I recently planned a special weekend getaway for my family. I had booked the hotel months in advance, in addition to securing reservations for quite a few other activities, special meals, and more. When we arrived at the hotel, I was surprised that the clerk could not find our reservation. After speaking with the manager, we had learned that our reservation was accidentally canceled by the online booking company. Even though I had a copy of the original confirmation (which was already paid), I was told the hotel was fully booked and they could not honor our stay.

When it comes to customer service, many industries have mastered the process in order to strengthen brand loyalty and provide a positive experience for the consumer. For example, retailers, QSRs and luxury industries have established customer service staples for how they run their businesses. However, when it comes to the hospitality industry, how do hotels manage to retain customer loyalty and turn their guests into brand advocates when most are just visiting for a short period of time?

Holiday time often means pressure to include those that, during the year, you prefer to exclude. (Yes, I am nodding towards a few "frenemies" and perhaps an in-law or two.)

Last month, I talked about acquisition in an article asserting that good acquisition is also good customer relationship management. I'd like to say more about that this month, as Q1 of 2013 will be upon us sooner than anyone ever thinks, and starting the new year thinking about new-customer acquisition is the best way to set you up for the best CRM ever.

While it's been just over a month since Hurricane Sandy, many of us are still feeling the effects of the storm's destruction. As the Eastern seaboard continues to rebuild, we have reflected on how businesses maintained continuity and customer relationships when the lights go out. What steps should you take so business runs as usual? Are there ways to better prepare for huge disruptions to your business operations? How do you conduct business when your customers and employees are faced with gas shortages, power outages and serious property damage?

Social media has arrived as a first choice channel of interaction for consumers to seek customer care and technical support. It's the next stage of evolution in the demand for a better online experience and real time customer service.

The slow and painful recovery in the Northeast from that fat, destructive, menace Sandy is truly maddening for those of us only able to turn on our flatscreen TV sets, huddle together on Facebook pages and retweet prayers from our iPads. Surely our efforts are helping, right? And the power companies are working hard on the ground, in the streets, at every door aiding each and every customer giving them everything they need, right?

Not long ago, the relationship between a customer and a corporation was relatively static and one-sided. Companies' advertisements and press releases were completely controlled by their marketing and management teams. Today's consumers, however, have usurped much of that power, catapulting the shift into "Social Consumers" evident today. These "social consumers" seek out information through sites like Twitter and Facebook, trust only relevant, value-added information and expect a conversation with brands - one that is truly personalized to this specific customer and their ask. This shift in consumer behavior has forced traditional Customer Relationship Marketing to evolve into today's social CRM. …

Most organizations regard customer relationship management as something that starts once the customer is, in fact, a customer: someone with whom the company plans to create a long-lasting connection. But if you're thinking about CRM only once the customer has started purchasing from you, you're already a few steps behind and may find yourself running to catch up-not a great way to begin anything!

We've all received customer feedback requests in one form or another. It could be at the end of a call to the cable company to rate the service provided or an email to rate your recent online purchase. Do you like completing these evaluations? In most cases, the answer is no.