RetailBizBlog

I have had a poll on my page for a few days now asking people which level of service they prefer when calling a company. I have also hosted several discussions about the topic. The result was somewhat surprising. The stats (at time of this article) were a lot closer than I expected between waiting to speak with a live person, and using an automated system that has the option to speak with a person. I believe that the automated system is a necessary avenue most companies need to explore during this penny-pinching economy. If it is structured properly, it is quick, convenient, and available whenever I need it! Unfortunately, most are not structured properly. There are pretty much two primary purposes for using this kind of system. 1. Informational/Bill Pay - This option will give the caller such things as; location, directions, business hours, account information, other FAQ's. Most of these are structured in such a way that are quick and efficient for callers to use. 2. Call ...

Last Wednesday, I posted that I was attempting to test the "Social Networking" power of two of the most popular networking websites; Facebook and Myspace. I ran several links to this bulletin on both sites. I also posted several links on other popular sites, LinkedIn and Twitter, asking people to vote on which site would provide the best source of traffic that would benefit a retailer looking to advertise. Lastly, I created discussion groups asking the same question. The winner by overwhelming landslide- .... drum roll please .......FACEBOOK!!! Facebook, was described as having a much more active community. Their interface is much more organized and easy to use than Myspace. There were several comments from Myspace users that would switch exclusively to Facebook if Facebook were willing to allow for profile modification and a music player. I must also note, that Myspace almost came in third place behind several "write-in" votes for Twitter. Part of this test ...

AOL started it. With very popular chat rooms and a skeletal, but functional, social network. Myspace , Facebook , Twitter , Bebo , Friendster , LinkedIN and several others have since emerged. All offering something unique to make their platform the biggest and most successful. As I learn more about blog writing/internet marketing (yes, they go hand-in-hand), it is clear that these sites drive the "personality" that the online society has taken. To be successful online, it is clear that a strong and steady participation and presence on these sites is critical. This blog generates reports that allow me to view the sources of my daily traffic. So far, Facebook, Myspace, and LinkedIn, are responsible for a LARGE portion of my visitors. I am pretty much a "nobody" writing on a topic that interests me. I realize how amazing it is that because of the internet, people from around the world are reading what I am writing!! I wonder how powerful these sites would be...