“How training can elevate your customer service from good to great”

This blog post by Canada Business talks about the value of customer service training. The post states that “employees’ customer service skills contribute to your business’ success”, and I agree with the statement. Salespersons’ interactions with customers can have a huge influence on their decision to purchase, and on their overall view of the company. This reminded me of the class where we talked about customer service, especially the customer service at Zappos.

Zappos definitely values customer service training, as they require new employees to complete “a hundred and sixty hours of customer-loyalty training”. Zappos’ CEO, Tony Hsieh, is even willing to offer $2000 to each employee in training. Trainees then have the option to take the money, or to turn it down and continue with the intensive training. This helps Zappos to ensure that all of their employees are passionate about their work. Passionate employees then pass on their passion and happiness through their customer service, thus making the customer happy. Keeping customers happy is one of Zappos’ highest priorities (as Core Value No. 1 is: Deliver WOW through service), and I believe that this is a great approach. It’s never good to have an unhappy customer… (Dell…)

Images: http://kittybradshaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/zappos.jpg

“If the United Nations was fully funded why would we need the Arc or Social enterprise?”

I think that the statement above is quite silly. It questions the need for “the Arc or social enterprise” in the United Nations, which has a goal of “maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights”. The Arc Initiative and social enterprise are both put in place to help accomplish those goals.

The Arc Initiative creates programs in which “UBC students, Sauder School of Business alumni and faculty” make connections to communities in South Africa, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Rwanda. This directly helps the United Nation’s goal of ‘developing friendly relations among nations’. The Arc Initiative also helps the goal of ‘promoting social progress’ by holding workshops, and giving support to entrepreneurs in the community. The workshops are specifically aimed at developing business skills, and teaching business tools to participants.

Social Entrepreneurs also help the United Nation’s goal of ‘promoting social progress’. They try to strategically solve major social problems and create social value, which is basically the same as ‘promoting social progress’.

The goals of the Arc Initiative, and social entrepreneurs are very aligned with the goals of the United Nations. Therefore, I don’t see why the statement above questions why the United Nations needs the Arc or social enterprise. They both help to accomplish the United Nation’s long-term goals.

“Yelp, Google and UrbanSpoon targets for fake reviews”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/yelp-google-and-urbanspoon-targets-for-fake-reviews-1.2826154

Fake reviews are misleading consumers all over the internet. It is easy to see why businesses might want to purchase their online popularity— many people turn to online reviews to gauge the quality of different products and services.

I, in fact, have recently been reading a lot of online reviews in anticipation of my first chiropractic appointment. As I am not from Canada, I have no one to ask for doctor recommendations. I wanted to find a good quality clinic (I wouldn’t want an inexperienced or unfriendly chiropractor!), so I felt that browsing through online reviews was the only way that I could gain insight on the different chiropractors. In my investigation, I ran into a few clinics with a multitude of bad reviews, which immediately steered me away. I also saw clinics with good reviews, which gave me confidence in the clinic’s doctors and the quality of their service… Until I realized that they could be fake.

There are various ‘online reputation firms’ that allow companies to buy fake positive reviews. Companies can also purchase video testimonials, Facebook likes, and Youtube views from such firms.

The article identifies “purchasing deception” as a rapidly growing problem, and I agree. The internet is a powerful tool that many people rely on for information, so it is important for businesses to ‘look good’ online. That being said, the next time you’re browsing through reviews, be aware that they may be dishonest.

Images: http://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/yelp.jpg

Apple is planning to launch the Apple Watch, a wearable gadget, in 2015. Nezika made a blog post that questioned if releasing this product would be a good choice or not. She noted that this was “not a surprising move from Apple”, as wearable gadgets are gaining popularity. However, she saw a potential flaw in that Apple is releasing various styles of Apple Watch.
Apple’s past products, such as the iPhone, first gained popularity due to recognizable, streamlined, and innovative designs. iPhones usually only differ in the amount of data they can hold, and color, making all iPhones look very similar. However, the Apple Watch will have various designs to “reflect a wide range of stylistic preferences”. After looking at Apple’s website, I can side with Nezika in believing that launching the Apple Watch with multiple designs may be a bad move.

There are 6 different types of bands for the Apple Watch, some of which are ‘Classic Buckle’ ‘Leather Loop’, and ‘Sport Band’. Each band makes the Apple Watch look completely different. This ‘customizing’ feature definitely keeps style in mind, but what about brand recognition? It’s difficult to tell what exactly an Apple Watch is. I don’t think that I would be able to distinguish an Apple Watch from a ‘standard’ watch if I saw one. This could be a concern for Apple because seeing others using a product is an advertisement in itself, and if the product is indistinguishable as an Apple product, they are not advertising as well as they could be.

Images: http://watchjoy.ru/images/Apple-Watch/Apple-Watch-variation-of-wristband.png

This article talks about Planet Fitness, which is a U.S. fitness franchise that gained popularity by using a ‘no frills’ approach to create ‘judgement free’ health clubs. The quoted aspects make Planet Fitness a popular choice for people that may be intimidated by a gym setting. Planet Fitness plans to open it first location in Canada this December. They decided to make this move because they saw a deficit— there were no health clubs suitable for occasional or first-time gym users in Canada.

Planet Fitness’ points of difference keep their customer’s needs in mind. This reminded me of when we used the Value Proposition Canvas to look at the customer’s perspective, and to examine the questions: What job(s) does the customer want to get done? What is the customer hiring the business to do?

The Value Proposition Canvas asks what negative emotions or undesired situations the customer may experience while ‘getting the job done’. In this case, Planet Fitness identified that people find gym memberships to costly, and that first-time gym goers are often intimidated by the setting of a gym. Planet Fitness attempts to alleviate these customer pains by providing a low cost gym membership (just $10/ month), and by making each of their establishments a ‘judgement free zone’ “to appeal to first-time and occasional gym users”. This instance shows how helpful the Value Proposition Canvas can be in making business decisions.

Images: http://imgick.nj.com/home/njo-media/pgmain/img/jersey-journal/photo/2013/09/planet-fitness-chain-opened-a-new-location-in-north-bergen-f499157fd150a567.jpg

http://www.planetfitness.com/images/en_US/no-gymtimidation.jpg

Original Article: “1 Million Used Cars Are Hiding a Terrible Secret”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/08/title-washing_n_5767494.html?ir=Business

This blog post caught my eye because used cars have always been apart of my life. My father works as a used car salesman, hence our family cars were always used. He was allowed to choose a car from the lot as his ‘employee car’, and if the company sold the car, he got to choose another. So somedays I would come home to (or get picked up by) a ‘new’ used car.

I always thought this was cool, but after reading this article, I realize that this is a concerning situation. The article warns consumers that test driving a used car is not enough- more research must be done before purchasing. There is an increasing instance of cars being “title washed” in order to clear their history, which may include reports of accidents or other damage. When people unknowingly buy “title washed” cars, they are creating a dangerous situation for themselves and everyone on the streets.

I agree with Blessie in that consumers should “be wary of used car’s history”, as there are loose regulations on car titles. This relates to the relationship between business and ethics that we talked about in class. In this case, ethics are being compromised in order to increase sales. I know that my father wouldn’t knowingly compromise the safety of our family, but there are many other car salesmen in this world, along with about 1 million potentially dangerous title washed cars.

While reading this article, I noticed that there were many parallels in between the way the Canadian government handles aboriginal affairs and Abaka Energy Solutions. Abaka Energy Solutions strives to “empower the world’s underdeveloped communities through the application of solar and wind energy technologies”. Similarly to how early versions of the Indian Act were “clearly aimed to assimilate First Nations”, Abaka’s first project aims to educate the underdeveloped community of Kiseru. Abaka plans to introduce and sell solar electric systems to the people of Kiseru, and set up a community center to serve as a hub for education on these new technologies.

Seeing these parallels makes me wonder if Abaka’s ‘solutions’ are ethically sound. Perhaps people of Kiseru do not want to learn to use the new technologies. In Abaka’s business plan, there is no mention that the people of Kiseru requested a ‘solution’ to their current situation. Nonetheless, Abaka shares that they want to ‘expose’ the community to renewable energy and entrepreneurship. Although Abaka assumes that their energy solutions will have a positive effect, it is a little worrisome that they want to make big changes to a society. Hopefully providing an energy alternative is not forcing anything into or out of Kiseru culture.

Image: http://realtybiznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/green.jpg

“The 15-hour workweek: Canada’s part-time problem”

This article talks about problems some workers are facing with their part-time jobs and states that there are “nearly a million Canadian who work park-time when they’d prefer full-time hours”. People with part-time positions usually don’t have most of the benefits that full-time positions do, and usually get a lower pay.

With economic competition ramping up, many companies are looking to cut costs by employing more part-time workers. Variability in work hours can cause stress for may of these part-time or temporary employees, and creates an unstable economic situation for them.

I think that this is really reflective of the class preparation we did for Class 7: Business Model Canvas and Strategy. We compared and contrasted ‘Porter’s Generic Strategies’ with Rita McGrath’s ‘Transient Advantage’. Companies that are employing more part-time workers are practicing the use of transient advantage. They are making labor more ‘disposable’, thus making it easier for the companies to remain fluid in changing business strategies as they go. McGrath’s “Transient Advantage” is the more modern of the two strategies, so the increasing amount of part time workers might be a result of more companies trying to gain a transient advantage.

Image: http://www.futuristgerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/wave-of-transient-advantage-rita.png

“‘Isis’ name a black flag for businesses”

This article is about the consequences some businesses are facing from having a business name that includes ‘ISIS’. ISIS is an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which is recognized by Canada as a foreign terrorist organization. ISIS claims territory along with ‘religious authority’ over all muslims and has been terrorizing civilians with “targeted killings […], abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence”.

Some companies that use ‘Isis’ in their names are catching heat from consumers who might assume the company is affiliated with ISIS. I thought that this was directly related to discussions we’ve had in class about value propositions, and how you have to get into the perspective of the consumer. Some consumers are seeing products with ‘Isis’ in their names negatively, questioning the origins of the product and sometimes refusing to buy. Many companies using ‘Isis’ have completely rebranded to avoid damaging their reputations, while others are trying to defend their established brands. An Australian construction company named ISIS has recently told its workers to not wear their uniforms to “limit attention from misinformed people and ensure the safety of […] employees”.

I also found out that the Sauder School of Buissness has its own ‘ISIS Research Center’, which is aimed at applying business tools to come up with solutions to “exsisting social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental challenges”. Although they have a clear positive mission statement, are not focused on directly selling a product, I wonder if they have run into any trouble with their name?

Images:
http://www.isis.com.au/media/237253/careers_women_in_construction.jpg
http://egyptianstreets.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/econ.png

“Apple CEO’s Privacy Letter Indirectly Slams Google, Facebook: seeks to reassure users that company is fully committed to privacy”

This article is about an open letter that Apple CEO Tim Cook released to give consumers clarification on Apple’s privacy and security. This seems timely, and strategic, as many users are showing concerns with how different companies are handling their personal information.

I believe that this is related to positioning, as Tim Cook is positioning his company as ‘secure’ in comparison to large, internet based, social media sites like Facebook and Google. Cook assuages consumer fears by sharing that Apple has “never allowed [outside] access to its servers” and that they don’t “profile or monetize user behavior”.

I’ve always been afraid to press the “save this password to keychain” button. I believe privacy and security are a major concern. Companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple require their millions of users to input a lot of personal information. One can only hope that their information is in good hands when they are using these services. It is now common knowledge that personal information can be shared, and that security can be breached.

Many of these services defend themselves by reminding consumers that they are ‘opting in’ when they create accounts, enter their personal informations, and use the interfaces. However, the use of services like Google are so widespread that it is more of a necessity than an option. For example, I was required to use a Google account as my primary email address in high school, and I was required to make accounts on various interfaces, such as Youtube, to turn in projects and assignments. I couldn’t opt-out of homework, so I had to share some personal information.

Image: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~tdw8957/images/google_cuffs.jpg