by Greg Elliott

October 19, 2011

The other day I noticed with some interest an article in the online version of The Atlantic magazine titled, “The 19 Most Hated Companies in America.”

The term “hated” was a little misleading. The survey it cited measured customers’ levels of satisfaction (or dissatisfaction as the case may be.) I scanned the companies with the highest percentages of unhappy customers for common denominators. 

Frequently cited complaints were unreliable service, incorrect billing, bad customer service, and unexpected extra fees. All of these are simply failures to treat clients or customers the way we all want to be treated. I’ve learned that great customer service is no more complicated that following the old “Golden Rule”—do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
 
As consumers we want our providers to send us accurate bills, answer our questions when we call with a problem, resolve our complaints with a good attitude and in a timely way. Why would your customers expect less from you?

by Tim Elliott
October 11, 2011

Regular readers of this blog may remember that my company has an ongoing program that allows Oklahoma businesses to obtain office machines wrapped in the colors of their favorite Oklahoma major college football team. (See here.)

This promotion has been very popular, and on September 3rd, we took it to the next level. On that date, the Oklahoma Sooners faced the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and my company, Standley Systems, was a proud sponsor of the game.

Invited guests attended a pre-game reception with food and drinks, highlighted by a special appearance by OU legend Joe Washington—a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Our guests were able to obtain a personalized signed football by Joe Washington and have their pictures made with him and their families.

Tim Elliott and son with Joe Washington

We’re a proud Oklahoma company. And this promotion has been a fun and productive way to tap into that Oklahoma pride and serve our customers in an innovative way.