CUSTOMER SERVICE

Looks like United may not be a lost cause after all

United is ready for takeoff? / Photo by John Rogers – Flickr Creative Commons
For the better part of the last year, I’ve thought United Airlines was a lost cause. The Continental Airlines merger couldn’t have gone worse, from a customer service perspective, and as much as I liked many of the people now working at the new United, it was difficult to say anything nice about the airline — let alone write anything positive.
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Can social media improve customer service? Vail Resorts discovers the answer one run at a time

When it comes to using technology to improve the travel experience, Vail Resorts is known as one of the most progressive resort companies in America. I’ve interviewed CEO Rob Katz several times about Vail’s EpicMix initiative, and RFID-enabled ticket system that integrates with social media. Version 2 of EpicMix goes live next month, and I thought I’d check in with him to see the progress.
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TSA watch: They’re looking for the wrong thing – and congratulating themselves for it

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

If that’s true, then I should probably feel privileged that my old friend Bob Burns has started a “week in review” feature on the TSA site to highlight the positive things his agency has done – and presumably, to counter all of the unfortunate events I tend to write about every week in TSA watch.

But in this week’s post, Burns covers one event for which the TSA deserves to be recognized — and several that left me puzzled.
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New at On Your Side: retail stores

I‘m really excited about this next industry category, retail stores.

Whether you’re shopping at Neiman Marcus or Wal-Mart, it’s not always clear where to appeal a customer service problem. That ends today.

We’ve just posted several of the most popular retailers, including BJ’s Wholesale Club, Costco Wholesale, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Ross Stores, Sam’s Club, Saks Fifth Avenue, Target Corporation, TJX Companies and Wal-Mart Stores.

More are on the way. If there’s a retailer you don’t see, please email us and we’ll be sure to add it to the list.

And a note to anyone who works for these retail stores: We are posting these executive contacts in order to help your customers, not to embarrass you or to short-circuit the customer service process. These names are only to be used as a last resort.

Thank you for being part of this project.

(Photo: Lone Prim ate/Flickr Creative Commons)


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Are you smarter than your customers?

It’s hard — maybe even impossible — to do service right if you think your customers are idiots.

If you don’t think customers are capable of rational, intelligent decisions, then it’s oh-so-easy to rationalize treating them like walking dollar signs. Or sheep.

Evidence of their collective dumbness seems to be everywhere. Here’s a cellular phone customer who thought Seattle was in Canada. A classic: The Disneyworld guest who wants to know what time the 3 o’clock parade starts. There’s even a Facebook page dedicated to stupid customers.
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