What’s the Opposite of “Upselling?” Jeff Bezos didn’t grow up in Minneapolis. Or if he did, he certainly didn’t work at a local hardware store (yes, they still exist in the Twin Cities; amongst other things, it’s where lots of local youth get their first job). I know that because twice in two weeks now,...Read More
Can You Say, “Great Customer Service?” What do you do when your client is away for the day, and you have not one but two scheduled showings? And, thanks to icy conditions, the home’s front walk is especially treacherous? If you’re Edina Realty – City Lakes agent Susan Anderson, you show up at your client’s with...Read More
How to Get Out of “Customer Service Purgatory” Want less of something bad? Tax it. Or fine it. So, aggressive phone solicitations have been dramatically slashed by federal legislation establishing “Do Not Call Lists,” and fining transgressions. Of course, if you truly want zero of something . . . make it illegal (prostitution, meth, etc.)....Read More
“You Couldn’t Make This Up” Department, or How to Make Misspelling Into a Profit Center [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] Based on my less-than-satisfactory first three months as a new CenturyLink customer (to say the...Read More
So THAT’S Where “Hands On” Comes From . . . Which tailor would you rather buy a custom suit from? A tailor who makes perhaps a dozen suits in a year, handling each stage of the process — fitting, measuring, fabric selection, stitching — themselves? Or, a tailor who delegates to multiple assistants and whose...Read More
Customer Service Blunders: Exhibit A Want to provoke a customer’s ire (and some negative exposure on a certain blog)? Ignore their email’s and phone calls in the aftermath of a glitch — in this case, painting my new shed the wrong color. Total ignored messages over a two week period now? Four (two voicemails and and two...Read More
