« September 30, 2012 - October 06, 2012 | Main | October 14, 2012 - October 20, 2012 »
October 11, 2012
Debate Prediction: Joe Biden Over Paul Ryan By Two Touchdowns; Ryan Way More Annoying.
In tonight's vice-presidential debate in Kentucky between two talky Irish Catholic guys, Joe Biden, about to turn 70, will triumph over but not trounce Paul Ryan, 42.
Unfortunately, Ryan is more annoying than any pol alive (including Biden) when he gets going. Further, the young Wisconsin congressman has trouble "seeming smart" or seasoned when he talks his highly-touted economic plans, policies and especially underlying numbers. Like the late Jack Kemp, my old buddy at the Longworth Building, and who Ryan used to work for, when Ryan talks economics he sounds like he's parroting something Dan Moynihan or Milton Friedman said or wrote but really doesn't get that well yet. Even low-information voters pick up on this stuff.
Joe Biden? He is way smarter than people think. He is more likable (and, yes, smarter) than Ryan. And he is one of the best natural politicians the country had ever produced. He will be very well-prepared. Biden will be feisty--but not talk as much as Ryan. Watch also for Biden to strip away on national television his GOP-painted cartoonish "buffoon" image in much the same way Mitt Romney last week blew away the "uber-robot" caricature. People will be reminded, too, that on foreign policy he's more knowledgeable and experienced than the president, Romney and Ryan put together.
Finally, this is Ryan's first national debate; he will be a little nervous. The Vice-President has done a few; he is never nervous.
2008: Senator Obama confers with Biden during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which Biden chaired. (Washington Post)
Posted by JD Hull at 11:53 PM | Comments (0)
October 10, 2012
The Customer Experience: Should retail buyers just start creating their own?
When the seller won't give the customer a better service alternative or a choice, and its competition is just as bad, nothing happens until customers at a "store level" pipe up. You need a bit of a revolution to change bosses and companies who have decided they do not need to change.
It could be on store floors or phone lines--but lots (if not all) of us retail customers daily deal with companies that have decided (a) to never exceed your expectations and (b) to never give you an easy choice. Switch stores or banks, you say? Most of us know that the competition is just as bad.
At this blog, we believe that these kinds of companies need daily en masse demonstrations of acting up. Don't worry. Your message will eventually get relayed from thick store clerks and forms of plant life called "customer service representatives" up to a few bosses, officers and board members. But we have got to get off our knees. Don't completely lose it with them, folks. No violence, of course. No yelling.
You will, however, need to try to make clerks and CSRs uncomfortable and a bit anxious about your unhappiness. They, too, want to work in happy shops. Even though Western logic often fails to reach them quickly, do have something clever or reasonably intelligent--but strong--to say. Make sure you have some fun, though. Stores are great because you can do it in public. "Jason [from nametag], I have all this money with me and I need to buy something you sell here--are you ready to help me yet?" Stuff like that. But say it loud so other customers can hear you and join in.
Folks, you are the customers, buyers, fiduciaries, clients. Do something.
Not going to take it any more: Peter Finch as Howard Beale in Network (1976). Finch won a posthumous Oscar for the role.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2012
The Customer Experience: We've got one for you right here, Jack.
And it's the new Emoki animal ears "you control with your mind". Yeah, that's right. But this is no snake oil salesman's gimmick. It's pure fun that works.
Based on established brain-wave technology--and one that doesn't require any wires or gooey liquids touching your cabeza--it's a headset of any number of types of animal ears that flop around and wiggle depending or whether you are jazzed, relaxed or like something or someone. Or don't like something or someone. Or you're in a "clear mind" zone or perhaps straight-up vegetable state, something our readers, anonymous commenters and Gen-Y employees apparently know lots about.
Emoki ears? How are they truly different than, say, other products, gadgets or things (including humans) with moving parts? Four (4) ways, folks. They are Fun. They are Exotic. They are Smart. And they Always Tell the Truth.
Emoki animal ears is the brainchild (pun intended) of NYU Stern business school alumni Nick Hoffman who, along with Emoki co-founder and recent Wesleyan grad Hannah Masius, aims to turn the ears into a must-have item for every London bar fly, New York City, LA and DC reveler, Berlin convention attendee, Amsterdam coffee house cowboy, Chicago 300-pound shirtless Bears fan or Duke undergrad who wants to finally class-up his or her Cameron (Stadium) Crazies thing.
Emoki launched on Kickstarter yesterday. Read the Forbes piece, and click (contribute, if you want) on the widget and video below. You have got to see the video.
Posted by JD Hull at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)
October 08, 2012
My Marrakesh: Tales Of a Designing London--and A New World Order.
Our friend Ms. Maryam has been on an elegant London jag. As usual she's writing wise but sensual narrative vignettes--but lately they are about my second favorite city. See "London Modenus Design Tour: And a Tale of People and Places".
Posted by JD Hull at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
The Customer Experience: Can it get much worse?
Paying customers at counters and on phone lines everywhere should start to act up--and demand better service and treatment. Maybe get a little loud?
Let's talk about retail customer service.
In America, my customer service retail stars have been GEICO, for auto insurance, and Enterprise, for car rentals. Each has been consistently good everywhere and in every respect--and they should be studied. And that's about it. Customer service retail nightmares have been American Express, most stores, especially Staples (none of the clerks I've met could care less), Starbucks (nice try but the hospitality is generally fake in every country), Circuit City (now defunct--and good riddance), every large bank (they apparently have trouble hiring good people; most retail people they do hire treat nearly all customers--i.e, their fiduciaries--like troublesome peasants and serfs unless you are charming as hell or have the soul of a bootblack) and just about every "not-GEICO" insurer.
In the cases of all of the foregoing but GEICO and Enterprise, there are of course some good, but mainly bad, moments. With respect to my nightmare companies, customer service--which no one said is easy to institute and keep up--is a cynical joke. I would have far more respect for them if they just admitted they simply do not care. In the meantime, I would very much like to see customers at counters and on phone lines everywhere start to act up--and demand better service and treatment. For example, you are the customer, and if the store, bank, insurer has made a mistake, they should correct it proactively rather than giving you another place to go or another phone number to call.
If they do not, get a little loud, folks. Tell them you expect better; you are a long-time or merely prospective customer, but one with money. You came ready to do more business or that all-important "first business", which is a valued "moment of truth" for every seller. And, hey, you don't call them back during regular hours. They take a message and call you back, Jack.
At some point, I would love to see more chronic service failures to result in business failures--along with a way to measure it. In the meantime, all we have is this little gem I came across yesterday by a British customer service watchdog/publication called Customer Think. The article is "Customer Experience: Why haven’t more retailers gone bust?" by by Maz Iqbal. Some interesting reporting and anecdotes here. The Answer to Maz's question? It's because the retail customer in the West is too jaded, polite and wimpy to call counter clerks and store employees out on the carpet or to let "customer care employees" have it when they are being jerks.
The Solution? I think customers should pipe up--and get specific but loud and rude, if necessary. To get the message through to management--granted, dealing with some retail employees is like talking to, say, rocks or very simple plant life--a little street theater may be in order. Folks, you are the customers, buyers, fiduciaries, clients. Demand service. Don't apologize. Be loud about it if you must.
.jpg)
Customer Experience: Is it time for acting up?
Posted by JD Hull at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)