Customer service is often considered a cost centre in many businesses. But ServiceNow's global head of customer service management, Nitin Badjatia said it doesn't have to be that way. On the contrary, investing in customer service can deliver significant benefits that outweigh the costs. I spoke with him at the recent Knowledge 18 event about this and how customer service can be elevated to a strategic focus rather than just operational.

The aeroplane passenger in front of you has rudely reclined into your already-cramped leg space. You grumble and passive-aggressively kick their seat. They yell at you: they're tired, they just want to sleep during the flight, so live with it, buddy! Which of you is the bad guy here? Neither, says Mike Rugnetta. The bad guy is the airline, which goaded you two into this fight.

When I first learnt to drive, my mother gave me some very important advice: “When you’re the one driving,” she said, “everyone on the road is an idiot except you.”

After the recent intervention of police officers, who negotiated a disgruntled customer's NBN deal after a number of cock-ups at a Telstra store, comes the story of a developer who had lost luggage issue with an airline. Following months of customer s service fails, the developer took matters into his own hands.

As the dust settles on Amazon's official entry to Australia, we see that the sky has not fallen and retail is largely carrying on just as it was a month ago. But while businesses are able to continue operating, it's a good time to figure out what works best with your online store and what doesn't. The typical approach has been to conduct A-B testing to see if new ideas resonate with customers.

Here's a quick "tip" for readers working in hospitality: Instead of relying on the generosity of your customers to boost your income, try pitching their inner geeks against each other with a tips-based poll.

A recent survey shows that Australians are feeling more time-poor than ever, with 45 per cent of women and 36 per cent of men feeling “always” or “often” rushed, or “pressed for time”. Meanwhile, research has identified that almost one in four shoppers (23%) are willing to pay a premium for “same day” delivery.

In other words, consumers’ expectations are changing. Speed is becoming a point of difference, a new front of competition, between retailers. And many Australian retailers are lagging behind.

Management consultant Perter Drucker once said: "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it". That quote lead to a business revolution that took us through the era of Kaplan and Norton's Balanced Scorecard through to the world today where every interaction is measured, evaluated and optimised. Unlike other complex measurement systems, the Net Promoter Score is all about answering one simple question: How likely is it that you would recommend our company/product/service to a friend or colleague?

I've worked for a telemarketing company for two years and made a lot of unwanted calls. I have to keep making them because most people don't know how to get rid of us, but the right approach can make all the difference. Here's how you can get rid of telemarketers like me and save us both a lot of time.

Business owners need to stop bending to the customer's every whim because that will only reinforce bad behaviour and can create a poisonous culture of agreement within their company. Here's what to do instead.

NSW Fair Trading has just launched its Complaints Register to document which businesses in the state have received the most complaints each month. It has released its first lot of results for the month of July. Some notable companies on the register include Apple, Foxtel and Harvey Norman. Find out which companies topped the list.

When you're at the nascent stages of growing your business, you're not only trying to seek out new customers but also looking to retain the existing client base you have. Unfortunately, not all customer relationships you have will be smooth sailing. So what happens when you're faced with a difficult client? Is it better to stick it out or is it better to get rid of them? Let's find out.

Telstra has had a rough week. First, the company pulled back its support for same sex-marriage after pressure from the Catholic Church; one of its biggest clients. Then, a Telstra customer service representative identified homosexuality as an "ideology" and not a sexuality during online correspondence with a customer. It wasn’t the best choice of words, but it’s likely the Telstra representative did not understand the sensitivity of the issue at hand because he worked in an overseas call centre. Simply put, there are some things you can't train for.

Apple has launched a new Twitter account, @AppleSupport, so you can skip the Genius Bar queues - or make random complaints about all sorts of stuff based on what we've seen so far.

Getting the attention of the bartender at your favourite watering hole can be a daunting task, especially after work or on the busy weekends when everyone's out for a drink or three. To make it a little easier, we sat down with a couple of bartenders who have been slinging drinks for years to get the best tips. Here's what they suggested.

The old adage “the customer is always right” has been a persistent one and shapes the way many businesses operate. But is this statement accurate? Right Angle Studio's strategy and insights director Barrie Barton doesn’t think so.

Working in retail, I still remember one of my worst customers. He went to hand me what I thought was a five dollar bill for a ten dollar product. I politely said, "Sorry, the total is actually ten dollars." He pulled apart two bills, which I didn't notice were stuck together, and slowly counted, "Five...ten. Do you speak English? Do you know maths?" I was fuming, but I said nothing. I was, however, short with everyone else that day, until a friend asked, "what's your problem?" The problem was: I let that jerk turn me into a jerk, too.

Last week, Skytrax named and shamed the world's worst airlines via its annual Star Ratings report. Airlines that received two stars or less were found to be below average in multiple categories and generally sucky across the board. But how bad are they really? We trawled Skytrax's customer review page to find out what actual passengers have been saying. Some of the stories we found can only be described as living nightmares...

People say that "everyone should work retail or service at least once in their lives." I couldn't agree more. Like many people, some of my first jobs were retail service gigs. One in a department store, another in a bookstore. I've long since moved on, but I learned a lot about the nature of people -- and how that battle between selfishness and empathy is something we all struggle with, every day.