For Customer Service

Complaint Tracking Systems Improving Customer Relationships
Monday, June 30, 2008

Writen by Kimberly Kingsley

Organizations are finding that their complaint tracking software is an important tool for building sustainable relationships with their customers and suppliers. In addition to using the data to strengthen weak spots within the organization, solid bridges to customers are being constructed as organizations provide in-the-moment solutions to common problems.

Complaint tracking software, traditionally used to collect, track and analyze data for the purpose of continuous quality improvement, now stands to serve as an immediate feedback tool for organizations to seamlessly serve customers. The immediacy generated by these tools streamlines both internal and external processes within organizations.

Increased communication within the organization is anticipated as part of a complaint tracking implementation, but not to the extent that it often occurs. Price discrepancies and shipment mistakes, for example, can be reconciled in accounting right away, rather than one of the departments finding out much later when everyone has all but forgotten the details of what happened. Organizational synergy is produced as the back office keeps pace with front line issues. Billing goes smoother, as do overall operations.

Customers benefit from the generated synergy – problems are solved quicker than ever by employees who are informed of what is happening throughout the organization.

Product delivery is another area that often improves due to increased visibility of data. Rapidly correcting any mistake is the first priority. Once problems are solved however, employees can begin looking for patterns that may need to be explored at another level. Preventative measures can then be taken to avoid future occurrences.

Everest – Customer Focused Quality is an efficient software application that collects and tracks customer feedback. Everest is designed to facilitate inter-departmental communication and customer responsiveness.

Many organizations have a complaint tracking system in place. It is full utilization of that system that makes a difference within the organization and with customers. Being customer focused is the first step. When an organization really cares and listens to what customers are experiencing they will find many ways to improve and customers will be sticking around to see it happen.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Can You Render Humble Service
Sunday, June 29, 2008

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I was re-reading the book, THINK AND GROW RICH, by Napoleon Hill, and I can't tell you how impressive this self-help classic still is!

Among other fascinating sections, Hill explains "The Ten Major Causes of Failure In Leadership."

"Unwillingness to render humble service" is the one that caught my eye and instantly I was transported back to Columbus, Ohio where I was training hundreds of customer service people at a major company.

Some of these folks were true misfits; they had no business being in a customer service capacity, because they really and truly disdained helping others.

This came out as we were implementing my Call Path for service, which has a line in it that is particularly effective in putting listeners at ease:

"Sure, I'll be happy to help you with that!"

"I can't say that" a few of my trainees claimed.

"Why, not?"

"Because it sounds fake!"

"Why is that?" I asked, knowing this line had proven itself in millions of calls at my clients' sites.

"Because it isn't me; I just wouldn't say that—that's all."

And we went around and around, until I had an epiphany, which I shared with these reluctant people right away. I said:

"The only reason it would sound phony is if YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO HELP THEM, IF YOU'RE NOT HAPPY DOING IT!"

This was an amazing moment, because none of these trainees could dispute it; we had hit some kind of bedrock truth.

To borrow from Hill, they couldn't comfortably render humble service; they were so full of themselves.

If you feel this way, and you deal with customers directly, do everybody a favor, including you: resign as soon as possible!

It's impossible to consistently satisfy customers if you're only committed to self-service.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Renewing Customer Loyalty
Saturday, June 28, 2008

Writen by Joe Love

Every business loses customers, but not many do much about getting them back. And that is a big mistake. Studies show that the average business looses 20 percent of its customer base each year.

Here's what that means in practical terms: For example, let's say your business has 700 customers that buy repeatedly from you during the year and each customer spends an average of $300 a year. If you loose 20 percent of them ( one hundred and forty), you'll loose $42,000 a year. That's a lot of money to make up with new customers.

The longer you keep a customer the more he or she is worth to you. In part, because it takes a lot more money to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. In fact, businesses that are able to consistently keep the majority of their customer base are usually the ones that have increased profits year after year. Loyal customers spend more, they refer new customers, and it costs less to do business with them.

Before you can effectively put a plan in place to provide the highest in quality service and market to your existing customers, you first have to know the lifetime value of your customers. When you know the lifetime value of your customers it helps you budget more effectively. You know better how and where to best use your marketing dollars. This is valuable information that every business needs to know if it is going to be successful. And the only way to get this information is by knowing the lifetime value of your customer.

Once you know how much each customer contributes to your bottom line, you will begin to understand the value of hanging on to them. To do a better job of keeping your customers, you need a system to gather information about them and how they feel about your product and services. One of the best ways to do this is through using questionnaires on a regular basis. Ask questions such as: Why do you buy from us? How well do we meet your needs? How can we improve what we're doing? What are we not doing that you'd like us to do? What do you find valuable about us? What's valuable about our competition?

You can ask these questions through a mailed questionnaire, e-mail, or by having one of your employees call them. Beside the obvious value in knowing the answers, you get a few bonuses as well. First, your customers will be happy the you bothered to find out what they want. Second, you'll learn about specific problems that could cause you to loose them. You'll get ideas for your products or services, and you'll find out some valuable information about your competition.

When you know you've lost a customer, try to bring them back through an interview. If you don't get them back, at least you can get valuable information that will help prevent you from losing additional customers. But, you first have to find out why they have stopped doing business with you. And the way you do this is by asking questions such as; Was it a question of price or quality? Was a better offer made by our competition? Was it inadequate responsiveness? Were promises not kept? Were complaints not resolved? Was it overall dissatisfaction?

Whether you are sending a questionnaire, using e-mail, or interviewing them by phone always use open ended questions that require an active response. Use questions that start with What? When? Where? Who? Which? How? You'll find that open ended questions help narrow down and specify their reasons for leaving.

Businesses loose customers due to poor service more than for any other reason. When you make a service mistake and a customer complains, you have an opportunity to win back that customer and gain long-term loyalty. Here is a five step plan you could implement when a customer complains.

Apologize and acknowledge the error.

Take urgent action. Quick effort shows you have the customer's interest at heart.

Show empathy. Customers want to know you care about their feelings.

Compensate them in some way. (It doesn't have to be monetary)

Follow-up. Make sure you've satisfied the customer.

To transform your business into one that is committed to retaining as many customers as possible, you need support at every level. Provide customer service training for all your managers, frontline customer-service people, and everyone else in the organization. Teach your lower-level employees how important it is to keep customers, and show them how to be on the alert for unhappy customers. Give them a system for identifying unhappy customers, and reward them for using it.

Make it easy for customers to bring their problems to you so you can see where you need to improve. Make sure you have an 800 number that is designated solely for customers. Have a special section of your Web site designated for customer comments. You could even offer a modest gift of some kind for customers who alert you to a problem. And always offer some type of satisfaction guarantee on your product or service.

Most businesses can do a much better job keeping their customers. Write down your goals for keeping all your customers. Make sure everyone in your organization is aware of them and is working to achieve them. Identify the customers who have left you or are about to. Then, bring those customers back by working to solve their problems and satisfy their needs. And finally, use the feedback you get from both former and current customers to put customer-friendly policies and procedures in place.

Copyright(c)2004 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. A former ad agency executive and marketing consultant, Joe's work in personal development foucuses on helping his clients identify hidden marketable assets that create windfall opportunities and profits, as well as sound personal happiness and peace.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

How To Increase Your Income

Writen by Scott Morris

Why on earth would you want to run an event for your business? Events take a lot of organizing and publicity, not to mention the time you might not have and, depending on what you want to do, they can also cost quite a bit of money.

So is it really worth all that effort?

In a word, yes!

An event is a fantastic way to get a whole lot of your clients and potential clients together so you can present to them all at once, saving you huge amounts of time and effort trying to reach them all individually – and even better, as the speaker, you come across as an expert in your field. Give your clients valuable information and they will talk about you and recommend you to others. Having an event is also a great way to encourage your clients to network with each other and see how they can help each other – and of course, it's you they'll thank for that opportunity.

Having your name on an event can be very good publicity for you and your business. If you pick a hot topic for your industry you could find yourself interviewed by the local press, on the radio, or even on television, all of which increase your chances of being seen as an expert by potential clients.

You may even make money directly from your event – either by charging admission, finding sponsorship or by having products to sell at the event. Regular events could produce a nice stream of new income.

You could generate yet another income stream just from one event by creating one or more products – you could video it, record it, transcribe it, turn the learning materials into an ebook or online course and sell it - the possibilities are endless.

So once you've decided to go ahead - how do you pick a good topic? You'll need to look at what your industry is discussing right now and what they really want to know. There are lots of ways to find this out:

- Run an online survey - www.surveymonkey.com has a free option you can use to create some very useful surveys

- Ring several trusted clients and find out what they'd like to learn more about

- Go to online forums on your subject and see what everyone is talking about

- Post on online forums and ask people what they might be interested in

- Look at the bestsellers on Amazon, Barns & Noble and Clickbank

- Look at the most popular keywords using a word tracker tool

- Go to your trade association and ask what their members are interested in

- Look at competitor's ezines and see what they are discussing at the moment.

Once you have your topic you'll need to pick a date and an event format. What kind of event should you offer? Look at where your potential clients are based:

- If most people are in a particular area of the country, you should consider having a face to face meeting – this is always the best option if possible as you have much more chance to impress and to deal on the spot with any objections and questions, as well as providing that all important networking opportunity for your clients.

If your clients are scattered across the country or even across the world, you'll need to look at running a teleclass or web based event:

- With a web based event using a facility such as www.hotconference.com, you have the option of using the whiteboard, showing a PowerPoint presentation, directing people to view a website and seeing the attendees online via webcam – this is a great way to give a presentation but make sure you are practiced at using all the features of the software first and consider whether your clients are technically-minded enough to be comfortable with this, and likely to have equipment such as webcams and microphones.

- If this is your first time running an event, the easiest option is to run a teleclass, where you set a date and time and participants simply dial in and listen to you. Many companies, such as www.freeconference.com, offer this service and a quick Google search should bring up a long list of companies you could use.

If you choose a live event you'll need to find a good venue. Look at cost, position - find somewhere central with good transport links and parking. Make sure you see the room you'll be using before the event so you can see the space you have available and plan your layout. Check maximum numbers the room can hold for fire regulations, find out where the fire exits and fire alarm are and make sure there is disabled access.

You'll need to market your event very well to get good numbers:

- Use your own ezine, local press and radio, the chamber of commerce and online forums.

- Write articles on your subject and submit them to article directories and other ezines.

- Tell your trade association and use online event listings.

- Go to networking events and take leaflets with you to advertise what you are doing.

- Ask each client to bring one potential client to get a free place

- Offer to speak at other events on the run up to yours with a taster of what people will get on the day.

- Find another non-competing company who are aiming for the same market and do a joint event

Don't just rely on one way to get publicity – think of as many different ways as you can and use the best ones for your event.

You'll need to be very organized and plan well ahead. Make sure you order any equipment you might need in plenty of time. Make up an event checklist and build yourself a kit with plenty of spares - pens, training materials, extension cables, flip chart paper, gaffer tape, scissors, etc. Check with the venue that everything's ready for you the day before the event.

The more value you provide, the more likely you are to be seen as an expert in your area and the more business you will get from your event and from word of mouth after the event as a result, so don't deliver a sales pitch – your content has to be high quality, entertaining and informative or people will feel cheated, particularly if they paid to attend.

Once the event is over make sure you follow up and ask for feedback – it's the best way to find out if the event was what your clients wanted, to get ideas for future events, and also a great to chance to chat to prospective clients to see if they're interested in working with you. You can also collect testimonials which will help you if you plan to run events on a regular basis, and which you can also use to promote any products you develop from your event content.

In short, pick a great topic, plan everything carefully, publicize what you are doing as much as you can, and check everything is in place the day before the event. On the day, don't forget to relax and enjoy yourself – if you are having fun, the audience will too. Lastly and by no means least, whatever you do, don't forget to follow up.

Just by following these guidelines you could find yourself with any amount of new clients, lots of publicity and several new income streams. Worth it? Definitely!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Great Service Means Being Extraordinary
Friday, June 27, 2008

Writen by Joe Love

At the risk of appearing flip or disrespectful, I can tell you in just one seven-letter word what it takes to build a successful business. The word is "service." Service to customers is what ultimately determines success or failure, whether in the service industry or in any other industry or profession.

If you want your business to be successful, you must resolve to deliver the best possible service to your customers. You must do everything you can to please them, protect them, enrich them, and advantage them. If you consistently do this, you will not fail. You will be perceived as a caring leader by your customers, and they will reward you for that. Your sales and profits will grow.

If your business is not seen as one that offers good service, you're in trouble. Today's consumers have an almost limitless number of options. Disappoint them and they will simply stop dealing with you and start dealing with one of your competitors.

There is a widespread misconception about what constitutes good service. Many businesses owners think they're providing good service, when in fact, they aren't. Just because you have fair prices, a courteous staff, a generous exchange policy, and reasonable terms, don't let that delude you into thinking that you are providing great service.

All of those things are good, but there is nothing exceptional about them. They are what an informed customer in today's market expects you to offer. They are the bare minimum. Great service means much, much more than meeting a minimal standard. It means doing extraordinary and sometimes outrageous things on behalf of your customers or clients.

Don't be afraid to offer new clients a free consultation. Don't be afraid to use very liberal introductory discounts. Above all, don't be timid about offering your customers or clients, an extraordinary guarantee.

Make it easy to buy from you. Review every aspect of your operations and, as you do that, try to see the business as your prospects would see it. Ask yourself, "Is our offer clear?' "Do we have convenient business hours?" " Do we explain in a clear and concise way how to buy from us?" "Do we offer people several purchase options and several ways to pay?"

If you use an 800 number, make sure customers aren't being put on hold too long. Test the system yourself to find out. If you ship or make a lot of mail delivers, run tracers to see that things are reaching your customers on time and in good condition. Test your Web site. Test the download time, the links, and place an order from your site. Be proactive, don't wait for customers to report a problem.

Call your customers within seven days after they have purchased and say, "Is everything working okay? Is there anything we can adjust for you or anything else you would like to buy from us to extend your enjoyment of your new product?"

Accepting different kinds of payments makes it easy for your customers to buy from you. Accept all the major credit cards and accepting check debits makes it even easier for your customers to buy.

Providing extraordinary service means recognizing your best customers or clients. Remember to wish your customers well on their birthdays and other special occasions. Offer them first choice on any new products you're ordering. Give them gifts during the year-end holidays, and enclose a warm, personal note letting them know how much you appreciate the part they've played in helping you build your business.

We're all human and we all appreciate really fabulous service. For example, the restaurant owner who cheerfully tears up the bill and gives you a certificate for two complimentary meals after one meal is served cold. Or the dry cleaner who voluntarily replaces a garment his workers have damaged with a garment that is new and more desirable.

Some retail organizations hire people to go around and make purchases in their own outlets and in stores owned by their competitors. It helps them find out how outgoing and efficient retail clerks are. It's a way to find out what's working well and what needs improvement

In your own business, you must have the same critical mindset. Always try to see things as your customers or prospects see them. Empathize with your customers. Try to get into their shoes, mentally, and find out what motivates them, what inspires them, what challenges them, and what frustrates them. Also find out, what else they need that you could provide, but aren't providing. It might be something as simple as a sturdier carry out bag and tighter coffee cup lids.

The more you can see things as your typical customer sees them, the better your chances are of connecting with each customer. You should call your customers on a regular basis and ask them for their ideas. Do it at random, or survey them by mail or email, or in a structured "Focus Group" where they can really tell you want they like or don't like about what you sell.

When you get in the habit of routinely investigating, it will not only help you improve your service, it will help you find the missing links in your product or service line. You could profitably fill these missing links either by introducing new products or services of your own or by recommending someone else's products to your customers in a joint venture.

Try to look at your customers from their perspective. Keep digging deeper and deeper into your customer's experiences. Go the extra mile in all your dealings with your customers. It's not just the right way to do business, it's also the smart and profitable way as well.

Copyright© 2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Second Impressions
Thursday, June 26, 2008

Writen by Audrey Okaneko

You know the old saying "first impressions can last a life time". Well, I believe that second impressions can be more important than first impressions.

I would like to share a couple of stories with you. Several years ago, I found myself looking for a new business opportunity. I knew many people involved with many different opportunities. I began doing some research and found two opportunities that I really liked. The first opportunity, I called the woman, and left a message with her daughter. I called again a few days later and left a message on her answering machine. I never heard back from her.

The second opportunity that appealed to me, I sent the girl an email. She phoned me 2 weeks later saying her computer had been broken. This did not sit well with me, but ok, things happen, so I called her back within 2 hours of her leaving the phone message. The next time I heard from her was about 3 weeks later with an email apologizing profusely for not contacting me sooner.

As you can see in the above 2 scenarios, while I was initially impressed with the people and the companies they represented, my second impression was so bad that I chose not to do business with either of them.

Follow up is so important that I believe more time should be spent on the follow up than the initial contact. Follow up is where the trust between you and the interested party begins. If you tell someone you will call Tuesday, then call Tuesday, even if you have to call from a pay phone, or cell phone. Let your contact know that they are important enough for you to follow through with your word. Show them that you will stand by your word no matter what.

If you tell a customer you will be there on Monday between 10am and 12 noon, then do whatever it takes to be there on time. No one likes being left waiting.

This second impression is going to set the stage for the relationship between you and your contact. Following up and following through will show your contact that you are dependable, and reliable, two very important qualities in our very competitive society.

When you are happy with someone's service and dependability, you are much more apt to refer your circle of influence to them.

Another part of second impressions is making yourself available.

I would like to share with you a portion of an email I received from someone I was looking into doing business with:

"I basically am unavailable on thursday, friday, saturday and sunday from 2:30 till midnite. Early in the day is fine. Also, Mondays I am unavailable from noon till about 6:00. Early in the day is fine. Tuesday is not good for me. Wednesday I am flexible/open all day. Please pick a time that works for you. Let me know, and I will call you."

The hours she was free to do business were so unappealing to me, I took my business elsewhere. There was a two hour time difference between her and I, thus her asking me to call her prior to 9am my time, or on Wednesday.

If you want people to do business with you, then make yourself available to do business.

Second impressions are more than just follow up and follow through, they are your opportunity to show your contact why doing business with you is a good choice.

The next time you tell someone you will call or come over, don't make excuses, just do it!!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service And Creative Conversations

Writen by Lance Winslow

Small business people rely on customer feedback to gage their customer service and they figure out what works and does not work as they help these customers. Sometimes customers will be upset and not say anything and perhaps you do not know why. You feel something is not quite right and you cannot pin point it. But you can engage them in meaningful conversation, which can help you get them to talk about it.

How can you learn more about Customer Service thru Creative Conversations? Well simple really consider if you will a customer that makes a face when you say something or do something. One thing you can say is; You know I think you are great customer and the other day I felt really bad when a customer came in and well it bothered me all day.

Next ask them for advice and say; the customer did this and describe a similar situation although slightly different about another customer that is close to the transaction you just conducted with this customer. Then say they would not tell me what was wrong. What do you think I could do to improve my store so that I can give the best customer service that my patrons deserve and then you simply listen and learn. Thank you very much.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Are You Satisfying Your Customers
Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Writen by Rosanne Dausilio

The latest report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (Michigan School of Business) reports the following:

Customer dissatisfaction with the quality goods and services offered in the marketplace is more than a nuisance. The US economy is heavily dependent on increases in consumer spending. Such increases are hard to come by when consumers become less satisfied. The ACSI fell dramatically in the fourth quarter of 2004. The Index now stands at 73.6 – dropping nearly 1% compared with the third quarter. One would have to go back almost seven years to find an equivalent decline.

While high levels of customer satisfaction typically lead to company growth, it is not always the case that business growth leads to satisfied customers. In many cases, the opposite is true.

What's interesting with this study is that since 1995 customer service has consistently not made the grade, and services continue to top the list in terms of customer dissatisfaction. Remember we're all in the service business!

Taken even further, growing customer dissatisfaction with contact center service levels is boosting the use of IVRs as 20% of customers opt for self service channels over live agents. That's 1 in 5 customers bypassing the human because of poor service. (CRM Today, 2/18/05).

Most of us know the impact and cost of repeat calls, bad call experiences, poor service, (if you don't go to http://www.human-technologies.com/newsletter_archive.html). What can you do starting right now?

First, how and what are you measuring for customer satisfaction? Measurement systems must not only be in step with the customer's preferred communication channel, but the effectiveness of service delivery should be immediate.

What does this mean? If the interaction is via phone, a survey should be via phone, not by a subsequent email. Are you actually asking the customer for feedback on their experience—what is now jargoned as 'the voice of the customer?' Merely using metrics will give you guidelines, but could be false security. Go to the source. Ask your customers!

Second, according to the third National Complaints Culture Survey unhappy customers are growing increasingly frustrated with the way their complaints are being handled, and hard-pressed call center staff are being hindered by a lack of training and support from their employers.

Since calls coming into an organization are escalated before they're even answered—if I could successfully find my answers through the website, self service, VRU, IVR, etc. I wouldn't need to talk to a human—so employees need more tools than ever before to diffuse what is being presented to them such that they can move the customer onto a more productive interaction, and close the call.

Where will they find these tools? The simple answer is with customer centric training. Off the shelf, generic, or outdated training is like trying to put a round peg in a square hole. Today's training modules must be customized to the customer, not the statistics, and training must be presented ongoingly. It must be highly interactive, current, and robust with role playing opportunities.

Remember, training is a process, not an event

ROSANNE D'AUSILIO, Ph.D., industrial psychologist, President of Human Technologies Global, Inc., specializes in human performance management for contact centers, providing needs analyses, instructional design, and customized, live, world class customer service skills trainings. Also offered: agent/facilitator certification through Purdue University's Center for Customer Driven Quality.

Known as 'the practical champion of the human, she authors the best-sellers, Wake Up Your Call Center: Humanize Your Interaction Hub, 4th edition (hot off the press), and Customer Service and The Human Experience. Reach her at Rosanne@human-technologies.com, sign up for her complimentary monthly e-newsletter in its 7th year, and check out her new virtual store.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Commercial Answering Services
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Writen by Seth Miller

If you are in the process of thinking of ways to expand your business, it would be a good idea to include engaging the services of a call center that can provide you with commercial answering services. This is because doing so can give you access to the numerous benefits that they provide. However, before starting your search for a call center to provide you with answering services for your company, it would be a good idea to gain knowledge about how they work and about what you should look for when picking a call center. Doing so can give you the appropriate guidance that you need to make a decision about which call center to choose.

What kind of services do they provide?

The services that a call center can provide a company include services that can allow a business to get in touch with their clients and prospective clients in a more efficient and systematic way. This is because some of the services that call centers provide include 24/7/365 customer service or tech support for a company's customers. Call centers can also market your company to new clients by calling potential clients and following up on them.

What to Look for When Picking a Call Center

Given the important role that a call center can play in determining the success of your company, you need to consider a number of things when searching for one. One of these includes looking at how a call center provides its services. It would be a good idea to get a call center that is known to provide consistently courteous and professional answering services. In addition to this, you should also look at the equipment that they use because the quality of the equipment that call centers use can determine the quality of service they provide in terms of voice quality and clarity. In addition to these, you should also try to get a call center that can provide customized and multi-lingual answering services, as these can help you expand your business further.

One of the most effective ways to expand your business is to engage the services of a call center that can provide a number of advantages for your business. This is because engaging the services of a call center can provide your business with access to a wide market on a 24/7/365 basis. Given this, it would then be a very good idea to include engaging the services of a reliable and effective call center in your expansion plans.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Quotmarshall Planquot For Customer Aftercare How To Spend Less Amp Sell More
Monday, June 23, 2008

Writen by Ernest Nicastro

My wife likes to shop at the local Safeway. Is it because of the competitive prices? Yes, that's part of it. Is it because of the convenient location? Yes, that's part of it too. She also likes their produce department. But the biggest reason she likes to shop at the local Safeway is "Marshall."

Now Marshall is very good check-out person. He's fast, efficient and seldom makes a mistake. But his "job competency" is not the reason why my wife keeps going back. She keeps going back because Marshall always has a warm and friendly smile. And because when Marshall asks, "How are you today?" well, by golly, you just know he's sincere about it.

You see, for those few minutes while she's a customer in his check-out line Marshall makes my wife feel genuinely valued and appreciated. And week after week she buys our groceries at "Marshall's" Safeway.

As business owners, salespeople or marketing professionals very few of us will have the same weekly, face-to-face opportunity as Marshall to make our customers feel valued and appreciated. And yet if we're smart we'll make sure we have our very own "Marshall" Plan in effect. We'll make sure -- once we've "rescued" our customer from the grips of our competitor -- that we have a customer aftercare program in place to maintain the health and increase the profitability of that relationship.

This makes perfect marketing sense. And, with studies showing that the total cost of getting a new customer to be 10 times that of simply holding onto an existing one it can also make you plenty of dollars and cents. Particularly when you consider that a five percent improvement in customer retention can lead to an 85-percent increase in profits. You don't have to be King Solomon to see the wisdom in those numbers.

For example, imagine for a moment that you work in the real estate industry as either a real estate agent or loan officer. John and Judy First-Time Homebuyer purchase their first home or close on their first loan through your company. Assuming that John and Judy are upwardly-mobile professionals they'll probably purchase a minimum of another 4 - 5 homes during their lifetimes.

If you're in the lending business, that's another 4 - 5 loans, at a minimum. If you're an agent or a broker there exists the potential for another 8 - 10 transactions. (Counting the sells as well as the buys.) John and Judy alone -- even if they never send you a single referral -- are conceivably worth many thousands of dollars to you during their lifetimes. But if you're actively working on this relationship...if you're putting forth a consistent and concentrated effort to make John and Judy feel valued and appreciated...then they'll send you lots of referrals. I GUARANTEE IT.

Now stop a moment and multiply the above example by 40, 50, 500 or 1000 and you'll understand why today's savviest marketers are placing greater emphasis on "Share of Customer" and "Lifetime Value" than they do "Share of Market."

But without proper planning and execution you won't come close to realizing John and Judy's full "lifetime value". The same thing holds true for any other industry as well.

Good Communication Is The Key

The key to increasing your "Share of Customer" and maximizing "Lifetime Value" lies in continually strengthening the bond between you and your customer. It should come as no surprise to anyone that good communication plays a major role in this bonding process.

An organized and consistent communications program will keep you in touch with your customers on a regular basis -- and increase your Top of Mind Awareness (TOMA) with them. Plus, by welcoming and encouraging their feedback you'll be reminding them how very important and very special they are to you. And, we all like to feel special, valued and appreciated. We all like to feel "loved."

In one of his many magazine articles marketing consultant James Rosenfield writes: "Every customer relationship begins with something that looks like love." Your objective as a business owner, marketing professional or sales executive is to move your new customer beyond "something that looks like love" to the real deal.

Ideally, you want to turn each new customer into a walking, talking, word-of-mouth advertisement for you, your products and (or) services. And a proactive, "Customer Aftercare" letter program can go a long way toward achieving this ideal. But most of us in the sales profession, unlike Marshall, don't usually have the opportunity for weekly personal contact. In that case direct mail is an efficient and effective customer retention tool. And here are a few examples of the type of communications that should be in any good Customer Aftercare Letter Program:

Thank You Letter - To be mailed the very day the sale is closed. Sure, this is something we all do -- right? Well maybe all of us do it but I know from experience that a number of those other folks don't.

Letter From "Mr. Big" - To be mailed 10 days to 2 weeks after the account is opened. In a smaller company it should come from the president. In a larger company, a senior manager. This letter is a warm ownership/senior management welcome and also informs the new customer that, ultimately, "the buck stops here."

Sample wording. "If the product or products you've purchased, or anyone in my organization fails to meet with your complete approval -- now or in the future -- I would like to know about it."

How Did I/We Do? Letter - Mailed a week after the sale. It's a friendly letter explaining how important honest feedback is to you because it's the only way you can improve. Attached to the letter is a brief customer satisfaction survey and stamped, return envelope. The feedback you receive from this survey will be of tremendous value to you in your ongoing marketing efforts. This feedback will help you make more sales and generate increased profits.

Happy Anniversary Letter - Sample opening: "It's been a year ( ___ years) since you: opened your account (closed on your house, closed on your loan) with us and I just wanted to say Happy Anniversary and thanks again. We look forward to working with you for many years to come"

At Random, Customer Appreciation Letter - Sample opening: "Do you ever get so caught up in the mundane everyday responsibilities of your job that you sometimes overlook things? I know I do. And that's why I'm writing you." From that point you go on to tell your customer how much you value and appreciate them and their business.

Don't do any selling in this letter. Helpful hint: Mail this letter right before you know your customer will be in contact with a large number of people. For example, right before Thanksgiving or before a trade convention or industry gathering. This way you'll get maximum mileage from the positive word-of-mouth this letter creates.

How Are We Doing?/How Have We Done? Survey Cover Letter - You should regularly survey your customers, at least once a year. Just the act of sending out the survey sends them a message that they are important to you. But the greatest value and benefit to you and your business is the feedback you'll get on how you can improve. So, word your cover letter in such a way that it will encourage response.

Sample copy: "At ABC Widgets we're committed to offering you the affordable high-performance widgets backed up by a level of service that sets the standard for the industry. Your feedback is of tremendous help to us in measuring how well we're meeting that commitment." The survey, whether or not they return it to you is yet one more indication that they are important to you.

Birthday Cards - It used to be if you visited any Petco store you'd find forms to fill out with your pet's name, address and birthday. Complete one and during the month of your pet's birthday Petco would send your "Fido" or "Fifi" a birthday card and an invitation to come to the store and get a 10 percent discount.

Shouldn't we treat our human customers with similar care and thoughtfulness? I think you know the answer.

Hand Written "Congratulations" Cards - Whenever you or your assistant read or hear about awards, appointments, promotions and other forms of recognition earned by your clients - or their children - acknowledge this with a letter or card. This is a small thing to do but it is greatly appreciated and will pay big dividends.

Thanksgiving Letter - What better time to show our thanks and appreciation to our customers than right before a national holiday dedicated to being thankful and appreciative? One client I sent my Thanksgiving letter to liked it so much he insisted on paying me for it so that he could adapt it and send it out to his employees and customers. For a complimentary copy of this letter send me an email to ENicastro@positiveresponse.com.

As Thanksgiving is traditionally the start to the holiday season another benefit to this letter is that you can work in your holiday greetings and best wishes for the season. This way, you'll be among the very first to do so and your sentiments won't get lost in the deluge of Christmas cards and Season's Greetings that will come pouring in later.

In addition to the above communications you'll also be sending out your normal promotional mailings and regular reminders of the benefits of doing business with you and your company. Plus, you'll also want to send a quarterly newsletter.

With the inexpensive database marketing technology available today there's little reason for any company not to have a well-thought-out, consistent and clearly defined "Customer Aftercare" program. There's only one drawback -- it's not a "quick fix" for low sales. But the benefits are many, including: maximized customer retention and loyalty, reduced marketing costs and higher profits.

Most important, your "Customer Aftercare" program will set you apart from the vast majority of your competition. And give you the competitive edge that leads to higher sales and profits.

About the author
Ernest Nicastro, a direct marketing consultant, copywriter and lead-generation specialist, heads up Positive Response, an award-winning marketing firm specializing in B-to-B marketing and lead-generation. For your FREE copy of the Positive Response Special Report, 77 Sure-Fire Marketing Tips Guaranteed To Boost Results, email Ernest (subject line Tips) at ENicastro@positiveresponse.com. Or, contact him by phone at 614.747.2256. For more information visit http://www.positiveresponse.com.

© 2006 Ernest Nicastro
You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the author" message).

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Do Something Special For Your Customers

Writen by Stuart Lockley

It has taken me many years to learn a simple lesson. There are very few things in life that we are able to directly change. We cannot change our colleagues, the government, the weather or our customers. We cannot change our spouses or our children. If we wish to change any of those things we must begin by changing ourselves.

If you work in any organisation there are probably co-workers who you do not get along with as well as you might. No doubt they annoy and irritate you. But have you stopped to consider what might happen if you treated them differently? Would they react to you differently and become less annoying and nicer people? Perhaps it is worth a try, just do not expect immediate results.

Often it is easy to blame someone else for a situation when we are equally to blame ourselves. Even if a situation is not our "fault" it is still probably worth changing our own behaviour towards someone else if that will produce an effect we want. Even if the change just leaves us feeling better within ourselves knowing that we have done whatever we were able to do to change things we have still benefited.

How do you treat your customers? When was the last time that you sent them a simple note to say "Thank you for your custom and support," have you ever sent such a note? How would you feel towards a supplier who sent you such a letter? We like people who show some concern for our welfare, we cannot help ourselves.

When was the last time you asked your customers if there was anything that you could do for them? I do not mean as a veiled message which, really means "is there anything else we can sell you." Simply and genuinely ask if there is anything you can do for them without expecting anything in return.

Will some people take advantage? Probably but I am afraid that is just life. Those people were always going to take advantage in some way. What is important is the goodwill you generate among the majority of your customers. If your customers feel that you care about them they are far less likely to change supplier and it will always be cheaper to keep existing customers than to find new ones.

Why not just try the idea out with a few of your best customers and see what happens? Just show you care about them without expecting anything in return. At the very least you might just find you feel happier in yourself.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

5 Elements To Customer Service A Fresh Look
Sunday, June 22, 2008

Writen by Richard L Williams

About 20 years ago while I worked for American Stores Company (now part of Albertson's) I headed up a customer service program named "Smile and Speak Up." Employees attended a two-hour customer service training class and then tried to be seen being courteous to customers by mystery shoppers who visited stores twice each week for ten weeks. An employee could win small cash rewards plus the recognition of being a winner. My job was to organize the program and take to various groups of stores.

Most people associated with the Smith and Speak Up program praised our efforts to improve customer service in the stores. The wife of the chairman of the board, for example, once told me that she could see a difference where the program had been implemented. But even with the general acceptance of the program, I was never convinced of its effectiveness. This is why.

True customer service in a retail store is a combination of five basic elements: (1) organizational culture, (2) employee temperament, (3) leadership example, (4) communicated expectations, and (5) management leadership training. My good friend Chuck Coonradt once defined organizational culture as the way things really work when the boss isn't looking. At a Nordstrom department store, for example, I generally experience superior customer service, even when the boss of the clerk serving me isn't looking. That's because over an extended period of time Nordstrom has created an organizational culture of superior customer service. How was this accomplished? The leaders of the organization had to not only communicate the importance of exemplary customer service, but they also had to personally demonstrate high levels of service with their own actions. Then, over time they created a culture helped define employee behavior.

The second element is employee temperament, which is a technical term for what we commonly call personality. It is true that some temperaments are better suited to deliver superior customer service than others. Sorry, but it's true. But that does not mean that those of us whose personality isn't naturally well suited toward customer service can't improve our skills above our natural inclinations. As evidence, stores that have consistent customer service are not staffed with employees of the same personality. Rather, the store has set a high standard and communicates its expectations to every employee, regardless of his or her personality.

The third element is the example of customer service demonstrated by the leaders. It is foolish for a leader to expect his or her employees to deliver customer service at any level higher than what the employee sees on a daily basis from the leader. In other words, the leader determines the upper control limit of service in a department, store, or company. Watch the company president, vice president, or district manager while visiting a store and you'll see a demonstration of the upper control limit of service. As an example, for over 20 years I have shopped a supermarket only a few blocks from my home. Without exaggeration I have shopped that store over 1,000 times. And in all of those visits there have been five instances where an employee has spoken to me on the sales floor. Lately I find myself playing a game of walking near employees, just to see if I can hear a "Hello," or heaven forbid something like, "What could I help you find?" What's the problem? At the least it's the example set in store and company leadership by example.

The fourth element is the extent to which the leaders have effectively communicated their expectations to the employees. It's not enough to merely set an example, employees must hear, and hear again, specifically what is expected of them with respect to customer treatment. I once encountered the president of a retail chain who told his employees, "Whenever one of our faithful guests has a question, I want you to remember my motto. My motto is 'The answer is yes, what's your question?'" He communicated his expectation that loyal customers were the life-blood of the store and everything within reason should be done to keep them coming back.

Customer Service and Management Leadership Training is the fifth element. Because everyone isn't naturally effective at delivering customer service, and there are some techniques that work better than others, it is vital that every employee receive adequate customer service training. In fact, to create a culture of high service, employees must receive regular training. Management leadership training creates a front-of-mind-awareness that determines not only what is important, but also how things are to be done. Unfortunately, most customer service training consists of nothing more than "retail charm school." Smiling and speaking up to customers you encounter in the aisle isn't enough. Real opportunities for customer service all too often happen when something goes wrong. For example, out of stocks, price checks, voids, refunds, returns, and exchanges are prime situations where a customer can be won or lost, depending on what the employee says and does while handling the transaction. Employees must be trained in specific methods and techniques of how to handle these special situations, or customers can be lost for life.

The five elements of customer service are a framework to develop a climate or culture for consistent superior service. It's important to remember that the issue really isn't "customer service." More accurately, it's creating a memorable experience for customers. Don't forget that customers return to stores that are memorable, and they don't return to stores that are forgettable. What are you creating in your store, a memorable or forgettable climate?

Consider the PE formula where P equals the customer perception of what actually happens while shopping in a store. And E equals the customer's expectation of what will probably happen when he or she does shop a store. If P equals E then the store did exactly what the customer expected. If P is less than E the store fell short of the customer's expectation. And, if P exceeds E the store did something more than what the customer expected. The only truly positive memorable experience is where P exceeds E. That must be our goal.

Superior customer service, that is memorable, can be defined as a situation where the shopping experience exceeds the customer's expectation of what was going to happen. This means a clean and safe store, where desired products are in stock and easily located, where employees are friendly and helpful, and where the checkout is accurate and fast. Effective customer service is far more than merely being caught by a mystery shopper saying something nice to a customer. That's why I had a problem with the smile game I played 20 years ago. It was nothing more than a band- aid or a temporary fix to a very complex problem. The good news is that I think I've learned a lot since the Smile and Speak Up days.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Six Tips For Excellent Customer Service Expand Your Local Business With No Extra Cost

Writen by Tamara Esgoode

Recently my dentist recommended that I see an orthodontist for a consultation, and not only did I learn about having my teeth straightened, but I also witnessed the absolutely brilliant, excellent customer services offered by this outstanding local business! If you own a business that offers a service to your clients, some of these excellent customer service tips may be helpful in expanding your client base.

My dentist gave me two recommendations for orthodontists. The first one had a business card; the second one had a quarter page flyer with directions to the office and a website address where I could learn more about the doctor and his services. Which one do you think I chose? Hands down, the doctor that had the website made a big impression on me. Without even needing to pick up the phone, I got all my questions answered in five minutes.

Dr. Jameson's website had not only a friendly, professional design, but helpful information geared to all their patients needs. Included in the site were all the questions a new patient may have, such as office location, costs, pictures of 'before' and 'after' treatments, length of treatments, photos of the doctor, staff and office, and an "about us" section that included the doctor's credentials. They also included information addressing patient concerns such as the sterilization of equipment, and fun photos that created a personal touch. They even offered a section where you can download the new patient information sheets, to save you time. I was sold when I read on their site that they have a commitment to seeing their patients within 10 minutes of their arrival!

I called to make an appointment and found the office staff to be friendly and helpful. They offered a free evaluation to see if their treatment would benefit me. A week before the appointment they sent me an information packet that included some new patent information sheets, a letter that spoke about the values that they run their business by, and also a DVD! The ten minute DVD was fun to watch and gave me an introduction to the office. It included patient testimonials and information about orthodontic treatment, and even showed some clips of the doctor at his ranch with his horses! I was very impressed.

The night before my appointment, I almost fell out of my chair when the doctor himself called me! He asked if I had any questions, and said he was looking forward to meeting me. In all my five decades on the planet, a doctor has never called me personally to welcome me!

The day of the appointment arrived, and because the doctor and staff had done such a great job of preparing me, I was not nervous or apprehensive. The atmosphere at the office was professional and friendly. They gave me a short tour of the office before taking photos of my teeth and beginning the evaluation. During a brief time when I needed to wait, I was shown a film about new developments in orthodontic treatment. In addition to the usual magazines in the waiting room, they offered tea, coffee, bottled water and cookies.

By the time the doctor came in to see me, I felt relaxed. My evaluation was completed quickly and sadly, my teeth were not candidates for orthodontic treatment. I was genuinely disappointed that I would not have the opportunity to enjoy the care of this outstanding doctor and his staff!

How can your local or service business take a lesson from Dr. Jameson's excellent customer service? By providing outstanding care from the moment your client inquires about your service, you will gain their trust, loyalty, and appreciation. Best of all, a happy client or customer will refer others, thereby expanding your business with no additional marketing costs on your part.

Six Tips to Successfully Expand Your Client Base

1. Anticipate the needs of your clients or customers before they arrive. How are they feeling when they contact you? What are their concerns, questions, fears and desires?
2. Map out ahead of time the exact sequence of steps your customer or clients goes through when they contact you.
3. Address your client's needs at every stage of their process through your service from beginning to end. This will communicate caring and build trust and confidence.
4. Use tools and technology to communicate information as well as your values. Offer the personal touch, don't be afraid to share warmth and be a real person.
5. Freely share information, take the time to educate your clients about what they will experience and what they can expect through coming to your business.
6. Create a warm, inviting, and comfortable office. This will benefit both your clients and staff, who will be more relaxed and also be more productive. Care for your clients and customers, offer them excellent customer service, and they will come back and bring their friends!

   Tamara Esgoode is a business consultant, coach, and long time work at home mom. She writes for HomeBizWomen.com which offers free advertising resources for women in business, and features women's business success stories.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Greeting Potential Clients What Is A Positive Reception Worth
   Saturday, June 21, 2008

   Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman
   
   

   Over the past several days I've been doing a mystery shopping campaign of Lasik surgery centers.

   Lasik, as you may know, is a laser assisted eye surgery that enables people to restore their vision and to not need corrective lenses for many of their activities.

   I've called into several offices that advertise this service and I've asked some simple questions, ones that they hear every day:

   "Do you do Lasik, there?"

   "How much does Lasik cost?"

   "What's the difference between Lasik, which I'm told cuts the eye, and other operations that don't?"

   "What's this I hear about halos and other problems after surgery?"

   The reception I have experienced has varied from incredibly dumb to very sophisticated.

   In one memorable conversation, I asked: "Do you do Lasik, there?" and the answer I got, without further explanation was a flat, "No."

   Most folks would have heard that and have hung-up, moving on to the next vision center on their list.

   I probed further. "You don't do Lasik? Your web site says you do!"

   "Well, we do and we don't," was the next jaw-dropping reply.

   "What does that mean?" I asked, genuinely perplexed.

   "We do Lasik, but we don't do the operations HERE," she finally clarified.

   Had she been trained well, she would have either assumed I was speaking about the availability of the procedure or she would have detected the possibility for misunderstanding and would have clarified my intention before responding with a yes or no.

   Most offices failed to "close the deal," which in this case means proactively asking me to come in for an appointment in a way that is persuasive, but also friendly and professional.

   Some were evasive, contorting their answers in grotesque ways to avoid quoting even a ballpark figure for the procedure.

   The most professional of the group over-talked, getting into details that might be of interest at a convention of ophthalmologists, but not to your casual Lasik candidate.

   Some exuberantly slimed their competitors, which is never a good idea. Unless the caller brings up the subject, first, your rivals should not be mentioned.

   So, if I were actually considering Lasik, where would I go, given the "treatment" I received at the hands of these functionaries?

   Literally, I would go to the place that provides the best overall RECEPTION, inferring that if they care enough to handle my inquiry well, they'll also take great care of my eyes.

   In other words, if I am going to invest up to $5,000 on a surgery that has some serious risks, I'm going to entrust my vision to doctors who train their people, who invest in their quality.

   That, of course, is the business I'm in: teaching people telephone effectiveness, customer service, and professional selling skills.

   It doesn't matter if you have one or one-hundred people answering your phones and interacting with potential clients, patients, or customers.

   Failing to make them as effective as possible is operating below the proper standard of care in a professional practice.

   If you work in a professional office, do a little benchmarking to see how you rate. Call your competitors, using simple questions. Or, bring in a professional to tell you where you stand, and exactly how to do a first-class job of customer reception.

   Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 750 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered the world's foremost expert in telephone effectiveness, customer service, and sales development. A top-rated speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Extranets For Architects
   Friday, June 20, 2008

   Writen by Rick Mosenkis
   
   

   Traditionally, architects are a conservative bunch who fiercely guards "company secrets." As a result, the idea of using an extranet to share documents and collaborate with others has been totally alien.

   But tradition is rapidly changing. Increasingly, architectural firms are using extranets to share documents in a secure environment. Why? Because projects move faster, clients are happier, and everything – from schedules and budgets to CAD drawings and renderings -- is more accessible.

   An extranet allows engineers and construction companies to immediately access all pertinent information about a project. It eliminates the frustration of waiting until the architect decides to share his plans.

   Client relationships are enhanced through the faster and easier access to the vast volume of documents. Approvals are made more quickly, and the client has the comfort of knowing that they can review anything, at anytime.

   What is an Extranet?

   An extranet provides a secure workspace for clients, vendors and business partners. It is an area where all the pertinent information for a project can be made available to all of the parties involved in the project.

   Studies show that almost 50% of architectural firms have used an extranet. Some firms have resisted using the tool due to the high cost of implementation and maintenance. It is true that the cost of setting up an in-house extranet can be expensive. It requires the purchase of equipment and software, and hiring or training personnel to setup and maintain the system.

   However, hosted extranets have become a popular alternative to in-house solutions. They can be purchased for a monthly fee from an application service provider. This approach eliminates the need for hardware and software, and requires no internal staff to maintain the system. In fact, most hosting companies provide training for your staff.

   Today, as people become more accustomed to doing most of their business over the internet, clients are requiring that architectural firms use extranet technology. The good news is that extranets have become affordable. More importantly, they make the complex task of collaboration more efficient, enhancing the relationships with clients and partners, and accelerating project completion.

   Rick Mosenkis is CEO of Trichys, providers of WorkZone extranet and intranet solutions for online collaboration.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Good Customer Service The Key To Ecommerce Success
   

   Writen by Andre Bias
   
   

   There is an intense amount of competition in the e-commerce world. Your success depends on a lot of things like your ranking on search engines, your prices, and your product selection, but it also depends on how you treat your customers. In bricks and mortar retail when people have a bad experience they tell friends and family and their friends and family tell more people, and that can hurt your companies reputation.

   Those same things apply to the internet. If someone shops at your store and has a bad experience they will share that with other people they know and that could destroy your companies reputation. The best things to do to avoid getting a bad reputation is to keep your customers happy by shipping items quickly, having real time inventories so that customers can know immediately when an item is out of stock. Also make sure you have contact information listed on your website so that people can email or call with questions or concerns. Also make sure you ship all your items with a tracking number.

   Overall just do everything you can do to make a customer happy. If they are happy they will be customers for a long time. They will also tell friends about your company leading to more customers for your company as time goes on.

   Andre Bias is the owner of http://www.kidfriendlyentertainment.com, an online source for top notch DVD's for children 10 years old and younger.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Trust Is The Key
   Thursday, June 19, 2008

   Writen by Bette Daoust, Ph.D.
   
   

   Can you imagine taking your money to a bank and not knowing whether they would deposit it into the correct account? I imagine that you would trust them to do the right thing and keep your banking transactions straight. The same is true when a customer buys your goods and services; they trust that you will follow-through with delivering on time at the right location as promised. They expect that you will deal with them in an honest and truthful way. Trust is easy to build when you have not had any dealings with the person before, there is no history and people tend to trust each other unless something happens to destroy it. Once trust is gone, so is the business relationship and the business with this customer. Sometimes we think of sales people as untrustworthy, that they will tell us anything in order to get us to buy. Not only that when we do buy, they cannot deliver on their promises. Your customer trusts you to give them what they have ordered.

   The three most important things when dealing with customers is to be loyal, reliable and honest. If any one of these ingredients is missing, the relationship is doomed for failure. The same is true when you form a Power Team or create an Alliance. Even leads groups expect the same. All of these elements add up to integrity.

   One of your business mottos should be to deal with customers in an honest and reliable way. Without this, your business dealings will be less than adequate. It is true there are people who deal otherwise and they appear to be successful but they are not necessarily respected.

   Bette Daoust, Ph.D. is a speaker, author (over 170 books, articles, and publications), and consultant. She has provided marketing, sales, business development and training expertise for companies such as Peet's Coffee & Tea, Varian Medical Systems, Accenture, Avaya, Cisco Systems to name a few. Dr. Daoust has also done extensive work with small businesses in developing their marketing, training, and operational plans. You may contact Dr. Daoust at http://BizMechanix.com. You may also view her latest publications at http://BlueprintBooks.com. Dr. Daoust also writes for the National Networker http://theNationalNetworker.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Customer Service Managers Need To Establish Amp Enforce Quotrulesquot Amp Eliminate Mere Quotstandardsquot
   Wednesday, June 18, 2008

   Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman
   
   

   As individuals, one of the earmarks of maturing is that we're allowed increasing latitude and discretion in how we handle ourselves and our personal relationships.

   When we're small children, for instance, we don't really choose our playmates. Our parents do it for us, in conjunction with other parents.

   But as we develop, we not only choose our pals, but we resent intrusions into that process by our elders as violating our personal rights as increasingly independent individuals.

   The same can generally be seen as we grow in our careers.

   Generally, when we're in an entry level capacity, it's likely that we'll be told exactly what to do, when to do it and how to do it; and our work will be supervised and scrutinized much more closely and carefully than when we're Vice President of Operations.

   Certainly, as we climb the organizational ladder, there are pressures to perform, but the pressures to conform are more relaxed.

   Apart from our need to coordinate with others at specific intervals, as senior managers we become the captains of our calendars, seeing whom we wish, when we wish, based on our perception of what will make us most productive.

   Our evolution progresses from being clerks, or receivers, preservers and dispensers of information, to knowledge workers; where we interpret, create, and prioritize information.

   At first, we follow policy, and later, when we have earned our stripes, we help to set it.

   Instead of complying with very specific work "rules" that have been defined for us, we learn to apply "standards," over which we come to have significant influence.

   What's the difference between rules and standards?

   Think of driving. The maximum permissible speed may be 70 miles per hour. That's a rule we need to obey, and it is quite clear and, as those of us who have been pulled over can attest, it's subject to being monitored, measured, managed, and enforced.

   Drivers can watch their speedometers to make sure they comply, and law enforcers can clock vehicles as they pass by. Except in unusual circumstances, a rule will ALWAYS be in operation.

   But let's say the road conditions are perilous, ice and wind driven snow are creating nearly "whiteout" conditions. Drivers can barely see in front of their vehicles.

   What, then? Is the posted speed limit the maximum permissible?

   No, a STANDARD takes priority over the rule. We're allowed to proceed at a speed that "is safe."

   By shifting from a rule to a standard, it means we have gone from an objective to a subjective criterion.

   There is only one interpretation of the 70 mile per hour speed limit under normal driving conditions, but when unusual weather is present, there are, potentially, as many interpretations of the safe driving "standard" as there are drivers or vehicles.

   We may not like the speed limit, feeling it is too conservative or liberal, but it has been set based on getting as many people as possible to their destinations efficiently and safely.

   In a word, the speed limit gets positive RESULTS.

   We can adjust the rule, if we doubt its efficacy, by asking key questions.

   For example, how many lives are spared and collisions avoided at 65 miles per hour?

   What is the impact of lowering the speed limit on average commuting times?

   What are the costs to individuals, to businesses, and the effects on fuel economy?

   Now, imagine eliminating all speed limits, everywhere. What would some of the results be? Would you want to drive under those conditions, where it's literally, "Every person for him or herself?"

   I think you'll agree that it is desirable to have rules, especially when we can connect their absence to a significantly deteriorated or chaotic outcome.

   In the same sense, there is a huge role for rules, and their enforcement, in the handling of customers and the conduct of customer service. The most evolved customer service providers deliberately make a transition from using vague standards to embracing more manageable rules.

   In business, the ideal situation is one in which all customers are handled efficiently and satisfactorily, just as it would be ideal for all vehicles to follow the speed limit.

   It is ideal in customer service to have rules that are clear and that can be followed with a modicum of effort.

   For example, we benefit from having a rule that says, "Whenever you ask a customer for information or to do something, say 'please,' and when they have complied, or done something for you, say 'thank you.'"

   That's simple, isn't it? It is also subject to being monitored, measured, and managed by the reps, themselves, and by supervisors.

   And most important, saying these words is a "difference that makes a difference" in the overall tenor of the conversation and it directly impacts customer comfort and satisfaction.

   We know this by observing what happens when we eliminate "please" and "thank you."

   Their absence makes conversations sound harsh, rude, callous, and alienating. Leaving them out contributes to defensiveness and it makes customers feel not only that they're not appreciated, but that they're being abused.

   Knowing this, why wouldn't we make it a RULE to say these words ALL THE TIME?

   Is there any equally valid argument for taking this potential rule and permitting it to be a mere STANDARD?

   Should reps have the right to decide when and where and how often they can say please and thank you?

   Should they say these words when they "feel like it," and leave them out when they aren't in the mood?

   As I type these words, at this very moment in the history of customer service, a field that has been garnering astonishing attention and investment during the past few years, reps are still allowed to do just that: to make it up as they go along, to improvise, to "drive" conversations as chaotically and as recklessly as they wish.

   Few "speed limits" have been posted by management for them to obey, so when their communications are unproductive, these road runners cannot easily be cited for their misconduct or be easily or convincingly corrected.

   Rules are relevant when we know their observance predictably and reliably improves outcomes, and at this stage of research and development, some of us have developed techniques and technologies that optimize customer transactions, providing they're followed jot for jot.

   We have mapped the "rules of correspondence," the connections between what we say, when we say it, and how we say it, with producing consistent customer satisfaction and customer retention.

   Like a recipe, we can tell reps with utter confidence, if you follow these rules, for instance the Three T's: governing the best uses of text, tone, and timing; you'll consistently get certain wonderful customer results.

   Your conversations will be more achieving, they'll be more pleasant, and they'll even be materially shorter, less taxing emotionally, and above all, they'll be more rewarding for you, too.

   But, having said all of that, many reps will want to rebel against the rules.

   They'll resent having gone from a situation where THEY ALONE determined what are good, better, and best practices, without meaningful review or correction.

   Reps who resist conforming feel it is a slight to their individuality to be told exactly what they can and cannot say, believing that as grown-ups they have earned the right to communicate exactly as they wish.

   Off the job, before hours, and after hours, they're quite right.

   But in business, we have rules to obey, profits to make, competitive pressures to resist, and customers to satisfy, and these things come first.

   Maturing, in a business context doesn't mean being able to say or do as we please, it means consistently and conscientiously doing what has been proven to get objective, meaningful and measurable results, time and again.

   Sometimes, if you manage a business or customer service, this puts you into the role of being a traffic cop.

   No rep likes being pulled over and ticketed, but you have to do it; and though it makes you unpopular, it's your job.

   But you can take comfort iin the fact that without your continuing diligence, we wouldn't be nearly as successful as we know how to be.

   Observing the rules of effective customer service, the type that result in consistent customer satisfaction and retention, should not be a matter of personal choice when it can mean the difference between merely getting by, and thriving.

   Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 850 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard"--the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Customer Service For Executives Too
   

   Writen by Lance Winslow
   
   

   Everyone in a corporation should learn customer service and that includes the executives to. The late great Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's stated in his book; Grinding It out. That each of his executives had to spend time behind the counter of a McDonald's store greeting customers and understanding the business model in each month. He insisted that his executives never lost touch with reality and understood what their business was all about. It was about customer service he would say and he was right.

   Ray Kroc used to say that if a customer is happy when they leave the store they will come back 10 more times. If they are unhappy they may frequent a different restaurant 10 more times until they forget about their bad experience. What he was driving at is that if you lose a customer you lose 10 times of what ever that sale was when they receive the bad service.

   Customer service is as important today as it was back then and it will always be the quintessential part of any corporation or small business. If you cut corners on your customer service you will pay for it ten-fold. Customer service means increased sales and increased sales mean successful businesses. Customer service is the key to the health of your company and the wealth that it generates. Please consider all this in 2006.

   "Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Hanging Onto Your Customers
   Tuesday, June 17, 2008

   Writen by Don Doman
   
   

   What is a customer worth to your business? No matter what figure you come up with, the actual answer is that they are invaluable. Any customer or clients that you have, you should provide the best service to them so that they keep coming back - bringing their friends with them.

   You can maintain a customer base by providing them the services they need and expect. You can grow an ever expanding customer base by providing just a little bit more than your clients expect.

   Here are eight ways to provide exceptional customer service:

   • SAY, "THANK YOU"
     Don't you appreciate the fact that your customers could be going somewhere else? If you appreciate them, then you need to show them that you do. As soon as you provide your service to your customer, you should show them that appreciation. Some people give small gifts, or take clients out to dinner. Generally, a simple "thank you" is all you need, however. They'll get the idea. I use post cards to say thanks. It costs less than a dollar for a postcard and postage. Plus, I get a lot of the cards for free, so it doesn't really cost very much at all. I always write some humorous (to me anyway) comment on the card so people remember my effort. I get lots of compliments on my cards from clients. . . who keep coming back.
   • GO A VISITIN'
     One of the best ways to keep your clients thinking of you is to think of them first. If possible, you should visit them in their place of business. If you're making a sales call close by to one of your clients, just pop in and say hello. You don't have to stay long, they're probably busy anyway. Your presence there will be remembered. Ask them how they're doing, listen, shake their hand and then leave. Write down any needs that they might have, regardless of your ability to fill those needs. By knowing the needs and visiting other clients, you just might come up with a solution that would benefit your client.
   • SPONSOR A SPECIAL EVENT
     Your business could sponsor a special event or community project. It doesn't have to be related to your business, but it should be fun. It could be a bike ride, a beach or street clean-up, a bake-sale to raise funds for the Boy Scouts, or mentoring at the local elementary school. Invite your clients, it'll show them that you're concerned about them and the community. Contact the nearest Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Jaycees, or other organizations in your town. There are always service projects that need sponsors. Besides doing a good deed that will make you feel good, you could also receive some publicity. Publicity is good.
   • SHOW OFF
     If you are a recognized expert or have recognized experts in your company, let your clients know about that expertise. When you or one of your associates wins an award, has an article published or is booked as a public speaker, you should tell your customers about it. Your clients will appreciate the fact that they chose quality people to do business with. They will also appreciate the fact that they have a valuable resource in you and your company.
   • ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK
     Some people are afraid to ask clients about the service they received. They're afraid that the people will say something bad. The reality is that if the client does have something bad to say about your product or service, you had better be the first one to hear about it. If you're not the first, you might be the last and that means that many other people heard about it along the way. That is not a good way to build a business.

     Provide your clients with different ways to feedback information to you. Communication is a two-way street. Ask your clients personally, ask for comments in your newsletter, and ask for input on your Web site. When you receive comments that reflect badly on your service, get to the bottom of the problem quickly and report back to your client. Then ask them again about your service. Make sure they're satisfied with you and your company. Also, when you're asking for feedback on your service, and you get positive results, that's a great time to ask for referrals.

   • LOOK FOR OTHER SERVICES TO PROVIDE
     You should always be thinking about other services you can provide your customers, but you can cut out the middleman by going directly to your clients. When you ask for feedback about your current service, you should always ask about other products or services they might need that are related to your company's business. Ask about their needs and then brain storm ways that you can fill those needs. You'll end up giving customer service that could end up making your company more money.
   • ADD 'EM TO YOUR LIST
     You should keep and maintain a database of your customers. With a database you can mail newsletters, information on special events, send out holiday cards, and just plain keep in touch. A database, like the customers themselves, is invaluable.
   • MAKE IT PERSONAL
     Nothing succeeds like a personal connection. There's a Safeway store in Centralia, Washington that is just outstanding. I stopped in there one morning and every employee from stockers and boxers to cash register clerks that I saw, smiled and said hello. I felt welcome. Whether personal contact comes from a face to face greeting to a phone call. Nothing beats personal contact for warmth and welcome. There is one thing you can add to that personal contact and really make it work extra hard is a name.

     Almost everyone likes to be called by name and to be treated like an old friend. After all, you'd go out of your way to make sure that a friend received the best service possible from you company wouldn't you? Treat your customers like friends. Remember friends tell their friends about the service they received both good and bad.

   As a business you should always be looking for new customers, perhaps the best way to get new customers is through satisfied current customers. If you don't keep your current customers happy, you'll be constantly fighting a losing battle - looking for new customers while losing the old ones. Good customer service inspires loyalty. It keeps bring back your current customers, and if you do a really nice job of it, your customers will provide you with more customers.

   Author Don Doman: Don is a published author of books for small business, corporate video producer, and owner of Ideas and Training (http://www.ideasandtraining.com), which provides business training products. Don also owns and Human Resources Radio (http://www.humanresourcesradio.com), which provides business training programs and previews 24-hours a day.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Over Delivering Provides Big Results
   

   Writen by Alicia Smith
   
   

   Over promising is a problem only when you under deliver. There are a number of ways that you can overdeliver to your customers or prospects, and as a result create a win-win situation for you both. They will be provided with some additional value, while you will be upgrading your learning around a particular issue, adding another product or service to your business, or even increasing the mastery level of your craft.

   For example, let's say you are a communications coach. You might consider offering a complimentary group call for your current clients. The discussion during this call will not only increase your understanding of some aspect of your business, but it might provide the raw material for crafting a top 10 article, an e-book or an e-course – more things which might be passed along to your clients as a value add. Of course, your clients will love the opportunity to have more time to benefit from what you have to say – and at no cost to them!

   What can you do today to provide more value to your prospective and current clients?

   1. Underpromise and overdeliver. Before you even think of providing more value, you must set the stage from which you will operate. Always deliver what you promise to deliver by way of your products or services within the time frame specified. Never leave any loose ends. But, when you do deliver to your clients, always provide them with more than they expect. Not only will this come as a welcomed surprise, they will consider you as someone who is generous and who really cares about them. It can be as simple as providing a handwritten note or any of a number of other possibilities which will be discussed shortly. A human being's highest need is to be acknowledged. Think about the different ways you can acknowledge others when doing business.

   2. Provide complimentary support. One of the easiest ways to provide additional value is to provide complimentary support for your products or services. You can provide phone or email support, or even an FAQ document that can be posted on your website. This gives the customer confidence that they will have a way to follow up with any questions or concerns that they might have. The beauty of this is that very few people will ever take advantage of it, yet by providing it, you can create a tremendous amount of customer goodwill.

   3. Provide information and lots of it. We all crave knowledge and information. Provide as much information as you can around your products and services. You can provide articles, special reports, and links to other resources on your website. You can write the articles yourself, or use those of others with their permission. In less than a half day, you could find a dozen articles and as many links to other informational sites to support what you do. If you have your own articles to post, that's an added bonus. With your own articles, you can feature them in your email signature, along with an autoresponder (a type of email system that delivers the article automatically and immediately) so that folks can receive a copy right away. A small investment of your time can provide valuable content for your website and a valued resource to prospects and current clientele.

   4. Create a free eCourse. It's so easy to create an eCourse. An eCourse is merely a series of short emails delivered via an autoresponder designed to teach a concept or series of concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. You can easily take a top ten article or other information that you have and "chunk" it into a series of 5, 7 or 10 lessons, which can be delivered over as many days or weeks. Each lesson is a short description of the topic along with an example and perhaps questions or resource links for future follow-up. An eCourse is set up in a mechanism called an autoresponder, an automated email system that delivers lessons at the interval you specify. An e-course is the perfect "product" to advertise in your email signature and can be triggered by the recipient merely sending an email to a specified address. From that point forward, the lessons are automatically issued without any further intervention on your part. E-courses are a great way to showcase an upcoming product or program offering, a way to get people interested in what you have to offer. They are a great way to offer a lot of value with less than a day of effort to write a simple course, set it up for distribution and let it work for you.

   5. The benefits of an R & D team. Offering prospects and current clients the opportunity to join and participate on your research and development team is another way to offer value. Your R & D team can be used to test product or program ideas that you might have. By seeking feedback now, you can gather new ideas and you can which ones are worthwhile and of value to others. The benefit to the recipients is that they can play a role in influencing the types of products that they like most. Many folks who have R & D teams also enjoy offering participants special incentives like coupons, discounts, or even a free sample of the product or program before it is issued to the general public.

   6. Offer free teleclasses. Offering free teleclasses to prospects and current customers is a great way to generate goodwill while providing valuable content. Free teleclasses are a wonderful way for newcomers to experience who you are and how you operate. For folks who already do business with you, they look at this as a wonderful bonus to experience more of the quality service they have come to expect from you. Teleclasses are a cost and time efficient value add and an easy way to reach others on a global basis. You may want to consider recording these classes and making the audio available from your web site.

   7. Offer free assessments. Another way to provide more value is to offer assessments. Assessments are wonderful because they provide the prospect or client with additional information. Provide useful information, links to other sites (or yours), references to helpful organizations or even titles of books to read. Gear the assessment outcomes to focus on various products or services that you have developed so you can drive people to consider your various offerings. People like assessments because they can do them on their own and get immediate feedback. You may also consider bundling an assessment with a 15-minute complimentary consult allowing you to develop a stronger relationship with this prospect.

   8. Celebrate special days in special ways. There are hundreds of different holidays celebrated throughout the year. Find a way to couple something you're doing with an upcoming holiday and share that with your customers. For example, if you're a relationship coach, you might want to send out a special report on celebrating Valentine's Day the week before. For folks who might be spending that day alone, you might provide a complimentary teleclass for everyone to get together to talk. If you're an event planner, you might wish to send out a special collection of easy-to-prepare recipes for the Fourth of July or the Super Bowl. These are simple things to do, but can mean a lot to your clientele.

   9. Reward your long-time customers. It has been said that it costs up to six times as much to get a new customer than it does to maintain the ones you have. One of the best ways to maintain a good relationship with your current clients is by rewarding them for their long-term patronage. At least once each year, offer them discount coupons for themselves or to give to a friend, free product samples, or other promotions to thank them for doing business with you. This type of relationship building will go a long way in creating customer good will and it will probably result in many more referrals. Low cost offerings like this generate additional revenue for you, and can expand your client base with very little effort on your part.

   10. Share the wealth. If you create new products or services based on customer requests, figure out some way to reward the person or persons who came up with the idea. You might compensate them by giving them complimentary access to your product or service. You can formally acknowledge them as an inspiration on your website, or you can send them a monetary or other gift as a "thank you".

   © Copyright 2004 by Alicia Smith

   Alicia Smith is a Coach and Trainer whose specialty is helping people Make Money Now. She has taught over 70,000 people how to improve their business bottom lines. To learn more about her courses, products and services please email her at alicia@aliciasmith.com) or visit http://www.AliciaSmith.com and http://www.90DayMarketingMarathon.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Automating Your Customer Support
   Monday, June 16, 2008

   Writen by Richard Grady
   
   

   My regular readers will know that one of the things I highly recommend doing with any online business is automating as many of your day to day tasks as possible.

   From a personal point of view, one of the tasks that takes up a lot of my time is answering emails. It isn't just answering email that eats up the hours - sorting through and deleting spam and junk mail absorbs a lot of time too. In the good old days, I used to get a couple of spam emails a day. Now it is closer to 1000 a day!

   In fact, when you look at it, email isn't always the best form of online communication. Not only is there the junk mail issue to contend with but also the fact that email is not 100% reliable. Emails do 'go missing' far more regularly than you might expect. Often this is simply because the recipients email software has decided that a particular email is junk and has transferred it directly to the 'Delete' folder. Other times it may be because the recipients ISP has decided that the email is junk and deleted it BEFORE it has even been seen by the recipient! (Yes this really does happen - imagine if your postman sorted through your mail and made the decision of which letters you want and which ones he should throw away?!)

   One way to help avoid the spam problem when dealing with customer support enquiries is to make use of a contact form on your website instead of posting an email address. This will certainly help to cut down on spam but it still means that you have the problem of emails not getting to their destination (and when you have a frustrated customer waiting for assistance this is not ideal).

   Therefore, probably the best option on the market presently is a full-blown helpdesk system. Setting up a dedicated helpdesk is a superb way of automating your customer support and speeding up the process of dealing with enquiries and support emails. Not only that but if you use a system that allows customers to create 'tickets', you don't have to rely on email as your customers can login to a special web page and view both their tickets and your replies online.

   Another feature of many helpdesk scripts is an 'FAQ' or 'Knowledgebase' section. This is simply a collection of the most frequently asked questions/queries/problems along with answers and solutions. This means that customers can search the knowledgebase and hopefully find the answer to their question without having to contact Support at all.

   Some of the more advanced scripts will even scan the customers support ticket prior to submitting it and then list a few possible answers to their questions just in case they didn't read through the knowledgebase before typing the ticket out - very clever stuff.

   These scripts are also very powerful in terms of how they can benefit you. Just think how much time you could save if, say, 40% of your customer support emails just stopped coming due to the fact that your customers were now able to find the answers to their questions automatically.

   Having an online helpdesk is also of benefit if you travel around a lot or if you are away from the office on vacation etc. Instead of having to take a laptop loaded up with previous emails from customers, you can simply login to your helpdesk admin page and all of your previous correspondence will be online and at your fingertips. It also means that you won't have to spend hours in an Internet cafe deleting a days worth of spam at a time just to get to the important emails since only the important emails will have made it through to the helpdesk in the first place.

   As with most things, setting up a customer service helpdesk is one of those tasks that is always better done when you first start your online business. That said, it is fairly easy to integrate such a feature into your existing set up and that is exactly what I have done for all of my websites...

   Over the next few months, I will be phasing many of my email addresses out - I simply can't stand the spam any more! With immediate effect, all customer support issues for all of my products and websites will be handled via a central Customer Support Helpdesk.

   I am confident that this will improve the overall 'support experience' for both my customers and me :-)

   If you are interested in installing a similar helpdesk on your own website/s, there are numerous options when it comes to suitable software. I chose a product called eSupport (link below) and whilst this is a very powerful script, I am hesitant to give it my full recommendation since the installation/set up process was, how can I put this, slightly painful. It doesn't help that there is no manual for the software which means that new users are left to figure out how it works by trial and error or by trawling through hundreds of posts on the company forum. That said, I am advised by the software creator that a manual is in the process of being written and will be available soon. As I say, an excellent and powerful script once installed and configured but definitely not for those lacking patience (and indeed, some computer knowledge). If you opt for this script, my advice would be to get the publishers of the software to install it for you. You can find out more about eSupport at: http://www.kayako.com

   Other alternatives (neither of which I have tried myself) include Perldesk ( http://www.perldesk.com ) and Cerberus ( http://www.cerberusweb.com ). One advantage of Cerberus is that there is a free version :-)

   Copyright 2005 Richard Grady

   Richard Grady has been helping ordinary people earn online since 1998. He writes a free newsletter which is published every two weeks. To subscribe (and claim your free gifts), visit: http://www.thetraderonline.com/newsletter.html

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   A Toll Free Directory Lets You Shop More Search Less
   

   Writen by Anna Woodward
   
   

   Whether a consumer, a seller, but mostly as an employer, how you source or locate what you buy is as important as the item that you purchase. What to buy, who to buy from, those are the two questions one would think would be most important, but now there are two more questions to have to answer, and that is where to look and how much to pay to call.

   If not to be found in a mall shop or if you are too busy to go to the location itself and shop, or you then you must either do a lot of catalog shopping, or you shop quite a bit online. It is tough to shop online, though, because many times you do not know 360¦ view of the item, or more specifics, or the item photo does not upload to your machine, you need to know if they have the correct number you need in stock, any number of questions. The end result is you want to be able to go ahead and call the retailer. In this day and age of international consumerism, we often are able to purchase items from several different places around the world. However, not everyone stays up 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in order to get our phone call, and our toll charges to call international have escalated over the years. Business to business purchasing particularly is difficult if you have to call and be cognizant of toll charges. What is the solution? Well, toll free would be the first choice for all businesses. In order to contact that business, would you e-mail first, and hope that they have an 800 number for that business, and that you could obtain their toll free number, or would you e-mail them and hope that they contact you back via phone? Neither seems a potentially productive response. Having a toll free listing is quite possibly the easiest way to have prospective buyers contact you, and for you or your employees to contact them.

   Toll free numbers are not hard to find, as long as you donÆt mind wading through a phone book or a search engine listing that also includes toll numbers and out of service numbers. If you at all value your time, that will not be the best avenue of choice for you, particularly if you are an employer paying an employee by the hour, or a mother with limited time to search for something and call the location. But, with a toll free directory you are able to locate the correct number and do business quickly and efficiently. Simple math tells you that you would rather pay someone by the hour to be on the phone arranging for a purchase than paying by the hour for employees to search for a number. As a mother has limited time for most things, whether the mother is an out of home worker or not, taking time to peruse a phone book or a search engine is likely not going to happen anytime in the near future.

   So do yourself a favor, whether an employer, employee, mother, student, or your average consumer, make sure you spend your time wisely, using it to choose merchandise, not finding it.

   Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: www.internettollfree.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Learning Superior Customer Service Skills
   Sunday, June 15, 2008

   Writen by Daniel Sitter
   
   

   Is customer service a department in your company? Is customer service simply the title of an order entry department? Is customer service an empty shell, long on rhetoric but short on delivery? Does the term customer service actually mean anything, or is it a leftover expression from an era of days gone by?

   Superior customer service is indeed alive and well alive and working at many progressive companies, both large and small. Customer service is not simply a term or a department, but rather an attitude and a manner of doing business. It boils down to caring and adhering to the golden rule…"to do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

   Superior customer care has declined to such an extent that some firms are actually promoting their own efforts at providing customer service as a unique benefit of dealing with their firm. Unfortunately, that is an apt description of the current state of customer service provision from most companies. Most companies do not get it. They are so consumed with the bottom line that they miss one of the most important factors in growing their business: The customer is king. He always has been and always will be. Customers, customer satisfaction and retention should drive all other facets of a company.

   The relevant cost of acquiring a new customer is high. Marketing, advertising and other functions utilized to attract new customers are expensive and require a period of time to work successfully. Many prospects do not become new customers until perhaps the 7th or 8th exposure to the company's marketing efforts. Customer service then, is the cost of retaining that customer. Customer retention should be a driving force behind the successful operations of every company. It simply makes good business sense to keep that new customer as well as those repeat customers. How often is a new customer "soured" because of a perception of poor attitude or lack of caring on the part of an employee?

   Depending on the type of business operation, companies must embrace developing superior customer service in a variety of modes. In a small retail or food establishment, where minimum-wage workers are often employed, this is difficult. One area that is destined to improve how customers are treated is for the owner of the company to treat their employees fairly, with respect and with a receptive attitude concerning their ideas. This attitude and practice will spillover and the end customers will often be treated in the same manner. The mid-size and large companies must provide specific training for all employees, especially for those with any direct contact with customers. Employees must be cognoscente of what is expected by their employer, the importance of their dealings with the customers and how the implementation of these policies directly impacts their own success and employment. Simply stated, if there are no customers, there is no need for their job.

   Place yourself in your customers' shoes. That should be easy since we are all customers sometimes, no matter what we do for a living. How do you like to be treated? Do you want to be forgotten? Do you feel that the company you do business with should value you and your business? Do you appreciate little "extras" that are not always necessary but pleasant and beneficial? When you are pleased with your treatment from a firm, are you happy to make recommendations to your family and friends about dealing there? Learn to transfer these answers into the way you treat your customers. The golden rule applies.

   Human nature, being what it is, is the common thread among us all. We all want to be treated fairly, confirmed of the value we bring and have a sense that others care about us. We are all other people! In many ways, regardless of ethnicity, religion or background, we all want the same things. Remember this fact and do your part to offer superior customer service by performing your duties in a manner reflective of the way you also wish to be treated. Your success is guaranteed. If this attitude is encouraged in every department in every company, customer service will never be a department, but rather the attitude or mindset of the company. As the sum of its internal parts, the firm will reflect this mindset guaranteeing superior customer service and previously unheard of customer retention.

   Daniel Sitter is the author of the popular, award-winning e-book, Learning For Profit. Designed for busy people, his new book teaches simple, step-by-step accelerated learning skills, demonstrating exactly how to learn anything faster than ever before. Learning For Profit is currently available from the author's web site http://www.learningforprofit.com/ and from a variety of online book merchants. Mr. Sitter is a contributing writer for several internet and traditional publications. His expertise includes sales, marketing, self-improvement and general business topics.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Surveys Suck
   

   Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman
   
   

   My company conducts surveys on behalf of customers, but personally and professionally, I think they suck!

   Don't get me wrong. Wanting to get your customers' opinions is a good thing.

   I just don't think surveys get at people's opinions efficiently or effectively, and there are better means at our disposal.

   For example, last night at the checkout counter at the supermarket I picked up a survey. It has a listing of eleven items, ranging from the speed and accuracy of the checkout to the freshness and selection of meat and fish. Plus, there are spaces, tiny lines at that, for recording comments and suggestions.

   It's a lot to cram onto a 4 by 7 pre-stamped card.

   Anyway, here are just five of my concerns about a survey of this type:

   (1) Only a fraction of shoppers will see it in its plastic bin, pick it up, and take it with them. So, the response won't be representative of shoppers at large, because many just won't see it or know what it is. One card should be placed in the hand of every shopper, or in her shopping bag.

   (2) By asking that the form be mailed back, the company is precluding people from noting their reactions just as they're occurring. They will be in an altered frame of mind when they get home, or a day or two or even a week later when they fill it out. Lots of other variables will intrude into their thinking, making their responses suspect. If the company wants genuine responses, they should provide pens at the checkout counter, so cards can be filled in right away. But, if they offer pens, people will take them! So, faced with a choice between investing in pens, and getting less fresh and valid replies, the company is choosing to save money on pens.

   (3) There is no control on how many forms a given shopper can take and fill-out. If you have real heartburn with a clerk, you can flame them by sending back ten scorching cards. Or, you can put halos over your friends' heads, if you wish. In other words, there is no control against stuffing the ballot box, jeopardizing the validity of the overall response.

   (4) Checkers can differentially discourage or encourage shoppers from taking and filling out the cards by frowning or smiling as people reach for them. Again, this will skew the response.

   (5) The shoppers at this store are less likely to participate because many hail from formerly totalitarian countries where you would be punished for revealing your true feelings. The tacit cultural code could be stated this way: don't volunteer, and don't bring attention to yourself, or else!

   The mailer is addressed to the President, and that's a nice touch, but if he's genuinely interested in knowing how his customers feel he should get out of his office and visit the stores, himself, and observe them. Or, he can achieve a similar outcome by commissioning an unobtrusive study of customer responses, or by using mystery shoppers, and even focus groups.

   Then again, we're not sure of his genuine motivation, are we? He may just want his survey to give the appearance that he's customer focused.

   In that case, he's wise to save money on pens.

   Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Customer Service Speaker Doubts The Quotvaluequot Of Customers
   Saturday, June 14, 2008

   Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman
   
   

   The first time I read the statistic, I was having a quick bite of breakfast before scooting off to run a seminar at the Houston office of a customer service consulting client.

   "It costs five times more to attract a new customer as it does to keep an existing customer" bellowed the article in the Houston Chronicle.

   "Wow!" I thought. That's a lot.

   But then, that statistic bothered me, for several reasons:

   (1) Who said so? On what authority did they say it?

   (2) How much, in dollar terms, are we speaking of?

   (3) What business or industry is keeping the customer?

   (4) What business or industry is attracting the new customer?

   (5) What measures are being used to determine sales costs versus retention costs?

   Anyway, I put these concerns aside for some time, and until I saw the same assertion, yet it said: "It costs ten times" as much to get a new customer.

   Well, inflation is kicking up, but then, wait a minute!

   Let's research this point. I went to Google and asked the question: "Costs of keeping versus losing customers?"

   The results varied. One source, a college business journal, which would be expected to track down these claims, actually perpetuates the confusion by saying:

   "It is generally accepted that it costs a business anywhere from five to ten times as much to acquire a new customer as it costs to retain an existing one. Some studies have estimated that U.S. organizations lose half their customers every five years and that a five percent incremental improvement in customer retention rate could double profits. On the downside, disloyalty is estimated to decrease corporate performance by 25 to 50 percent."

   I don't "generally accept" statistics on their face value, nor should you.

   If you really want to know the value of a customer, track it for yourself in your own business.

   Then, you'll really know what you're talking about and you'll be able to allocate your training and marketing resources, appropriately.

   Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of http://www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations from Santa Monica to South Africa. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to http://www.customersatisfaction.com

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Inbound Call Center Pricing
   Friday, June 13, 2008

   Writen by Seth Miller
   
   

   Having a call center is fast becoming a necessity for any business. Whether you are a one-man business operating at home or a multinational company spanning across the globe, having a call center can help boost your business immensely.

   A call center provides many advantages and benefits. Chief among these is the advantage of having a customer service representative that can communicate with your customers and prospects. Employing a call center is like having a workforce that can represent your company around the clock.

   In the past, getting a call center service was unfeasible, especially for small- or medium-scale businesses. But now, as Internet telephony technologies advance and healthy competition between call center service companies grows, call center services are now within reach of even the smallest companies. Many now offer reliable and professional call center services at affordable prices.

   If you are planning to employ the services of a call center to handle inbound orders and other functions, there are a variety of choices available for you. Dedicate time and effort to research and evaluate the options you have. Most call centers will offer competitive prices. A simple search on the Internet will yield a number of call centers, most of them offering affordable prices.

   When you have narrowed down your shortlist of call centers, evaluate them carefully in terms of the quality of calls and competence and professionalism of the operators. Evaluating the kind of services these call centers provide is very important since a poor call center experience will definitely turn off your customers. If you are seriously considering getting a call center service and incorporating it into your business, now is the right time to do so. Find the call center solution that will provide your company with a service level that will definitely enhance your business.

   Inbound Call Centers provides detailed information on Inbound Call Centers, Inbound Call Center Services, Inbound Call Center Pricing, Work At Home Inbound Call Centers and more. Inbound Call Centers is affiliated with Live Answering Service.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   How Customer Friendly Is Your Credit Policy
   

   Writen by Michelle Dunn
   
   

   It's a classic mistake for business owners. They start a business that is focused on their product and not on the credit end of their business.

   Luckily, a popular new book by Michelle Dunn makes it easy to solve this problem. The book, Become the Squeaky wheel, outlines different types of credit policies that business owners can use to create a customer-friendly credit policy. The goal is to have more customers who pay on time which translates to higher or more sales.

   "You have a lot of different people with a lot of different needs, depending on your business," explains Dunn. "The first step is a customer friendly credit policy that ensures you have the information you need if there is ever a payment problem but also one that doesn't scare away your customers."

   "It is important that you maintain customer relations but also protect yourself and your business from bad debt, bad checks or slow or non-paying customers," says Dunn.

   The second step is to have the policy in effect before obtaining the new customer and making sure everyone in your organization is familiar with it and enforces it. It is not very professional to search for a credit application or not know which forms they have to fill out to open a new account.

   If you find your credit application is not working for you or you are having problems with some aspect of your credit policy, you can change it at any time and measure your results to be sure they are working for you.

   "The best strategy for making your credit policy work is to look at your bottom line and also ask your customers," explains Michelle Dunn. "Ask your customers if they had any problems with the forms or the information they had to provide, and keep asking.

   Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in credit and debt collection. She is the founder of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency and ran is successfully for 7 years. She also owns and runs Credit & Collections.com an online community for credit and business professionals. She has written 5 books in her Collecting Money Series. Michelle moderates and runs Credit & Collections.com and was a member of The American Collectors Association for 9 years. Visit http://www.michelledunn.com or http://www.credit-and-collections.com for more information.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Voice Mail 800 Numbers Increase Business Credibility
   Thursday, June 12, 2008

   Writen by Chris Robertson
   
   

   Millions of Americans are small business owners, while millions more have second income streams from home-based businesses. Still others work remotely, or telecommute, at least part-time. Over the past decade, I've had the opportunity to do all three. Although attitudes have changed in the past ten years, I find that there continues to be some stigma attached to working in a professional career from home. The credibility of those of us who don't commute is sometimes questioned by those who do. That's why it's important to use voice mail and other tools to put the most professional face on our home-based businesses.
   
   During my tenure as the editor-in-chief of two consumer magazines, I worked out of my home office in northern California. Although the publishers had offices in New York and New Jersey, the magazines themselves didn't have a physical office - only a virtual office. My art director was in southern California, my department editor was in Arizona, and I hired writers from all around the globe. All of us worked out of our homes, yet managed to create glossy consumer magazines with national and international distribution. How did we do it?
   
   While much of our interactions took place via email, we also relied heavily on voice mail software. Although I'd considered hiring an answering service, I found that an answering service was cost prohibitive and less reliable than a voice mail system. With such a voice mail system, no one ever had to know that the magazine's core editorial staff was really located all around the United States.
   
   Likewise, because we didn't have an office, we had to find a way to make the magazine accessible to subscribers who had questions or concerns. Our solution was to have a toll free number that subscribers could call to reach the service department. Our business 800 number was extremely cost effective, and our subscribers appreciated being able to call a toll free 1800 number rather than incurring long distance charges to order or inquire about a subscription.
   
   800 numbers can add tremendous credibility to a virtual office or home based business. 800 phone numbers reassure customers that they are indeed calling a "real" business, and the cost of a toll free number is easily offset by the additional business you'll garner or the additional items you'll sell.
   
   There are many companies that provide toll free numbers to entrepreneurs or those who work in a virtual office. When selecting a service, you should look for the following features:
   
   * An "auto attendant" who answers the calls
   * A voice mail system that offers multiple mailboxes
   * Unlimited message capacity
   * Music that plays while the customer is on hold
   * Online administration
   * Caller I.D. or call announce, so you can decide whether to answer the call or let it go through to voice mail
   
   Having a virtual office doesn't mean you need to sacrifice credibility. With a toll free number and a good voice mail system, the people with whom you deal on a regular basis will never be the wiser.
   

   Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Visit this Business and Entrepreneurs Website and Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Will A Call Center Benefit Your Business
   Wednesday, June 11, 2008

   Writen by Jim Stacey
   
   

   If you are a business owner then you are likely to know that business is a complicated thing. There are some businesses that are profitable and others that are not. If you are the owner of a profitable business then it is likely that you may have a large number of customers. Do your employees have time to answer questions or assistant all of those customers? If you answer is no then you may be able to benefit from a call center.

   A call center is what is known as a collection of workers who answer incoming phone calls. An offsite call center is a call center that is located in a location separate from the business that they are answering phone calls for. An onsite call center is a call center that is located in the same building as the business that they are answering calls for. Both call center types are popular. The type of call center will all depend on the business in question and their needs. If you only need a few individuals answering your business calls then it is likely you will have an onsite call center. Offsite call centers are usually used when a large number of call center representatives are needed.

   As previously mentioned, one of the greatest benefits to having a call center is that your clients will be able to speak to a person often the first time that they call. Since everyone hates having to be placed on hold or told to call back, the use of a call center could greatly increase the satisfaction of your clients. If you business relies on the purchases of a service or product, increased customer satisfaction could improve your business profits.

   Another benefit of having a call center for your business is that it could increase the number and types of customers that you get. There are many companies who do business with customers all around the world. Despite a worldly connection, there are many traditional employees who only speak one language. Many call center representatives are multilingual; therefore, they may be able to assist new and existing foreign clients. It is also possible to have a twenty-four hour call center to assist clients that are located in different parts of the world and in different time zones.

   If you are interested in having a call center for your business there are two main ways that you can go about doing so. As a business owner you could develop your own call center. This would mean that you would have a set of employees who only answered phones, processed purchases, or scheduled appointments. Having a call center worker complete other activities would essentially turn them into a secretary. You also have the option of developing a contract with an existing call center service. You may be required to purchase a toll free telephone number, but besides that your duties would be minimal.

   The above mentioned call center benefits are just a few of the many. All businesses are likely to benefit from a call center, but some more than others. If your clients are expanding faster than your business can you may find that a call center is a professional solution to the problem.

   Jim Stacey is a writer for We Answer where you can find an call center that delivers superior service for an affordable price.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Call Center Training
   Tuesday, June 10, 2008

   Writen by Damian Sofsian
   
   

   Call center training takes many forms. The participants can be trained in a classroom setting, by observing other participants on the call center floor, or by monitoring calls from a remote location. A more prevalent form of call center training is computer based training (CBT). Computer based training aims at maximizing the effectiveness of the training experience. Call center training also equips the participants with the basic skills of communication.

   Call center training aims to build relationship and find out solutions for grievances. It teaches you how to listen, clarify, explain, and manage conversational flow. It also helps to handle complaints, manage upset customers, redress grievances, and hold negotiations in challenging situations. Call center training helps to avoid misunderstandings, pacify customers and soothe situations. Call center training enables you to please all customers in any situation. Call center training can be helpful for agents as well as managers and front line staff.

   Call center training enables you to answer phone calls from a number of different companies. Some call center training courses teach you how to keep a professional appearance, how to earn the customer's trust, how to establish credibility and demonstrate sympathy, how to use telephone skills including questioning, listening, responding and voice modulation, how telephone communication differs from talking face-to-face, how to maximize time spent on the phone, how to perform effectively under pressure, how to establish and meet individual goals, how to probe for information from callers (even from confused callers) and how to ensure that your customer's needs are met.

   To sum up, call center training is designed to improve customer satisfaction, increase sales revenue, raise collection rates and help to challenge and retain the best people. Online call center training is also available.

   Call Centers provides detailed information on Call Centers, Inbound Call Centers, Outsourcing Call Centers, Conference Call Centers and more. Call Centers is affiliated with Call Center CRM Solutions.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Why Passenger Surveys Are A Transport Operators Best Friend
   

   Writen by Martin Day
   
   

   Public transport operators who already use passenger surveys may not fully appreciate the multiple benefits that surveys can bring. Not only are surveys an efficient method of market research that will help identify areas of passenger dissatisfaction, they are also perfect for measuring the effects of improvements and can, at the same time, help promote new initiatives to customers using the service.

   Establishing a Starting Point

   When embarking on any change management programme it is always good practice to establish a base line before any changes are made. This baseline survey can serve four purposes, it will:

   • allow the proper targeting of investment

   • allow measurement of the effect of change

   • assist in the moral of those implementing change

   • ensure that new issues are kept separate from the original plan and budget

   Targeting Investment

   There are many areas of any public transport system that can cause passenger dissatisfaction all of which need to be monitored to ensure that the service being provided meets, and where possible, exceeds, performance level targets.

   Issues that can be of concern to passenger include:

   - safety and security
   - punctuality
   - fares and ticket types
   - capacity and overcrowding
   - quality and design of vehicle
   - cleanliness
   - facilities at stations and terminals
   - facilities for passengers with disabilities

   Often limited resources and budgets means that investment needs to be carefully planned and properly targeted.

   Passenger surveys allow operators to identify those areas that are of most concern to their customers. Through the analysis of passenger feedback the operator will be able to ensure that their improvement and investment plans are inline with passenger demands and concerns. Issues can be classified into high and low priority, as well as long and short term plans.

   Some capital investment such as the building of new terminals, runways, laying new track or upgrading air traffic control or rail signalling equipment may take years to implement. However, the initial survey is also likely to identify some high profile areas that can be implemented almost immediately at a relative low cost.

   Measuring Change

   From having established a comprehensive programme from an initial survey the objectives for running periodic surveys are twofold.

   One objective will be to ensure that the changes and initiatives that are implemented have been effective in addressing passenger issues. A second objective will be to promote and advertise the initiatives that have been implemented and also inform and educate passengers of ongoing improvements and future plans.

   Passengers will always be more positive if they can see that improvements have been made and more accepting of outstanding problems if they know that those problems are being addressed.

   Keeping Moral

   Those implementing change can often develop a siege mentality. Change can take time to take effect and for the passengers to appreciate any improvement.

   By monitoring passenger opinion and measuring the results against earlier surveys a successful change programme should see passenger issues change over time, some issues that were problems will no longer be raised.

   Passengers will take time to appreciate progress and often those working on a change project will be demoralised with constant criticism from what is often a negative public. It is important that a team implementing change can see clearly the effects of their efforts.

   Identifying New and Old

   In any long term change management programme issues can change over time. Events can happen that make what was important, no longer important and what wasn't an issue, an issue.

   The baseline survey will ensure that the passengers concerns are chronologically documented. Passengers are themselves an evolving group, individual travel arrangements change, fashion changes, life styles develop along with technology. Periodic surveys will allow changes in passenger attitudes to be monitored.

   Online Surveys Make It Easy

   Online surveys can reach a broad cross section of any travelling public. They are quick to design and implement and they provide feedback in a format that is ready for detailed analysis. The low cost and flexibility of online surveys allows passenger concern to be targeted at specific groups and particular concerns.

   Online surveys provide operators with important market research data as well as a platform to promote and advertise their commitment to passenger satisfaction.

   Passengers benefit by having an effective channel to raise issues and through periodic surveys will begin to appreciate that the operator is continually investing and improving the service.The following are links to samples of Passenger Surveys

   Sample Passenger Survey for an Airline:
   http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1166

   Sample Passenger Survey for a Train Operator
   http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1170

   Sample Passenger Survey for a Bus Operator
   http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1167

   Martin Day is a Director of Survey Galaxy Ltd a web site that allows anyone to create, design and publish online surveys. For more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Hiring Gretchen
   Monday, June 9, 2008

   Writen by T.J. Schier
   
   

   I often travel the country speaking to various companies and franchise associations on the topic of great service. While on the road, I try to take those opportunities to visit chains not found near my North Texas home. On two of those trips, I visited Culver's locations in the Chicago area and Mukwonago, Wisconsin.

   While in the Culver's in Mukwonago, I had the pleasure to meet a server we'll call "Gretchen." The ordering process was standard, but the service was extra-friendly as two or three people actually said hello to me as I entered the building. It's nice not to be greeted with "Next" or "Ready to order?"

   While I stared at the menuboard, Gretchen asked what I would like and helped by making a few suggestions. I was soon out of the menu-panic mode and placing an order. Further, when I asked if I could pick up my dessert later, my request was cheerfully granted—far different from the sigh and eye-roll that same request has earned at other places.

   Culver's employs a semi-service system where you place your order at a cashier, fill your own beverage, and wait until the food is delivered to your table. That's where I saw things I preach about taking place—out in the dining room—uncharted territory for many quick-serve employees and managers.

   Gretchen came out during a lull at the counter (instead of leaning on it) and began interacting with numerous guests. She knew them, their preferences and their orders. One couple sitting near me received a coffee refill, another was asked about the soup they ordered, and a third was asked why they didn't order the usual sundae for dessert. She even stopped by my table to see if the Buffalo Chicken Tenders were spicy enough.

   I'm convinced, from a guest standpoint, that the quality food combined with personalized service rarely seen in the quick-service industry is driving Culver's growth. So what can you do to emulate the success of Culver's?

   Simple: Hire Gretchens and let their personalities shine. Chances are all they'll have to do is get out from behind the counter.

   People like Gretchen are not bussers or cashiers, they are guest ambassadors. Simple guest interactions wow the guests, make them feel valued instead of processed. As a result, they not only return to your restaurant, they recommend it. The investment in Gretchens should be easily returned as your guest frequency rate increase.

   Gretchens can enhance your value by:

   • Greeting guests by names. To encourage this, reward employees who learn 100 guest names. Golden Corral and Chick-fil-A do it. Make guests feel like Norm and not #89.
   • Guiding guests through the menuboard maze. Teach employees to ask questions like, "What are you in the mood for?" or "What do you usually order?"
   • Reassuring choices. Gretchens make eye contact and smile as the guest places his order and respond with a "Great choice!," "You'll really like that," or "We're selling a lot of those today." Guests will feel better about their decision.
   • Getting out from behind the counter and offering drink refills. Guests expect that at full-service restaurants but it's a great value-add in a limited-service environment.
   • Checking back to see how the meal is going. Sonic Drive-In and Bumper's Drive-In do a great job encouraging team members to check if customers need extra napkins or condiments.
   • Thanking the guest and inviting them back. Teach your staff that anyone near a departing guest should thank him for his business and invite him back. A simple, "See you tomorrow!" will suffice.
   • While I firmly believe many companies hire the right personality types, if those new employees don't see other team members delivering hospitality, soon, they'll stop it as well. Companies like Culver's and Chick-fil-A have built hospitality into their delivery systems. Friendly, caring service builds sales, guest loyalty, frequency, and more restaurants.

   Those two brands scream "Friendly." Guests know they can receive a four-star service experience for one-star prices. Kind of like booking a hotel room online at one of those discount websites—getting more value for your money.

   To emulate what Culver's and Chick-fil-A have done, encourage each employee to embrace the S.H.I.R.T. philosophy: Smile (at all times), Hospitality (at every interaction opportunity), Inform (don't sell), Refills (offer them), and Thank departing guests. Five simple words will make a world of difference in your service levels, sales, and guest frequency. And hiring a few Gretchens of your own couldn't hurt either.

   T.J. Schier is service professional, consultant and speaker with over 20 years experience in operations and training. Founder and president of Incentivize Solutions and podTraining, T.J. has helped numerous clients enhance their service and training programs and spoken to tens of thousands of managers, franchisees and operators in various fields. Visit http://IncentivizeSolutions.com/ for more info motivating today's employees, training today's generation and delivering outstanding guest service; or http://podTraining.us/, a unique new system and the foundation of 'i-learning' - using the device of today's generation, the iPod - to train your workforce.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Call Center Financial Services
   Sunday, June 8, 2008

   Writen by Damian Sofsian
   
   

   Ours is said to be an age of dissatisfaction where, no matter what you do, the customer is not satisfied. It is for this reason that customer gratification and happiness is of prime concern, no matter what business one is into, be it a large-scale industry or a small business firm. If you have a product or service that is being aggressively marketed to people, chances are that your customers will expect the moon from you.

   This is where a call center has become an absolute necessity for almost every type of business. This holds true essentially for financial services. The main problem is that people do not understand them very well. It is the company that provides the service that has to deal with their customer's lack of understanding because at the end of the day, the customer blames the service provider. In such a case, a call center is not just handy, but an absolute necessity.

   The necessity is multiplied by the fact that customers in today's world need instant gratification regarding their queries and problems. With the increase in telecommunication services and the decrease in their costs, they want to call up a company and find the solutions to their problems as quickly as possible without delay. This causes a lot of problems for the service providers, as they have to either hire a call center or set up one of their own to provide services to their customers.

   There are abundant call centers providing financial services in the world today. A firm has an option of hiring such a center to provide customer care to their clients. Each financial domain is different from the other and requires a specialized set of knowledge and skills. It is very important that the firm imparts to all the employees proper training of all the products and services being utilized by the company when it hire a call center. The so-called customer care executives should be equipped with the most intricate details pertaining to the products and services of the company. This might seem obvious, but the more a company pays heed to providing the right kind of training to their employees, the better satisfied their customers will be. In the long run, these satisfied customers will stick with the company and enhance its profits.

   Call Center Services provides detailed information on Call Center Services, Online Call Center Outsourcing Support Services, Inbound Call Center Services, Outbound Call Center Services and more. Call Center Services is affiliated with Contact Center Consultants.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Customer Service Let Me Show You How To Get Loyal Customers
   

   Writen by Kenneth Little
   
   

   Your quest for loyal customers can center on a three part plan to get customers to consider themselves part of your club. The plan commences when you introduce a highly effective C.E.P.

   Customer Education Program

   Your first tool in the plan is developing a C.E. P. which is a Customer Education Plan. Great features include colorful posters throughout the store extolling the benefits of a low interest store charge card or , perhaps letting customers know what a friendly team - totally committed to providing the best possible level of customer service. Be sure to include your web site in developing your C.E.P.

   Complaints to Work for You

   Loyal customers are those who know when they have a dispute with your store, the customer service policy is so flexible they can have complete assurance about you doing whatever is necessary to keep them happy.

   Staff need to be as open and friendly at all times to make the complaint process generate client compliments.

   Customers Keen to Give You Feedback

   You need to work hard on maintaining a high level of feedback. Good customer service these days must go well beyond presenting a counter top forms inviting customers to "Have Your Say".

   A friendly open team is the best way to encourage quality feedback and you should keep a log book to record compliments or complaints. Be sure also to encourage customers to write out and send in their good customer service testimonials. These are powerful marketing tools.

   You will constantly collect loyal customers when you get a Customer Education Program, get Complaints to Work for You, and have Customers Keen to Give You Feedback.

   They are your greatest asset when it comes to promoting your customer service policy to family and loved ones. They are your Viral Marketers.

   Copyright 2005 Kenneth Little

   Kenneth Little is a writer, teacher, public speaker and the publisher of a re-released classic - in a revealing ebook- that will show you how to get the best of health and wealth out of all your future years. Find more on this at: http://www.Young-at-Sixty.com True success will be yours no matter what your age. Amazing "How I Became Young at Sixty" brings renewed strength to your body, hope to your mind and increased prosperity to your lifestyle. You Can Get your Free ebook "How I Became Young at Sixty" by going to: http://www.Young-at-Sixty.com/get-your-f-r-e-e-ebook.htm

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   What Ever Happened To Customer Service
   Saturday, June 7, 2008

   Writen by Donna Boyle
   
   

   Does the newspaper delivery person throw your newspaper into a puddle of water?

   Does the grocery store clerk smash your bread into a shopping bag?

   Does the fast-food person give you cold fries with your order?

   Does the retail clerk chat on her cell phone instead of offering assistance?

   Does the repair man make you wait weeks to fix a household problem?

   Does the auto mechanic charge you an outrageous price for an oil change?

   Does the airline representative shrug their shoulders when your luggage is missing?

   Does the eBay seller get annoyed when you ask a question about their auction item?

   Does Anyone Care???

   If you've experienced any of these unfortunate situations, then you know the frustration that poor customer service creates for a customer.

   Unfortunately, good old-fashion customer service is slowly becoming extinct in our day to day lives, and customers long for the days when they were appreciated for their business.

   So, what can a small business owner do?

   Whether you have a brick-n-mortar store, online business, or eBay auction business...providing Superior Customer Service is the single most cost effective way to make your business stand apart from the competition.

   Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business, and turning customers into repeat customers is the ultimate business goal. As many of us are aware, it costs 5 times as much to bring in a new customer, than to keep an existing one.

   So, what is the big secret to turning customers into repeat customers?

   There is no real secret to getting customers to come back. All you need to do is provide customer service that exceeds your customers expectations and outperforms your competitors service.

   Good Customer Service is really quite simple, let's review some important tips on how to make your valued customers feel truly special so that they keep coming back for more.

   1. Start by always having a cheerful, helpful, courteous, and positive attitude.

   2. Take a good look at your business and the products that you offer, and determine what makes you special and different. Use that unique edge or knowledge to inform and educate your customers about your products.

   3. Study your competition. Take a close look at their services and find ways to make yours better.

   4. Stop Customer complaints before they start. Provide as much information about your business, your products, your sales and return policies, your shipping and delivery policies, etc., to avoid any confusion, questions, or misunderstandings right from the start.

   5. Treat customers the way that you would like to be treated. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness, fairness, honesty, and respect.

   6. Provide a warm, friendly, and inviting atmosphere. For Online businesses, since they cannot see your friendly face, convey your personality by creating an inviting web site or auction listing, and cheerfully welcome your guests to your site.

   7. Address your customers questions and concerns as quickly as possible.

   8. Always tell your customer what you CAN do for them, don't start the conversation by telling them what you CAN'T do.

   9. Listen attentively to your customers. Pay attention to what they have to say, and respect their opinions. Consider doing a survey by asking them relevant questions to help improve your business.

   10. Ship or deliver your products as quickly as possible. Customers love instant gratification.

   11. Keep your customers informed of any unusual problems or troubles as soon as possible. Each situation is different, so use your best judgement.

   12. Use correct grammar, and avoid slang words or abbreviations when emailing a customer. Use spell check or a dictionary for help.

   13. Allow irate customers to vent, stay calm, offer an apology, and an acceptable solution to a problem. Avoid using nasty, derogatory, obscene, or false statements, this conduct can insight potential law suits against you.

   14. Don't make promises unless you can keep them.

   15. Make sure that your customers can easily contact you by providing them with a business card, business magnet, etc. with your telephone number, or email address conveniently included.

   16. Under-sell and Over-Deliver. Everyone likes a surprise. Include a little something, such as a small gift, a discount coupon, free shipping or delivery, free report, etc. to put a smile on their face.

   17. Remember your customer's name, and follow up on every transactions. Contact them to make sure that everything has been handled in a satisfactory manner, and they are pleased with the outcome.

   18. Always show your appreciation for their business by sincerely thanking them, sending a thank you card, or personal note.

   19. Build an opt-in list with your customer's names and email addresses, and periodically send an email or newsletter to notify them of current products, or specials available. (Due to Spam (unsolicited email) regulations you must follow the federal spam rules and regulations, and make sure that your customers allow you permission to send them future emails).

   20. Invite your customers, their friends, and family to visit again.

   Dealing with customers can be an interesting experience. Each customer has their own personality and style of doing business. But, simple acts of kindness, fairness, honesty, and respect towards people can build long-term business relationships, and loyalty for years to come.

   Donna Boyle and Kim Vaughn are busy Moms, and the Co-authors of "Auction Mommies" Ebook - The Ultimate Step-by-Step eBay Auction Ebook for Moms! Affiliate Program/Newsletter Available. http://www.AuctionMommiesEbook.com Attention Ezine Editors and WebSite Owners Please feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your Ezine, Newsletter, or Website. We only ask that you please leave all links in place, do not modify the content, and include our resource box as listed above. Please feel free to substitute your Affiliate link in place of our link in the resource box. Earn 50% on every purchaser that you refer, for affiliate information please visit =>http://www.auctionmommiesebook.com/affiliate.htm Send a brief email and let us know if you used the article, we'd love to hear from you!

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Call Center Intelligence
   

   Writen by Rex Ryan
   
   

   There is a plethora of technology solutions needed to run a call center today. Call center technology can vary widely, based on the database platforms, vendor offerings and business requirements. But most call center technology packages will feature five core components.

   An automatic call distribution software package (ACD) helps to route your customer calls to the appropriate call center associates. This software effectively allocates your incoming calls based on your pre-defined parameters. Choices can include the next available representative, or the group serving a certain type of request.

   Often, the automatic call distribution software will route calls based on your integrated voice response (IVR) system. This software provides the automated menu selections that customers often find annoying. "Press one for English", or "Press two if you'd like an automated balance on your account" are two examples of the types of menu options that these systems offer your inbound customers.

   These two components, while not being always the most popular with your customers, are essential to running a cost effective, efficient call center. Together, these packages eliminate the need for live associates to answer each call and transfer them to the appropriate agent. IVR's can also be linked to your database in order to provide automated responses to basic, routine requests, like the last five checks cleared, or a confirmation of a scheduled service call.

   The third component of a modern call center software system is predictive dialer software. Although most common in outbound calling centers, this package can be set up in either the hardware or software. Software applications are generally less expensive and more flexible, although both are fairly common. The predictive dialer automatically calls phone numbers that are stored in a computer database. Often, these numbers represent existing customer's contact information, or telephone numbers purchased for marketing purposes. Most packages will identify and eliminate disconnected numbers, retry busy signals and calls that connect with an answering machine.

   Of course, for all of the data being used and collected by your call center, you'll need a good, adaptable database. Although often the least noticeable aspect of call center technology, it is the most important, with the marketing and customer service efforts of the center relying on the information it provides. The information contained in the database should be easy to access and sort, and the database should be reliable as well. Import and export functionality are also crucial, and data conversions (mostly from clients' formats) should be straightforward and problem free.

   Of course, your call center should also have powerful reporting capabilities. Many of the database packages include pre-written reporting functions, but an external reporting package may also be necessary to obtain the information you and your client need in the format required.

   Setting up and running your call center need not be confusing or difficult. Include an automatic call distributor, an integrated voice response system, a predictive dialer and a good database package with flexible reporting capabilities and you'll be up and running in no time.

   Rex Ryan is an authority on call center technology and maintains a blog at: http://strategic-call-center.info

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Get Customers To Stop Calling You12 Easy Ways To Save Money With Online Customer Support
   Friday, June 6, 2008

   Writen by Robbin Block
   
   

   Despite rumors to the contrary, the Web is not dead. More people are using it, they have faster bandwidth, and in many cases Net-time is taking over TV- time. It's no wonder more users are turning to the Net for help, rather than the telephone. So why not take advantage by offering your customers help online after the sale? Given that the average customer care call is $33, it's a great way to please customers that prefer the Web over a phone queue and save money too.

   Not that you ever want to drive customers away. After all, keeping a good customer is a whole lot cheaper than acquiring a new one. The idea is to move the majority of calls to self-help and reserve quality time for those customers that need to speak to a real person. If you guide certain customers towards answering questions themselves, make it a good experience, and offer incentives for usage, self-help will be their first choice.

   The type of online support required for each customer and for each problem may be different, so it's best to provide a range of self-help options and let customers choose what works for them. Online support comes in many forms, but for now we'll focus on the least expensive FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), Enhanced FAQs, discussion boards, and email. It's better to start with a few options first, and do them well, rather than trying to do everything at once. Offering a good help experience to people who use the Web regularly makes them more likely to turn to the Web for assistance again and again.

   1. Determine Your Online Support Strategy Figure out what's going to give you the biggest bang for the buck, then add on. Having a plan will help ensure that each support component works within a cohesive whole. Generic information can be easily handled with FAQs or Enhanced FAQs. More complex or customer-specific information requires advanced technologies. If you don't have the expertise or time to build the functionality yourself, look into Web service providers who can create and host applications for you.

   2. Focus and Target Don't try to create online support to cover every subject. Consider customer demographics to determine who will use the service, why they would use it, what they would need, and what would get them to use it. Customers ordinarily will use a combination of both online and offline support options, so build use cases for each target customer segment to gain an understanding of their behavior and how to improve their overall experience.

   3. Tell Customers Where to Go Make sure links to the help section are clearly communicated at every touch point, such as on printed material and through IVR systems. Familiarize your sales and phone reps with the site and its benefits, as in, "Did you know that we have a website that shows you how to do that?" Offer customers incentives to encourage first time usage and let them get in the short phone queue if they try self-help before calling.

   4. Make Help Easy to Find at Your Site If you don't provide a direct link to help, make it an obvious click away from your home page and other appropriate pages.

   5. Give them Options Even if a customer visited the site only in search of contact information, there's no reason why you can't try to resolve their problem while they're there, saving both of you a phone call. Briefly describe what is offered through self-help, how it works, and what they can expect. You don't want customers to waste their time looking for information that isn't there.

   6. Should I Give Them My Number? You should always make contact information available, but the extent to which you delay publishing it will depend on your target customers and your support strategy. For example, if you can respond to the majority of visitor questions with generic information and your goal is to maximize self-help use, then delay, driving visitors to use self-help first. On the other hand, if many of your customers require custom treatment and you want the opportunity for personal contact, as with brokerage services, you may want to make phone numbers readily available.

   7. Start with Simple FAQs Answer the questions customers ask most often. Don't worry about trying to answer every possible question. Build your list from customer questions received via your customer reps, email, and keywords searched at your site. Organize the information into a standardized format, write clearly, and don't try to sell your customers anything. This is not the place and time. You can always provide navigation links to sales information. If the FAQs are long, add an easy to use index or search function.

   8. Give It to Them Straight Make sure the information you provide avoids jargon and terms they would need to search elsewhere to find. Leverage the technologies available with HTML to provide definitions via rollovers to help customers get the information they need faster.

   9. More than Just the FAQs Expand on your FAQs by providing images and interactivity. Imagine how much easier it would be to show pictures detailing a car battery installation or a bicycle assembly, rather than explaining it with words alone. Involving the user through interactivity improves learning and results in a more positive experience, which means they'll use self-help again.

   10. Get Them Talking Get customers to search and answer questions themselves via a discussion board. Harvest information from the boards for your FAQs.

   11. e-Mail with Caution Use e-mail, but be sure you have the resources to respond in a timely and effective manner. If you set up the expectation that it takes too long to get a response, customers are going to lose confidence in the service and not use it again. Be careful about using automated email responders as well. If customers have to wait and still don't get the specific help they need, the best you can hope for is frustrated customers. More likely you'll end up paying for this lapse in customer service in the form of phone support and lost future sales.

   12. Survey Says Let customers tell you what they need. It's the best way to make improvements to your online customer support. Ask a few simple follow-up questions through an online survey, but keep it short and simple. Respect your customers' time.

   ###

   Publishing Guidelines: You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

   About the Author:

   Robbin Block is President of PictureSez, Inc., which gives companies an easy way to enrich their websites with picture-based, online customer support. Whether for how-to instructions or FAQ's, our browser-based authoring tool allows you to 'show' your customers what to do-- without any programming. Visit http://www.picturesez.com or mailto:rblock@picturesez.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Effective Ways To Handle Complaints And Keep Customers Happy
   Thursday, June 5, 2008

   Writen by Richard Jarman
   
   

   Our DSL service was supposed to be up and running a couple of days after we moved into our new house. Three weeks later, I was still trying to figure out what had gone wrong. I spent hours on the phone, waiting for people to "look up my account" and "talk to their supervisor." Turns out, someone had mysteriously cancelled my order. How did that happen? No one knew, but everyone I spoke to was "very sorry for your inconvenience," and assured me he "would get to the bottom of this and get it resolved." To this day, I have no idea what happened, or why it took so long to get my complaint resolved.

   After spending nearly a month on the phone, getting bounced from one department to another, our DSL service miraculously appeared! Several days later, I received a call from my provider, the first time they had called me. A recorded voice said that the provider hoped my service was working well, and to let them know if I had any questions about my service.

   Maybe multi-billion dollar telecommunications companies can get away with mishandling customer complaints. Most businesses can't. In fact, a recent study showed that the second most frequently stated reasons customers leave a company is that the company didn't handle their complaints well. (The company's disinterest in its customers came in first, but that's the next article.)

   Another study says that it costs five times more to reach a new customer that to keep a current one. So it makes sense that we can increase profits by keeping customers happy with better complaint handling. It's never easy to hear that your shipping department messed up, or that one of your widgets is defective. But every complaint is a turning point for your company and that customer. Handle it right and the customer becomes one of your biggest fans, spreading the word about your superior customer service. Handle it badly and they may leave, and most likely they will tell everyone they know how terrible you are.

   How can you turn customer complaints into an opportunity for your company to shine? Here are a few tips:

   1) Fix the problem quickly. Often it doesn't really matter that you get to the root of what happened, especially if it delays solving the problem for the customer. Find out what's wrong, rectify it, then figure out what happened. Your customer will appreciate the customer-first approach.

   2) Apologize without qualification. Never use "I'm sorry, but…" As in, "I'm sorry, but UPS must have broken it," or, I'm sorry, but maybe you didn't use the part correctly." Most customers aren't that concerned with the internal workings that caused a mistake. They want an apology and a solution. Your company should be prepared with both.

   3) Empower your employees to fix problems. Few things are more irritating than being put on hold while someone finds a supervisor, the only one who is authorized to resolve customer complaints. Great companies empower everyone who deals with customers to solve problems. 4) Returned products are a silent form of complaint. If a customer returns a product, something is wrong. Your company needs to find out what happened. Were they confused about what to order? Was the product defective? Did their needs change? Was the product more expensive than they realized? Whatever the problem, you can only help them solve it if you find out what it is!

   5) Encourage complaints. Many times, an unhappy customer doesn't let you know. They may not want to hurt your feelings. They may feel that nothing good will come from complaining. Your company needs to make it clear that you want to hear when your customers aren't happy. Make sure that all of your people tune in to hear even the slightest bit of dissatisfaction from your customers.

   6) Develop a "no-fault" culture within your company. Your people will not want to solve a customer's problem if they believe someone will be punished for making a mistake. Instead, adopt the attitude that accidents happen, and the company cares more about making customers happy than chastising people who make mistakes.

   7) Follow up! It's so easy to make sure the complaining customer is now satisfied. But very few companies take time to do it. A personal touch is best: a phone call, or a handwritten note will do wonders for your company's reputation. I'm not a fan of pre-recorded phone messages. They seem really cold and distant to me. But, I'll leave that up to you.

   Taking care of an angry customer is not a lot of fun. But, it can be very profitable. Any company that implements these 7 tips will find that many of their biggest complainers turn into their most vocal fans!

   Richard Jarman is a business writer specializing in marketing and communications. He's a great choice for any business that needs materials that connect with their audience. To find out how he can help your business grow, go to his web site: http://www.jarmanbusinesswriting.com. Sign up today for The Next Step, a semi-monthly ezine that features articles and tips designed to take your business on the next step to where you want to be. When you subscribe, you'll receive the mini-report, "7 Keys to Becoming a Customer-Focused Company."

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   What Is Rons Website Really For
   

   Writen by Ron Kaufman
   
   

   I decided to upgrade my website and contacted four developers to get opinions and quotations. What an unsettling experience!

   The first developer spoke at length about the need to set up 'links, links, links!' to every other service quality, professional speaking, teambuilding and corporate training site on the Net. He was convinced that 'no site is an island' and offered to 'link, link, link!' and then send out 'spam, spam, spam!' in order to get more traffic to the site.

   An interesting point of view, although I am not sure about all that 'spamming'. I moved to the second developer.

   'Your site has got to be sticky!', she enthused. 'It's not enough to get visitors to come. You've got to keep them coming back! Get your visitors to complete a questionnaire explaining who they are, what they do, where they live and what's really important in their lives,' she explained. 'Then build a restricted area for members only. And issue each member a special password allowing them restricted access to limited domains.'

   Restricted areas are not quite my style…and this highly individualized approach would certainly add a layer of complexity. Still, the range of ideas she offered was indeed intriguing.

   On to developer number three where the name of their game is 'e-commerce'. An intensive tutorial updated me to the possibilities (and complexities) of e-commerce. Secure servers. Encryption. Online credit card processing. Integrated inventory and shipping functions. EDI with real-time links the banks.

   You can buy many video-based learning systems at the Ron Kaufman website, so the need for e-commerce solutions is real. But how enhanced should that solution be? And how soon? And, by the way, how much does it cost? Hmmm…good questions.

   The fourth developer was the most graphically oriented, promoting animations and 'shocked' presentations: moving images, spinning objects and very little text. They were clear in their minds that my entire site needed a visual overhaul of substantial proportion.

   I explained that all Ron Kaufman presentation materials share the same visual identity. Brochures, workbooks, video programs and even the website have a common graphic 'look'…carefully created and developed over the years.

   'So if you Internet folks make a dramatic change to the look of the entire website,' I started…'Exactly,' they jumped in with excitement, 'then all the other materials will have to be changed, too!' Not quite what I had in mind.

   Each of the developers were deeply enamored of their own expertise. Each was eager to 'sell' me on the importance (nay, necessity!) of implementing their solutions. Though several queried me later for a list of my specifications, none began the conversation with a keen intent to explore what I wanted to achieve at the website.

   
   Key Learning Point
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   Sometimes we become so expert in our own professions we forget that clients may be less familiar with the domain. Think about being a patient in a hospital. Don't you appreciate the effort to educate you and set you at ease as much as the medicine provided? What about a visit to the car mechanic or the accountant? Isn't having a background of trust and confidence as important as having the right work done?
   Action Steps
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   Invest the time and effort, upfront, to build your rapport with prospects and customers on their terms. Don't just leap in with your bold (and possibly brilliant) recommendations. Explore thoroughly first. Suggest solutions later.

   Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed educator and motivator for partnerships and quality customer service. He is author of the bestselling "UP Your Service!" and founder of "UP Your Service College". Visit http://www.UpYourService.com for more such Customer Service articles, subscribe to his Newsletter, or to buy his bestselling Books, Videos, Audio CDs on Customer Service from his secure Online Store. You can also watch Ron live or listen to him at http://www.RonKaufman.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   First Words Make Or Break First Impressions
   Wednesday, June 4, 2008

   Writen by Scott Ginsberg
   
   

   "Next!"
   "Checking in…?"
   "Here or To-Go?"
   

   Isn't it frustrating when those are the first words that come out of a front line employee's mouth? As if they didn't want to take the time, or couldn't care less about offering a friendly, approachable greeting to the customer. Meanwhile, the next guy waiting in line thinks to himself, "Gee, thanks for the warm welcome. Nice first impression."

   SAD BUT TRUE FACT: the first impression window is narrowing.

   I've been thinking a lot about this social trend since I was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on the topic. The reporter and I discussed this "window," and I mentioned my research on hundreds of books on first impressions.

   MY THEORY: As years go by, we seem to have less and less time to make a first impression.

   Consider these numbers:

   •In the 80's and 90's, NLP authors like Nicholas Boothman claimed you only had 90 seconds to make a first impression

   •By the time the new millennium hit, you only had four seconds, according to hundreds of articles

   •In 2005, Malcom Gladwell's bestselling book Blink explained that people made first impressions in TWO seconds

   •This year, an article from The BBC quoted a study which explained that Internet surfers form an impression "in one 20th of a second of viewing a webpage"

   It kind of makes you wonder: as technology accelerates and as time goes on, will people eventually have ZERO seconds to make a first impression?

   Ok, just kidding.

   But think back to the guy waiting in line at the counter: if employees only have a few seconds to make a first impression anyway, why would the first words out of their mouths be so unfriendly?

   I used to work at the Ritz Carlton. We were trained to eliminate the word "Hello" from our vocabulary. It was always "Good morning!" or "Welcome in!"

   What ever happened to phraseology like that? Have we become so rushed, so programmed, so unfriendly, so unapproachable and so robotic that we can't sincerely take the time to offer a customer a warm welcome?

   Nevertheless, the following list of substitute phrases will make the first words out of your mouth UNFORGETTABLE:

   Instead of "Next," try:

   •"Step right up!"
   •"Come on down!" (that one's for you, Bob Barker)
   •"Don't be shy!"
   

   Instead of "Checking in?" try:

   •"You finally made it!"
   •"Welcome to paradise!"
   •"Everyone's been waiting for you!"
   

   Now, if you have a standard protocol for greetings, that's understandable. You don't want to piss of your boss. On the other hand, if you say, "Step right up," and your customer starts laughing before he even begins the transaction, I seriously doubt your boss will say, "Johnson! Stick with the script!"

   Look, these phrases work. I've used them thousands of times in my retail, food and guest service experience, and customers love them. They're funny. They're memorable. Most of all, they're different. And that's the whole point: not only to give your customers a brief encounter or experience that's both friendly AND memorable; but also to communicate in a way so others can't help but pay attention to and remember you.

   After all, if you only have two seconds anyway, you may as well have a little fun!

   © 2006 All Rights Reserved. Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker, "The World's Foremost Expert on Nametags" and the author of HELLO my name is Scott and The Power of Approachability. He helps people MAXIMIZE their personal and professional approachability - one conversation at a time. To book Scott for your next association meeting, conference or corporate event, contact Front Porch Productions at 314/878-5419 or http://www.hellomynameisscott.com.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Make Em Laugh Customer Service
   

   Writen by Don Doman
   
   

   "It was almost like a game," said Amtrak ticket clerk Shawn. "I'd single out individuals I thought I could sell business class to over coach. They'd ask what the difference was and I'd tell them. You get more room, you get early boarding, you get a $3.00 coupon for the Bistro Car, AND more importantly, you get our respect. I acted really deadpan sincere when I said respect. They always laughed."

   Shawn was using humor to provide customer service, "I could have simply ignored selling the higher-priced tickets, but I got a kick out of seeing the customers laugh. I don't recall anyone not buying the upgrade after I gave my little sales pitch."

   Shawn was selective. He didn't try up-selling on everyone. "The people I asked were people who I thought would have a use for Business Class travel," Shawn revealed. He probably had a knack for recognizing people that had a good sense of humor as well.

   Humor and laughter are great aspects of customer service. When people are laughing they're having a good time. If people equate fun with your service, that's fantastic.

   Reggie Wilson drives a bus for Seattle Transit. It could be a thankless job filled with stress, time pressures and difficult customers. So, why does he love it? And, why would busy people actually wait for him to serve them? Because Reggie makes his customers smile!

   Reggie's bus becomes his stage as he performs for his customers. He uses a combination of bad jokes, childish songs, and a sign that says, "Smile!" Reggie says, "There are days I don't feel like smiling or putting up the smile sign, but I have to make a choice about where I want to be with my attitude." It works for him and it works for the people that make a point of riding his bus.

   SunShower Learning produced a customer service training video called Smile! The training video highlights how Reggie uses humor to deliver great customer service.

   "SMILE! Shows how positive attitudes can be the primary factor in every customer service interaction – for the sake of the customer AND, most importantly, for your own quality of life."
   - Ad copy on the jacket of the Smile! Customer Service Training Video

   The video has some great shots of people riding the bus, Reggie greeting them, and everyone laughing and having a good time.

   "Buzzy" is another person who knows about humor. His employer started issuing name tags to their employees, Buzzy decided to choose a nickname, rather than his own. "I figured, who could ever get mad at someone named Buzzy," he smiled. "People almost always ask about my name. They ask if that's my real name. I tell them no, my real name is Sparky."

   Does humor always work? No, nothing works 100%, but it's good to have the odds in your favor and humor helps those odds. Buzzy says, "I once had a customer come back the day after a customer service incident. He came up to me and apologized. I was shocked. I had never seen that happen before. I doubt if he would have done it if my name were Michael, or Tom. I had leveled with him the day before and kept my cool." People just expect to like Buzzy and they do. Would Buzzy lie?

   Being in a good humor and staying in a good humor is part of the job of customer service. We want people to enjoy their experiences with us. When things go right, it's outstanding. When things go wrong, good humor and attitude can get us over the rough spots.

   Author Don Doman: Don is a published author of books for small business, corporate video producer, and owner of Ideas and Training (http://www.ideasandtraining.com), which provides business training products. Don also owns Human Resources Radio (http://www.humanresourcesradio.com), which provides business training programs and previews 24-hours a day.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   What Every Manager Should Know About How To Win The Loyalty Of Customers
   Tuesday, June 3, 2008

   Writen by Etienne Gibbs
   
   

   Dr. Michael LeBoeuf, in his cassette album entitled, Win Customers and Keep Them for Life presents twelve principles that will transform the workplace into a customer-driven, highly motivational team. Dr. LeBoeuf's program goes like this:

   1. Make a positive first impression.

   2. Help customers buy what's right for them.

   3. Ask the right questions to keep them coming back.

   4. Develop an appreciation of customer loyalty.

   5. Understand customers and their buying behavior.

   6. Use realistic expectations to turn angry customers into loyal ones.

   7. Go the extra mile to help the indecisive customer.

   8. Overcome obstacles by turning their buying signals into sales.

   9. Reward the customer when he buys and when he refuses to buy.

   10. Turn complaints into dollars and frowns into smiles.

   11. Keep the spotlight on the customer.

   12. Develop and implement a quality customer service action plan.

   Apply these twelve principles to your customer service program and watch your customers start coming back again and again.

   Remember: When you maximize your potential, everyone wins. When you don't, we all lose.

   © Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

   PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in ezines, newsletters, and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required. Contact him at: executiveandgroup-consulting@yahoo.com when you use this article.

   Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts lectures, seminars, webinars, and writes articles on his theme: "... helping you maximize your potential." He offers management, marketing, and parenting resources at his Maximizing Your Potential blog.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Customer Service Is A Huge Part Of Success
   Monday, June 2, 2008

   Writen by Angela Green
   
   

   I know some of you are thinking... duh! But, I have been working from home for about 7 years and it still amazes me how many companies slack on their Customer Service duties. I have worked for a few Direct Sales companies as well as owing my own business. I still have much to learn about running a business, but I do know that you have to please your customer in order for them to return. Of all the Direct Sales companies I've been with, the main problem seems to be slow shipping. Of course, it depends on what is being sold. However, when a customer has to wait over a month for the products they've ordered, it is almost guaranteed that they will not order again. An example is Soy Candles. This type of candles has to have time to cure unlike paraffin candles. Therefore, it could take at least two weeks before they are ready to be shipped out. Or if you are selling handmade items it could take a while to complete the item if it is not pre-made. The first thing you should do for your customers is to let them know a time frame as to when they should expect to receive their items.

   Another thing you must remember is that the customer is always right. If they are not happy with their purchase and customer service they will not recommend you to another potential customer. If you ship an item that is broken, missing, not received, etc. you must take care of the problem promptly. The first thing I would do is offer to replace the item. If they would like a refund, by all means, refund their money. You can even offer them some type of discount or free item to help build their trust.

   When a customer places an order you should always write them a little note to thank them for their order and to let them know that you will notify them when their item(s) have been shipped. When you ship items with USPS always get a Delivery Confirmation number just in case the item does get lost. This way you can contact the Post Office to figure out where your package went. Forward the Confirmation number to your customer. If you use UPS or any other shipping company that has some sort of tracking, always forward that information to your customer also. Or at least give them an exact date that their item will be delivered (if shipping via UPS). Never say an item was shipped on a certain day when you didn't ship it.

   If there is a delay in shipping their products, notify the customer. It is always best to keep the customer updated on the progress rather than have them sit and wonder what is going on.

   The most important thing to remember when it comes to Customer Service is to be honest, trustworthy and upfront. Communication is key. You want to gain the trust of your customer in order for them to return and to recommend your business to others. The customer is ALWAYS right!!

   Angela Green is a stay at home mom and the owner of Angela's Gift Nook where she offers many affordable items including Soy Candles, Bath and Body Products, Photo Frames, Oven Towel Dresses, Custom Painted Signs and many other handmade items. Visit her website at http://www.angelasgiftnook.com

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Crossselling Its About Connecting With Customers
   

   Writen by Terence Traut
   
   

   What do TiVo®, XM Radio®, and the Do-Not-Call List have in common? They represent the collective voice of the prospective saying, "leave me alone; do not annoy me with commercials and other direct solicitations for products and services."

   According to research we conducted in our white paper entitled, Effectively Using Cross-Selling and Up-Selling to Increase Revenue AND Customer Service :

   • Over 70% of Personal Video Recorder (PVR) users skip through television commercials (and Yankee Group estimates that fully half of US households will have this technology in four years! (1))

   • Satellite radio has eight million customers and expected to double to over 19 million subscribers by 2007. (2)

   • Over 100 million people have signed up for the Do-Not-Call list, with severe penalties to companies violating the law (in December, 2005, DIRECTV was slapped with a $5.3 MILLION penalty for Do Not Call violations).

   • Return rates for the types of outbound marketing and advertising efforts listed above have fallen below 3%. (3)

   Consumers are clear in their directive to us: stop the bombardment of irrelevant, ill-timed advertising.

   It's not that consumers have stopped consuming. On the contrary, they are buying; for example, consumers spent over $20 trillion dollars on household goods and services in 2003, four times what they spent in 1960 according to The Worldwatch Institute. (4)

   As a result of the lackluster results of outbound marketing and the increasingly limited reach of traditional advertising, more and more companies are looking to optimize opportunities in inbound customer calls and use service reps to take advantage of ongoing contacts with customers to position additional products or services.

   With 2.1 million customer service representatives in the US (5) handling billions of customer calls annually, inbound customer service calls provide a huge opportunity for cross-selling – if done successfully.

   The Key is Connecting with the Customer

   Consumers are willing to purchase additional products or services from customer service representatives. In a 2004 Forum Corporation survey of 1,624 world-wide respondents – averaging 43 years old and with an annual family income of $56,000 – it was found that:

   • 88% of customers value service reps who suggest alternative products or services that better meet their needs.

   • 73% are interested in learning about new products or services the company is promoting.

   • 61% tend to ask service reps about these products or services.

   • 42% said they purchased additional products or services "sometimes" or "frequently". (6)

   The Forum survey found that consumers are most likely to buy when the customer service rep:

   • Focuses on the customer's needs instead of pushing a product.

   • Solves the customer's problem first, before talking about additional products or services.

   • Describes how the products or services will benefit the customer. (7)

   Conversely, when a customer service representative didn't seem to pay attention to customer needs (i.e., used a script, continued to sell after the customer said "no", or pushed products that were not useful to the customer), customers were not only unlikely to buy, but became highly irritated. (8)

   Cross-Selling Training

   Most companies train their customer service representatives to ask questions to solve problems. Transitioning to sales is extending those existing skills, since selling is really nothing more than good problem-solving. At the same time, cross-selling skills can be unique and can be as foreign to customer service reps as another language.

   In order to effectively cross-sell through the service channel, start with an assessment of current abilities and compare them to cross-selling competencies. When working with clients to increase sales through their service channel, we at Entelechy start with the following list of cross-selling competencies and customize where needed.

   An employee skilled at cross-selling:

   • Views cross-selling as an extension of customer service and a way to solve customer problems.

   • While addressing the reason for the customer call, listens and identifies clues to additional customer needs.

   • Successfully addresses the customer's original reason for the call before discussing additional products or services.

   • Uses checkbacks to ensure that issues have been addressed, messages understood, and actions agreed to appropriately throughout the call.

   • Throughout the call, listens for clues that may identify the caller's predisposition for cross-selling (both in terms of product/service need AND in terms of receptivity).

   • Successfully transitions to cross-selling by asking questions to investigate and/or clarify additional customer needs identified during the call.

   • Matches appropriate products/services to meet specific customer needs.

   • Positions the customer benefits of these products/services in terms and tone that demonstrate helpfulness to the customer.

   • Ends discussion of additional products/services if the customer objects.

   • Recognizes buying signals.

   • Closes the sale by asking for confirmation by the customer.

   Training must provide demonstrations of these skills in action. Charlie Gargaly, customer service master trainer at Entelechy is adamant that the training show the skills being applied by THESE reps in THEIR environment: "Generic training doesn't work here. Customer service reps need to see 'one of their own' successfully demonstrating the skills." Gargaly recommends using video to capture vignettes of real reps demonstrating the specific skills; use the videos in training to demonstrate and discuss the skills. (For a list of customizable customer service modules from Entelechy, visit http://unlockit.com/TS-HPCS.htm.)

   Conclusions

   It's all about connecting with the customer. If your customer service reps ask questions and position products in the mode of solving customer problems, they'll make the customer feel taken care of and appreciated. When done right, cross-selling and upselling will do more than sell products; it can increase customer satisfaction and retention.

   1 "DVR/PVR Pave the Way to IPTV," Telephony, Dec 12, 2005, Vol. 246 Issue 24, Special section p2-3.

   2 "Satellite Radio," eMarketer, Nov 2005, http://www.emarketer.com/Report.aspx?radio_sat_jan06

   3 "The Elusive Prize Effective Cross Selling," Insurance and Technology Sept. 2005 http://www.insurancetech.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=170704148

   4 "The State of the World: Consumption by the Numbers," The Worldwatch Institute, 2004.

   5 Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-2007 edition, Customer Service Representatives, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos280.htm

   6 "How Customers View Cross-Selling," The Forum Corporation, 2004.

   7 Ibid.

   8 Ibid.

   Terence R. Traut is the president of Entelechy, Inc., a company that helps organizations unlock the potential of their people through customized training programs in the areas of sales, management, customer service, and training. Terence can be reached at 603-424-1237 or ttraut@unlockit.com. Download your free copy of Effectively Using Cross-Selling and Up-Selling to Increase Revenue AND Customer Service at http://www.unlockit.com/ts-hpcs.htm/ and increase the effectiveness of your cross selling efforts.

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

   Customer Service At A Hair Cut Shop
   Sunday, June 1, 2008

   Writen by Lance Winslow
   
   

   Giving great customer service at a low-cost hair cut place is not easy these days. Consider if you will the average family with unruly kids or Hispanic families with lots of kids and many with broken English. Consider the number of people with hair lice or who have questionable hygiene and all those with ADHD who will not sit still, while you are trying like heck to balance out their side burns or work around their cowlicks.

   It is just not easy these days dealing with the customers coming thru a low cut hair cut place. And then there are those folks who want a special designer haircut for $12 and cannot be satisfied no matter what you do. As if that was not enough the competition in that sector with all the franchises and other shops makes it tough to make a strong showing on the P & L each month and it is not as if the triple net lease property manager cares if you are making money or not.

   Of course the key to return customers and cash flow starts with your ability to deal with all these customers. If you can work to make these customers happy you will end up with the lions share of the business in the area. This makes customer service your top priority so next time you want to tell one of your hard to deal with customers where to go or where to stick it. Well, just remember this article and kill them with kindness. You will be glad you did.

   "Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

   posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

   
   

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