Customer Service Heroes: AlienBees

Photographer Erik Pierce of Paparazzi Tonight thought the person on the phone did not understand him. Pierce had dropped one of his electronic flash units, breaking off a piece of the reflector. He called AlienBees, the manufacturer, to find out how much it would cost to fix or replace. They said they would send a free replacement.

"But I dropped it."

"No problem," said the AlienBees representative, "It should have been stronger."

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Categories: Marketing | Corporate Culture | Customer Service | Ethics | Competitive Advantage

3 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 6:15 AM

Everyday Criminals

Here is a fascinating story about groups from extreme poles of the political spectrum finding common ground in opposition to the federal government's sweeping, yet vague, criminal justice machinery:

Right and Left Join Forces on Criminal Justice

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Categories: Entrepreneurialism | Leadership | Ethics

0 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 11:46 PM

Customer Service Heroes: The Sprinting Waiter

In Good to Great (Harper Business, 2001), Jim Collins writes that "good is the enemy of great." That is certainly the case with customer service, as customers notice when someone has done something extra special just for them. We may not be able to surprise and delight every customer, but we should build a company culture of people who will jump at the chance to do so. 

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Categories: Corporate Culture | Creativity | Customer Service | Competitive Advantage

2 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 4:20 PM

Customer Service Heroes: Morton's The Steakhouse

On a recent visit to Washington, D.C., I called Morton's The Steakhouse to make a dinner reservation. "Oh yes," said the person who answered the phone, "Mr. Orfalea has dined with us before." My excellent customer service radar started to tingle. It's nice to be remembered.

When we arrived, restaurant manager Dan Festa greeted us. Dan personally welcomes all of his guests and lets everyone know that his job is to take care of us. Attentive service and excellent food rounded out my evening, and as a customer service enthusiast, I knew I had to learn more about Morton's company culture.

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Categories: Corporate Culture | Customer Service | Competitive Advantage

9 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 3:29 AM

Entrepreneurial Culture in the Schmatta Trade

Some of the upscale thrift stores along Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles organize their used clothing by decade. Browsing through the racks, one sees that the items from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s are vibrant, daring, and in surprisingly good condition. They were obviously very well made. One also notes that nearly 100% of these shirts, dresses, skirts, jackets and pants were made in the USA.

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Categories: Corporate Culture | Entrepreneurialism | Leadership | Family

7 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 6:14 PM