Colin Shaw Journalist Profile

Articles

Why Case Studies are Overrated and a Waste of Time

Nov 20, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

I have a great stat from a case study that always impresses people:Over three years, Maersk Line improved their Net Promoter Score* by 40 points over 36 months, leading to a ten percent rise in shipping volumes. Even more impressive is that Maersk achieved this in the context of a worldwide shipping decline. So, the question is, will reading a case study about Maersk be good or bad for other organizations?
Opinion: A man of many hats

Nov 18, 2024 | brandonsun.com | Colin Shaw

Hats have been used for many things throughout their existence. They have been used to keep the sun out of one’s eyes, to keep warm or to keep dry in rough weather conditions, to protect oneself in high-risk situations, to express oneself fashionably, or, finally, for ceremonial purposes. This Halloween, I wore my grandfather’s trapper hat as one of the main pieces for my costume.
How Superstition Affects What Customers Buy and What to Do About It

Nov 5, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

Most of us have superstitions that we equate to common sense despite all the evidence to the contrary. For example, some airlines don’t have a row 13 because people don’t fancy sitting in it—including me if I’m honest. So, I thought we could discuss how these superstitions influence our decisions as customers today. I have a couple more of these superstitions (that I am willing to share). First, I always wear red underwear when I speak at a conference. It may be too much detail for you, but I do.
My Flooded Home Taught Me How to Treat Customers in a Disaster

Oct 29, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

Hurricane Debbie deposited 17 inches of water throughout my Florida home. It’s a total loss. We have gutted the house and thrown out the furniture. The experience has reminded me of the importance of treating distressed customers with extra care. Some of my distress is because the flood happened, but a whole lot more of it is that I don’t have flood insurance. Before you jump to conclusions, I was not in a flood zone, nor had I experienced flooding before in the 15 years I lived there.
Use these Actionable Tips to Gain Quality Customers Feedback

Oct 23, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

Getting customers to leave feedback is a challenge. However, that feedback is essential to managing your experience. So, what’s the secret here? An expert told me this: do it immediately, keep it fast, and keep it simple. Tim Waterton, Chief Revenue Officer of HappyOrNot©, a company helping organizations gather customer feedback, has over 20 years of experience leading and building revenue for global technology companies.
How to Deal with Rising Customer Expectations to Incredible Success

Oct 11, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

One of our podcast listeners has a pickle. Claire Dunwood wrote to us to say she felt that her customers’ expectations consistently rise, and managing them is challenging in that she now has fewer resources to devote to them. I figured some of you had this problem, too, so today, I wanted to share some of what we recommended. Before I get into the recommendations, discussing how we develop expectations would probably be a good idea.
How to Join the Personalisation Revolution to Move from Ordinary to Extraordinary

Oct 1, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

Personalization is an exciting and developing area for Customer Experiences. On the podcast, we hosted Graham Hill, Ph.D., to talk about it, and I wanted to share Hill’s insight here, too. Hill is an old friend I met in the early days of using customer relationship management (CRM).. Hill has also been in the Customer Experience area for many years and has a wealth of knowledge and experience and its well worth a conversation with him.
Let’s Be Honest, Marketing is Inherently Unethical. Should We Change Our Ways?

Sep 18, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

Have you ever had a moment where you wonder if you should be doing what you are doing? Recently, I did. One of our podcast listeners questioned the ethics of leveraging a sense of urgency as a marketing tactic, which had me pondering the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Daniel Bisett, partner and CXO at WeRock DM, a digital marketing agency in Austin, TX, sent us a video as part of our None of Us Are as Clever as All of Us feature for the podcast.
This is Why You Can’t Walk in the Customer’s Shoes, So Stop Trying.

Sep 10, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

We often talk about empathy regarding Customer Experience Management. But have we challenged what empathy is, how it relates to emotional intelligence, and how we can make both concepts work even better for us? Today, we examine whether empathy is over-hyped and what it could do for your experience management efforts. I have been a fan of emotional intelligence since I read Daniel Goleman’s book nearly twenty years ago.
5 Rules for Proactively Firing Customers to Increase Profit

Sep 6, 2024 | customerthink.com | Colin Shaw

It might seem counterintuitive to your bottom line and the concept of customer-centricity, but the fact is that sometimes you have customers that you should fire. I get it. It runs against the conventional wisdom. You’re supposed to serve your customers. You’re supposed to be customer-centric. You’re supposed to get as many customers as you can. So, saying you should let some of these people go sounds weird coming from me. Nevertheless, it is sometimes necessary.