Business articles by Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
Use Customer Communications to Strengthen the Business Relationship, Not Ruin It By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Back in the days when I had a physical phone line, my provider changed names. I’m still not sure if this was the result of new ownership or merely a rebranding effort. Regardless, there was much hype surrounding this news, […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I have a love/hate relationship with technology. I love to have the latest, fastest, and most powerful tools and toys, but I hate the time it takes for implementation, requiring that I preempt more important activities to install, fine-tune, and master my new technology. Therefore, I tend to stick with what […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Promoted as “a customer service fable,” The Napkin, the Melon & the Monkey is ambitiously subtitled: How to Be Happy and Successful at Work and in Life by Simply Changing Your Mind. Let me confirm that I believe it lives up to its grandiose intention. The inside back cover notes […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Many of us love magazines, just as much as (if not more than) we love books. But economic woes combined with new media’s impact on these industries, the future of magazines has seemed dire at times. However, I recently found some positive facts about magazines in the 2010/11 MPA Magazine […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD There is a troubling trend in advertising; it is making ad buys based strictly on ROI (return on investment) calculations. This tendency began in earnest with online advertising, which provides readily available performance data, such as impressions, clicks, and leads. Soon, advertisers were justifying ad buys solely using cost-per-click or […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD It recently became time to replace our 24-year old furnace. As the installer wrapped up his work, he began teaching about the critical aspects of carbon monoxide detection. I had placed our lone detector where the furnace and water heater were located; detecting the poisonous gas at its source, I […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I’m a huge fan of technology—and the allure of speech recognition (also called IVR or interactive voice response) carries with it great appeal. Yet when it comes to real-life implementations, I find it decidedly lacking and frustration-filled. In the past I’ve been reticent to state my disinclination—knowing that I’m part of […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I upgraded some software and paid an extra ten bucks for the installation CD. This makes restoration much easier when it becomes necessary. But for instant gratification, I downloaded the software so that I could begin using it immediately, while waiting for the disk to arrive. (It took 29 days, […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I remember calling Visa with a query about my statement. The knowledgeable rep professionally answered my question. After an effective and otherwise satisfying call, he concluded by saying, “Thank you for calling American Express.” I was taken aback, but opted to say nothing. Either he was oblivious to what he […]
Frustration Abounds When Details Differ Between the Store, Online, and Call Center By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Every two years my family and I upgrade our cell phones. This isn’t because we want the newest model. It’s because we seek the lowest cost. Since each provider offers better deals to new customers than existing ones, […]