Focus

Connect with the world's leading business experts.

Get instant access to their expertise via world–class Q&A, Research, and Events.

Jim Watson

Follow Following Unfollow

Management Consultant, JL Watson Consulting

865 points

JL Watson Consulting helps organizations to acquire and retain high value customers by improving their ability to deliver exceptional customer experiences throughout marketing, sales and customer service.

We accomplish this through business consultations, presentations and seminars.

Feb. 9, 2012

Jim Watson and 2 other people answered this question

What companies have revolutionized the customer service experience?

Hi Brian,
Revolutions happen when someone alters the playing field by introducing a new concept, or making dramatic improvements in an existing salient factor.
A company that "revolutionizes" anything is one that effectively changes customer expectations within their industry. You're right - Zappo's changed customer ... more

Customer Service

Customer Experience

Jan. 20, 2012

Jim Watson and 4 other people answered this question

What are the main tools you use to communicate with your customers?

Good point, Dave Brock: Consider your customer's preference (of channel) before choosing how to communicate to her/him. more

Customer Service

Dec. 23, 2011

Jim Watson and 4 other people answered this question

What are examples of things you can learn from customers that you can't learn anywhere else?

Hi Caty,
I think there are two things that customers can teach vendors, because customers have the most credible, first-hand knowledge in both of these areas:
ONE:
How can we improve the customer experience that we deliver?
TWO:
How should we sell our product?
The ... more

Customer Service

Customer Conversations

Customer Experience Management

Dec. 23, 2011

Jim Watson and 8 other people answered this question

When you talk to your customers, what do you typically talk to them about?

Hi Caty,
I agree with much of what the other respondents have suggested:
Talk to the customer about what the customer; not you.
Ask questions more than you tell.
A strategy that I've found to work well is to focus on those universal challenges faced ... more

Customer Service

Customer Conversations

Customer Experience Management

Nov. 29, 2011

John Ribbler selected a best answer for

What are the best methods and resources for training a sales team to effectively use CRM?

Can anyone share their experiences and/or knowledge on how to successfully train a sales team to understand, appreciate and use CRM to the mutual benefit of the company and its closers?
Also, is anyone aware of companies or consultants that have produced complete guidebooks (manuals) ... more

Customer Service

Nov. 16, 2011

Jim Watson and 7 other people answered this question

What are the unwritten rules to a successful webinar?

Hi Carl,
In addition to the strong advice provided in the answers thus far, I'd recommend that you check out this book:
"The Exceptional Presenter Goes Virtual" by Timothy Koegel.
http://amzn.to/sV1Qtv
Good luck,
Jim Watson
http://bit.ly/rmOYIf more

Customer Service

Channel Management

Oct. 18, 2011

Jim Watson and 12 other people answered this question

Do 'one-time customers' exist?

Howard,
Interesting statistic - the "7-year purchase cycle" - thanks for sharing.
Given the intense emotional nature of the funeral business, it is highly experiential, and therefore, if done well, very much a repeat-business industry. My initial comment was a weak attempt at humor, but ... more

Customer Service

Customer Experience Management

Customer Satisfaction

Oct. 17, 2011

Jim Watson and 8 other people answered this question

With the retirement of the 'Baby Boomers', is face to face customer service dying?

Mark, there are a couple dynamics at play here:
The economics of customer service.
The context of relationship-building.
THE ECONOMICS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE are such that quality service can be delivered far more cost-effectively today through channels other than face-to-face. With the presence of web portals, and rich ... more

Customer Service

Face to Face Customer Service

Oct. 17, 2011

Jim Watson and 11 other people answered this question

BlackBerry suffers outage across EMEA. How can BlackBerry regain the trust of their corporate users?

Hi Brielle,
To best answer the question, "How can BlackBerry regain the trust of their corporate users?” we should look at a similar situation that occurred in the recent past, where the company has emerged with trust and customer loyalty not only intact, but stronger that ... more

Customer Service

Information Technology

Oct. 10, 2011

Jim Watson and 12 other people answered this question

Should you list your references on a resume?

Hi Caty,
My experience,and the advice I've heard over the years indicate that it's best to withhold reference contact information until the prospective employer asks for it.
There are two primary reasons for this:
1. You're protecting the privacy of your references.
2. It enables you, the candidate, to ... more

Human Resources

Career Development

Sept. 29, 2011

Jim Watson and 2 other people answered this question

What do you think are the 3 major drivers behind the gradual demise of the USPS?

I agree with the comments posted so far, but would like to add another, which is very relevant:
The USPS has its hands tied by legislation enacted during the Nixon administration; legislation that essentially forces the USPS to adhere to what would otherwise be considered bad, ... more

Customer Service

General Management

Human Resources

Sept. 22, 2011

Jim Watson and 8 other people answered this question

Is it an issue for businesses to have different personas on different social media channels?

The greatest thing (in addition to delivering value) that a business can do to build strong relationships with customers and its market(s) is to be genuine and transparent.
Don't change your face to fit what you think will be more appealing to a particular audience. Be ... more

Online Marketing

Sept. 20, 2011

Jim Watson and 4 other people answered this question

Are video customer reviews more compelling than text?

Nipun, I think there are two reasons for not "seeing" more video reviews:
1. Seeing videos is a funtion of where you're looking: i.e. websites of high-end technology solutions show more videos
2. Creating a video requires more effort/cost than producing a text version, but given the ... more

Customer Service

Sept. 19, 2011

Jim Watson recommends this answer by Janell Zeug

Do you use a Blackberry, Iphone, Ipad or some other device to take notes while on a sales call?

I think it depends on the meeting and the audience. In a one-on-one meeting with a customer, it may be inappropriate - as Ken pointed out - they may assume you're not giving them your full attention. However, with a vendor, they may appreciate the ... more

Information Technology

Sept. 16, 2011

Jim Watson and 4 other people answered this question

Do you manage lead relationships?

Prugh, I think you've hit the nail on the head with:
"these MA tools are often used to whittle down the first-time contact universe before beginning the relationship-building. Perhaps it’s a carryover from the old way of pre-qualifying leads?"
I see that happen a lot in companies. ... more

Customer Service

Sept. 16, 2011

Jim Watson and 7 other people answered this question

What advice would you give someone who is about to start a new job?

Each day, do the job as you would, if you owned the entire company.

General Management

Human Resources

Career Development

Sept. 14, 2011

Jim Watson and 41 other people answered this question

Do you believe smartphones and tablets will eventually converge? Please explain why or why not?

Dan, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ll respond to each of your points:
RE: Have I ever heard of a headset?
Yes, I’ve owned and used several . But I’ve discovered that a headset still doesn’t make the tablet small enough to fit into your pocket.
While ... more

Sept. 8, 2011

Jim Watson and 1 other person answered this question

What "success metrics" do you recommend for managing the Customer Experience?

Thanks Nick - You've given me more credit than I deserve, as I had not known of the saga between the authors of the NPS - but now I do! The "Customer at Risk Analysis is also new to me, but I see the relationship ... more

Customer Service

Customer Experience

Sept. 6, 2011

Jim Watson answered this question

What are the implications of customers choosing where they go to complain or ask questions?

Excellent question, Guy.
There are a couple "rules" that apply here:
First, it’s incumbent upon the service provider to "serve the customer in a place convenient to the customer." Or, stated differently, "be available where your customers prefer to hang out."
If the customer prefers to submit questions ... more

Customer Service

Social Customer Care

Following 8 Topics

Contact Center Technologies

Customer Experience Management

Customer Service

Human Resources

Information Technology

Following 1 Person

Followed by 52 People

Knowledgeable in 62 Topics

Customer Service

#2 of 741

#51 of 1982

#131 of 2755

#15 of 619

Human Resources

#79 of 1382

General Management

#67 of 1194

#13 of 372

#1 of 32

#3 of 105

#1 of 56

#2 of 48

#2 of 126

Information Technology

#152 of 2263

Customer Experience Management

#4 of 101

Customer Experience

#7 of 140

Customer Loyalty

#2 of 115

#5 of 97

#3 of 39

Career Development

#27 of 309

#6 of 60

#7 of 166

#32 of 291

Sales Management

#70 of 460

#8 of 102

#37 of 208

#45 of 302

#26 of 193

#14 of 105

#228 of 1211

#8 of 73

Customer Service Best Practices

#3 of 20

#4 of 59

#10 of 123

#11 of 85

Marketing Automation

#128 of 497

#62 of 249

#112 of 457

Social Customer Care

#5 of 27

Customer Satisfaction

#6 of 40

#25 of 85

#134 of 338

#18 of 46

Software Implementation

#6 of 21

#8 of 22

#9 of 26

#99 of 145

#104 of 140

#184 of 215

Talent Management

#286 of 424

#253 of 340

#45 of 100

#550 of 813

#42 of 71

Sales Development

#32 of 43

Enterprise Software

#52 of 83

#32 of 56

#18 of 24

Public Relations

#82 of 155

#49 of 62

#271 of 418

Presentation Skills

#17 of 23

#586 of 703