Bring up the concept of “customer service” and you will certainly cause someone’s blood to curdle. As much as just about every company provides service and support to its customers for its products and services, so many do it so poorly to the extent many times it’s easy to swallow the loss and buy from someone else. Well, at least I have done it that way a few times.

But why is it that way? This question and more around customer service are answered extremely well in the book BAM!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World, by Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead. Within the pages of this must-read for anyone who is in business, they share many personal customer services stories – both good and bad – as well as demystifying the entire process of customer service. The term “BAM” is for “bust a myth” and it dispels various customer service myths throughout the book. I was graciously given a copy of the book by Barry, with whom I have worked with in the past. After reading it, I was reassured as to why I worked with him!

There’s a lot to take away from BAM! and here are a few of my major takeaways.

Customer service must be baked into your business - Issues with customer service being removed from the core of a company are rampant. Sometimes, they are removed so far away it is outsourced to a third-world country! Not only should customer service be within the core of your company, it should be designed into the products and services you develop. Why create a product that you can’t support? Short-term gains will only last so long.

You must want to be able to deliver good customer service as it won't just happen - The road to good fortune is paved with good intentions. If you don’t have a plan in place to offer good customer service, it just won’t happen. If you only have 1 or 2 people to handle support and you need more like 50, good luck.

Have a customer service manifesto - Want to offer good customer service? Write it down, and tell everyone.

BAM! is a great read for a round-trip flight. It is also a book you’ll want to pass along to colleagues, especially those who have responsibility for customer service in a company. It also has lists of the various myths and examples that are real and ready to use. I highly recommend BAM! to anyone in business or those thinking about starting a business, so that they are ready to offer good service to their clients and customers.

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Book Take-Aways • Business • Strategize • (0) Comments • Permalink

It’s the cliche job interview question of all time – where do you see yourself in 5 years? I am willing to bet that most of those reading this have been asked this question. As you may have guessed, I have been asked it several times over the 20+ years of my professional career. Where some people may be asking it to expect an answer that you will be working for their particular company then, others are asking to gain insight into your long-term thought process, the latter approach not being all that bad or evil.

After a year like 2009, I am doing much more thinking and planning about the future than I ever had before. I am not limiting it to business as I am also thinking of my growing family, and our needs and wants into the future. Where many things do purely happen, and you may never know what opportunities may come about, purely leaving everything to chance is not the way to go. Even if your plans don’t materialize how you originally planned, you now have a marker to compare and measure against.

When you get down to it, thinking about the future is really about your vision. Where do you see things going and happening, and how will you be a part of it? You may not be able to see things 5 years in advance, but you sure as heck should be able to have a fairly good idea as to how the rest of the year will go!

The video below is from mobile device giant Nokia, and is a projection of where they see the markets they play in, as well as themselves, in 2015. If you don’t see the video below, watch it here at YouTube.

If you watched it, you will see that you don’t have to be an uber genius to make projections of your own, as Nokia’s predictions seem respectable with where the world is now with mobile technology. As this video is from Nokia, I am required to say that I have a continuous professional relation with them.

Perhaps the question should just be where do you see yourself? I welcome your thoughts on how you think of the future.

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The next likemind will be Friday, January 15, 2010 in dozens of cities around the world.

In Chicago, it will be at Argo Tea, 140 S Dearborn St. at the corner of Adams and Dearborn Streets in the Loop from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.

I call likemind a gathering of creative-minded people, from various disciplines including Internet, advertising, art, social media, et. al. For more information on likemind, you can read this great article on likemind from the New York Times.

No RSVP is required. You are also welcome to join the likemind Chicago Facebook group.

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Announcements • Business • Technology • (0) Comments • Permalink

The 2009 calendar that hung in my office this year featured 12 different houses from around the world. Who knew when I got it for Christmas last year it would be a metaphor for the year it tracked?

2009 has been an interesting year to say the least. For many people, it outright sucked. For others, it presented challenges many have never encountered or even thought of before. As a result, a lot of thought has gone into what did not happen, what was lost, and what money was not made.

As we pop the cork on whatever beverages we will be consuming tonight, we’ll be not only ringing out 2009 but the first decade of the millennium. Looking beyond 2009 at the other 9 years of the decade, there were certainly many more highs than lows, and those are what I am thinking about over that timeline. And in looking back over the last year, I am thankful for what did happen, what was won and gained and the money I did make. When I think of these things, it makes me smile and fortunate for what I was able to accomplish.

In talking to many people, there is a lot of optimism as we look ahead to 2010. There is a renewed confidence that business will not only pick up, but will thrive in the new year. For small businesses, there are still a lot of things outside of our control. But those things be damned!

Happy New Year to all my friends, family and readers! New Year’s Eve also marks the 3rd anniversary of The Hot Iron. Here’s to year some great conversation in year 4!

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Announcements • Business • (2) Comments • Permalink

A couple of weeks back I mentioned I was evaluating OfficePort Chicago,a co-working environment, to see if it would work for me. While I was here, the people from Crain's Chicago Business came in to report on OfficePort, and the video report is now available on their Web site as well as embedded below. In it, you can see me in action. hard at work on a client solution.

So what was my verdict on OfficePort? Stay tuned!

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Business • (3) Comments • Permalink