Home Authors Posts by Dan Blacharski

Dan Blacharski

Dan Blacharski
Ugly Dog Media
Dan Blacharski is a thought leader, advisor and industry observer. He has been widely published on subjects relating to customer-facing technology, automation, and Industry 4.0. He lives in South Bend, Indiana, with his wife Charoenkwan, a noted Thai author and journalist, and their dog "Ling Ba."

Stakeholder value delivers the greatest benefit to the corporation and shareholders

The greatest behind-the-scenes struggle throughout much of corporate America is the division between shareholder value and stakeholder value. For years publicly-held companies have focused...

The real key to retail growth is last mile delivery

In the 1950s, suburban moms with bouffant hairdos, horn-rimmed glasses and long dresses phoned their local grocer, who took their order in the morning...

Is retail really seeing a new normal?

One of the most important narratives in retail for 2019 is retail's "new normal," a deeply disruptive environment that calls for big changes to...

The Green Customer Imperative

Green and eco-friendly policies were once on the fringe, but demand has risen dramatically and created a cycle of affordability, which in turns increases...

Turn your customers into brand ambassadors

Despite the best intentions of Madison Avenue, a company's brand is elevated primarily through two areas: social media, and customer reviews. This reality takes...

How companies in the TMT sectors are using disruptive customer strategies to stay relevant

For companies in the technology, media and telecommunications space, traditional B2B customer-focused tactics have been augmented by other tactics which have been traditionally used...

2018 retail trends will focus more on customer experience, automation

Major shakeups in the retail industry, bankruptcies and closings, and a surprising number of once-flourishing shopping malls turning into deserted wastelands dominated the news...

The Continuum of Human and Machine Customer Experience

In an increasingly competitive retail environment, competition on price, or even quality and mix of goods, will create only transitory wins. Those factors bring...

The myth of the retail apocalypse

Massive retail store closings and bankruptcies are causing concern, hype, and a little bit of over-reaction throughout the industry. While any growth-oriented enterprise will...

Smart homes disrupting the construction industry

There’s a smart home in China that’s pretty advanced when it comes to what houses of the future may be like, which is why...

Automotive customer service gets a boost from smart car tech

The auto repair industry is a latecomer to technology-driven customer service. An industry dominated by smaller shops and owner-operated franchises, customer service tends to...

The End of Cold Calling

Every company has one. The traditional salesperson who travels out to meet customers in person, lives out of a suitcase, and is constantly on...

Three New Rules for Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing, the low-budget cousin of the retail industry, has had a long and somewhat checkered past, often associated with black-hat SEO and get-rich-quick...

Retail Thinking Outside the Big Box

Store closings, shopping malls transforming into desolate wastelands, and retail deserts where once flourishing strip malls with high-profile anchor stores have been taken over...

Gig Economy Fills an Unmet Need in Customer Experience

The “gig economy” has come out of the shadows, and is quickly redefining how we think of the customer experience. Two factors are powering...

The New Mobile Portal: More, Faster, Better

Customers have come to expect three things from companies with which they do business: More, Faster, and Better. Not only do they want these...

Engaging the Customer in Healthcare

The healthcare industry has historically been behind the times in customer service and customer experience. Finance, banking, and consumer segments have long ago adapted,...

Is Your Company Giving Away Customer Loyalty?

Customer loyalty is something every company wants and needs, and every manager understands just how essential it is to growth and success. But often,...

The Jimmy Stewart Model of FinTech Customer Experience

The financial services industry has been subject to radical swings in how they approach customer service. From the pre-automation era of the ‘50s and...

Knowing What Your Customers Will Want Before They Realize It

Knowing what your customers want may be an obvious piece of intelligence to gain on your path to success, but it’s only the beginning....

New Posts