Stick the film, then post a photo I have recently ordered some black out film for a window that lets in too much light during the night. There are 12 steps in the instructions, starting with cleaning the window, all the way down to… taking a photo and posting it with a review, online. … Continue reading [Miscellany] Customer reviews, GDPR fines and musings on graduation
Book review: Communicating your research with social media
This is a fantastic book, full of practical advice for those wanting to know more about whether and how to use different types of social media platforms for their research. The book was written by a team with hands-on experience of communications and media production, including managing the social media presence of popular academic blogs. … Continue reading Book review: Communicating your research with social media
Life update: bad days make good stories
Child 2, who is turning out to be a musicophile, showed me this tune about someone who is grateful for the sour grapes in their life. The lyrics include the following verses: We had to work a bit more hard Only just to get a little bit less far We could laugh about it all … Continue reading Life update: bad days make good stories
[Miscellany] Science communication, writing as craft, and why new stuff makes us (un)happy
Science communication I love this quote, that I read in the book “Communicating your research with social media” (page 40), recently: 2. Writing: Genius vs craft Sometimes, it is easy to feel disheartened about this “business” of writing. It seems to come so easily to others. So… effortlessly. Take famous writers, like Jane Austen, … Continue reading [Miscellany] Science communication, writing as craft, and why new stuff makes us (un)happy
When does customisation increase customer satisfaction – or my curtains’ challenge
Customisation is one of those marketing ideas that look great in theory but don’t always work in practice. The benefits of customisation include: For the firm: For the customer: Savings on product development time and costs Customer insight Access to certain skills Customer satisfaction Ability to charge higher prices Functional benefits – e.g., getting … Continue reading When does customisation increase customer satisfaction – or my curtains’ challenge
[Miscellany] Fear sells, Facial recognition banned in San Francisco, and RIP Grumpy Cat
Fear sells What would be really, really useful, if you lived in a dangerous area, and wanted to keep an eye on your house when you are not there? A doorbell with a camera, perhaps?! Maybe, a doorbell with a camera powered by a facial recognition system?! Or even a doorbell with a camera … Continue reading [Miscellany] Fear sells, Facial recognition banned in San Francisco, and RIP Grumpy Cat
What UK customers are complaining about
Complaint handling company, Resolver, has recently published statistics for the Top 20 types of customer complaints that they helped solve, via their free complaints tool. As these statistics refer to the complaints’ handled by Resolver, naturally, we get a very limited view of the problems that customers may be experiencing and complaining about. For instance, … Continue reading What UK customers are complaining about
[Miscellany] Poorly placed advert, Guardian on Google Home, and reads
Poorly placed advert I spotted this advert on an in-flight magazine, aboard a plane. It was from Turkey's tourist board: Sounds like a great use of old and new technology: the company grabs the customer’s attention with a high impact photo on glossy paper; then, the customer uses their phone to scan the QR … Continue reading [Miscellany] Poorly placed advert, Guardian on Google Home, and reads
Using 😄😩 makes you 👀 + 🥰 but – 🎓, 🔬 shows
Emojis and emoticons are well and truly part of the way we communicate, today. They’re on social media postings. They’re on e-mails. They’re even on marketing campaigns. But how do customers feel about company representatives using emojis in customer interactions, for instance, in an e-mail exchange or on Facebook? Will they think that it is … Continue reading Using 😄😩 makes you 👀 + 🥰 but – 🎓, 🔬 shows
Monday Miscellany 6 May 19
The not-so-smart speaker Artificial intelligence is as biased as the data used to train it, and the coders programming it. Last week, I came across a simple exam of the latter: It turns out that, if you are in England and ask Google Home to “play the national anthem”, you get the US version. If … Continue reading Monday Miscellany 6 May 19
Ana Canhoto 