Cambridge Business Association
The Zombie Business Cure
Book

The Zombie Business Cure

How to Refocus Your Company’s Identity for More Authentic Communication

Julie C. Lellis and Melissa Eggleston
Career Press, 2017
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Engaging

Recommendation

Many businesses act like “zombies” by behaving in ways that drive away customers. Like the will-less and speechless walking dead, they don’t care. They lack sensitivity and concern. They blunder and never consider the consequences of their actions. Communications professor Julie C. Lellis and user experience specialist Melissa Eggleston highlight the traits and behaviors that turn well-meaning companies into zombies. They explain how your institution can behave more “authentically, genuinely” and with “grace” to develop a self-awareness and a strong value-based “identity” – and to ward off dismissive, unpleasant behavior. Case studies make this cautionary manual easy to read and entertaining. getAbstract recommends it to those who want to bring their businesses alive for their customers – and to avoid zombies under any circumstances.

Summary

The Walking Dead

Like the will-less and speechless walking dead, “zombie” businesses behave like soulless automatons when answering customer complaints – oblivious and uncaring. Zombie companies react – or don’t – to customer concerns in five characteristic ways:

  1. Lacking either empathy or sensitivity, zombies act precipitously and seldom consider the consequences of their actions.
  2. Zombies are unpredictable, but they usually generate negative disruptions.
  3. Zombies lack the agility and ability to respond to changes in their environment.
  4. Because all zombies react the same way, distinguishing one from another is hard.
  5. Zombies think only of themselves and their survival.

Zombie Warning Signals

If you start getting a lot of customer complaints, be alert to indications that you might have acted like – or turned into – a zombie company. Heed three important warning signs:

  1. Earning “negative statements” from other parties – In 2013, Yahoo rescinded the choice to work from home that it once gave employees and told its staffer they had to work from...

About the Authors

Julie C. Lellis, PhD, is an associate professor and associate department chair in the School of Communications at Elon University. Melissa Eggleston is a consultant to businesses, nonprofits and universities; she specializes in user experience and content strategy.

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