Archive for May 2009
When Gift Retailers Fail
As givers of gifts, sometimes we encounter problems with retailers. Perhaps the retailer sent the gift too late, sold damaged goods, offered a sub par experience, shipped to the wrong destination or even delivered the wrong gift altogether. In my MBA service management course this spring, we called these service failures. Our textbook authors, James and Mona Fitzsimmons, shared some statistics on word of mouth and service failures.
- The average business only hears from 4% of their customers who are dissatisfied with their products or services. Of the 96% who do not bother to complain, 25% of them have serious problems.
- The 4% complainers are more likely to stay with the supplier than are the 96% non-complainers.
- About 60% of the complainers would stay as customers if their problem was resolved and 95% would stay if the problem was resolved quickly.
- A dissatisfied customer will tell between 10 and 20 other people about their problem.
- A customer who has had a problem resolved by a company will tell about 5 people about their situation.
From these statistics, the authors conclude “that a quick resolution to service failure is an important way to create loyal customers.” In other words, businesses need to focus on service recovery: empower front-line employees to make wrong situations right. My business professor reached a more proactive conclusion. Service firms should train people and invest in systems to prevent the service failures in the first place.
I agree with my professor. Once a customer receives poor service, retailers need to expedite (i.e., spend more time and money) to win that customer back. Service recovery should be a secondary strategy. Yes, online shoe seller Zappos.com made my gift order right last Christmas. But I would have been more satisfied if Zappos.com shipped my wife’s Uggs slippers undamaged when she opened them on Christmas Day.
Tags: christmas, customer service, giftology, shipping
My copy of the summer ThinkGeek catalog arrived in my mailbox today. While ThinkGeek sells a lot of quirky gifts (like the re-envisioned Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), I’m highlighting seven cool tools for Father’s Day, June 21, 2009.
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#1. Coffee Cup Power Inverter ($30). Coffee equals power, so this gadget makes a lot of sense. Place the cup-shaped device in your car’s cup holder and plug in to the accessory port. Now you have two 120-volt AC outlets. |
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#2. Digital Measuring Tape ($25). When you need to measure with decimal precision of 0.0625 of an inch, go with digital measuring tape. This gadget will memorize the measurements you take for easy recall later. |
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#3. Ironkey Military Strength Flash Drive ($70 to $140). Keep the contents of your USB flash drive top secret with military-level encryption. The Ironkey even self-destructs your data after 10 failed password attempts. |
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#4. MagnoGrip ($15). Give this convenient wristband to magnetically stow bolts, nuts, nails, drill bits, and hex wrenches until needed. No more searches for fly-away screws. The magnets are strong enough to hold a hammer. |
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#5. Li’l Guppie Multi-tool ($20 to $25). This multi-tool packs a lot of handy into three inches of length. The Li’l Guppie includes a one-inch steel blade, an adjustable wrench, a carabiner, a flat screwdriver, a Phillips screwdriver, a pocket/money clip and a bottle opener. |
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#6. Hydrokinetic Adjustable Wrench ($25). The wrench of the future uses its liquid core to adjust to 23 different sizes of nuts or bolts. The nickel-plated, steel wrench is 7.5 inches long and slim enough for hard to reach spots. |
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#7. Micro-Max 19-in-1 Multi-tool ($13). Does your giftee need a palm-sized toolbox? The stainless steel Micro-Max offers two hex wrenches, six screwdrivers, a pliers, a bottle opener, a wire cutter, crimper and stripper, a hand drill, a file, and two rulers with extensions. |
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Tags: father's day, for dad, gift ideas, guy gifts, tools
Crystal ball gazing. Detective work. Espionage. Gift recon. These are all metaphors to convey the subtle mind reading game that is choosing gifts. But what about the direct approach? Why not simply ask my wife, “Honey, what do you want for your birthday?” Then go get that present.
I would argue for the element of surprise, the reward of effort, and the value of thoughtfulness. Still, underlying these defenses is an unspoken norm that you just don’t do that.
But I stumbled on a comment on Ask MetaFilter that made me see these approaches in a different light. Some people, like my wife and me, were raised in a “Guess Culture.” (You watch for hints or match interests with what you guess the giftee will like.) And some people were raised in an “Ask Culture.” (You flat-out ask what gifts can you give.)
From tangerine at Ask MetaFilter, responding to a woman’s direct request to stay in an acquaintance’s New York City apartment.
This is a classic case of Ask Culture meets Guess Culture.
In some families, you grow up with the expectation that it’s OK to ask for anything at all, but you gotta realize you might get no for an answer. This is Ask Culture.
In Guess Culture, you avoid putting a request into words unless you’re pretty sure the answer will be yes. Guess Culture depends on a tight net of shared expectations. A key skill is putting out delicate feelers. If you do this with enough subtlety, you won’t even have to make the request directly; you’ll get an offer. Even then, the offer may be genuine or pro forma; it takes yet more skill and delicacy to discern whether you should accept.
All kinds of problems spring up around the edges. If you’re a Guess Culture person — and you obviously are — then unwelcome requests from Ask Culture people seem presumptuous and out of line, and you’re likely to feel angry, uncomfortable, and manipulated.
If you’re an Ask Culture person, Guess Culture behavior can seem incomprehensible, inconsistent, and rife with passive aggression.
Obviously she’s an Ask and you’re a Guess. (I’m a Guess too. Let me tell you, it’s great for, say, reading nuanced and subtle novels; not so great for, say, dating and getting raises.)
Thing is, Guess behaviors only work among a subset of other Guess people — ones who share a fairly specific set of expectations and signalling techniques. The farther you get from your own family and friends and subculture, the more you’ll have to embrace Ask behavior. Otherwise you’ll spend your life in a cloud of mild outrage at… the Cluelessness of Everyone.
I will stick with my tiptoeing and divining gift clues, but it’s interesting to see a different perspective. Are you inclined to guess or ask for gift ideas?
Tags: choosing gifts, giftology, surprise
Father’s Day 2009 is Sunday, June 21, 2009 in the U.S. — 25 days away. Check out these 13 gift guides to find a great gift for Dad.
- Amazon.com Gift Central for Dads
- Barnes & Noble Father’s Day Gift Guide
- Bon Appetit Father’s Day Gift Guide
- Crate & Barrel Father’s Day Gifts
- Gifts.com Father’s Day Gift Ideas
- Outdoor Life Father’s Day Gift Guide
- Parade’s Father’s Day Gift Guide
- Parents Magazine Father’s Day Gift Guide
- Red Envelope’s Father’s Day Guide
- ThinkGeek Gifts for Dads
- Tool Snob’s Father’s Day Gift Guide
- Surprise.com Father’s Day Gifts
Tags: for dad, gift ideas, gift sites, lists
My MBA semester is over, but there is still time to share a case about gift giving. We spend half of our waking hours with co-workers, so it’s natural to give them gifts. My human resources law and ethics course briefly explored the complications of workplace giving. So the HR discussion case is, of course, gift giving gone wrong. The scenario:
A gift exchange is implemented at a company. A male staff member gives a female staff member a Marvin Gaye CD, and she is offended when she sees the title track “Sexual Healing,” followed by “Let’s Get It On.” How do you handle this situation as an HR representative?
HR often errs on the side of caution. The recipient may be lodging a sexual harassment claim, which HR would investigate. This “gift” might be the tipping point among other unwelcome behaviors. Even without a formal complaint, if a supervisor knows of questionable conduct, the company may be held liable. In fact, some companies enforce gift policies that specifically forbid employee gifts with sexual or romantic connotations.
To avoid this scenario altogether, here are some guidelines on workplace giving:
- Check the employee handbook or company policies to see if there is a gift giving policy in place. Some workplaces restrict giving or ban it outright.
- Make sure gift giving is 100% voluntary. If someone does not want to give to a Secret Santa, office baby shower or retirement party, respect their choice.
- Keep it clean. Never give “adult” items, personal/romantic presents, or anything that carries a demeaning or discriminating message as workplace gifts.
- Go for modestly priced gifts. Expensive gifts may make your workplace giftee feel uncomfortable and beholden to reciprocate.
- Follow the tradition at some companies (like mine): Managers give appropriate gifts to subordinates, and subordinates do not reciprocate with gifts.
- If you are giving to select peers, give gifts in private, perhaps after work.
- If the boss does receive a gift, have others voluntarily chip in to make it a group gift. And don’t name the names of givers. A direct gift from subordinate to supervisor may appear to be currying favor.
Tags: choosing gifts, for work, guidelines
