Time is not an independent variable in business. It is part of the fabric of your product offering. It is part of what we all offer. It is the route to higher profits and happier customers.
Some company killers are obvious. Competition. Obsolescence. Too much debt. They're sexy problems. They make the headlines and you're already aware of them. But there are hidden threats that you don't even know exist.
The JC Penney board is out of touch with the company and its customer base. They don't understand the basic nature of the problem the company confronts. Will the board use this most recent crisis to reevaluate its understanding of the situation, or give itself a pass, concluding that the last hire "just didn't work out"?
Today, through the use of instrumentation, such as RFID technology, companies and individuals can monitor in real-time everything from the status of a bullet train racing across the countryside to hourly energy usage in their homes and even individual appliances.
Can we just put aside ideology for one minute and agree that businesses hire more workers if they have more customers, and fire workers if they have fewer customers?
The Internet serves as a 3-D hub or platform between multiple information sources and recipients. But why haven't we developed any such 3-D systems in U. S. supply chains, with strong operational feedback modules like Toyota's?
A challenging combination of tighter wallets, new and evolving information channels, and rising customer expectations have created a complex consumer landscape that tests the ability of even the most seasoned chief customer experience officer.
One publishing house is bucking the trend: Berrett-Koehler is having their best year ever, with revenues up 16 percent and pretax profits up a whopping 50 percent! Clearly, they're doing something right -- in fact, they're probably doing many things right.
A customer-centric, not brand-centric, philosophy is key to a product's ultimate success. Ignoring the buyer when building a brand is like hosting a sand castle contest in the middle of a hurricane. Sure you can try it, but why waste your time?
The people attending our schools deserve not to be called customers. They deserve to be called students. For the sake of their education, and for the sake of the vocations to which they are called, we owe it to them to resist the fads and call them by the right name.
Things don't always go to plan and when customers feel let down they have always wanted to express their disappointment. This has now become easier with the advent of social media.
We know that customer experience is critical. Many factors are changing the way companies operate today, creating a 'perfect storm' for those who need...
Regardless of the tools you're using, a social enterprise is centered around breaking down silos and breaking down the barriers that prevent knowledge sharing and freedom of expression. It's about ripping up the org chart and opening up the playing field.
Every time a company goes through bankruptcy court or gets involved in merger talks, it's disappointing to see who does not have a seat at the negotia...
When they see these letters as a hassle and try to slough them off, they are just shooting themselves in the foot. Instead of embracing a problem and solving it now, they are pushing it off into the future, where it will do more damage.
Do you enjoy the people you work with? If you don't, start focusing on their best aspects or start focusing on all the other aspects about your work that you love. What you'll find is that they'll start to shift.
Has a company disappointed you with their lousy customer service or shoddy product? Or surprised you with their responsiveness, refund policy or gener...
Small businesses can get overwhelmed trying to figure out which social networks or new types of communication should be added to your communication toolbox. So what trends do you need to be paying attention to -- and acting on -- in 2012?
* Offering retailer discounts through online banking site * Program to be tested first on BofA's own employees * Service...
As both retail bundling and self-gifting increase in popularity -- and this is most definitely the case among major online retailers -- it's time to start thinking seriously about what the customer doesn't need, and at what price he doesn't need it.
We have entered a new age -- the Age of the Platform. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google (a.k.a. the 'Gang of Four') have done nothing less than pioneer a fundamentally new way of doing business.
The customers are gone. Empty red steel chairs line rows of computer desks where they once sat. A tall stack of bills lies on a cracking, worn-out wooden desk that cannot be repaired until business is good again, if that is anytime soon.
The era of the debit card fee may have come and gone, but plenty of bank charges remain. Indeed, with all the talk of debit fees, it's easy to for...
One of the biggest challenges small businesses face is getting attention, in part because small businesses have no brand to leverage. Here are five ways to stand out from the crowd, get the attention you deserve, and build a follower base you're proud of.
Every business should assemble an Ambassador Toolkit. It'll help you better leverage your satisfied customers and turn them into a walking and talking word-of-mouth army.
