FreshDirect Focuses on Customer Service

BusinessWeek reports that, "During the current downturn, FreshDirect, the online grocer, based in Long Island City, N.Y., is defying the odds. CEO Richard Braddock (formerly the CEO of Priceline) says that while previous Web grocers used capital to expand, he is focusing on the customer experience. "We are going to make mistakes," he says, "but we will make you feel special, and our job is to offset the inevitable mistakes with some great solutions and great service."

Check out the BusinessWeek's video with CEO Richard Braddock

What other companies are defying the odds in this economic climate by succeeding because of great customer service?

Enhanced Customer Service through Text Messages

The worst part of taking a car to a service center in my experience is the time you wait for a call back on the status of the job, price of repairs, or whether or not the mechanics even got a chance to look at the car. According to this post TMC.net, many auto dealers are looking to improve on the customer experience by delivering text messages to customers during the service appointment lifecycle.

The amount of text messages sent and received on a daily basis exceeds the total population of this planet. Astounding numbers! This is a great way to get quicker response times and avoid wasted time on approvals and chasing voicemails all day long.

Service Innovation

At Customer Experience Crossroads, the recently talked about a new customer service innovation. The CAA came to replace a car battery in a timely manner at the customers house, instead of the customer having to wait for hours inline at a store. Services like this gains trust from

Service innovation: Save your customers time. Save them hassle. Take the service to them. Result: Induce loyalty. Provide a new service that makes money. Earn unpaid media.