Customer Service

This webinar offers insights and tips on how retailers can leverage digital technologies to better engage and sell to consumers.

Maybe it’s a service call, a simple plan adjustment, or even that first Google search looking for a provider. No matter the reason or method, each and every customer encounter is crucial. However, if the bulk of a consumer’s experience with a company is made up of a series of small interactions – e.g., a…

Why did Gary Allen log thousands of miles to attend 140 Apple Store openings around the world and blog about them … without getting paid for it? That question prompted me to reach out to Allen when I began the research for my book on the Apple Store model, The Apple Experience. I was saddened to…

“Love” may seem odd as a business concept. Love includes valuing someone as a person, trying to see things from their point of view, being considerate of their time, trying to make their life easier, working to understand and help them achieve their goals, among other things. Let's take for granted that you do all…

Wal-Mart has launched Wal-Mart Simple Text, a text messaging-based assistant for shopping at the retailer's stores. You simply text “hi” to 415-214-8445, thanks to Twilio, and you’re ready to ask Wal-Mart about the item(s) you’re interested in.

Retail executives depend on hourly employees and local store management to deliver great customer experiences, execute merchandising strategies and drive sales. However, there are often disconnects between staff members and corporate management. Store employees can get bogged down in day-to-day operations and, in turn, they can miss opportunities to improve the overall customer experience. Real-Time…

If the only person who soothed you during Monday’s stock market chaos was an extra-friendly Starbucks barista, thank Howard Schultz. In a flowery memo to the chain’s 190,000 employees (called “partners” in Starbucks lingo), the coffee giant’s billionaire chairman and chief executive told baristas to be especially sensitive to the customers asking them for a…

eBay published an interview (and video) with the head of its customer service, Steve Boehm, in which he says he's excited about many of the upcoming changes eBay will soon roll out globally. Boehm's actual title is senior vice president of global customer experience, and he came to eBay in 2011 after a career in…

Just over four months since the Apple Watch began its Apple Retail Store debut for try-ons, Apple has started to tweak the process this week, according to Apple Retail employees. Until this week, a customer who walked into an Apple Store seeking to try on Apple Watch was required to make an appointment and provide…

Buying glasses online, whether prescription lenses or fashionable sunglasses, isn't the easiest of tasks. From finding a pair that are just the right size and color to getting the exact prescription lenses you need to seeing how the glasses will look on your face, the challenges are many. Glasses.com is trying to change that with…