From the category archives:

Customer Service

The Opt In: Asking Permission is Good Manners

by Deb Ng on September 1, 2011

Over the past few months, I’ve been added to more Facebook groups than I can count on hands and feet. No one asked my permission mind you, they just added me. I’ve also been added to newsletter lists, mailing lists, affiliate lists and email groups.  Again, no one asked me. Allow me to explain the [...]

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I don’t have a coat. Now, if you live in Central New Jersey, especially with a winter like we’re having, you might consider this to be very foolish. The thing is, I’m always in the car or inside, so I wear a heavy-ish jacket when I’m en route and it does the trick just fine. [...]

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Why Businesses Needs to Can the Can

by Deb Ng on January 14, 2011

“Please hold for an important message,” the recording said as I picked up the phone. “I don’t think so.” I responded to the no one on the other end as I hung up the phone. Yes, I just received another canned  phone call from my credit card company. I’m not sure what they wanted  and [...]

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The end of the year is kind of an interesting time. People are taking stock.They’re thinking about how to close the year on an upnote, while starting the new year with a clean slate. This can be true for sales, advertising, bloggers who want to bring in readers and television networks wishing to bring in [...]

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The Problem with Email

by Deb Ng on November 5, 2010

I make no secret of my daily battle with email. Every morning when I wake up I stare at the pile of requests and comments in my personal inbox, then I stare at the pile of requests in my work inbox. And then I bang my head on the desk for a while. Here’s the [...]

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How to Respond Positively to Negative Feedback

by Deb Ng on October 23, 2010

Part of being successful in any endeavor is to respond positively to negativity. That may sound as if it doesn’t make sense, but it works. Consider the honey/flies thing. People respond better to positivity, even during situations that aren’t, well, so positive. The online world brings its share of nastiness and negativity and how we [...]

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5 Things Learned from Ramon DeLeon at BlogWorld

by Deb Ng on October 18, 2010

If you live in Chicago, you probably know Ramon De Leon. He’s the hugely successful owner of a half dozen Dominos Pizza franchises, in what is considered by many to be the pizza capital of the world. So how does a pizza chain compete with some of the best deep dish pizzas in the world? [...]

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Phone v. Email: Why Voice is Better than Words

by Deb Ng on September 16, 2010

If you have been a friend or follower for any number of years, you’ll know that email is the bane of my existence. As someone who receives several hundred bits of email a day, it’s hard to stay on top of it all. Moreover, if I don’t respond to a note or inquiry immediately, there’s [...]

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How to Burn a Bridge in Three Easy Steps

by Deb Ng on September 13, 2010

When we discuss professionalism, it usually has to do with etiquette and doing unto others. We don’t often talk about what happens after a relationship turns sour. Sometimes instead of simply moving on, people hold grudges or do what they can to make themselves look better than the other guy. Really, if you had a [...]

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Form Letters: Handy, Lazy or the Devil's Work?

by Deb Ng on August 19, 2010

So I have form letters on my mind today. I have to notify over 300 people of the same thing and it’s very difficult to personalize 300 letters. Or, rather, it’s not difficult to personalize 300 letters, I just don’t have that kind of time.  I feel kind of hypocritical. Especially because when one of [...]

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