Category: Entrepreneurship

Alphabet reminds us to focus

Posted on by Brian Lee

AlphabetGoogle was originally created as a web search business but as technology evolves, so has Google’s focus. That is, until yesterday when the answer finding site announced that it has now established a parent company, Alphabet, which will oversee all projects outside Google’s original realm of searching.

This change will allow Google to remain the search engine expert while Alphabet oversees other areas of technological exploration and advancement.

This move by Google is a reminder of the importance of brand focus. Companies should continuously look for new opportunities to grow, expand and market itself. However, it is equally as important to remain focused on your core offerings, as side projects can prove disastrous (see Google Wave, Google Buzz).

 

Great customer service

Posted on by Brian Lee

Last month, I ordered a black, leather wallet from Amazon.com. When it arrived, I was stunned to see I received a brown, plastic wallet instead.

So I begrudgingly started the return process and thought, what an annoyance to have to go through this (e.g. shipping it back) when it wasn’t my fault. It turns out I couldn’t complete the process, because the wallet I wanted was now out of stock.

I wrote Amazon’s customer service a note explaining the situation and seeking a recommendation. I was stunned by their response:

I’m so sorry to know that the item which you received was different from what was ordered. We certainly did not expect this to happen. As a customer service representative, I’m willing to help you in this issue.

It is certainly not our intention to ship incorrect products to our customers, and we will investigate the origin of this problem. Unfortunately, on rare occasions, fulfillment centers make a mistake when assembling a package. I’ve forwarded your message to our fulfillment team to make sure they’re aware of this incident.

When something like this happens, I’d normally send out a replacement order.  I’ve checked your order and see it that the item now is temporarily out of stock in  our website.

As a valued customer and as much as I want to help you, I’ve requested a full refund of $XX. This refund will appear in the next 2-3 business days as a credit on the original payment method used for the order. Once processed, you’ll also be able to see the refund here:

To avoid any inconvenience, as we don’t like to waste your precious time, there’s no need to return the item you received. You’re welcome to keep, donate or dispose of it–whichever option is most appropriate and convenient for you.

How awesome is that? As the saying goes, go above and beyond in customer service–and Amazon certainly did that.

Bad leaders = bad organizations

Posted on by Brian Lee

Good leaders are invaluable to an organization. Bad leaders are poisonous. That’s obvious, isn’t it?

According to a Forbes article, “The result of bad leadership is low morale, high turnover and a decreased ability to have any sustainable success.”

I see bad leadership all the time in all industries, including sports. Last month, with the University of Wisconsin football team leading 52-0 and playing its third-stringers, Maryland acted as bad sports by keeping its starters in and scoring with less than a minute remaining instead of also resting its starters.

A week later, Maryland’s team captains didn’t shake hands with Penn State’s captains, a major sign of disrespect. That’s in addition to the confrontation Maryland’s players initiated with Penn State players prior to the game.

Maryland Head Coach Randy Edsall is at the center of all of this. His players’ actions are a direct reflection of the kind of poor leader he is. The Big Ten Conference publicly reprimanded him last week and fined the university $10,000.

Even if the Terrapins won the national championship, I would still be hard-pressed to feel any respect toward the program. But with a bad leader like Edsall at the helm, I highly doubt they would ever come close.