Gerry Brown
Look who’s talking! Conversation not confrontation is the key to winning customer’s hearts
It feels as if we live in an increasingly nasty world where a lack of civility and courtesy, an increase in bad manners, and an avalanche of negativity, especially in business, are some of the least bad outcomes. But fortune smiled on me recently...
Measuring What Matters for Positive Customer Outcomes – The End is Insight
In 1977 an aspiring writer and self-confessed fan called Bill James began self-publishing an annual book titled The Bill James Baseball Abstract. It was a 68-page compilation of lesser known and loved statistics that James had observed from studying the box scores (a structured...
“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing )” – Winning...
Whether or not Duke Ellington was a cricket fan, I don’t imagine that when he composed this famous song in 1932, that he’d expect that the 2018 Australian cricket team would take his words so literally. For any of you that have been on...
Digital Acceleration – Foot down, brake off?
November 22nd will be the fifty fourth anniversary of JFK’s assassination and, for those of us that were alive then; we always seem to remember where we were when we heard the news. Likewise with the first man on the moon, and England winning...
Digital Transformation & Customer Experience – Separated at Birth, Reunited by a Common Purpose
Do try this at home. Pick two or three of your favourite and most used smartphone or device apps, such as those provided by airlines, banks, hotels or retail organizations. The best examples will be where you need to create or login to an...
Digital Transformation – Hype or Hope?
Any organizational discussion on improving customer experience (CX) will undoubtedly find that the digital experience, and the overall digital strategy, will quickly find a spot on the agenda. A well designed and thoughtfully timed digital strategy can drive enhanced customer contact across channels,...
A small drop of compassion that unleashed a flood of goodwill and helped develop...
Margaret McDonald couldn’t stop shaking and shivering as the temperature in her small terraced house continued to drop precipitously. It gets cold and dark early on a windswept December night in Glasgow and 2011 was a particularly cold winter. With her boiler not working,...
I can’t get no (Customer) Satisfaction – 4 Ways to get Customers Singing a...
Measuring customer satisfaction is often as unreliable and surprising as election or referendum polls. The downside of believing what people say they will do and their actual actions can have many politicians and business people eating their hats or even their kilts. Mick Jagger’s...
A Lasting Legacy or Eternal Damnation – Redemption is in the clouds
Great historical figures that perform daring deeds, live exemplary and inspirational lives or make massive contributions to humankind are rightly feted in history books, statues, buildings and other visible signs of their time on earth. But they also leave something less tangible, but more...
Sounds Good – Breaking the sound barrier and communicating with clarity
For those in Europe seeking solace from a soggy summer and a break from the baffling Brexit brouhaha there are few places that can compare with southern Ontario’s cottage country where I spent a very pleasant break this past summer. Stunningly hot, consistently sunny...
Let’s Get Ready to Grumble! – The Ends Justify the Moans
Over 200 years ago, a humorous book entitled The Miseries of Human Life was written by the Reverend James Beresford. It was a satirical and ironic tome that recorded and praised the causes of discomfort in early 19th century England, that we would...
It’s the Principles that count – 10 Ways to bring Customer Experience to Life
In an increasingly competitive business world, many organizations state loud and proud that customer experience is a key strategic initiative that promises great things for their customers. Published statistical evidence, aligned with my personal experiences, suggests this isn’t happening with quite the stunning...
A Brand-Aid Solution: If your name’s on it make sure your heart’s in it
In 1961 a new motel opened in Toronto. It was built by a young man with no experience in the hospitality business. The chosen location was on a street that once that had been the site of homes for politicians and the captains of...
The Babe, Dixie and Billie – The importance of measuring what matters
In 1927 two men, separated by an ocean but united in desire, set records in their respective sports that have stood as enduring standards of true talent and immeasurable value to their team. Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs for the New York...
The Tour de France – A Customer Experience Tour de Force
Sweat poured from his brow as the contact centre agent searched fruitlessly for the critical data that the customer said he had provided to one of his colleagues the previous day. This seemed like the fiftieth time today that he had climbed through a...
A small investment in Big Data helps a small business make big gains
I recently moved house which, in itself is not particularly worthy of a blog post and would probably even fail to excite the most avid Twitter follower, as thousands of people up sticks every day. But it was that last fact that led...
Forget BYOD – Bring Your Own Attitude (BYOA) Comes Pre-Installed in Service Professionals
As mobile technology marches on unrelentingly and many device owners appear to be surgically or unnaturally attached to their smartphones and tablets, the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has gained significant currency. Briefly stated, BYOD...