Another dissatified customer?
For the most part, customer service sucks. And what’s worse is that we’ve been trainied to accept the medicority. Some might say that is a skeptical view. But, chew on these stats:
- Only 37% of brands received good or excellent customer experience index scores. 64% of brands got a rating of “OK,” “poor,” or “very poor” from their customers. (Source: Forrester Customer Experience Index 2012)
- Poor customer experiences result in an estimated $83 Billion loss by US enterprises each year. (Source: Parature Customer Service Blog)
- 89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. (Source: Right Now Customer Experience Impact Report 2011)
The state of customer service is so bad, that when you actually do have a positive service experience, I think it’s important to shout it from the rooftops. So, I’m going to share a recent story about the footware brand Freewaters.
My friend Mike Steib, former Googler, current CEO of XO Group, and a guy with a ridiculously full head of hair for a 40+ year old, recently published a great book entitled The Career Manifesto, based on a Jerry Maguire-esque mission statement he had written many years ago while working at Google. Writing a book is no small feat so I’m super-happy for Mike and his success. You can learn more about The Career Manifesto on Amazon.
Mike’s book really provides an excellent framework for managing your career. Most of us are so busy every day, that we forget to take the long view on our career. Reading Mike’s book was a good reminder that it’s important to define your goals and think about what it’s going to take to achieve them. I wish I had this book earlier in my career. I’d say it’s a must-read for young professionals starting their career journey.
I thought I’d add a few points of my own to Mike’s book. Here they are.
Google’s Tarun Rathnam kicks off the roundtable
In my last post, I wrote all about my experience at the Google cafeteria. Now I guess I have to write about the real reason I visited the Google office — to attend a B2B Technology Roundtable. It was a great half-day meeting with some of Google’s customers who work in the B2B technology space. Participants included Constant Contact, LogMeIn, Carbonite and Brightcove.
I really like these kinds of meetings and I appreciate that Google brings us all together to learn from each other. It was reassuring to hear that many of us are struggling with the same challenges. Here are some of the key themes discussed at the event.
Stairway to Google?
I recently attended a meeting at Google’s office located in Cambridge, MA. After spending a day there, I learned that Google treats their employees very well. Or, I should say they feed their employees very well.
When we got to the Google office our Account Manager took us to the kitchen where they have a Starbucks Barista-grade espresso machine, homemade granola bars and a ton of other snacks. Most of the snacks are healthy-ish. The non-healthy snacks are placed in non-transparent containers so you can’t see what’s inside. I guess that’s supposed to discourage you from eating the junk food. But, of course it didn’t keep me away from my Peanut M&Ms.
Now I understand why Google new hires gain the “Google 15”. Read More
The webinar I did last week for BtoB Magazine is now available online. Tom Stein, the CEO of Stein + Partners, and I discuss how to use content to attract and retain customers. It was a great discussion.
Click here to view the webinar.
Click the link below to download the slides:
single-minded proposition 
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