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Hotel Industry Trends |
Thursday December 4th, 2008 |
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Big Box Backlash...in Reverse - By Zach Conen |
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To paraphrase (and mangle at the same time) Shakespeare, I write not to bury Home Depot and its kind, but to praise them. Unlike many screeds of this nature decrying the 'strip-mall-ification' of America and the related decline of 'Main Street' proprietors, I'm casting a vote in favor of this trend based on one simple factor. There's always someone there when I call...and they're always home. |
Believe me, this was not a conclusion that I arrived at easily...nor that I am comfortable with. I have long been of the school of thought that chain stores, malls and - to some degree - the internet, have sucked the personality out of even the most staunchly individualistic and culturally-rich communities. (Look honey - Starbucks, Borders and Best Buy! Are we in Des Moines or Dakar?) Faced with the choice between Martha Stewart and 'Mom & Pop,' I would choose the latter every time. If I could, I would get an all-purpose 'guy' to do my lawn, my dental work and my taxes.
But something happened. I called Mom & Pop...and no one answered. I left a message...and no one called back. My backyard fence fell down two weeks ago - literally - and I reached out to a local guy. I actually spoke to him on the phone and he said he'd swing by, eyeball it up and give me a quote via email. Despite three pleading phone messages, I haven't heard from him since. He literally drove me into the waiting, and, more importantly, available arms of Lowe's to get a quote. Why - because they were there.
That's the threshold of what makes me happy as a consumer these days. Call me back. Be there. Seem like you care. If Main Street America is worried about being squashed by the 'big box' - who are all at least addressing these issues, if not solving them - let this serve as the first piece of advice in your plan to fight back.
Call me back. Please.
Zach Conen is the Vice President of Marketing LRA Worldwide, Inc
This article is reprinted with permission from LRA Worldwide Loyalty Leader.
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Contact Information:
Mr. Zachary Conen
LRA Worldwide
300 Welsh Road
Building 1, Suite 200
Horsham, PA 19044-2263
Tel: +215.449.0304
Fax: +215.957.6570
Click for Website
Click for Email
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LRA Worldwide is a leading research and consulting company in the emerging discipline of Customer Experience Management (CEM). We work with our clients to help them design and deliver consistently exceptional customer experiences in order to drive customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy, and company growth and profitability.
In LRA's 25-year history, we have grown from a provider of customized quality assurance evaluation programs for the hospitality industry, to a leading CEM consulting company offering a variety of client solutions. The evolution has been driven by our clients asking us one question - "How do we get better?" In response, we have built a range of performance measurement, research, training and consulting solutions to help them do so. Today, we are a growing company operating in more than 120 countries throughout the world, helping clients such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the National Basketball Association, the PGA TOUR and Ritz-Carlton Clubs deliver exceptional customer experiences. Every touch. Every time. |
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