Tagged: engagement

Yelp: Are You Checking In?

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Last night I attended the first ‘Yelp’ Elite event in Auckland, along with 50 other yelpers that regularly review, check-in and tip about restaurants, cafes, bars and other cool, or not so cool places, to acquaint.

The difference with ‘Yelp’ is that it is a consumer-driven experience, so you are getting ‘real time’ reviews about people’s experience.

Mexico restaurant hosted the event, facilitating a ‘Margarita Masterclass’ which proved entertaining and interactive, to my betterment.

Yelp is a social media platform available on app or desktop, for you to voice your (personal) feedback – on all the places you visit, in 22 countries, to date.

It’s super cool.

Nocializing: Are You Guilty?

Has anyone said to you, “Can you please put your phone down, I want to talk to you?” The answer is yes – right?

Over the last 2 years, social media has taken over my life, in many ways. For instance, I always check my phone first thing in the morning and last thing at night, are you the same?

‘Nocializing’ is defined as “The act of being out in a social public setting (i.e. Restaurant, Cocktail Bar, Coffee shop) and only spending time on your mobile device; not the people with or around you.” – Urban Dictionary.

Now I know (the name of) my guilty pleasure.

Just recently, my mother became extremely irate – due to the fact that I was uploading too many pictures onto Instagram, in her company.

I stopped nocializing, then.

Constantly I am reading content, tweeting, yelping, vining and blogging, without a blink of an eyelid.

Are you nocializing too?

Is the ‘customer experience’ dead?

After going to the nail bar, post office, a local cafe, and the recycle boutique today – it got me thinking – does ‘customer service’ actually exist, anymore? I really do enjoy human interaction, to purchase products, by way of retail therapy. Or to walk away from a shop, feeling or thinking, that I will go back, again. In this instance, I only enjoyed 2 interactions: the barista who was friendly, engaging and very personable, referring to me by name. The post office staff were happy, inquisitive and responsive. Next up, the nail bar failed in every which way, to (even) satisfy the basic need of a simple greeting. No conversation, no engagement, no ‘customer experience’. Would I go back? Only on cost. Lastly, the recycle boutique’s staff were rude, and never maintained eye contact. Great ‘customer experience’? Retail shopping is in rapid decline, due to online shopping: convenient and hassle-free. Do you suffer the same peeve or high, when you shop?