. I secretly watched my parents hide the eggs. As my cousins and siblings rushed into our backyard on the hunt, I calmly went straight to all their hiding spots! I “found” a lot more eggs! But, they had a lot more fun. They squealed and grinned when they found an Easter egg; I was far less enthused.

Customer service for many years had more than its share of “squeals and grins.” My hometown grocer would give my brother, sister and me...