The French Service Issue : “mal compris”

7th July, 2010 - Posted by Minter Dial - 5 Comments

French Service.  For some, this is an oxymoron.  Some like to say the same thing of American Intelligence.  But as far as French Intelligence is concerned and American Service, we tend to be on the right track! Regarding French service, there has been much written about the issue of bad, snooty-nosed, unfriendly service in French’s » Read More

Momentum Effect by Jean-Claude Larréché (INSEAD)

8th December, 2009 - Posted by Minter Dial - No Comments

I attended a presentation last week by Jean-Claude Larréché, famed marketing professor from INSEAD (still teaching there and also was there when I attended in 1993).  Jean-Claude gave a short and punchy overview of the key points of his latest book, “The Momentum Effect” which was published by Wharton School Publishing last year and is » Read More

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – 2 examples, one good, one bad.

24th October, 2009 - Posted by Minter Dial - 1 Comment

We received, this week, two digital messages that grabbed my attention in the way of customer relationship management (CRM). The first example came from our children’s dentist, based in Neuilly (outskirts of Paris).  Partly because their telephone answering service is so poor, we suspect, this dentist has invested in a service to send SMS reminders to » Read More

Some nettle-related cheeses and great service in London

23rd September, 2009 - Posted by Minter Dial - No Comments

During my visits to London, I tend systematically to buy cheese, English cheese that is, to bring back home to Paris… to my French wife and family. Coals to Newcastle you might think! But, no. We happen to believe that the Brits have some of the finest cheeses going, enough to » Read More

Coffee Latte Face Art – New Level of Personalized Service

31st May, 2009 - Posted by Minter Dial - No Comments

If you think you are getting state-of-the-art in personalized service when Starbucks can offer you a selection with up to 19,000 different varieties, try this one out for size. Mike Keen, who runs a small barista (coffee shop), called Studio 6 Coffee House, in Denver, provides a personalized portrait of the coffee client on the top » Read More

Jawbone: Latest NoiseAssassin Model & Customer Service Report

5th May, 2009 - Posted by Minter Dial - No Comments

I am now the owner of two Jawbone bluetooth earphones, the latest of which is the snazzy Jawbone Personal NoiseAssassin™, with its medical-grade plastic and leather earloops. With the NoiseAssassin feature, the ambient noise does diminish considerably. You can catch a video demonstration on their site (but you won’t find any social media » Read More

Customer Service is Dead?

20th November, 2007 - Posted by Minter Dial - No Comments

Is customer service dead? asks Tom Asacker at Brand Strategy Insider. I do believe that the nature of customer and service have both changed — but neither is dead. A little different from Mr Asacker’s final point in his incisive post on the demise of customer service, I would posit, dare I say a little » Read More

Ah, the pleasures of being in the countryside

28th August, 2007 - Posted by Minter Dial - No Comments

(English version of prior post written in French) A trip to the village of Eymoutiers (pop C. 3000), in the Limousin area of France, for a weekend of relaxation with the family. This is the village about which I wrote in a prior post, where the Casino supermarket is open Sunday. On the way down (via SNCF) » Read More

Air Travel … better enjoy the ads

8th June, 2007 - Posted by Minter Dial - 1 Comment

When I compare intra-Europe flying to continental US flying, the two major differences for me are that there are many more direct flights from city to city in Europe (no hub & spokes) and that it is harder to feel the (economic) pinch on European airlines. While flying from Paris to London is technically » Read More

 

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