Sales, Social and Tech

Seth Godin recently post his definition of customer service. This is something where Singtel can learn as it looks to tackle the viral complaint about its 3G services. Wrote Seth Godin ,  "The only purpose of 'customer service'... is to change feelings. Not the facts, but the way your customer feels. The facts might be the price, or a return, or how long someone had to wait for service. Sometimes changing the facts is a shortcut to changing feelings, but not always, and changing the facts alone is not always sufficient anyway. The customer who seeks out your help isn't often looking to deplete your bank account. He is usually seeking validation, support and a path to feeling the way he felt before you let him down." Seth has hit it on the spot about customer service. When the complaint about Singtel 3G coverage went viral , Singtel went the traditional method of addressing the complaint with facts. This of course didn't work. The c...

Start-ups looking to put the loyalty cards into the mobile phone are sprouting out these days and many more are being inspired to look at creating one on their own. These new start-ups are putting new features to the digital loyalty card to differentiate themselves, but is there a really a business model for loyalty? I am highlighting this issue, not because of the biasses of where I am working now, but rather from the experience of the first version that has taught us valuable lessons in the business of loyalty. The learnings from the experience may be wrong and I will welcome these start-ups to show me otherwise. Every digital loyalty card startup will talk about the fat wallet syndrome and how consumer will appreciate the fact that the digital loyalty card will remove this. There is some truth in this as much some wallets and purses are filled with loyalty cards, or the overfill of loyalty cards that are left in the car or in the house, and a thinner wallet would be much app...

AirAsia is now charging SGD5 to those who check-in at their counter. To avoid paying this additional SGD5, you can either do a web check-in at home, or check-in at the check-in kiosks near their designated check-in counters. What happens if you didn't check-in via the web at home, and you at the airport and the AirAsia kiosks are down? You would have no choice but to check-in at the counter right? But does this mean you, the customer, is reliable for the SGD5 surcharge? I was at Changi Airport Terminal 1 this evening and had to do a document check of my printed boarding pass which I checked in at home. I overheard a commotion from the AirAsia counter staff when the check-in kiosk had a technical breakdown and the staff wanted to charge the AirAsia customer the SGD5. According to the AirAsia counter, there are no options on her system to allow for the waiver for the SGD5 and if the receipts don't tally at the end of the day, she would have to be responsible for that missin...