Jim Gilbert has been creating direct marketing programs that drive superior ROI for almost 30 years. Fluent in consumer or B-to-B, creative, operations, and analytics, he marries the strategic and tactical sides of direct and social media marketing in a seamless fashion that gets results. He's CEO of a multidiscipline direct marketing agency, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Inc., which focuses on direct mail, catalogs, DRTV, telemarketing, print, alternative direct marketing media and social media marketing.
Jim has been involved in start-ups, expansions and turnarounds, and is an expert in helping multichannel marketers get to the "next level." He's a former adjunct professor, teaching direct marketing at Miami International University, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Jim loves to talk direct marketing, and has done many lectures on direct and social media marketing.
It seems every retailer I've spoken with recently is scrambling to gain control of their inventory planning, regardless of channel. It's...
Perhaps I've been watching too much of "The Walking Dead" or maybe too many episodes of "Doomsday Preppers," but my paranoia about the...
Shoppers want to think they're getting a good deal. By taking advantage of sales and using coupons, they get that...
UPS has announced 6.9 percent air increases, partially offset by a 2 percent fuel surcharge reduction. It's also announced a...
Can you up the ante on any of your products’ amusement factors? Is there some ho-hum aspect of your product...
Customer loyalty is customer love for doing business with you. In fact, neuroscientists studying consumer behavior have discovered that when...
|
The page that you requested could not be found.
Please contact
webmaster@napco.com, indicating what page you were trying to access.
Editor's Note: Jim's blog will not be appearing this week (don't worry, look for it in its regular spot in two weeks). In its place we're re-running this tips-oriented post from last fall. Hope you enjoy!
A few weeks ago, I downloaded a Monopoly game from a company called GameHouse. My son was itching to play the computer version with us on our family night (mostly because I move too slow).
Downloading was a success, but I had problems finding the activation code for the software, so I went in search of a company contact.
I jumped on GameHouse's website, and my first instinct was to look for a phone number to call its customer service department. If you read part 1 of my “You Lost Me There” series a few months back, you know that I'm an adamant believer in having your contact info prominently displayed on your website. Another one of my pet peeves is the ubiquitous page with the contact form. Or, more importantly, how long it takes to get a response from said form.
To me it's simple: Make it easy to speak with me or my business goes elsewhere. I couldn’t find a satisfactory way to contact GameHouse, and I grew frustrated. But there was a big (really big) “Follow us on Twitter” button, so I clicked it. I sent a tweet to GameHouse — and the rest of its followers — on how I was having problems and was aggravated that its website had no contact info. For good measure, I joined its Facebook fan page and sent the same message.
It didn’t take GameHouse long to respond. Thanks to Kristy, who manages GameHouse's Twitter presence, I had an easy way to establish communication with the company and resolve my issues. Turns out that I also ordered half a dozen copies of Monopoly as I tried to get the activation code. Kristy helped me get squared away with GameHouse's billing department, too. It took about a week of back and forth to get all the additional orders credited to my account. Kristy had one of GameHouse's customer service reps work closely with me throughout the process.
Then — and this one blows me away — about a week later I got a package from GameHouse with a different version of Monopoly inside. Also inside was a handwritten card thanking me “for my patience” signed by Kristy with the note: “A little gift for all your troubles.” My son loves it, and everywhere I go (including a lecture I did last week) I tell of my exceptional customer service experience with GameHouse. With this in mind, I offer up some useful pointers.
6 Customer Service Takeaways
 |
|
|
The page that you requested could not be found.
Please contact
webmaster@napco.com, indicating what page you were trying to access.
