Cool customer service tool you shouldn't have to need

Jeff Toister March 11, 2009

I recently heard about a cool new web-based service called Fonolo that helps you bypass the endless phone trees many companies require you to navigate when calling customer service. It will do much of the menu navigation for you and then call you when you get to the right spot. The short video below explains it better than I can and the Fonolo website does an even better job.

As great as this concept is, it is sad that anyone would need it. Companies who truly care about their customers would have their phones ring directly to a live person or a simple menu that says "Press 1 for a live person or 2 for automated self-service." Anything else may be more efficient for the company but is ultimately aggravating for the customer.

Of course, there's always Get Human for those companies (like Amazon) that are so extreme they make it hard for you to even find their number!

Managing customer service email

Jeff Toister March 2, 2009

Last week I made a short post about customer service email response times and vowed to do a little (unscientific) research on the subject. Twenty four hours is a standard response time, but there's a little more to it.

Email response times

Jeff Toister February 26, 2009

I sent a "fire and forget" email to Dyson's customer service department last week. Fire and forget as in, "I fired off the email" and then "I forgot I sent it". Their response came almost a week later, which got me thinking. What is the appropriate amount of time to respond to a customer service email?

BusinessWeek's 2009 Customer Service Champs

Jeff Toister February 23, 2009

BusinessWeek has just released their list of 2009 Customer Service Champs. Their methodology may be flawed, but one theme is clear: companies are working hard to keep the valuable customers they already have along with the talented employees that serve them.

You may want to start by reading BusinessWeek's Top 25 list here.

So, why is this list flawed?
To be clear, it is still a good message (more on that in a moment), but I disagree with their methodology.(You can read more about that here.) The biggest gripe I have with their rankings is the influence of the BusinessWeek Market Advisory Board. This is essentially a reader panel that was asked to provide a subjective assessment of their favorite and least favorite customer service organizations. Their opinions are balanced against other more objective factors, so an organization like Nordstrom can earn the #13 spot despite relative poor scores for quality of staff and efficiency of service from J.D. Power and Associates. (For the record, I am firmly convinced that Nordstrom jumped the shark long ago as a customer service icon.)

What's good about the list?
The list and supporting material keep the customer service conversation going, which is always a good thing. Their article "Customer Service in a Shrinking Economy" is especially on-target and is definitely worth a read.

The (business) road less traveled

Jeff Toister February 19, 2009

Today was a gorgeous day in San Diego, so I went for a hike at Mission Trails.There must have been 50 to 100 people on the trail up to the top of Cowles Mountain. When I reached the top I kept going along a ridge to nearby Pyles Peak. There wasn't a single person on the trail to Pyles, but I was rewarded with better vistas, more vibrant plant life, and more active wildlife. Hiking alone on this part of the trail, I realized a few things about what sets the best companies and employees apart from the rest of the pack.

Zappos service secret is its world-class employee engagement

Jeff Toister February 18, 2009

You've almost certainly heard of the online shoe retailer Zappos.com and their amazing customer service. They have an impressive 5 out of 5 rating on Epinions.com with over 16,000 customers posting reviews. Their "secret sauce" is actually a very simple employee engagement strategy, but they execute it far better than 99% of the companies out there. Zappos has built its core values around outstanding customer service and everything they do is connected to those values. Here are just a few examples:

Inc.'s Outstanding Business Tune-up Ideas

Jeff Toister February 11, 2009

Inc. Magazine ran a fabulous article in their January/February edition called "The ultimate business tune-up for times like these". The article quotes a wide range of business leaders who give quick-hit ideas for all of us who want to improve performance. Here are my favorite (and not so favorite) suggestions:

Is McStarbucks a perception or a reality?

Jeff Toister February 9, 2009

I know I'm not the only one to notice that Starbucks and McDonalds are starting to compete over the same customers. What's interesting to me is the customer service delimma Starbucks is apparently facing. Do they continue to appeal to more and more of the same demographic as McDonalds? Or, do they hold firm to their coffee house roots (with the power of a global brand). Is it even possible to be both?