Customer Think Archives - Page 10 of 20

Great Find: List Your Writing Contest At Competizione

October 8, 2006 by Liz

And the Winner Was . . .

Are you getting tired of finding out about writing contests AFTER they are over? Musingwoman was too — enough that it spurred her to action. A new blog was born so that folks could keep up woth upcoming contests and rules. So, competitors, start your keyboards.

Great Find: competizione
Permalink: http://musing.typepad.com/competizione/

Audience/Topic: Folks interested in announcing or participating in writing contests.

Content: This new blog which started just this month already has a list of competitions, and invites you to send in competitions you’re having so that you can attract more entrants. The guildelines are clearly stated. To briefly summarize them:

Contests can be for blog or for a task — win a ___ by writing a ___.

Information should submitted by email and need to include a link to the contest announcement post, the deadline date, limit to entries (if there is one) and any other pertinent information.

No profanity, pornography, or discriminatory content.

Sites with adult/mature (R-rated content) should be labeled when submitted so that competizione can alert audience visitors.

Contest submitters are asked to link to competizione. The submitter’s site link will remain on competizione after the contest post has been deleted.

Have a contest! It’s a great way to show off your blog and attract new readers. Let Musingwoman tell folks about your contest — free promotion is an excellent deal. It’s a chance to expand your network of relationships. Stretch your brand a bit. I can see your blog growing already . . . yep. Click on the title to see what’s there for you.

A writing contest is even more exciting outside a writing blog. . . . On a techie blog? a real estate blog? a travel blog? Really? You bet. All bloggers have to write, don’t they? Imagine the kind of contest you might invent.

UPDATE: NOT ALL CONTESTS ARE FOR WRITERS — ALL THE MORE REASONS TO CHECK COMPETIZIONE OUT!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Bloggy Question 23 — Would You Live Blog the Wedding?

October 1, 2006 by Liz

Now What Do You Say?

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week. I offer this bloggy life question. . .

A friend since childhood, your lifelong friend, is getting married in your hometown to another close friend of yours. She reads your blog and comments often. They both do, but neither one has a blog of their own. They still live in the town where you all grew up. You’ve not been back there for years.

You’re going home for the wedding and looking forward to seeing the friends you’ve not seen forever. It should be quite a party.

You step off the plane, and the bride and groom greet you with great fanfare. During the early conversation, while waiting for your bags, she drops the bomb. “I see you’ve got your laptop. We were thinking . . . it would be so cool if you live blogged the wedding. Would you do that as a wedding gift for us? Please, please, please.” You look over at the groom and he shrugs.

How do you respond?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Leaving Folks Room to Comment â Why It’s Imposstible Most of the Time

September 28, 2006 by Liz

In April — Advice from Readers Yea!

The conversation finally occurred on a Sunday last April. I’d been trying to work out why something was happening. It seemed the more I wrote, the less folks were commenting. Then finally someone said something — a lovely compliment — that put words to what I’d been feeling might be the issue. He said.

I used to comment more than I do now, but she writes so completely that I find it difficult to add my thoughts to hers.

That thought led to me writing, An Open Thought: Please Take the Keys, a post where I said . . .

Please Take the Keys

Movie stars have directors. Olympic athletes have coaches. IÃ¢â¬â¢m just a blogger. I have you.

If weÃ¢â¬â¢re talking about customer thinkÃ¢â¬âbrand you and meÃ¢â¬âwhat better case study than this blog itself? You canÃ¢â¬â¢t hurt my feelings talking about my writing. I know itÃ¢â¬â¢s not who I am. IÃ¢â¬â¢d like to know how to get myself off the stage and back into the audience again. Will you tell me what you see? Would you do me that favor? Just say YES.

Sometimes the customer needs to be in the driverÃ¢â¬â¢s seat. Please take the keys.

How will I learn if you donÃ¢â¬â¢t?

And after a few moments of testing the waters. YEA! and Thank you! for everyone who did.

People gave me lots of feedback and great advice. I grew a lot as a blogger that day. Leaving folks room to talk was a big take away for me.

In August — Advice from Liz Uh-Oh

In August when I wrote the post, 10 Reasons Readers DonÃ¢â¬â¢t Leave Comments, I was sure to include that — always leave room for people to comment.

I bring it up here because, I have to say that I’ve found that about half the time it’s bad advice. Some kinds of writing need to be complete. End of story.

So I’m here to say that,

It would be silly to leave out part of a how-to post so that people can add it back in as a comment.

It would be frivolous to drop out a fact from a persuasive argument.

You might not want to omit an event in a retelling of a news story.

The only place I’m sure that you can leave room safely is when you’re writing a list post. I’m sorry I gave you bad advice. I’m a long ways from perfect.

By the way, I’m still doing all I can to get off that stage and back into the chair beside you. I still appreciate any help you have on that. I like being eye-to-eye with people I talk to. It’s friendlier.

The keys to the blog are always there on the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you think Liz can help with a problem you’re having with your writing, check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Carnival of Extreme Customer Service Is On!

September 25, 2006 by Liz

Looking for More Service in Your Live?

Did my FedEX guy story get you thinking about great service . . . wishing we had more of it? Then head over to carnivale and check out how to get the customer service competitive edge.

Meikah at Customer Relations: The New Competitive Edge has brought together a list of exceptional bloggers writing on Impossible or Exceptional Service. At this carnivale you’ll find.

Doug of Service Untitled
Glen of Customer Service Experience
Mike of ConverStations
Paul of The Unlawyer
Maria of CustomersAreAlways
Reden of Renewable Energy

and me.

Now there’s a list! Stop on over for fine writing and insights you won’t find everywhere by clicking the title below.

Thanks, Meikah, for putting these wonderful works together in one place for us.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Extreme Customer Service? I’m Still Telling the Story

September 24, 2006 by Liz

Extreme Times Call for Extreme Customer Service

I have never worked for FedEX, nor do I know anyone who has. . . . I wrote this because Meikah asked whether I knew any stories about extreme customer service and this is the one that I know. I know it because I lived it

The Flood

We stood on the deck of our second floor condo, watching the flood waters rise. The rains had caused the river to rise by 12 feet. It overflowed its banks, wiped out the highway, covered the streets, and was overtaking our parking lot. Word in the building was that we would be evacuated some time that day.

“We” was me, my husband, our 2 year-old son, and a 7-year-old cockatoo named Chicken.

Rescuers were coming, in rowboats on streets of suburban Illinois, to take us away from our home. The rain had stopped — not the flooding. We stood most of the morning on the deck watching the water rise and get closer. It was already up to the seats of our cars.

Deadlines Don’t Care About Floods

My husband and I were working freelance on a deadline project. One part was due that day at a publisher about 12 miles east of us. It couldn’t be late. It was part of a program costing $millions being submitted at state level. The state had no give to the cut off submission date.

My husband and I had the work done. We didn’t know how to get it there. Our cars were useless. We didn’t know where we’d be that night. We got the package ready in hopes of finding an answer before we were evacuated.

The FedEx Guy

About then the phone rang, it was a young man. “Excuse me, this is FedEX,” he said. “I have a package. Do you need it?”

The package was the next part of the same project. Who knew how it would find us, if we didn’t take it now? I said, “I’m sorry, but yeah, we really do need it.”

“No problem, Ma’am.” he said. “I’ll walk it over to you.”

I put the phone down and took my husband out on the deck. Coming through the water — at one point it was chest deep — was a guy in a FedEx uniform, holding a package above his head.

Our neighbors started cheering and applauding. The young man was smiling and waving. He made it look fun.

When the FedEx guy got to our door, we traded packages. My gratitude was all over him, explaining. He was all smiles still, saying it was his job. (I took his name. I wrote the company about him.)

Meanwhile, our neighbors had gathered everyone they could. The crowd was much larger when the FedEX guy left. As he opened the building door to go through the water, the applause started again.

FedEX man raised the new package high above his head and said very loudly, “Fed EX we deliver. We pick up too!”

What a gift that guy was. Every one of us was worried about what was happening, what damage would be done, when the water would stop. FedEX man did more than deliver a package. He walked right through the scary water to us, smiling.

He got us to laugh.

THAT is extreme customer service on every level.

That happened almost 20 years ago, and I’m still telling the story . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Great Find: PEW Internet and American Life Project

September 17, 2006 by Liz

Who Are These Guys?

If you write about the Internet, you have not done so already, I predict that a quote from the PEW report is in your future. . . .

Great Find: PEW Internet and American Life Project

Permalink: http://www.pewinternet.org/

Audience/Topic: Anyone who researches writing on modern American life and technology

Content: I never heard of PEW & the American Life Project until I started blogging. Yet reesearch blogging or the Internet and PEW information is likely to be there long before you — quoted as the source of the facts. That’s because PEW is always testing, constantly testing — through nationwide (random-digit) telephone and Internet surveys on the impact of the Internet on American Life.

With that in mind, I’ve collected these few facts before I send you there to explore this goldmine of writing ideas and support.

The PEW Mission
The Pew Internet & American Life Project produces reports that explore the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life. The Project aims to be an authoritative source on the evolution of the Internet through collection of data and analysis of real-world developments as they affect the virtual world.

The Key Researchers
The key researchers work in areas of specialty.
Lee Rainie, Project Director,studies trends in how people of all ages use the Internet.
Deborah Fallows, Senior Research Fellow, follows Email, spam, and everyday life on the Web.
Susannah Fox, Associate Director, Editorial. keeps an eye to privacy and trust, health and health care, support groups, banking, and senior citizens.
John Horrigan. Associate Director, Research, follows social and economic impact of Internet on communities and cities, broadband trends and impacts, adoption of new technologies, and online communities.
Steve Jones, Senior Research Fellow, works in these research areas: College Students, College Students and Gaming, Communities, Copyright, Education, Intellectual Property, Internet in Daily Life, Music, Seniors, Technology Consumption, Teens, Terrorism, Workplace
Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist, concentrates on issues regarding children, teens, parents and the Internet, the digital divide, education, content creation, blogging, instant messaging.
Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist, researches copyright issues, music and the internet, intellectual property issues online, teens and communication technology, college students and the internet, online communities, demographic trends in online pursuits.

The reports each researcher has written are listed on his or her bio page.

The PEW and American Life Project has 100 reports, email alerts, “find an expert,” presentations, a searchable database, a commentary section an “ask a question” service, and invitations to participate in furure polls.

To get there click the title shot below.

Every time I think I’ve seen all they offer, I discover move.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Great Photo Resources to Support Readers
Open Source Education Ã¢â¬â GELC
Great Find: Programmer Meet Designer

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