Study: Americans want Federal customer service to be a priority

Businesswire.com reports that the results of the “Uncle Sam at Your Service: 2010 Federal Customer Experience Study,” which examined American citizens’ expectations and perceptions of U.S. Federal agencies’ customer service. Whether through Federal student aid, tax processing, disaster relief, or even airport security – U.S. Federal agencies offer services to 307 million Americans every day.

Here are a few highlights from the report:

According to the study, Americans currently grade private sector customer service experiences higher than service received from Federal agencies. The study reveals that Americans want the Federal government to improve customer service, and many are willing to pay for the upgrade:

* 83% of Americans say that customer service is something that Federal agencies can improve
* 42% of Americans say they would pay an additional $10 in taxes each year for better government service – $552.3 million more in taxes annually

Also,

Americans want problems solved quickly, clearly, and with courtesy. Currently, private companies outrank Federal agencies in these categories; however, some agencies are taking great strides to improve service. Despite some improvements, agencies must focus on expanding Web presence and moving more services online:

* 85% of Americans want Federal agencies to provide more information and make more services available online
* 63% of Americans who interact with agencies over the Web are satisfied with their experiences

For more information, visit the original article here.

Just Announced: VP of In-Flight Customer Experience at JetBlue Speaking at NACCM 2010

Vicky Stennes
Vice President, In-Flight Customer Experience,
JetBlue Airways

How did the friendly skies get so unfriendly?

We all heard about the recent stories involving the JetBlue flight attendant and the outpouring of empathy toward his actions. As usual, JetBlue was very quick to address the situation- which is what customers have come to expect from the company, which was ranked 'Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low-Cost Carriers in North America' by J.D. Power and Associates just two months ago.

In light of this incident, we are pleased to announce the newest speaker addition to the NACCM 2010 agenda, Vicky Stennes, Vice President, In-Flight Customer Experience, JetBlue Airways.

JetBlue obviously invests in their customers- Now is the time to invest in yours. It all starts at NACCM.

Need some extra ammunition for getting approval? We're here for you. There are reasons people come back to NACCM each year for all their customer focused needs...

Access to the 2009 Executive Summary
Gain access to the 2009 Executive Summaries from NACCM, Customer UNinterrupted and Linkage Strategies. Opt-in here with your contact information and we'll provide you with the key learnings from 2009 that you can present to management.

Validating the Value
Consider these AVERAGE costs (and consider these departmental budgets an alternative place to fund your conference investment). NACCM is actually a great cost saver. See the average costs below and then you do the math. NACCM provides incredible business value for a fraction of the spend.

• Acquiring a new client costs between $500 and $5000, depending on business type and product
Click here for more information on the special Loyalty & Social CRM Summit, dedicated entirely to helping you KEEP your exiting customers (with a special focus on the new ways they want to be communicated with online).

• Average Research Project: $10,000
NACCM unveils the latest research and showcases it through case studies on how to apply these findings for business REULTS.

• Visiting Three Clients: $4,500
NACCM has become the recognized meeting place for the key players in specific segments to come together year after year.

• Executive Master's of Business Administration Programs can range from $45,000 to $100,000
NACCM provides PRACTICAL executive education by focusing on real stories from true business leaders who have tackled issues head-on. Featuring over 70 sessions in just 3 days. PLUS - don't miss a special training from the Disney Institute. View the full agenda here.

• Benchmark Report: $3,500. Cross-Company Benchmark Project: $60,000 - $100,000
NACCM is renowned for bringing together diversity...benchmark yourself across various criteria alongside competitors and industry leaders. View the cross-industry speaking roster.

• Product Failure: $100,000
NACCM is the leading platform for sharing what works and what doesn't. Learn from the failures and successes of others and save yourself, your team and your company resources, time and tears. Click here for more on keynote Joey Fitts' presentation on "Drive Business Performance: How Leaders Enable a Culture of Intelligent Execution".

We hope to see you in Orlando this October.









NACCM 2010 - October 25-27, 2020 - Orlando, FL

Target Expands Electronics Support

Mediapost.com reports that Minneapolis-based retailer, Target is set to expand it's customer service electronics support. Consumers can call 1-877-myTGTtech, a free product support hotline for all Target electronics purchases, staffed with customer service reps who can help with troubleshooting, tech support, warranties, and compatibility questions. Target has also expanded its plans for its Target Mobile centers, a partnership it recently announced with Radio Shack that will put kiosks stocked with cell phones and accessories in 850 stores by year's end.

What do you think of Target's increase in the electronics support space? We'd like to hear your thoughts.

Learn more: Target Beefs Up Electronics Support

Complimentary Webinar: CCOs Reveal Their Secret Killer Customer Strategies for Long-Term Profitability

Companies often sacrifice customers on the altar of short-term revenue and profit. Yet in competitive situations where your company’s advantages in product and price are not clearly evident, customer satisfaction and loyalty become the ultimate differentiators that give you the winning edge.

So how do you ensure customers remain the most valuable asset, carefully nurtured and developed for long-term profits? A growing number of companies are appointing a Chief Customer Officer (CCO) as a catalyst in becoming truly customer-centric to significantly improve revenue, profit, and competitive advantage.

Date: September 16, 2010
Time: 2-3PM EST

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/593492816

The speaker, Curtis N. Bingham, is the leading authority on CCOs, having worked with more than 70 CCOs over the last decade. Curtis shares some of the most profound strategies and tactics that these elite CCOs have used to attract, retain and grow profitable, long-term customer relationships also create a powerful competitive advantage for their organizations.

Lessons shared include:

• Winning executive support for loyalty initiatives
• Creating an unstoppable customer culture—so you aren’t the only customer advocate
• Letting data tell you which customers to keep happy, and which ones to let go
• Giving more to customers counter intuitively generates MORE revenue

Learn directly from experienced CCOs how you can drive both near- and long-term revenue -- without sacrificing customer loyalty. This is hands-on customer-centric insight you cannot gain anywhere else. Each of these lessons is of profound value and is responsible for millions of dollars in profits at some of the world’s leading companies.

About the speaker:
Curtis N. Bingham is widely recognized as the authority on Chief Customer Officers, and was the first to promote the CCO role as catalyst for customer centricity. Curtis is the Founder & Executive Director of the Chief Customer Officer Council™, the first peer-led advisory group for CCOs.

During the last decade Curtis has worked with more than 60 CCOs, and with the help of CCO Council members, he has created the “CCO Roadmap,” a groundbreaking work containing more than 100 prioritized, critical strategies essential for the success of customer-centric initiatives.

Curtis is a sought-after speaker and the author of the forthcoming book, “The Authoritative Guide to Customer Strategy: Lessons Learned from Renowned Chief Customer Officers,” which describes how the CCO can create a consistent and unified customer strategy to grow revenue, profit, and loyalty.

Could Community Managers be the key to excellent customer service?

A Community Manager is one that motivates, educates and connects with your audience online. These individuals must possess stellar communication skills and they must be properly educated on your company's service or product. So how does the community manager differ from a customer relationship manager or a marketing manager? Many companies are asking the same question. Customerthink.com writes,that if you want to ensure that your customer experience extends beyond the store to the conversation online, then hiring a community manager (or team) to manage your online customer experience should be a priority for any organization.

How does your organization use community managers in your customer outreach?

Learn more: Fire Your Marketing Manager & Hire A Community Manager

Let us know on Twitter @customerworld

Need to improve customer service? Stop talking and start Tweeting

Virgin Media Business customers who need to contact customer service now enjoy, on average, a 61 second response time. According to Martin Hofschroer, Virgin Media Business discovered that customer service levels differed greatly between banks as the quickest bank answered one call in just seven seconds while the slowest took five minutes and 33 seconds to reply to a call.

Research by the Institute of Customer Service revealed that almost a tenth of British people expect a business to have a presence on Twitter.

Do you see Twitter to be of value to you and your customer service team?

Learn more: Tweeting Rather than Talking Can Improve Customer Service

Five ways social media is impacting customer service

We ran across a blog post over at CallCentrehelper.com that outlines five innovative ways that social media is impacting the customer service world. Guy Tweedale is Senior Vice President, European Operations of Jacada writes:

1. It levels the playing field
2. Makes consumers more informed
3. Far less frustrated consumers
4. Authenticity in customer experience
5. Customer service is (finally) a higher priority in the boardroom

We've seen in case studies how one customer who "tweets" their complaint can impact the entire image of an organization. How is your company using social media to not only connect with customers but ensure that customer experience is stellar both off and online?

Verizon Asks Less of Their Customers and More from Their Technology

Join Judith K. Ferrell, Group Manager, Verizon Online Support & Customer Service, for her presentation, "The Art of Personalization in Online Support: Verizon Asks Less of Their Customers and More from Their Technology" at Customer UNinterrupted at 2:20pm on Monday, October 25th.

Learn how to improve your customer’s self-service experience through personalization. Take the work away from your customers and make technology do the work for you! Know who your customer is and provide support that is specific to their products and services. We know a lot about our customers - let’s use this
knowledge to simplify their self-service experience and raise customer satisfaction.

• Learn the steps to achieve personalization in support
• Learn the tools used for personalized self-service
• Learn how to create a seamless customer experience
• Learn how to measure your success

We hope to see you in Orlando!

Save $300! Register for Customer UNinterrputed by Friday, August 13!

Register by this Friday to Save $300 on Linkage Strategies 2010

This Friday is your last chance to reserve your place and save $300 off Linkage Strategies 2010.

What's new for 2010? A 3-part, structured agenda to help you understand what matters most to your customers AND to your bottom line:

* Holistic VoC Integration: Capture and Integrate Data Across Disparate Sources
* Linkage Strategies: Connect Customer Data to Business Process Data
* Action Planning: Implement Actions that Improve Customer Experience and Business Results

For 2010 we are pleased to bring you 3 of the leading minds in linkage strategies and analytics.

For the full agenda and details on how to save $300 off the standard registration rates, please visit: www.iirusa.com/linkage.

Drive Business Performance: How Leaders Enable a Culture of Intelligent Execution

- Joey Fitts, Author, DRIVE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE: ENABLING A CULTURE OF INTELLIGENT EXECUTION

Learn about the competitive advantage experienced by organizations that create and manage a "Culture of Performance". Click here for more...


Earning Customer Loyalty and Bottom-Line Results through an Enterprise-Wide, Integrated Customer Relationship Strategy

- Tom Collinger, MEDILL SCHOOL AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Today, earning loyalty takes an enterprise-wide, integrated strategy. Is your organization set up to earn it? Click here for more...


Lego Creates a Holistic Platform to Capture Cross-Channel Data and Deliver Improved Customer Insights at Granular and Global Levels

- Margaret Conley, LEGO GROUP AND LEGO SYSTEM A/S

Discover the value of real-time data in saving at-risk consumers and increasing NPS. Click here for more...


Great News!

Linkage is now part of Customer World. The co-location of 3 unique customer-centric events. Customize your experience and attend 1, 2 or all 3... it's YOUR World!

Customer UNinterrupted * NACCM * Linkage Strategies 2010

We hope to see you in Orlando this October.

Need customer service? Head to the laundry room.

In a move that would make Rosie, the Jetson's robot maid proud, your washer and dryer will be able to speak directly to customer service. ApplianceMagazine.com writes that to send information, the customer holds the phone mouthpiece over the appliance power button and press a button on the appliance to send the diagnostic data. Each tone corresponds with a specific potential maintenance need and can be identified by trained service technicians over the phone, allowing them to evaluate the information and provide feedback based on the data that was received.

Will we see an increase in appliances that speak to customer service?

PetSmart Turns Customer Feedback into Actionable Results

Join Michelle Wildman, Director, Customer Engagement & Operational Excellence, PetSmart for her presentation, "When We Listen to Customers, We All Win: PetSmart Turns Customer Feedback into Actionable Insights" on October 26th at 11:40am. This presentation is part of Track 3: "The Customer is Always Right" at NACCM 2010.

About the presentation:

In order to truly drive your business and compete on more than just price and convenience, it's critical to understand what your customer expects (and is not getting), how your company can differentiate itself and what that means through every touch point with your brand. If you master this, your customer will reward you. Learn how PetSmart gathers customer data and turns that information into actionable insights that lead business decisions. From the branding you see on television to the in-store experience and the tailored offers and communication customers receive through our loyalty program, the most important person we consider is the customer. If she's happy and her pet is happy, then we're really happy.

Learn more about the presentations at NACCM 2010.

Should all companies that have customer support issues be on Twitter?

ConversationAgent.com researched larger companies that are using Twitter for customer service and relationship management. Blogger Valeria Maltoni writes that during the vetting process she looked at three distinct factors:

1. answering customer questions in real time -- in other words, they have the support of the organization to be problem solvers, and not just to point to policies and disclaimers
2. thinking about customers first -- which means, navigating the line between company rules and customer needs with skill. It will come as a shocker to many of you, putting a "customers first" tagline is a tiny step if you don't walk the talk
3. orienting customers on what the account is about -- often you can tell the level of thoughtfulness from the bio alone

The top companies using Twitter include: JetBlue, SouthWestAir, Comcastcares with nine more making the cut. We encourage you to read the post for more information.

But interestingly, Maltoni asks if its even important for customer support to be on Twitter? Can traditional customer support survive with the influx of social media? Maltoni asks if the data and understanding of the customers on Twitter actually help the organizations understand the customers that aren't on Twitter. Do you think that data would stand?

Spirit Airlines wants to charge for customer service

Todd Wright of NBC Miami reports that the same airline that has announced a $45 charge to bring luggage on a flight is at it again. The airline, in an effort to give customers the " absolute lowest possible base fare" has announced that it will begin charging customers for customer service. Unlike a few banks that charge for live customer support via phone, this charge would occur if a customer asks for help from a customer service representative at the airport. According to a Spirit representative, "This is all part of Spirit’s business model to offer customers the absolute lowest possible base fare and then give customers the purchasing power to choose what they do and don’t want to add on," Spirit released in a statement. "Although we won’t be charging to use the bathroom, because this is a necessity to getting from point A to point B, we are always reviewing a variety of possibilities that would allow us to lower fares by unbundling options from the base fare that are not necessary."

Should customers be charged for customer service simply to get a lower price? We'd like to hear your thoughts.

NACCM 2010 Speaker Spotlight: Joshua Karpf, PepsiCo

Joshua Karpf is Head of Digital and Social Media at PepsiCo, a $40 billion global beverage and snacks company with a portfolio of iconic brands including Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Gatorade and Quaker Oats. In his role, he helps develops programs that leverage digital media to communicate with online and offline constituencies, build connections and deliver on company objectives. He also leads educational efforts in this area around the company. Prior to joining PepsiCo Josh spent six years at the General Electric Company in social media, marketing communications, employee communications and public relations.

Join Joshua for his presentation, "Building Meaningful Relationships: PepsiCo Connects Online and Offline Using Social Media" at 3:00pm, on Wednesday, October 27th at NACCM 2010. Learn how PepsiCo is using digital and social media channels to build their reputation and connect with loyal customers as well as potential new influencers. By leveraging digital storytelling and conversational marketing to drive news creations, PepsiCo has gone from impressions to connections. In this session we will discuss tools for the trade, how to operated a digital communications team and best practices on execution. Download the brochure and register today!

T-Mobile returns to top for customer care

CNET.com reports that the mobile phone provider, T-Mobile had taken the top customer care spot for J.D. Power & Associates among the US mobile carriers. According to the report, T-Mobile garnered a score of 777 points out of a possible 1,000. AT&T came in second place with 757 points, Verizon Wireless was third with 749 points, and Sprint Nextel brought up the rear with 734 pints. J.D Power did not survey U.S. Cellular or any of the regional carriers. Released twice a year, the wireless customer care study is based on feedback from subscribers who have contacted their carriers during the last six months. For the latest results, J.D. Power surveyed 9,690 customers.

What has attributed to T-Mobile's success at the top for customer satisfaction? As customer service professionals know, it goes beyond just a friendly voice at the other end of the call. So what's T-Mobile's secret? We'd like to hear your thoughts.

YouTube offers companies 15 minutes of customer service success

With the recent development by YouTube to allow users to upload 15 minutes of videos to their account; there are a bevy of new ways that customer service professionals can utilize this resource to help and connect with customers on a digital level. Tony Bradley of PCWorld showcases two ways that that companies can use the extra 5 minutes to connect with their customers and team.

Customer Support. A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is comprised of thousands of pictures streamed together. Rather than explaining processes like installation, configuration, or troubleshooting in a manual, or with text and images on a Web page, create customer service video clips for common tasks and post them on YouTube. Video clips will be appreciated by customers, and take some of the burden off of the help desk.

Training. Businesses can use YouTube to deliver effective training. Simply giving a training manual to an employee has mixed results--they may not really read it and they may not really understand it if they do. Paying a trainer, or delegating another employee to conduct training costs money, and results may vary depending on the trainer. A video clip allows you to record the training exactly as it should be delivered, and re-use it over and over without incurring any additional costs.

How else do you envision YouTube's new service helping you and your business?

NACCM 2010 Speaker Spotlight: Joey Fitts

Joey Fitts, Co-Author,
Drive Business Performance: Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution

Joey Fitts has spent his personal and professional helping people and organizations achieve their goals. Fitts’ focus is on bridging the gap between people, information and performance. His passionate insights and unwavering drive have guided the information and performance development efforts of many of the world’s leading organizations.

Fitts is recognized as an authority on business intelligence, performance management, and strategy execution. A frequent international speaker, Fitts has presented in over 20 countries and been featured in newspaper, radio and magazine media across North America, Europe and Asia.

Fitts has consulted over 25 of the Fortune 500, guest lectured Harvard Executive Education programs and the Stanford Executive Briefings, been featured in the SuccessFactors Research Thought Leader Network, raised over $16M in venture capital, and served on the Board of Advisors for InterVivos and the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

Joey's bio courtesy of JoeyFitts.com

Join Joey for his presentation, "Drive Business Performance: How Leaders Enable a Culture of Intelligent Execution" at 11:20am on Day 2 of NACCM 2010! Learn more about the program and register today!

Using social media to re-connect with consumers on and off-line

Retail is but a platform for people to engage in a sensorial way with brands. The dialogue is happening off-shelves. With the help of technology the consumer are in the driving seat, able with a cell phone to compare prices, review promotions, ask their friends for advice or order online for a better offer. Retail need to be part of this conversation to compete and leverage their teams to respond.

Learn more in "From Brick to Click: Designing to Peak Emotions: Using Social Media to Re-connect with Consumers On and Off-Line" keynote presentation by Marc Gobe, President of Emotional Branding and Author of Emotional Branding on Wednesday, September 29th at The Category Leadership Conference in Chicago. Register today and save $200 off the standard rate.

Should the US Government regulate airline customer service?

Allen Howell of Forbes.com covers the interesting topic of airline customer service regulation. We thought the question was particularly thought-provoking so we're opening it to our Customer 1st readers. What do you think?

As Howell points out in his article, the question of government influence with customer service can be tricky, especially with a government regulated industry like air travel.

Let us know your thoughts via Twitter!

Free Webinar - Linking VOC to the Bottom Line: Strategies for Uncovering Researchers' Holy Grail

Date/Time: Thu, Aug 5, 2010 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/158148440
Mention priority code MWS0034BLOG

In Maritz Research's 2010 Voice of the Customer Challenges and Practices Study, client-side researchers indicated their biggest challenges were linking survey measures to financial/business results and linking VOC information to internal business processes and metrics. Our own clients have told us that the ability to link survey research information to other business information is the "Holy Grail" within their companies.

As a leader in Customer Experience Measurement, Maritz Research is proud to present Keith Chrzan, Vice President, Marketing Sciences, who will discuss our unique perspective regarding the formal, statistical process that enables us to connect various types of data sources to others. Keith will discuss the varying levels of linkage sophistication, the obstacles that face marketers wishing to perform linkage, and the experience we've gained with a large number of linkage engagements. Researchers, operations leaders and those charged with performance improvement in their company's channels will find this discussion an essential primer before attempting to connect the Voice of their Customers to other business data.

Keith is the DVP of Marketing Sciences at Maritz Research. He has over twenty-five years of experience on the client and supplier sides of the marketing research industry. His experience includes positions as Director of Marketing Research at Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics and Managing Director of Marketing Sciences at IntelliQuest, Inc, an Austin, Texas-based marketing research consultancy serving the technology industry. Keith is well - respected in the marketing sciences industry and has the ability to make complex statistics not only understandable but fun.

We look forward to your attendance. Don't miss it!

Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/158148440

NACCM 2010 Speaker Spotlight: Stew Leonard, Jr

Stew Leonard Jr. is currently the president and chief executive officer of Stew Leonard's, one of the most unique food retailers in the world.

Stew Leonard's is family-owned and operated, with four food stores and five wine shops in Norwalk, Danbury and Newington, Connecticut, as well as in Yonkers and East Farmingdale, New York.

After receiving his MBA from UCLA, Stew learned the food business by working every job in the store, including filling in for the store's mascot, Wow the Cow.

Stew Leonard's has grown to employ 2,400 Team Members, has annual sales of nearly $400 million, and has been named as one of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the past seven consecutive years.

Stew travels throughout the year to farms, ranches, piers, and wineries and loves to cook. His love of wine has led him to his current studies to become a sommelier. He is the author of two cookbooks, You Can Do It, with Bryan Miller, the former restaurant critic for the New York Times and Stew Leonard's Winning Recipes. He has also published two children's books with his wife, Kim, on water safety: Stewie The Duck Learns to Swim and Swimming Lessons with Stewie The Duck. His newest children's book, The Healthy Way, was published in February 2007 and focuses on helping children to learn how to incorporate healthy eating and activity in a fun, engaging way.

Stew will be presenting, "The Customer Is ALWAYS Right!" on October 26, 2010 at the 8th Annual North American Conference on Conference Management! Click here to learn more about the event.

Stew's biography courtesy of StewLeonards.com

Call for Guest Bloggers & Newly Added Speakers From Family Dollar, Sam’s Club, Wendy’s and more

Earn a complimentary All-Access pass to the #1 recognized shopper-focused event in the world by serving as a guest-blogger. As a guest blogger, you’ll have access to the amazing visionaries, authors, academics PLUS retailers, manufacturers, industry authorities and explorers. With four track sessions, cocktails and even an All-Star baseball party – you’ll learn and have a great time and this premier event.

Responsibilities will include attending specifically assigned sessions and blogging live or same day. You must have industry experience within CPG, retail or consulting in those fields. In exchange for guest blogging, you will receive an all-access pass to the event $3,000+ value. Guest bloggers are responsible for their travel and lodging.

Apply today by sending your name, company, biography and links to your blog directly to Conference Director, Amanda Powers (apowers@iirusa.com). Deadline for submissions is Friday, July 2 at 12pm EST. Early submissions encouraged.

Shopper Insights in Action
July 11 -14, 2010
Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile

Learn more: http://bit.ly/SIA_Blog10
Brochure: http://bit.ly/SIA_Brochure10
Register: http://bit.ly/SIA_Reg10

Registration is still open for Shopper Insights in Action. The event is expected to sell-out, but we have a few spaces available. Don’t wait – register today with code SHOPLINK1 and receive 20% off the standard rate.

Two New Panels Added to the Program:

Kraft, Wendy’s and Turtle Wax Incorporate Customer Participation and Transform What it Means to Listen
Panelists:
*Daren Herbert, Director, Consumer Insights, Turtle Wax
*Jan Trent, Manager, Consumer Insights, Wendy’s
* Chris Hjorth, Scale Marketing, Kraft Foods
Moderated by Bill Alberti, Communispace

Common Ground for Shared Retailer & Manufacturer Growth
Panelists:
Cindy Casper, Sr. Director Insights & Research, Sam's Club
Katie Pollock, Divisional VP, Customer & New Growth, Family Dollar
Moderated by John Dranow, SmartRevenue

We hope to see you in Chicago!

Health plans increase customer service

Marketwatch.com reports that more insurance carriers are ramping up their services as they prepare to compete for millions of new customers starting in 2014, due to the new health-reform law. That's the year health insurers will be banned from refusing coverage to people with preexisting conditions or charging them exorbitant rates, and the first time individuals will have to carry health insurance or face a financial penalty. Such changes are driving some health insurers to try to meet people where they are -- both physically with retail stores and enhanced phone-based customer service and virtually, by tracking negative comments online and intervening to help improve people's experiences with their health plans.

The report also discusses how insurance carriers are using store-fronts and always-open phone lines to encourage customers connect if they have issues with their plan.

What tactics can health insurance agencies take to ensure that their customers are clear about their plan?

Facing new pressure, health plans beef up customer service

If the shoe fits - Zappos takes #1 for customer service

Computerworld reports that the online shoe retailer Zappos.com has nabbed the top spot in online shopping sites by rating agency, StellaService LLC. The firm rated the 150 largest Internet retailers on 300 factors, such as online tools and their Web sites' user interfaces. The evaluations included usability tests, orders (and returns) of several products, and more than a dozen interactions with customer service representatives via phone, e-mail and live chat.

This isn't news for Zappos, who boasts numerous awards for customer service. So what's the secret ingredient?

Complimentary Webinar: Emotional Marketing- The New Rules of Engagement - June 30 at 2:00 - 3:00PM EST

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/224085977
Priority code: M2115W1BLOG

Words are the most powerful force on earth, as the greatest moments in history and advertising have been captured by words. Words can be electric if chosen correctly, so when you use them to advertise your products, services and brands make them come to life by igniting people’s hearts in order to light up their minds. Neurologists agree that what we hear is retained for 5 seconds and what we see is retained for 1 second.. why then do we continue to focus on visual stimulus when we should be engaging a greater part of your consumers brain? If you want to be unforgettable learn to engage all your consumers’ senses. Do your customers wait on the sidelines for the next promotion or is their loyalty dictated by how you make them feel?

Marketers today face unprecedented challenges with respect to gaining the consumer's attention due to the emergence and convergence of technology. Consumers today are constantly bombarded with messages from companies trying to gain share of their hearts through effective advertising. One of the biggest questions that our presenter Inez Blackburn has is why marketers insist on answering questions in their ads that none of their customers are asking. Consumers today are struggling with the current economy and as a result are constantly looking for escape. Too often marketing messages are focused on a product feature or attribute with little relevance to the consumer.

There is a sea of change brewing in the advertising industry triggered by an explosion in digital media. These changes have resulted in tremendous upheavals in traditional advertising and marketing.

Does your message or advertisements speak to their mind or heart? Will you win by logic or emotion?

“A man convinced against his will is unconvinced still,” Pastor Phil Johnson

What you will learn:
-Learn to leverage new consumer insights to create promotions beyond price

-Learn the 5 critical success factors for effective marketing in a sea of choice

-Gain a greater share of heart with emotional marketing designed to engage the senses

-Understand new consumer models and buying behavior and the impact of somatic markers

-Sustainability and Social responsibility is only he beginning , survival will depend on your ability to remain relevant for a greater share of heart

-We understand why consumers buy now we need to understand why consumers lie – learn what really drives consumer decision making

About the Presenter:
Inez Blackburn
President of Market Techniques & Innovations, Inc.

Inez Blackburn is a globally recognized speaker, industry leader, innovator, and pioneer in launching global brands with over 25 years experience. She has worked with many Fortune 500 companies and led numerous executives through her Positioned for Profit Seminars and Marketing to the Max Workshops. She has been on the Dean’s list for excellence in teaching for 10 years and is a featured trainer at numerous executive events. Inez is President of Market Techniques & Innovations, Inc. and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, Wright State University, and S.P. Jain University in Singapore and Dubai, as well as a featured instructor at Pennsylvania State University.

She has worked extensively with major corporations and has played a pivotal role in implementing customer-centric strategic plans, marketing best practices, and balanced performance metrics. She also teaches companies how to leverage the power of collaboration for a sustainable competitive advantage.