Customer Loyalty – What is it? How Can You Measure and Manage It?

Loyalty Research Center has a good definition of customer loyalty on their website:

Loyalty can be defined as customers continuing to believe that one organization’s products/services offer remains their best option. It meets their value proposition whatever that may be. They take that offer whenever faced with that purchasing decision.

Moreover, loyalty means hanging in there even when there may be a problem because the organization has been good to them in the past and addresses issues when they arise. It means that they do not seek out competitors and, when approached by competitors, are not interested. It also means being willing to spend the time and effort to communicate with the organization so as to build on past successes and overcome any weaknesses.

In a nutshell, loyalty means a customer wants to do business with you and does.

Source: http://www.loyaltyresearch.com/insights/thought-perspectives/customer-loyalty-what-is-it-how-can-you-measure-and-manage-it/

Pekin class size

"The new-student trend reflects the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimated 6.4-percent increase in the city’s population of children ages 5 and younger between 2010-12, the same increase recorded statewide over that span.

"In that same period, however, the bureau estimates Pekin’s overall population has dropped by about 10 percent since its last official census in 2010, to 34,084 residents.

"Despite the influx of students, the district has largely managed to stay within its target class size of 25 students for grades kindergarten through fourth. Link told the board only C.B. Smith Primary School’s first grade, with 25.7 students, exceeds that level."

Source: http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1155167474/Pekin-sees-another-robust-kindergarten-class

Hiring Practices

Interesting article on hiring by Charlene Li: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130924095551-33767-how-i-hire-figuring-out-fit-and-the-exit-strategy

Think is more of a publicity stunt for both companies, but the content is still good.  Three items:

Culture

Skills

Purpose

and the exit strategy. 

Search Quotes

"[Enterprise] Search is different because it's embedded implicitly in every process, but it’s not called out by business analysts." Martin White, Managing Director of Intranet Focus, and Chair of Enterprise Search Europe Conference

"...people have never seen it [Enterprise Search] working well, so they have no idea what good search looks like." Martin White, Managing Director of Intranet Focus, and Chair of Enterprise Search Europe Conference 

ROI vs ROI - Return on Information vs Return on Investment

From: BAInsight (2013). The State of Search in the Enterprise.  Retrevied 2013-09-24 From: http://bainsight.sites.hubspot.com/enterprise_search?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=10373541&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-85HjYwLtHy1zI89h6DphBld3gYNXtNNj-TuSWSTN1Z54M3zS9wLAbeTsJkGWRDSPs9dMdcGbuNm6MGR8prQIKdONNoHQ&_hsmi=10373541

Practicing at work

http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/13/why-everyone-should-practice-at-work/

Laura Vanderkam lists points on why practicing at work is beneficial and suggests some high level areas to practice:

1. Identify skills worth improving:
practicing "anything that happens live that you can't do it over again if it doesn't go the way you want it to. We practice difficult conversations all the time."
2. Create (and name) drills
Athletes do two main kinds of practice: scrimmage and drills. Scrimmages mimic game conditions, and seem like the obvious way to practice. If you're teaching someone how to run a meeting, for instance, wouldn't you have them run a mock meeting?
3. Make practice a daily thing
4. Hire people who want to practice

Constructive Criticism - receiving

http://lifehacker.com/5957850/how-to-take-constructive-criticism-like-a-champ

Nicole Lindsay lists key points to receiving feedback:

1. Stop Your First Reaction
2. Remember the Benefit of Getting Feedback
3. Listen for Understanding
4. Say Thank You
5. Ask Questions to Deconstruct the Feedback
6. Request Time to Follow Up

Viral Marketing

Seems the 'in' crowd on social media has the same (or more) influence as in high school:
http://blog.netsciwestpoint.org/2012/05/30/online-social-networks-can-be-tipped-by-as-little-as-0-8-of-their-population/