Einsteins 2 Minutes Turns into Ten

February 8, 2010

I have so far resisted from turning this space into a place for ranting about customer service, but I can’t resist.
Last week, I did the usual Saturday morning bagel run to Einsteins. They were out of plain and poppy bagels. I asked Stephanie behind the counter, how long would it be until fresh bagels came [...]

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The Manager Pitches In

February 3, 2010

When we were in Hong Kong last month, we had been traveling in Asia for a week. I had a taste for a big burger with a milkshake.
We stopped by BLT Burger near our hotel. The food was just what the doctor ordered, but the service at first was not.
It was Christmas weekend and it [...]

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Surrounded and Calling the Cops: One Bank Gives Chase

February 1, 2010

We have heard some pretty bad customer service small business stories with the Great Recession. Banks are the used car salesman of our times. But when I saw this one (thanks to Lena West)  from Calvin Chu, I was appalled and amazed!
Calvin was a happy Wamu customer before Chase bought the banks. “Wamu’s small business group for [...]

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Doing Well By Doing Good

January 29, 2010

By Mary Jane Grinstead

For at least a couple of years, there’s been a debate going on at lofty levels between academicians and corporate leaders about whether a corporation can actually deliver on some level of social responsibility and still appropriately serve the interests of its investors and  shareholders.
In the book, Creative Capitalism: A Conversation with [...]

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Finding Romance in the Bottom Line

January 26, 2010

By Mary Jane Grinstead
We are delighted to see RoseAngelis , one of the businesses that we wrote about in BAM!, receive romantic recognition  as one of  Chicago’s top 10 romantic restaurants for Valentine’s Day.
It was Valentine’s Day 1992, that Phil and I first went to RoseAngelis. We were new to the neighborhood, having just moved [...]

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Red Rover, Red Rover, Let Your Customers Come Over

January 25, 2010

This guest post is from Ben Yoskovitz, CEO of Standout Jobs who talks about creating customer touchpoints.
When was the last time you played Red Rover? The game is quite simple. You create a chain of people who hold hands (roughly at arm’s length from each other) and the other team tries to break the chain of people. [...]

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Do I Need to Ask? Afghanistan, Peru or Sante Fe?

January 22, 2010

By Mary Jane Grinstead

In Chapter 5 of BAM!, Barry and I write about an idea that we call the Customer Manifesto—our vision of a respectful and mutually understood two-way agreement between seller and buyer that publicly declares the principles and intentions of both.
I had cause to think about a Customer Manifesto last week when I [...]

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You Don’t Have to Be the Mandarin Oriental to Offer Great Service

January 20, 2010

I have always wanted to stay at The Oriental in Bangkok my whole life. With its reputation of having legendary service, I had to put it to the test. After a 3 day stay there (it was superb), I realized that even a business or hotel that isn’t the most expensive can learn from THE ORIENTAL.
The [...]

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What I Learned About Customer Service on My Vacation in Asia

January 18, 2010

Now that jet lag has subsided, I can now reflect on what I learned on my three week vacation with my family to China, Hong Kong and Thailand.
1. Service makes the difference. Boy, do we Americans have a lot to learn from Asians about provided great customer service experiences. Flying first class on Cathay Pacific [...]

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The 13th Donut

January 12, 2010

By Mary Jane Grinstead
At our house, the 2010 baseball season, with all its little rituals—has officially started.
One of those rituals is putting away all the 2009 fan souvenirs, like the Alfonso Soriano bobblehead doll and Phil’s used 2009 ticket stubs. Yes, after more than 60 (yikes!) years, my husband, who attends at least fifty to [...]

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