Walgreens Calling

In diabetes, Walgreens sees a great opportunity to build customer loyalty, reports Dana Mattioli in the Wall Street Journal (6/7/10). The retailer’s research shows some "4,000 new diabetes cases being diagnosed each day." It also reveals that many diabetics are "confused about managing the disease and the advice they received." In response, Walgreens "has trained 500 pharmacists to work closely with diabetes patients."

So far, Walgreens has implemented its program in eight regions and plans to roll it out "nationally by the end of 2010 … and extend similar services to customers with asthma and hypertension." Colin Watts, the chief innovation officer for Walgreens, comments: "We think we’ll see a stronger degree of patient loyalty, and we want to get a bigger share of the patient wallet."

American Express is also investing in better customer service by "getting call-center agents to focus less on resolving calls quickly and more on building customer loyalty." Instead of answering the phone with "Thank you for calling," reps instead say "How is your day going?" Yes, it’s all a prelude to a sales pitch. As Tina Waters of Comcast explains: "Our primary focus has been on ensuring that we’re delivering superior customer service and that clears the way for us to be able to up-sell."