OK, here’s a test for you. What do you think these things are? Spaceships? Installation art? Bollards? Spinning tops? I’ll leave you to muse on that one for a while, and throw another spinning top into the marketing ring. Here’s […]

“It doesn’t cost anything to be nice,” said a friend of mine recently, over a caramel latte with wings. What she didn’t add is that not being nice does cost something. Customer goodwill. And sometimes, custom itself. A few days […]

My broadband was restored last week, after being down for three weeks. Yes, that’s right. Three whole weeks. But there’s nothing more tedious than a rant about bad customer service, is there? So I’ll spare you the ins and outs […]

Recently, I phoned a friend of mine. He runs a small consultancy: just him, a friend and a Burmese cat. Plus a big server, and a couple of phone lines. He’s built a very successful business, based on personal service, […]

I’ve just opened up my wallet and emptied all my loyalty cards onto the table. And I’m horrified. Am I that loyal? Not really. Consider the two cards above. Caffé Nero is a chain of coffee shops in the UK. […]