Chip R. Bell's Blog, page 8
April 17, 2018
Is Your Customer Service Like Pollen to Your Customers?
It is that time of the year: Pollen Time! People with allergies are struggling. Car washes are thriving. And, most everyone I know is complaining about the nuisance of the powdery layer that seems to invade and cover everything. Who profits from this yellow film?
The main benefactor is the plant that generated the microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower. It is actually a bit more risqué than you think. It is the plant version of bar hopping. Each grain contains a male gam...
April 10, 2018
A Festival for Customers?
The cherry blossoms are peaking in Washington D.C. this very week. A jubilant array of over 3,000 pink and white trees decorate the Mall around the Washington monument and the Tidal Basin around the Jefferson Memorial. It is a sight of peace and beauty. And, on Saturday, April 14 there will be an elaborate parade of floats, bands and special attractions. It celebrates the beauty of our nation’s capital. And, this year the blossoms have pulled out all the stops!
What would a festival for cust...
April 3, 2018
Random Customer Affirmation
A week ago, I was the “Guest of the Day” at the Hilton Garden Inn in Scottsdale, Ariz. A really nice sign on the check-in counter said so. The desk clerk shook my hand, enthusiastically congratulated me, thanked me for my customer loyalty, and gave me special bag of goodies complete with two bottled waters. Inside the bag tied with a pretty ribbon was a personalized, hand written note from the hotel staff.
What was the occasion? The note revealed the impetus of my being the one to get affirme...
March 29, 2018
The Ritual of Customer Experience
It is the season for rituals. The Christian faith celebrates Easter with Maundy Thursday services, purple draped crosses, sunrise services, and poignant stories of resurrection. Judaism celebrates Passover to commemorate the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery complete with a Seder dinner that includes a plate filled with symbolic foods along with special readings and ancient stories.
Rituals serve valuable purposes. They provide a storied depth to communicate meaning and purpo...
March 27, 2018
Are Your Customers Perennial?
They surprise me every year with their unexpected beauty. One Spring day there is barren ground; almost the next day there are gorgeous flowers. They are the perennials in my yard. We have daylilies, daffodils, hydrangea (pink and blue) and more. The coolest part is they are perennials.
If they get a great experience–the nurturance of sun, rain water and rich soil–they will come back every year and surprise me. Unlike annuals which must be replanted every year, if you take great care of pere...
March 20, 2018
Serve Your Customers When They Are ‘Hungry’
I learned an important lesson early in my marriage: Never buy groceries when you’re hungry. With an empty stomach sending seductive messages to my rational brain, it ensured there was no governor on my “impulse-buy-button.” And, I was likely to bring home Braunschweiger, champagne-flavored mustard, and fancy olives–items inappropriate for a starving grad student budget that only permitted baloney and yellow mustard. But for the local store, it was perfect timing for its customers like me to w...
March 13, 2018
Closed Due to Lack of Interest
The sign on the front door of the restaurant told a significant story. And, it was photographed recently at the front door of a barbecue restaurant near my home in a resort area. The owner-manager claims he pays wages above the norm, hours are only four hours Tuesday-Thursday and eight hours on weekends; the restaurant is bright and cheery; and its barbecue is touted as “The Best” in the area.
Now, here is the best part. Clientele are largely upscale guests from nearby large gated communities...
March 6, 2018
‘Sir, We Can Do Anything!’
These powerful words were the front desk clerk’s response to my “I have a unique request.”
Before even hearing my plea, he gave me a full-frontal view of the Ritz-Carlton hotel attitude. And, it was a few days before the Christmas holidays—a hectic time when I am certain he had been inundated with way too many “May I’s” and “Can we’s!”
The front-line employee of any organization is not only the most visible and vocal ambassador of the organization, her or his persona gives customers a clear a...
February 27, 2018
Avoid Customer Service Water Traps
There is a gorgeous golf course at the end of my driveway. My lakefront house sits on the water but right near the 13th tee. It is a Jack Nicklaus-designed course and the setting for many golf tournaments. While the 13th hole is gorgeous; the 14th hole gets the golfer’s laments in the bar at the end of an arduous eighteen.
Almost the entire hole is played over water where the lake cuts into the golf course. Despite the fact that it is a mere 186-yard par-three hole, many a golfer has been...
February 13, 2018
In Praise of Passionate Inconsistency
Arthur Rubenstein is arguably the greatest pianist of this century. Click on http://bit.ly/1E2744I to experience Rubenstein performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor at ninety years old. But, it is his attitude toward performance that is the subject of this blog.
“At every concert, I leave a lot to the moment. I must have the unexpected, the unforeseen. I want to risk, to dare. I want to be surprised by what comes out. I want to enjoy it more than the audience. That way the music can bloo...
