Author Archives: Brendan

This past week or so, as I log into Skype, it’s asking me if I want to upgrade. That’s it – not one iota of context is given! There’s no detail on security concerns that the new version might address. Neither is there any mention of additional benefits that might accrue from the upgrade. But I thought this morning that I might as well upgrade because I love Skype and expect to be using it for years to come. So I clicked through an initial screen and was then presented with a message saying : “Fur future … Continue reading →

Earlier this month Adobe published a study that claimed to be a “global benchmark study on attitudes and beliefs about creativity at work, school and home”. It makes interesting and accessible reading – including nice pie charts and bar charts and attractively presented text. You can see it here. The problem is that it’s not global. Only five countries were included – US, UK, Germany, France and Japan. The study’s five countries have a total population of well under one billion, indeed closer to half a billion. So that represents less than 10% of the world’s population. … Continue reading →

I support Leeds United Football Club. They’re having a mediocre season – currently languishing in 12th position in England’s second tier Championship – 8 points adrift of the playoff positions. In February they fired their manager Simon Grayson when they were in 10th position – 3 points adrift of the playoffs. You can do the maths – their position has deteriorated under their new manager Neil Warnock. So – what’s Warnock’s reaction? Humility? Accepting a degree of responsibility? Resolve? Not quite – after a recent defeat he said : “It showed why I got the job. A … Continue reading →

We were in a hotel yesterday for lunch – breaking the journey for the kids on a long road-trip to visit my wife’s Aunt. It was shortly after noon – and the carvery lunch had just opened. In typical fashion our two boys chose sausages and chips which were quickly served up. While I waited for my wife’s and my own meals to arrive, I stole a couple of chips off the boys’ plates. I expected to have to hold them between my teeth to gauge temperature – but they were lukewarm. Back at our table a … Continue reading →

I was chatting yesterday with a friend about his plans for the weekend. He was planning to fly early this morning to Liverpool with his wife and two sons to see a soccer game. The game was to be between his and his sons’ favourite football team – Everton FC and West Brom – two teams in England’s soccer Premiership. And it was a birthday treat for one of his sons – one of those birthday treats that Dads love as well! Some weeks ago he had booked four tickets online in Everton’s family enclosure. To his … Continue reading →

Imagine if you asked your customers what else they would like you to provide that you’re not currently offering. They might suggest things that are crazy, or that would blow your budget, or which are a bad fit, etc. But there’s a finite chance that they will come up with something that you think has merit. Companies can definitely get worthwhile ideas from listening to customers – see yesterday’s post for more on this. And these can include ideas for new products and services that you can offer. So the voice of the customer is important – … Continue reading →

Recently I met with the general manager of a community-based leisure facility who wanted me to find out the satisfaction levels of her customers. We had a good conversation – discussing her needs – and whether I’d be able to help her. In due course she asked for a proposal and then said “Yes” to it – details, pricing, timeframe, deliverables, etc. The final step before giving the project the green light was for her to get approval from the voluntary Board to which she reported. To her disappointment they said “No”. I was curious as to … Continue reading →

Yesterday I came across a report of how a train company in England, First Great Western, had questioned a customer satisfaction survey that reflected negatively on it. The survey, carried out by consumer magazine Which?, said that satisfaction with First Great Western was 48%. First Great Western and others have criticised the survey for not questioning enough passengers. Was this a wise move by First Great Western? When your business or organisation is criticised how do you react? Do you immediately go on the defensive? Do you see it as an opportunity to make improvements? I’d urge … Continue reading →

Do you ever wonder how margins of error in political opinion polls are so precise? For example this article on the race for the Republican nomination for this year’s presidential election in the US describes how a national telephone poll had a margin of error of +/-4%. The answer lies in the number of people who expressed their opinion. In this case that number was 600. The people who designed the poll chose that “600″ deliberately. They chose it because they wanted a margin of error of +/-4%. If they had been after more accuracy and wanted … Continue reading →

You carry out a customer satisfaction survey and you have a decline in the number of customer complaints you are receiving. A good thing surely? Well, maybe not…. What if the reason for the “good” news is that your customers have become indifferent towards you? Or that your systems for receiving customer complaints are so unwieldy that customers hate the time and effort needed to register a complaint? There are just two examples – of course there could be other explanations too that reflect badly on your company. Now of course it is good to monitor the … Continue reading →