Online DVD movie company Netflix said today it is experiencing its worst major outage in its history, preventing shipments of discs to around a third of its 8.4 million customers.The company said it was unable to ship any DVDs on Tuesday, some on Wednesday and none so far on Thursday.
Customers Satisfied With Online Banking
People who bank online have a higher level of customer satisfaction then when they use other online financial services like credit card sites and investment sites, according to a new study by ForeSee Results and Forbes.comThe study, which uses the methodology of the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), found that online banking scores 82 on ACSI’s 100-point scale. Credit card and investment Web sites both score 75.
Embrace All Methods of Learning About Customers
Glenn Gow brought to my attention a post he wrote a few weeks back that should get us all thinking. In it, he summarizes a recent MITSloan Management Review piece that upbraids most marketers for doing the easiest kind of market research: Listening to our existing customers.
BEA & Oracle Customers Should Expect Major Shifts
CMS Watch, a vendor-neutral analyst firm that evaluates content technologies, has found that some of the largest enterprise portal vendors are experiencing the most change right now, and therefore, choices that appear conservative to customers might actually carry significant near-term risks. BEA and Oracle customers in particular should expect to see major shifts pending yesterday’s acquisition, as four, overlapping enterprise portal products will compete for attention under Larry Ellison.
“Passionate” Customers & Apple’s Reputation
Reading Tom Krazit’s excellent article on Apple’s hard core fans reminded me of my own recent experience. In my attempt to explain why I thought Apple could no longer rely on its evangelist users, I was attacked, mocked, and abused by the very same group I was discussing.
Dealing with Upset Customers
Anger is one of the less noble of human emotions. We tend to beat ourselves up when we get angry. After the emotion dies down, we feel a little foolish for losing control. As Ben Franklin said,
Do You Talk with Customers or at Them?
Do you talk with your customers or do you talk at them?
Wal-Mart Ends Phone Option For Online Customers
Wal-Mart is taking a step backwards when it comes to online customer service. The retail giant said it would no longer offer its customers the choice of being able to speak to a customer service representative if they have problems with an order.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Customers
The purpose of marketing has always been clear—to facilitate customer acquisition—but one of the most important things that a marketer can do is help his or her company learn more about its customers. Who are they? What do they read? What do they search for? What do they shop for? And what’s the maximum we’re willing to pay to acquire their business? There was a time when very little of this was really knowable.
Listening to Customers, Not “Bowing to Pressure”
From a business standpoint, one of the critical advantages social media bring to the table is the ability to tap into what important segments of the population are thinking. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, for example, is on the record claiming that the Fastlane blog has provided him with better intelligence than any traditional form of market research.