Once again I am reminded how utterly crucial customer service is to the general perception of a business. Why is it that companies work so hard to get consumer money, only to ignore them once said money is in hand? Do your customers really not matter to you after that initial sale? If so, you really need to rethink your strategy.

It is getting easier for customers to tell others about great — or terrible — customer service. Social media has furthered the reach of so many people. A few years ago, I could have told twenty or thirty people about …read more

Circuit City no longer exists. The electronic superstar went bankrupt after losing a battle to rival Best Buy. Many companies have tried to fill Circuit City’s place in the marketplace, but now there’s a big challenger on the block. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart is eyeing the people who used to shop at Circuit City.
The report says that Wal-Mart stores will start to feature bigger electronics displays starting on Monday. While Wal-Mart already has an electronics department, they will apparently be advancing the available technology, adding more items for sale and start selling some of …read more

Cricket, a leading provider of unlimited wireless services, and Samsung Telecommunications America, unveiled the world’s largest working cell phone today in Pioneer Court in downtown Chicago. The phone is a working replica of a Samsung Messager phone and measures approximately 15′ long, 13′ high and 3′ deep. Cricket has invited all Chicagoans to visit Pioneer Court and make unlimited, free phone calls and texts on the life-size Samsung Messager through March 15. For more about this marketing gimmick, see:

Who knew? Apparently the South Korean market has been closed to blackberries, leaving hundreds of visiting “crackberry” addicts with twitching thumbs and a slightly frantic, wasted look due to a few minutes offline. That may soon change, according to this article in the Wall Street Journal (registration required), which attributes the lack of blackberry access to regulations intended to protect homegrown cell phone manufacturers like Samsung.