Why Every Small Business Needs a Mystery Shopping Program

Small businesses face a series of unique challenges that high-quality customer service difficult to maintain. Unlike large corporations, for example, small businesses often operate with fewer employees and resources, which can lead to inconsistencies in service—particularly when employees juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. Further, small businesses are usually more vulnerable…
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Understanding the Supply Chain Woes

The last couple of years have either created or magnified many of the economic challenges we all face today, not the least of which is the critical problem with supply chains. As Peter S. Goodman, writing for The New York Times explains, “The pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of…
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Personalized Care

It’s that time of year again: Shep Hyken has released his annual Achieving Customer Amazement report, which means we’ll analyze his findings and explain what they mean for your business’s customer experience in the coming weeks. For today, however, let’s start with a key takeaway about how important personalized customer…
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Should You Script Your Employees?

As you endeavor to improve the customer experience at your business, you’ll want to do everything you can to ensure that your employees are always delivering their best, most consistent performances possible. In fact, many businesses will develop something like a flowchart for employees to memorize to maintain that consistency.…
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Surviving in the World of Big Chains and Online Warehouses

The Verge posted a fascinating article describing so-called Amazon Nomads, independent merchants who scour out-of-the-way stores (often failing chains in small towns) for products on clearance to snap up and sell using Amazon’s storefront. But with all of the prognostications about the death of brick-and-mortar, one can’t help but think…
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