The Thriving Small Business

tips for small business

Netflix Customer Problems – A Public Relations Nightmare!

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Netflix is in the news again.  CEO Reed Hastings apparently has decided against splitting the company into two distinct product lines – DVD rentals and streaming video.  The decision was made after customers protested and share value dropped some 60% since July.

I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t necessarily surprise me that Netflix changed its mind considering the outrage of customers and subscription cancellations.  

If you are not familiar with the Netflix customer problem story, a couple of months ago Netflix decided to raise prices for their DVD and streaming video services.

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Netflix Customer Problem News – Did CEO Reed Hastings Do More Harm Than Good?

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Whether you rent DVDs or enjoy streaming video, you can’t help but be fascinated at the recent Netflix news.   A blog post went up on the Netflix site Sunday night from their CEO Reed Hastings with an apology for their poor communication process with customers.

If you are not familiar with this story, for over ten years Netflix has offered an affordable solution to DVD rentals and had a loyal customer base.  
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Steve Jobs and Apple – What Can we Learn?

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The news that Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO at Apple saddened me for a couple of reasons.  First it is unfortunate that Steve’s health has forced him to leave his post way too soon and secondly I think it’s a shame to lose such an amazing visionary.

I don’t know very much about the inner workings of the Apple company all I know is from a consumers perspective that it is run brilliantly.

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Business Planning 2011: What Organizations Should Focus on

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As 2010 comes to a close, organizations should be preparing for the new year.  Planning and goal development helps businesses achieve strategic objectives. There are many aspects to business management but focusing on the strategic vision, critical success factors and business goals is imperative to achieving corporate objectives.

Some Things Organizations Should Focus on in 2011:

Customers
Identity who your customers are, ask them what they want and develop plans to exceed their expectations.  
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Customer Service Carnival

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I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!   I’m honored to host this edition of the Customer Service Carnival.  As you begin a new work week and the official kickoff of the Christmas season, I hope you enjoy the following articles!

Anna Farmery talks about certain key connections you must make as presented in 10 Business Connections You MUST make posted at The Engaging Brand. Read the Full Article →

Flemings Restaurant Review: 10 Customer Service Tips

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My husband treated me to dinner at Flemings Restaurant for my birthday. We don’t eat out at expensive restaurants very often but on special occasions we splurge, make a night of it and enjoy letting others wait on us. Our meal at Flemings was an experience with a lot of attention to detail. Read the Full Article →

Using Text Analytics to Improve the Customer Experience

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With today’s use of internet blogs, social networks and the like, customers have a voice, an audience and they talk.  They share their experience either with online business reviews, on blogs or social forums.  When customers have a good experience, they may share it but if they have a bad experience, they often feel compelled to share their experience in an effort to keep others from having a similar bad experience. Read the Full Article →