Yesterday I bought a new DSLR camera at the local camera shop here in town (great customer experience by the way – service from Tom was great!). Once I’d purchased my camera they bundled it and a few accessories in an imprinted tote like our new Dot Gift Bag (I know, if I had been thinking I would have taken a shot of it right then and there with the new camera – not very quick am I?!).

In this case it was imprinted with a Canon logo (I bought a new Canon to replace my old one). This was effective marketing for Canon as I really did appreciate having the bag to carry my purchase, the bag will get reused (it’s a nice size!) and the logo was easy-to-spot as I walked back through town (as it will be each time I reuse it!). Ideally, the local store would have had their logo on the opposite side of the bag or along side the Canon logo – would like to see the retailer get some mileage as well.

Regardless, these bags are a great marketing opportunity for all of the brands involved – manufacturer and distributor. I can tell you from my personal experience, it’s a great touch that left me feeling even better about a significant purchase.  I realize this is pretty basic stuff, but if you sell a product that needs to be carried home, or manufacture one that does, these bags are an  effective way to make a good impression at a very low cost. Promotional products work.

A quality customer service experience has never been more necessary as it is today.  Customers can make choices, and with technology at their fingertips, they do research on companies and products before they commit to any sort of purchase or relationship.  Communication is also widespread, with customers indicating their likes and dislikes through social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.  One customer’s negative experience can define a company in the eyes of many.

Customers not only expect good customer service in the private sector, but also when interacting with the government.  According to a 2007 study by Accenture, there are 3 primary aspects which public sector service should be measured:

• Service maturity – is the government available and accessible online?  To what extent? 10% of the overall score was based on this factor.
• Customer service maturity – how well do agencies manage communications with citizens and business? This piece considers multi-channel integration (i.e. – mail, internet, and phone), agencies working together to provide services, and proactive communication.  This resulted in 50% of a government’s score.
• Citizen voice – what did citizens have to say about service experiences with their government?  This customer feedback accounted for 40% of a government’s score in the study.

As you can see, 90% of the scores were based upon communications and interactions with citizens and businesses.

The countries that ranked the highest in the study were Singapore (1^st), Canada (2^nd), and the United States (3^rd).  Singapore’s development of a nationwide broadband system will allow for integrated processes across the government sector.  They’ve involved private sector businesses and the public in development of this strategy.  Ultimately, the focus of this strategy has been on creating value for the citizens and businesses of Singapore.

Canada ranked 2^nd in the study, and though their focus is also of putting citizens at the center of initiatives, the primary difference between Canada and Singapore is that Canada’s public has not perceived much improvement in the system over the last few years.

The eGovernment program in the United States has put it in the 3^rd position of the study results.  This internet-based program has allowed citizens and businesses to interact with the government in a stream-lined process.  Also, since quarterly results of measures agreed upon by agencies are made available to the public, they are motivated to meet and exceed the goals.

Focus on the citizens, and their perception of government is important for each of these 3 countries, and has resulted in high customer service rankings.  What is the focus of your municipality as it relates to customer service?  What are you doing to achieve it?

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be able to take part in a tour of Zappos headquarters in Las Vegas.

The company Tony Hsieh has created has been highlighted many times for its exemplary customer service and fun working atmosphere. They are also big believers in using promotional products. Zappos gives out t-shirts every year to commemorate sales achievements.

My favorite was for 2007; they were so proud of hitting their first $5 million sales day that they ‘splurged’ on long sleeved t-shirts!  What an inexpensive but fun way to reward teams for doing a great job, celebrate employment anniversaries or meet sales goals.

To highlight their company growth each t-shirt had been framed and hung – they looked great.
-Suzanne

I do a decent amount of travel and have become a frequent customer of hotels.com over recent years.

Just before flying home for the Holidays, hotels.com called me out of the blue to tell me that the hotel I chose had decided to shut for the week and had notified them they were moving me (and upgrading me) to a nearby by hotel within the same chain.

This wasn’t great news, but I appreciated the upgrade and it didn’t really affect my plans.

I thought nothing more of it until I returned home and found a letter from hotels.com in the mailbox. As I opened it, I did wonder if it was related to the small travel snafu but was completely floored to receive a $100 travel voucher for the inconvenience!

For a Web retailer (where so much of the relationship is by email), I thought it was a really nice touch to go to the trouble to send something tangible – old-fashioned, in a very 2010 sort of way.
-Suzanne

If you’ve ever ordered embroidered products, you know it can be challenging and costly.

You need to approximate your stitch count and pay for the embroidery tape.  If you’re ordering 10 shirts, the $95 average charge for embroidery tape adds almost $10 to the price of each shirt.  Shirts in larger sizes often cost extra.  And, logo placement was often limited to one or two locations.

We’re changing all that.  Here’s how:

•    With our embroidery, the price you see is the price you pay!
•    There is no extra charge for extended sizes.
•    The tape charge is reduced to a flat $35 – or we’ll waive it if you order 24+ polos, dress shirts and jackets.
•    And, there is no stitch count.  If your logo fits in the described embroidery area, there are no additional fees.

Our goal is to make it easier to order embroidered items.

How simple is that?
–Suzanne

Recently asked some of our customers to share any ideas they have about marketing in the current climate. Debra works for a Credit Union and says:

“Review, review, review. Review types of products & inventory offered, review customer service & customers, review costs & pricing, review hours of operations, review employees and review competitors.”

Good advice. It’s always a good time to lay everything you’re doing on the table – all of it – and see if it all still makes sense.