Fred's Blog

Photo from Flickr

Every company screws up now and then. You do something with the best intentions, but it ends up a mess. Your customers are annoyed and disappointed.

It is easy to send out a generic apology. To say “sorry about the inconvenience”.

Don’t do that. Apologize like you would apologize to a friend. Say how bad you feel. Say what you will do to make sure it won’t happen again.

Make a real apology, and your customers will remain your friends.

A ball? Or a chair?

A few years ago Geraldine (my wife) convinced me to try an exercise ball instead of a traditional office chair.

A big bright blue ball, that took ages to inflate. I thought my back and/or stomach would be tired from not having the back support, but it turns out it’s the best office chair ever.

There are a bunch of benefits:

• You can bounce along to the music
• You move around on the ball while working
• You can stretch your back and sides by rolling over to one side
• You can jump up and down on the ball when frustrated
• They are only about €15 each (try to find a decent office chair for that amount)

Are you using a ball instead of a chair? Or thinking about it? Let me know in the comments below.

As a business, which should you do first? Twitter or Facebook? Here are some simplified facts to help you make the right choice:

1. Facebook has way more users than Twitter in Ireland.
2. People use Facebook to keep in touch with their friends.
3. People use Twitter to connect with networks and professional relationships.

And a simple three-step process to help pick what is right for you:

1. Ask your customers if they use Facebook or Twitter. Pick the one that is most popular.
2. Still not sure? Use Twitter if you want to do PR activities or keep in touch with a professional network.
3. If you are still not sure, use Facebook.