For Customer Service

Better Business Deals
Thursday, July 31, 2008

Writen by Robert Crawford III

1. Take time in making a purchase; pursue your search when salespeople are not on the lot. Try looking for a vehicle on a Sunday afternoon, late Saturday afternoon or even early Sunday morning. This will give you time to analyze prices, rebates and the type of vehicle you would like to purchase without any interruption. You have a clear thinking process at this time.

2. Know how much you are going to spend each month out of your budget for your new vehicle. Will you be able to afford a car note of $550 month? This should already be calculated before talking to any salesperson. Stand firm on what you can afford and do not be conversed into a vehicle you do not want or can not afford.

3. Be aware of information about price reduction such as how long the vehicle has been setting on the lot; you can see this information by opening the door and looking inside of the door panel. This will tell you when the vehicle arrived on the lot. The longer the vehicle sits the more they want to get rid of it. This could be a benefit tool for your negotiation process.

4. Look at the rebates carefully; you should obtain the good rebates as well as the dealer. For example: A cars' original price is $30,000. The MSRP=the manufacturing suggested retail price which is $27,500-this may be what the dealer paid for the car. Then there is a dealers' manufacturer rebate that the dealer also receives that they may not past onto you. This price may be for example $1,500.00. Now the price of the vehicle is down to $26,000. The dealer also is provided a benefit for moving a car fast (aggressive sales) in a particular time frame. This could be $500 to $1000 for them. You may not see this benefit either. Now you can negotiate on the price of $25,000 or $25,500. There is also a dealer cost which should be factored in at $500 to $1000. The dealers do not want you to know about this as well. So, the called true dealer price may be $24,500 to $25,000.

5. At this price you may make an offer of $24,500 to $25,500 on a $30,000 vehicle and may pay $4500 to $5000 less on this vehicle if your credit is good and it may be more. Remember they need to sale this car and you are in control not them. Always remember they need you more, their incomes depend on it. So use every analytical tool you have.

6. Negotiate the price of the car not the monthly payment; you will see the difference and this will work out for you long-term.

7. Get at least 3 or more quotes from other dealers on the particular model of choice. This will assist you in getting closer to your price.

8. Calculate your payment and look for hidden prices or interest hikes.

9. You do not need the extra, extra warranties for the paint job or other parts on your vehicle most of these are already covered. You can protect yourself with extended warranties but not all the mumbo jumbo the dealer is talking up.

10. In most cases you do not have to put down a down payment even if your credit is marginal. The dealer still makes money on you depending on several variables encoded in the contract you sign so be careful. So keep your cash in your pocket if at all cost.

11. Try to purchase your vehicle during the closing of the fiscal year, generally around October, the dealers are trying to get rid of old stock to purchase new stock and you could benefit from this.

12. Finally, you can search www.CarInfo.com or other Websites for more tips and information on purchasing and beating the dealers at their own game.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Consistent Communication
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Writen by Sandy Geroux

Clear communication is great; consistent communication is better

Many experts focus on good communication, reminding us to communicate well, be clear and succinct, "don't waste people's time!" However, an even bigger, often overlooked, factor in business is LACK of communication.

Consider the following situation:

I recently had a problem with my health insurance. When I called my agent, he had lost my file and couldn't answer my question, then became confused over whether or not I had the coverage in question. He said he'd check on it, only to leave me hanging for weeks without a response, despite numerous calls and requests for return calls or e-mails (to help eliminate phone tag).

When I met an agent from another agency that also handles my health insurance provider's policies, I explained the situation and asked him to have someone call me, intending to switch companies and use them. I later discovered that he did pass my name on to a colleague who handles health insurance (since he did not).

A week-and-a-half went by with no call. Now frustrated by the new company, I called my own agency again. When my agent wasn't there, I asked to speak with someone else – and got the President of the company, who is now handling my problem personally.

After I'd re-contacted my current company, I received a call from the new agent, who explained that I hadn't received a return call because "she'd been out sick the previous week" (by this time, half of the current week had also gone by). Since I thought she'd either forgotten about me or didn't have time for me (and had gone back to my old agency by then), our opportunity to work together had passed.

A conversation with a respected colleague caused me to ask myself, "Uh-oh, am I being intolerant?"

The bigger - and more important - question is whether or not the new business person had lost the opportunity for new business by allowing a potentially "intolerant" attitude to be fostered, when it could have been nipped in the bud – and actually converted into a very tolerant one – with a simple phone call. If she had simply called me (or asked someone else to call me) to say:

"I'm so sorry – you've called at a time when I'm (or she's) out sick [or I've just gotten back from being out sick, or I'm in the middle of a big situation that needs resolving – or almost anything at all!]. May I call you back in a couple of days when I can catch my breath and serve you properly?" Would I have understood? Of course! Would I have been more inclined to cut her some slack? Absolutely (I've been there, too!) Would it have cut off the thoughts/feelings that I was either being ignored, forgotten or wasn't important to them? Yes. Would it have given her time to both handle more urgent matters AND gain new business? Yes.

In an effort to continually improve our service, we must ask ourselves: How do our customers feel when we don't answer their calls in a timely manner? Even if we know the status of a customer's situation and know that we're working on getting it resolved, if we haven't called to tell the customer (often for days or weeks at a time), do they know it? Don't our customers deserve not to be "left in the dark"? Wouldn't it help to call, even if we don't have a full answer yet, or just to say, "I'm waiting for an answer from someone else and haven't received it yet – but I wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten about you"? Would it further help to tell them it may be a few more days before we can get back to them with an answer? Why would we want to give our customers any chance at all to "build up negative scenarios" in their own minds, when timely contact (even if it contains nothing new!) could prevent that from happening? Are backup systems in place to handle customers and potential customers in case we're out for a period of time… even if it's just to call people to ask for more time until we return?

By keeping in touch, we let customers know:

They are important to us

We have not forgotten them

We are working hard to get their issues resolved

We are probably just as frustrated as they are (building commiseration and empathy from our customers; we're in this together!)

The nuances of customer service can be tricky to recognize and difficult to remember, especially when we're overloaded. But we must take advantage of every opportunity to differentiate ourselves and allow our customers to think, feel and say (to everyone they know), "Wow, when I worked with him/her, I never had to wonder what was going on. I was always kept in the loop, and always felt valued by that person."

We're all overloaded. And no one is perfect; no one knows that better than I (sigh!). We may not be able to give this level of service every time. But if we strive to learn and improve a little bit from every situation that arises, trying to do better at least sometimes, set expectations up front, then follow through with them, that's when we get the biggest bang for our customer service buck, and when we stop allowing overlooked nuances to create negative scenarios in our customers' minds (and subsequent actions).

Try this and watch your customer loyalty – as well as your business - soar!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Great Service Requires Great Acting

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I came across a passage in a book today that I want to share with you, especially if you're in customer service.

The writer was speaking about the power of concentration, that when we concentrate we become one with the object of thought and lose ourselves in it. He offered this example:

"The greatness of an actor lies in the fact that he forgets himself in the portrayal of his character, becoming so identified with it, that the audience is swayed by the realism of the performance."

Instantly, I knew this observation was accurate. What actors strive for is verisimilitude, what the Zen folks would call the "is-ness" and the "such-ness" of everyday life. Actors need to seem natural in their roles.

A natural performance isn't one that is spontaneous; it is contrived to seem spontaneous.

It isn't "sincere." It is the opposite. It is a lie, a deception. A person is pretending to be something he isn't.

A lot of effort is put into making the role seem genuine. It's art, because the art doesn't show.

If you ask many service reps about their success, they'll say their customers like them, that they have close, personal relationships with them.

This is a very agreeable illusion.

They SEEM to like each other, and this fiction enables relationships to be efficient.

But customers and the reps that serve them are locked into their roles. They're acting out a business script that has at its basis the exchanging of money, of tangible and measurable rewards.

If they were truly friends, they would be acting out a different script, still about reciprocity, but this time it might be exchanging news, jokes, affection, appreciation, and attention. The goal of a friendship generally isn't money, but "value" is still exchanged.

"Love" might be that state of mind or heart or communion where roles are allowed to drop, or stop, to relax, be challenged, or to be flexible. Ideally, in love we find a place where we can "be ourselves."

But in business, we aren't paid to be ourselves.

We're paid to be that always bright and cheerful helper who seems as if the most important thing in the world is the customer, that one customer with whom we're interacting at a given moment.

Once that person leaves the line or the store, our full attention is given to the next customer, and to the next.

We can never tire or show our true fatigue, because, as actors say: "The show must go on!"

When we're offstage, it's a different matter. Our true feelings can show.

What I'm saying is obvious to mature businesspeople, but it must be taught to each new generation of customer service folks.

Perhaps when we hire we should "cast" them, as the Disney people are fond of calling recruitment.

When they ask an associate to don the costume of "Goofy" or "Mickey" or "Snow White," they say your "role is to play" one of these characters.

It's considered "show business" from start to finish, no matter how humble your task seems to be. And if you're in costume you don't let anyone peek beneath your mask to see who you "really" are.

You're not the star; Snow White is.

So, how would a REAL actor approach the role of playing the best customer service rep in the world?

What would he or she say, sound like, and act like, performance after performance?

It is this ideal that customers will applaud, and it's also a performance they'll rave about and want to experience time and again.

Moreover, they'll be happy to keep buying tickets, and this enables us all to pay for wonderfully spontaneous, sincere, loving lives when we're offstage.

There's nothing Goofy about that!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Top 7 Things You Need To Know Before Speaking To Your Next Difficult Customer
Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Writen by Myra Golden

1. Anger precludes rationality. Angry customers simply cannot rationalize. This is because they are so wrapped up in the emotion of anger that everything you say is filtered through their emotions. Anger is an emotion and emotions are experienced in the right side of the brain. Rationalizing, problem solving, listening, and negotiating are all left-brain activities and your angry customer is stuck in the right side of the brain, and therefore cannot be expected to rationalize with you.

2. Anger must be acknowledged. It's not productive for you to ignore anger or tiptoe around it. There is something known as the communication chain. When people communicate, they expect the person or persons they are communicating with to respond or react…this response or reaction is a link in the communication chain. A failure to respond to communication leaves the communication chain unlinked…broken. For example, If I walk into my office and say... "Hello Sherry, how are you?" ....and she says absolutely nothing, she's broken the communication chain. And that leaves me feeling awkward, perhaps embarrassed.

If a customer expresses anger and we fail to respond to it, the communication chain is broken and the customer feels like they are not getting through, that you are not listening. So, the customer may speak louder to make his or her point. They might become even angrier and more difficult, as they are resorting to whatever it takes to feel heard and understood. You can keep your angry customers from getting angrier by acknowledging their anger and responding to it. You can respond to anger with a statement like, "Clearly you're upset and I want you to know that getting to the bottom of this is just as important to me as it is to you." This statement directly and professionally addresses anger – without- making the customer even angrier. Now that the anger has been acknowledged, you have completed the communication chain.

3. First, diffuse anger. Research has shown that an approach to problem solving that emphasizes anger diffusion first results in a lesser payout by the company. If you first work to diffuse anger and then move into problem solving, you will find that communication is much easier/because your customer is able to really listen to you. Problem resolution is now possible because your customer is calm and in the position to rationalize. Beginning the problem solving process before addressing and diffusing anger makes your job much harder because your customer is emotional and not able to fully rationalize. If you do attempt to solve the problem or negotiate, you will almost always have to offer more to satisfy the customer than you would if you had successfully first diffused anger.

Now that you know that anger precludes rationality and that anger has to be responded to, make sure you don't ignore the customer's expression of anger and that you always work to diffuse anger and create calm before beginning the problem resolution process. When you do this, you'll quickly find yourself responding to anger with much more ease and confidence.

4. The issue is not the issue. In conflict situations, the issue at hand is not usually the "real" issue. The way the issue is handled becomes the real issue. What really matters to customers is not the $2 overcharge or the fact their order for cranberry red paint is actually holly berry red. What does matter is how the company responds and resolves the issue. That becomes the real issue.

5. Ventilation is crucial. An Angry customer can be compared to an erupting volcano. When a volcano is erupting, there is nothing you can do about it. You can't speed up the eruption, you can't put a lid on it, and you cannot direct or redirect it…it must erupt. When a customer is angry, they must experience and express their anger…through venting. We should not interrupt them or tell them to "calm down." This would be as futile as trying to tame a volcano. A volcano erupts and eventually subsides. Your angry customer will vent and eventually calm down.

6. An apology works. An apology makes the angry customer feel heard and understood. It diffuses and anger and allows you to begin to re-establish trust. Not only that, but pilot studies have found that the mere act of apologizing has reduced lawsuits, settlement, and defense costs. You need to apologize to customers regardless of fault. Certainly, the apology needs to be carefully worded. Here's an example of a sincere, yet careful apology:

"Please accept my sincere and unreserved apology for any inconvenience this may have caused you."

7. You cannot win an argument with a customer. Certainly, you can prove your point and even have the last word. You may be right, but as far as changing your customer's mind is concerned, you will probably be just as futile as if YOU were wrong. Your goal in complaint situations is to retain the customer, not to be right. If you win the argument, you may very well have lost the customer. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

When you're dealing with angry customers, make sure you acknowledge their anger, allow the customer to vent, and carefully handle the issue with diplomacy and tact. When you do, you'll find that diffusing anger is much easier and you'll significantly reduce your stress level.

When you're dealing with angry customers, make sure you acknowledge their anger, allow the customer to vent, and carefully handle the issue with diplomacy and tact. When you do, you'll find that diffusing anger is much easier and you'll significantly reduce your stress level.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Automated Logistics
Monday, July 28, 2008

Writen by Michael Russell

In any type of business whether it be a daycare, or a billion dollar retail franchise, one thing is common throughout. In each business, the owner is delivering a product or service to a customer. Many companies focus solely on the value and profitability of the product itself. This is obviously important but it isn't the only thing that is important. How the product or service is delivered is also important. Whatever your company is selling should arrive to the customer on time, ready to use and in exactly the condition that you promised. This may seem like an obvious prerequisite to running a successful business and it is, but it can be much more difficult that it sounds. The process of delivering a service from the originator to the customer is sometimes tedious and sometimes nearly impossible. This is why any business of a reasonable size should have an automated logistical system.

The benefits of an automated logistical system are far too many too list here. First of all, as long the system is set up carefully, there is no chance of human error. A computer won't promise a customer a product will arrive in 2 hours when it is 5 hours from the customer's location. A second benefit is that an automated logistical system is much cheaper than having people monitor and make deliveries manually. For instance, if we take a large retail store such as Target or Wal-Mart, the benefit to them of using an automated logistical system is immeasurable. When any retail store decides to purchase items, it is done automatically. It saves them hundreds and maybe even thousands of dollars a day, to order it automatically then to have people physically go up and down the isles and the warehouses checking if there is any of a particular product left and then calling a supplier on the phone and speaking the names of all the products that are needed. Even the smallest companies use automated logistical systems. These systems aren't always extremely sophisticated but they are still automated. If a smaller company only makes a few sales of a particular product, it will still have designed a program that allows an automated order to be sent to its supplier for the product to be replenished. Doing saves time and money that will be wasted manually ordering everything and will eliminate mistakes. Automated logistical systems are beginning to be the norm in today's business world and that will continue to be the case. This will make small companies become more competitive and will eliminate wasted excess inventory and employees spending their valuable (and expensive) time doing work that could be easily done by an automated system.

Automating logistics is a very important part of a company's growth. Using an automated system is much more efficient than doing the work manually and is part of the evolution of a company from a start-up to a successful corporation. Automated logistics will cause less employment but in the long run will cause companies to be more efficient and will lower prices.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Case Study Customer Service And Customer Surveys

Writen by Lance Winslow

Customer Service and Customer Surveys are a very interesting topic and it is amazing how much you can learn that you may not have even known about your own business by doing surveys. For instance iRobot makes those little vacuum cleaners for the house and they are indeed cool little tricky gadgets and the hottest item in personal tech in a long time.

The corporation iRobot had customer surveys to ask people what they liked, disliked and what they could do to improve it. Well, some of these surveys came back with bizarre notations. You see kids were buying them and using them for parts to make robots from robotic competitions?

On the section; “How do you rate its sucking power?” which the iRobot team cared very much about people left it blank? Some people said they bought it to entertain their dog or cat while they were away, others sent back pictures of their cat riding around on it or a dog toy that they glued to the top of it.

Well how did the company respond? Just like it should have, it thanked everyone for their surveys and asked them what they could do better. Now you can buy a special edition iRobot, which you can take apart and use for parts. And they have considered painting their vacuums like giant mice for the cats to chase around. Customer surveys work, if you use them right. Please consider all this in 2006.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Turning Indecisive Prospects Into Satisfied Customers
Sunday, July 27, 2008

Writen by Ritchie Hale

Even when people desire what you have to offer and want to say yes, fear can cause them to flee from the buying decision. The reason people don't buy or that they come to that buying decision and walk away, is that they don't want to make a mistake.

If in your proposition you take that risk away from the customer, many more customers will be saying "yes". Once they try your product, and it performs as you say, most customers will keep that product and continue buying again and again. So removing the risk from the purchasing decision will dramatically improve your sales by providing more customers, potentially bigger transactions and a higher frequency of purchase.

So how do you overcome the purchasing risk? One way is to simply assume the risk yourself so that the customer is able to complete the buying decision without any worry at all.

You know, for instance, that your product will provide a minimum level of service/performance, so guarantee it. In this way you assist the customer in making that buying decision by eliminating the possibility of them making a mistake – you reverse the risk so you carry it. If you're not prepared to guarantee your product to your customers, should you be selling your product in the first place?

It is necessary to understand that there are essentially five different types of risk that the customer faces when dealing with a purchase. What you want to develop is a proposition (a risk reversal guarantee) that deals with all of these types:

1. Monetary Risk

2. Functional Risk

3. Physical Risk

4. Social Risk

5. Psychological Risk

In order to address these risks correctly look at your products and define what the risks are from the customer's perspective. Then develop a risk reversal proposition which eliminates those risks. Indicate this with statements that specify the result they will get and what you will do if they do not achieve this outcome.

The implementation of a risk reversal does not necessarily mean ¨I'll give you your money back." This is such a common guarantee that it really doesn't hold much credibility with the customer. Most buyers expect guarantees so you need to offer one that is superior to the run of the mill.

A much more effective proposition is to support a customer in the execution of the product. So you will engage directly with them, you will provide additional services and capability to assist them in achieving the outcome with the product.

Who would you buy from? The vendor that was able to assure you he was going to provide you a high level of service or the one who said "If it doesn't work, bring it back and I'll give you your money back".

Customers are searching for solutions to problems and it is important that you provide that solution and indicate to them that you will help them get the best out of the product showing that you care about the outcome for your customer. This type of guarantee will make you look favourable in the eyes of undecided customers.

When dealing with customers coming to a buying decision, you need to be clear about the proposition you are offering, but you also want to handle that buying decision and the risk the customer is assuming.

Applying a risk reversal principal will turn indecisive prospects into satisfied customers.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Cpa What Are Your Clients Saying About You
Saturday, July 26, 2008

Writen by Dina Beach Lynch, Esq.

Do they think you add value? Do they say you care enough about their business? Do they see you as part of their team? If the answer is maybe, or you don't know the answer, it's time to make some changes.

Last June the Association of Accounting Marketing held a panel discussion with CEOs to see just what they liked and didn't like about their CPA firm. The results aren't surprising but they do serve as a very big reminder that building close relationships with clients is the key to success.

Here are a few of their comments. (to read more visit Golden Practices, penned by professional services marketing guru, Michele Golden):

Be Proactive-Tell me before it's too late
Make my life easier- Share resources that improve my entire business
Tell us all you can do- Be a 'full service' team player
Stay in touch personally-Know me and what's important to me
Be collaborative- Treat my concerns in a holistic way that brings me the best results

Reading this list it's easy to see that clients crave deep, trusting relationships with their financial advisers. They want a helpmate who is attune to their interest, needs and goals and will keep them out of harms way.

How can you become a valued helpmate? Ask. Ask lots of questions, both about what life is like for them and about how they experience you as their adviser. Asking the following open-ended questions will demonstrate your commitment to quality service and assist you to create a unique bond with your client:

What's happening now that's keeping you up at night?
What's got you so excited you can't wait to get to the office? How's business?
What's preventing you from taking your company to the next level?

Who is your ideal client, and how can I help you do outreach?
What can I do to make you more successful?
Is there anything my firm is doing that you wish we'd stop?
Tell me about the best business experience you ever had?

Of course, the key is to be sincere and to follow up with more clarifying questions so the exchange turns into a mutually satisfying conversation. Before you know it, your clients will be saying you're the best!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Get Out Of The Ivory Tower

Writen by Ron Kaufman

Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits is a popular chain of more than 1,300 restaurants in 20 countries. They promote understanding between the people in head office and those in the restaurants with a range of vigorous and innovative programs.

In addition to a Customer Hotline and Mystery Shopper Program, they have a program called 'Getting In Touch'.

'Getting In Touch' helps staff from the Support Center (i.e. Corporate Headquarters) understand what day-to-day life is like in the restaurant. Support Center employees attend a two-day training session where they learn the basics of each restaurant station, including preparation, batter-frying, seasoning, counter and customer service.

They work at least one eight-hour shift in a restaurant each year, serving customers and spending time one-on-one with the Restaurant Manager.

Everyone at the Support Center gains hands-on appreciation for what happens in the restaurants every day. As a result, new programs, policies and procedures from the Support Center to restaurants in the field are appreciated, appropriate and effective.

Key Learning Point
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To understand their staff and customers, those who work in head office must also spend time in the field.

Action Steps
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Get your headquarters staff out of the Ivory Tower and into the trenches where real customer contact happens. And think carefully about what you call the Corporate Office. Popeye's calls theirs the Support Center. What do you call yours?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

10 Customer Service Quality Statements To Measure Up Against
Friday, July 25, 2008

Writen by Martin Haworth

It might sound quick and simple, to say how well your business does in satisfying it's customers. Hearing such as:-

"We're increasing our turnover by 14% year to date"

"Our customer complaints are now less than 4% or our transactions"
...might sound like music to your ears, but that's just the time you need to be very careful.

A regular measurement of where you are as your organisation, not depending on some of the easy-to-fake figures, might just make the difference in how well you are doing now, and into the future.

Try these quality statements and set up a mechanism whereby you review them monthly - yes, that's right, monthly. This needs to be thorough and objective. And maybe even the scores made by a cross- section of your people in all areas of your business - then you get objectivity and a true picture of how you are scoring. It is a great activity to score each of these out of 10, make a tracker month by month and each time you review, ask yourself the question:-

"What would we need to do to move our score up by 3 points"
Do it point by point and then, after you have that 3-point question, work out a monthly action plan, so that step-by-step, you gradually improve. (Note:- If you are too near a score out of 10 to have three points to go - upgrade your statement!).

Then and only then will your improvement be sustainable and you can reset the questions over time to a higher standard. Then you truly will be The Best in class!

The Quality Statements:-

1. We use a variety of staff to monitor customer service on a regular and consistent basis
   
   
2. We know and can clearly state our customer groups
   
   
3. We listen to customers about our products and proactively seek to redress issues
   
   
4. We notice and congratulate our people and teams when they perform well
   
   
5. Senior management are fully and visibly engaged in customer activities
   
   
6. Our people enjoy the challenge of changes
   
   
7. Our organisation and our people have aligned values
   
   
8. Our customers find working with us easy and pleasurable
   
   
9. We know how our people feel about working here and always respond to make it better
   
   
10. We have teams and individuals who can respond quickly to changes circumstances, whatever they are

Keep a track of these - visually represent it somewhere very publicly for your people. Involve many of your them in monitoring, finding solutions and taking accountability for change, where needed and your business, your people and you will thrive.

One final point. Starting is good, being able to demonstrate your success in 12 months is another thing - as is still doing this review at that time.

Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com. (Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)

...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Client Interaction Building Client Relationships

Writen by Kevin Augustine

Depending on your business and your job role, you may or may not have much direct client interaction. This article is aimed at people who have significant amounts of client interaction already or who have the possibility of having client interaction.

The Client. This simple phrase can turn some people's insides to jelly. Their knees begin to shake, and they start to get cold sweats. To some, it feels like the nice warm safety blanket has just been ripped away from them and now they are completely exposed. Client interactions can be nerve wracking, but it doesn't have to be so. In fact, you should look at it this way: every client experience is a new chance to further strengthen your relationship with the client.

There are many ways to build a strong client relationship. A good starting point is to work on the little things. For example, be punctual. If you have a meeting with your client at 10:00, be there at 9:55. It never hurts to be a little early, and although it doesn't seem like it, this is one of those little things that will really stick out in the clients mind. This is especially true if your client is usually a busy person, as their time will be at a premium. Busy people appreciate contacts who they can count on to be on time, as they probably have a tight schedule for the rest of the day.

Another good idea is to dress to either the clients standards, or your company's standards, whichever one is more formal. If you work in a business casual workplace (which more and more people do), and your client is business formal, dress business formal when you have meetings with them, regardless of the location of the meeting (either at your office or theirs). If you are going to be doing professional work for your client, for which they are probably paying a good amount of money, you have to look the part. This will make the client feel more confident that you can get the job done for them, and get it done right. With the number of businesses who operate a casual work environment growing, standing out as well dressed can be a big bonus for you.

Furthermore, having informal meetings outside of your formal meetings with the client can really help your status as their trusted advisor. For example, say you are in their office for something else, if you can, stop by their cube or office and see how they are doing. Even if it ends up being just 5 minutes of small talk, it goes a long way for your standing in the clients eyes. Better yet, you might get some information that was not shared in the formal meeting that can even further help you serve their business needs. It also might help you to learn more details about their business, which also helps you to provide service to them better, and possibly explore new areas that you can help them with.

One word of caution: be careful that you don't become too casual with client, remember they are still the client. I'll say it again, at the end of the day, they are still the client. It is very easy to slip across that line if your not careful. This can lead to disaster, so make sure that you always keep in the back of your mind that THEY ARE THE CLIENT.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Cheesecake Of Tomorrow
Thursday, July 24, 2008

Writen by Ron Kaufman

At an elegant resort in Mauritius, the dessert menu was rather sparse. One customer asked the waiter for 'The Special Dessert of Today'.

The waiter returned from the kitchen and reported flatly, 'We only have the cheesecake of tomorrow.'

Nonplussed, the customer asked for further explanation.

'The Special of Today is sold out,' the waiter explained, 'We only have the cheesecake of tomorrow.'

'Well, can I have a piece of the cheesecake of tomorrow?' asked the guest.

'I suppose so,' replied the waiter, and brought this customer a piece of tomorrow's cheesecake – today.

Key Learning Point
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What staff members say to your customers reveals a lot about how they are trained and what they consider to be possible, or important.

Action Steps
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Use a mystery shopper (or be a mystery shopper). Visit your business in person and over the phone. Listen carefully to how your staff reply when asked a series of routine, unusual and penetrating questions. Train them to focus on customers' needs, not on policies, dates and procedures. Create satisfied customers today, or those customers may go elsewhere tomorrow.

YOU MAY USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR FREE NEWSLETTER OR YOUR WEB SITE as long as you include this complete statement:

Copyright, Ron Kaufman. Used with permission

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

And The Difference Is Attitude

Writen by Larry Galler

I returned a rental car at an airport yesterday. As the person who was going to check me in approached, he smiled (which shocked me) and said, "Hello Mr. Galler," which shocked me further as I don't have a clue how he knew my name – obviously there was some way of identifying my car, and therefore me, at a distance. "How was your trip; was everything OK with your car?" he inquired in a friendly, personal tone. "Everything was fine I replied" "Great – I hope we'll see you back soon. There is some bottled water in the cooler over there for you" he said as he directed me towards the shuttle bus to the terminal.

As I made my way out of the facility, two more staffers greeted me, not in the impersonal manner of an automaton, but as if they really cared whether I had a good experience with their product, that they sincerely wanted me to return.

As I sat on the shuttle bus I considered my experience. Their product and price is about the same as their competitors. Why should I choose one car rental company over another? Simple, their attitude!

They impressed me with their attitude – one of caring service, friendliness, helpfulness, and respectful courtesy. I noticed that corporate attitude on a trip over a year ago and have used this company a number of times since. I will continue to use them when I need to rent a car assuming they continue their wonderful attitude and competitive value.

Where does that attitude come from? It must be intentional, starting with top management. Certainly it doesn't come from each individual employee because I have observed the same attitude at other branches of the company and I have seen an opposite attitude at many other competing companies. That positive, friendly, helpful attitude has to come right from the top. They intentionally hire people who can express that attitude, they train them to deliver that attitude, and that attitude is shown at branches throughout their system. Customer loyalty based on their service and their attitude is growing the company. Your company can do the same if your management starts with an intentional attitude that makes the difference.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service Gems Quotsure Ill Be Happy To Help You With Thatquot
Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

You've received one of these proliferating offers for cheap money offered by your charge card issuer, and you want to find out how much you're really going to pay in interest and balance transfer fees.

So, you phone the number on the back of the card, and finally, after deftly negotiating the phone tree like a monkey, you're speaking with a human being.

She announces herself, asks how she can help you, and you mention you have a question.

"Ok," she replies, in a flat tone of voice.

You feel as if you've interrupted her. She's not there for you, she's in this call only for herself.

But she hasn't overtly insulted you, or said she's unwilling or unable to help, but that's the distinct impression you got from her reply.

With a simple, neutral word, she made you feel unwelcome, and definitely uncomfortable.

This shouldn't happen, should it? But it does, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of times a day. Careless reps, that are allowed to casually script their own conversations, alienate customers without knowing it, and their trainers, monitors, and managers don't detect their flaws.

There is a better way.

Customer service, technical support, and other help desk entities should adopt call paths for assuring that reps sound ready, willing, and able to help those who call in.

One of the best lines, one that I have refined for this purpose, is what I call, "The Promise of Help."

After a client mentions what she wants, or asks a question, reps are trained to say:

"Sure, I'll be happy to help you with that." This is to be said right away.

It signals that the rep is right on the mark, poised and prepared to help, and in the right mood to help. It says, you're going to get the answer you need, and I'm going to enjoy giving it to you.

I live for this stuff!

This line has been tested and proven in tens of millions of calls. It delights customers while putting them at ease. And it elevates the standard of customer care in one simple sentence.

In a word, it's a gem.

In future articles, I'll discuss the voice inflections that should accompany this line, and other elements of the customer service call path.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Business To Business Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Writen by John Coldwell

The basic concept of business-to-business CRM is often described as allowing the larger business to be as responsive to the needs of its customer as a small business. In the early days of CRM this became translated from "responsive" to "reactive". Successful larger businesses recognise that they need to be pro-active in finding [listening to] the views, concerns, needs and levels of satisfaction from their customers. Paper-based surveys, such as those left in hotel bedrooms, tend to have a low response rate and are usually completed by customers who have a grievance. Telephone-based interviews are often influenced by the Cassandra phenomenon. Face-to-face interviews are expensive and can be led by the interviewer.

INTRODUCTION

CRM is based on the premise that, by having a better understanding of the customers' needs and desires we can keep them longer and sell more to them.

InfoQuest performed a statistical analysis of Customer Satisfaction data encompassing the findings of over 20,000 customer surveys conducted in 40 countries by InfoQuest.

The conclusions of the study were: -

A Totally Satisfied Customer contributes 2.6 times as much revenue to a company as a Somewhat Satisfied Customer.

A Totally Satisfied Customer contributes 14 times as much revenue as a Somewhat Dissatisfied Customer.

A Totally Dissatisfied Customer decreases revenue at a rate equal to 1.8 times what a Totally Satisfied Customer contributes to a business.

Consider the following situations…

A large, international hotel chain wanted to attract more business travellers. They decided to conduct a customer satisfaction survey to find out what they needed to improve their services for this type of guest. A written survey was placed in each room and guests were asked to fill it out. However, when the survey period was complete, the hotel found that the only people who had filled in the surveys were children and their grandparents!

WHY?

Business travellers don't have the time or the interest in participating in this kind of survey!

A large manufacturing company conducted the first year of what was designed to be an annual customer satisfaction survey. The first year, the satisfaction score was 94%. The second year, with the same basic survey topics, but using another survey vendor, the satisfaction score dropped to 64%. Ironically, at the same time, their overall revenues doubled!

WHY?

The questions were simpler and phrased differently.  The order of the questions was different.   The format of the survey was different.  The targeted respondents were at a different management level.  The Overall Satisfaction question was placed at the end of the survey.

Although all customer satisfaction surveys are used for gathering peoples' opinions, survey designs vary dramatically in length, content and format. Analysis techniques may utilize a wide variety of charts, graphs and narrative interpretations. Companies often use a survey to test their business strategies, and many base their entire business plan upon their survey's results. BUT…troubling questions often emerge.

Are the results always accurate?   …Sometimes accurate?   …At all accurate?   Are there "hidden pockets of customer discontent" that a survey overlooks?  Can the survey information be trusted enough to take major action with confidence?

As the examples above show, different survey designs, methodologies and population characteristics will dramatically alter the results of a survey. Therefore, it behoves a company to make absolutely certain that their survey process is accurate enough to generate a true representation of their customers' opinions. Failing to do so, there is no way the company can use the results for precise action planning.

The characteristics of a survey's design, and the data collection methodologies employed to conduct the survey, require careful forethought to ensure comprehensive, accurate, and correct results. The discussion on the next page summarizes several key "rules of thumb" that must be adhered to if a survey is to become a company's most valued strategic business tool.

QUESTION TYPES

Survey questions should be categorized into three types:

Overall Satisfaction question – "How satisfied are you overall with XYZ Company?"

Key Attributes – satisfaction with key areas of business, e.g. Sales, Marketing, Operations, etc.

Drill Down – satisfaction with issues that are unique to each attribute, and upon which action may be taken to directly remedy that Key Attribute's issues.

The Overall Satisfaction question is placed at the end of the survey so that its answer will be affected by a more in depth thinking, allowing respondents to have first considered answers to other questions.

o QUESTION DESIGN

A survey, if constructed properly, will yield a wealth of information. The following design elements should be taken into account:

First, the survey must be kept to a reasonable length. Over 60 questions in a written survey will become tiring. Anything over 8-12 questions begins taxing the patience of participants in a phone survey.

Second, the questions should utilize simple sentences with short words.

Third, questions should ask for an opinion on only one topic at a time. For example, the question, "how satisfied are you with our products and services?" cannot be effectively answered because a respondent may have conflicting opinions on products versus services.

Fourth, superlatives such as "excellent" or "very" should not be used in questions. Such words tend to lead a respondent toward an opinion.

Fifth, "feel good" questions yield subjective answers on which little specific action can be taken. For example, the question "how do you feel about XYZ company's industry position?" produces responses that are of no practical value in terms of improving an operation.

o THE PERILS OF PAPER

Though the fill-in-the-dots format is one of the most common types of survey, there are significant flaws, which can discredit the results. For example, all prior answers are visible, which leads to comparisons with current questions, undermining candour. Second, some respondents subconsciously tend to look for symmetry in their responses and become guided by the pattern of their responses, not their true feelings. Third, because paper surveys are typically categorized into topic sections, a respondent is more apt to fill down a column of dots within a category while giving little consideration to each question. Some INTERNET surveys, constructed in the same "dots" format, often lead to the same tendencies, particularly if inconvenient sideways scrolling is necessary to answer a question.

In a survey conducted by Xerox Corporation, over one third of all responses were discarded because the participants had clearly run down the columns in each category rather than carefully considering each question.

o TELEPHONE SURVEYS Though a telephone survey yields a more accurate response than a paper survey, they may also have inherent flaws that impede quality results, such as:

First, when a respondent's identity is clearly known, concern over the possibility of being challenged or confronted with negative responses at a later date produces a strong positive bias in their replies (the so-called "Cassandra Phenomenon".)

Second, studies have shown that people become friendlier as a conversation grows longer, thus influencing question responses.

Third, human nature says that people like to be liked. Therefore, gender biases, accents, perceived intelligence, or compassion all influence responses. Similarly, senior management egos often emerge when trying to convey their wisdom.

Fourth, telephone surveys are intrusive on a senior manager's time. An unannounced phone call may create an initial negative impression of the survey. Many respondents may be partially focused on the clock instead of the questions. Optimum responses are dependent upon a respondents' clear mind and free time, two things that senior management often lacks. In a recent multi-national survey where targeted respondents were offered the choice of a phone or other methods, ALL chose the other methods.

Taking precautionary steps, such as keeping the survey brief and using only highly-trained callers who minimize idle conversation, will help minimize the aforementioned issues, but will not eliminate them.

o THE NEED FOR A HIGH RESPONSE RATE

The objective of a survey is to capture a representative cross-section of opinions throughout a group of people. Unfortunately, unless a majority of the people participate, two factors will influence the results:

First, negative people tend to answer a survey more often than positive because human nature encourages "venting" negative emotions. A low response rate will generally produce more negative results (see drawing).

Second, a smaller percentage of a population is less representative of the whole. For example, if 12 people are asked to take a survey and 25% respond, then the opinions of the other nine people are unknown and may be entirely different. However, if 75% respond, then only three opinions are unknown. The other nine will be more likely to represent the opinions of the whole group. One can assume that the higher the response rate, the more accurate the snap-shot of opinions.

o THE ACCURACY OF TERMS

Totally Satisfied vs. Very Satisfied ……Debates have raged over the scales used to depict levels of customer satisfaction. In recent years, however, studies have definitively proven that a "totally satisfied" customer is between 3 and 10 times more likely to initiate a repurchase, and that measuring this "top-box" category is significantly more precise than any other means. Moreover, surveys which measure percentages of "totally satisfied" customers instead of the traditional sum of "very satisfied" and "somewhat satisfied," provide a much more accurate indicator of business growth.

Other Scale issues…..There are other rules of thumb that may be used to ensure more valuable results:

Many surveys offer a "neutral" choice on a five-point scale for those who might not want to answer a question, or for those who are unable to make a decision. This "bail-out" option decreases the quantity of opinions, thus diminishing the survey's validity. Surveys that use "insufficient information," as a more definitive middle-box choice persuade a respondent to make a decision, unless they simply have too little knowledge to answer the question.

Scales of 1-10 (or 1-100%) are perceived differently between age groups. Individuals who were schooled using a percentage grading system often consider a 59% to be "flunking." These deep-rooted tendencies often skew different peoples' perceptions of survey results.

o SOME ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

There are a few additional details that can enhance the overall polish of a survey. While a survey should be an exercise in communications excellence, the experience of taking a survey should also be positive for the respondent, as well as valuable for the survey sponsor.

First, People – Those responsible for acting upon issues revealed in the survey should be fully engaged in the survey development process. A "team leader" should be responsible for ensuring that all pertinent business categories are included (up to 10 is ideal), and that designated individuals take responsibility for responding to the results for each Key Attribute.

Second, Respondent Validation – Once the names of potential survey respondents have been selected, they are individually called and "invited" to participate. This step ensures the person is willing to take the survey, and elicits an agreement to do so, thus enhancing the response rate. It also ensures the person's name, title, and address are correct, an area in which inaccuracies are commonplace.

Third, Questions – Open-ended questions are generally best avoided in favour of simple, concise, one subject questions. The questions should also be randomised, mixing up the topics, forcing the respondent to be continually thinking about a different subject, and not building upon an answer from the previous question. Finally, questions should be presented in positive tones, which not only helps maintain an objective and uniform attitude while answering the survey questions, but allows for uniform interpretation of the results.

Fourth, Results – Each respondent receives a synopsis of the survey results, either in writing or - preferably - in person. By offering at the outset to share the results of the survey with each respondent, interest is generated in the process, the response rate increases, and the company is left with a standing invitation to come back to the customer later and close the communication loop. Not only does that provide a means of dealing and exploring identified issues on a personal level, but it often increases an individual's willingness to participate in later surveys.

o AND FINALLY

A well structured customer satisfaction survey can provide a wealth of invaluable market intelligence that human nature will not otherwise allow access to. Properly done, it can be a means of establishing performance benchmarks, measuring improvement over time, building individual customer relationships, identifying customers at risk of loss, and improving overall customer satisfaction, loyalty and revenues. If a company is not careful, however, it can become a source of misguided direction, wrong decisions and wasted money.

InfoQuest Customer Relationship Management Limited, based in the U.K., has an international network that conducts comprehensive customer and employee satisfaction surveys, using such pioneering techniques as the ConSensor Survey Device, Neural Network Analysis (ProfitMaxsm), and our proprietary Revenue Index. InfoQuest has delivered over 70,000 surveys in 52 countries in 20 languages. It is seen by its customers as being the most cost-effective, efficient and actionable business-to-business customer satisfaction survey technique available.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Top Speaker Says 1960s Rhetoric Prevents Us From Really Satisfying Customers

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I just happened upon an article that entices us to speak about customer transactions as "experiences."

Suddenly, I feel I'm emerging from a time capsule, back to the 1960's (most of which really happened in the 70's according to people who were there.)

Everybody is barefoot, dangling love beads, and singing "If you come to San Francisco, wear a flower in your hair!"

I'm a little uptight, in my London tailored suit, custom shirt and way too conservative necktie.

This doesn't go unnoticed by the hippie chick that has been giving me the eye; or is she really scowling? I can't tell; maybe it's this funny Kool-Aid they gave me when I sat on the grass…

(Is my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth?)

Anyway, she says, "Relax, man; just groove behind THE EXPERIENCE!"

Wow, suddenly, I kid you not, that rock group starts playing that song from The Jimi Hendrix EXPERIENCE!

Coincidence?

I don't think so, man, like everything is this groovy EXPERIENCE!

Like, man, like have you ever EXPERIENCED anything like that!

Customer service has been invaded by throwbacks from the psychedelic, Peter Max, paisley painted, VW Microbus universe.

Their rhetoric is ridiculous because it disserves our understanding. They speak of "customer relationships" as if we're courting, sparking, marrying, and divorcing people who are buying light bulbs and widgets from us.

Wrong, we're exchanging value for value, and it's not like LOVE, MAN!

It's about THE MONEY!

These are commercial transactions, first, last, and always.

So, can we just drop off these relics who use 60's-speak as if it were real, and get on with the business of the 21st century?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service Tips Is Your Business A Leaky Bucket
Monday, July 21, 2008

Writen by Thomas Murrell

Customer service and customer service training are vital for any business.

But, is your business a leaky bucket?

This is a question I always ask small business owners who attend my marketing seminars.

The reason I ask is because many businesses are so focused on attracting new customers they forget about retaining and providing good customer service to their existing clients.

Many are also unable to quickly identify who their most profitable customers are.

In the leaky bucket example we have two businesses in the same industry. Both businesses attract 10 per cent new customers each year. Not a bad effort considering the increasingly crowded and competitive industry they operate in.

Business number one has a 95 per cent retention rate and 5 per cent slippage, while business number two has a 90 per cent retention rate and 10 per cent loss of customers.

Not bad figures to have, but after 14 years business number one has doubled in size and business number two has stayed the same size.

This business is just treading water because it suffers from a 'leaky bucket' with too many customers slipping through the holes in the bottom of the bucket.

Much of this is due to poor customer service. And they don't even know it!

For example, the research shows a typical business does not hear from 96 per cent of unhappy customers.

For every complaint there are 26 others with the same problem and the average person with a problem tells 9 or 10 others. Thirteen per cent will tell more than 20 people.

So that is the cold hard reality of poor customer service.

But it is not all bad. If complaints are resolved those people tell 5 people and it is usually a positive message.

For example, complainers are more likely to do business with that company again compared to non-complainers, and this rate goes to 95 per cent customer retention if the complaint is dealt with quickly.

Everyone makes mistakes, the key is to learn from those mistakes and act on them quickly and you will have even more loyal customers.

Keeping your customers happy will help fill the holes in your leaky bucket and lead to a more profitable and successful business.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Tips On Dealing With An Upset Customer
Sunday, July 20, 2008

Writen by Charles Carter

From time-to-time you will come face-to-face with a customer that isn't happy with your service.

At this point, resolution and customer happiness should become your approach to diffuse the situation. Here are a few tips when dealing with an "upset" customer.

1. It's not personal.

Though it may seem that the customer is attacking you, remember – 'it's not personal.' The situation is what is at issue. If you take the customers complaint personally, matters are sure to get worse before they get better.

2. It's your responsibility.

We are all team players and share in the triumphs and failures of customer service. Do not assign blame or pass the customer off to another team member.

3. Listen and design.

Listen closely to the customers' complaint and repeat the complaint back to the customer. This process will allow you to design a solution to the customers' complaint.

4. Apologize and Acknowledge.

Apologize for the customers' inconvenience. Acknowledge and show genuine concern for the customers' situation.

5. Do not get into a yelling match.

For starters, you'll lose and your company will lose. When the customers' temper gets the best of him/her, keep your demeanor calm and purposeful.

6. Offer Options.

The easiest way to appease a customer is to offer options to the customer. When possible allow the customer to pick the solution that they fell is appropriate

7. It's all about timing.

Time is a very valuable resource to you and your customer. When the solution is agreed upon set a timetable for delivery. If you must leave the customers presence, inform the customer when you will return.

8. Finally, Follow up.

Verify with the customer that the situation was resolved. Apologize for the inconvenience, and offer your service or services in the future.

Article by Charles Carter www.cs2communications.com

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service Are You Being Served
Saturday, July 19, 2008

Writen by Neal Burgis, Ph.D.

Where has customer service gone? It used to be that if you wanted information about a product or service, you simply contacted the company. Today, contacting a company by phone is more difficult. Sometimes you need to go through a myriad of pushing numbers to get to the department that may be able to help you. Or you get to someone who speaks English with a heavy accent. Some companies do not have telephone contact information at all – you need to try to navigate through their web site to contact them.

Those of you born before the baby boomers and yes, even those of us born in the baby boomer generation, remember the days when customer service actually meant something worthwhile. I realize that times change, but with today's technology, has customer service become an afterthought? Previously when you called a company, you actually got a real person. Today, you have to listen to a company's entire recorded menu, frustratingly pushing number after number on your phone pad until you narrow things down to the category in which you're interested. In many cases, these menus do not have a button to match your inquiry.

All you want is to talk to a real person to get help with the question you have about the product or service you are in the process of purchasing. Instead, you get put on hold, or are asked to push buttons that do not give you the specific or similar area or inquiry with which you need help. Some companies give you a runaround and you may talk to three to five "customer service" people before you get to the area you need to be. Then, you get hung up on. That frustrates you more with that company.

Accordingly, Americans have raised customer complaints to a true art form. Consumers hang up way before reaching the department they seek. Shoppers have walked out of stores because of terrible service. And yet store managers and company executives do not understand the reasons their businesses are losing market share. The warning to retailers is that fifth-rate service will continue to drive customers away. Most companies do not track customers' buying behaviors. They need to identify what influences the customer's decision to purchase from them or to go elsewhere to shop. It is important to know that word-of mouth by consumers can have a profound effect on a business. People tell their friends about how excellent, good, or poor a store or even a restaurant is. How is your business' word-of mouth referral? Is it keeping you in business or are customers/patrons going to your competition?

But businesses see things differently from the consumer. Some customers believe they get a dose of good manners when they shop in a few select stores. I have seen some businesses fold after short periods of time because the service is that poor that all I heard have been complaints regarding them.

About 40 percent of customers believe they feel they are treated as a "low life." As a matter of fact, one particular financial firm lost my business because I came into their office in jeans and no one came over to me. I took my business elsewhere. Years ago, my mother worked at a high-end jewelry store where an older man and his wife dressed in old looking clothes came in. None of the other sales people waited on them because of the way they were dressed. My mother helped them purchase sterling silver items for thousands of dollars. The man was a physician and it was his day off. Every year for the next eight years, this couple twice a year made an appointment to make sure my mother would help them when they came to that store. Who do you think got the commissions on those sales? The person with the best customer service, in this case, my mother.

According to some surveys within the past two years, some 80% of the nation's companies still have not figured out how to do a good job getting customers the assistance they need.

While using the internet, some 35% of all e-mail inquiries to companies are not answered, even within the time period mentioned by the company auto responder e-mails. About 25% never get a response at all.

According to a national phone survey by Customer Care Measurement & Consulting about one in three customers mentioned that they have raised their voices at customer service representatives who they do reach on the phone or find at the store because these individuals either cannot help with the problem/issue and will not get anyone else to help, or because when they repeat back to the caller what the issue is, it is clear that they are not understanding what the caller is asking.

I understand that companies want to stay competitive and reduce their customer service costs by outsourcing, but when companies out-sources services to people who either you can hardly understand or they cannot understand what you are asking them, customer service is null and void. Essentially, the customer service does not exist.

Saying "thank you" or "let me find out for you" is a basic courtesy, and is only the beginning of customer service. Companies need to understand that if you want my business and loyalty, I want customer service. There is a saying: "Treat me the way I want to be treated, not the way you think I should be treated."

If you who are reading this article and run a business, you should understand the frustration customers have and do something to bring customer service back to where people will rave about what you do for them. And if you reading this article as a consumer, you can let businesses know about the reason(s) customer service was not given to you when you visited or called. Yes, the customer service of yesteryear is gone. But that is no reason that it can't be replaced with customer service that not only keeps up with the times, but keeps the customer.

Note: While writing this article, some companies who have been losing market share in various business industries, are now considering bringing their customer service call centers back to the United States. Whether or not this will raise their level of customer service remains to be seen.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Dont Worry Bad Service Isnt Going Out Of Style
Friday, July 18, 2008

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

When you're a customer service consultant and coach, it's just one of the standard nightmares you have.

Suddenly, every company in the world gets the message and they all start monitoring, measuring and managing their customer service efforts. Even the most hard-bitten street vendors and ballpark peanut hurlers become gentle lambs, nuzzling and comforting us as they never did before.

Then, happily, you're jolted back to reality, as I was today, entering a taxi at the Las Vegas airport. I thought this ride was going to be, at worst, routine. I gave the address to the driver, which is Wynn Road. I assumed it is well known; named after Steve Wynn, whose hotels, past, present and future are sprinkled everywhere in this desert oasis.

I also hinted to the cabbie that the place was near two major intersections. To me, that level of specificity is as good as a global positioning printout, but not to my driver.

He grunted, "I'm not sure where that is."

Next, he started handing me a Thomas Guide and asked, "You wanna look it up?

My golly, Captain Kirk, who am I; Mr. Sulu, your navigator?

I snapped back, "That's not my job!"

He snickered, and found a way of fingering through his own guide en route to get us to my destination.

I know that today's companies are trying to offer self-service and claim it is the real thing. They implore us to visit their web sites, to use telephone automation, too, so they don't have to supply real human assistance.

But are cabbies taking a page out of the goliaths' playbooks?

It can only give you hope if your career consists of reforming customer-insensitive behavior. As long as nature continues to produce oafs like this one, my living is secure!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman © 2006

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service Speaker Says You Have An Impossible Job
Thursday, July 17, 2008

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I was waiting for a space in a busy supermarket parking lot this afternoon, and thinking I waited my turn, I started guiding the car into a spot.

A burly guy with a safety vest and mop of unruly hair started to yell at me, saying some other car was first in line. He had no way of knowing that because there are two entrances, and he was manning only one.

I came in the other way, out of his field of view, and I had been waiting patiently.

Anyway, lucky for us, two spots opened at nearly the same time, he relented, and I completed the parking job I had initiated.

As I passed him on the way in I said, in the kindest voice I could summon, "You should hand out numbers—really!" and he replied, "Right."

To free up the parking spot as quickly as possible, I shopped hastily, returned to the lot, and said as I was approaching my car: "You have an impossible job!"

He nodded, apparently relieved I was being civil, and replied, "Thank you for your empathy!"

We waved as I departed, and peace reigned on Earth once more.

Some customer service folks are asked to do impossible jobs. His is emblematic of them.

If he pleases one customer, he displeases another.

It is never a win + win proposition for him, because he almost always seems to be favoring one over another.

Anyway, seeing how magical that line is, "You have an impossible job," I suggest you use it the next time you see someone in his sort of bind.

Not only will it be appreciated, but you'll reduce tensions, and the next time he sees you, well, you'll just have to forgive him if he lets you go first!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

You Have Two Ears And One Mouth For A Reason Listen To Your Customers

Writen by Michael Mould

Everybody that has something to sell is eager to tell the world all about it. All too often, they do not take the time to listen to customer input, which can have a profound impact on the success of the product or service being sold. Whatever you have to sell may seem the greatest thing since indoor plumbing to you, but if it is missing key elements that your customers expect, it is not likely to sell very well.

Back in the early 1990's, the Boeing Company decided to make some radical changes in how they designed and built their airplanes by involving their customers in the design process. The first product developed along these lines was the 777. Back then; I was assigned to the Flight Test Instrumentation crew responsible for the instrumentation and data collection to support the program. I had the additional privilege of working on the very first 777 to fly, WA001. It seemed that everywhere we went, we were followed by a film crew - maybe because we were. BBC did a documentary of the entire test program and we were regularly visited by VIP's from all over the world representing various airline customers. They did not come to see what we came up with when we built the 777 because they already knew all about it; they were a big part of the design. They came to see the success of a collective effort.

The process of involving customers in the definition and design of the 777 has made it one of the most successful airplanes in aviation history. It did not happen because Boeing arbitrarily built something their customers liked, it happened because Boeing listened to their customers and built an airplane that met the needs of their customers.

This is not a philosophy that is restricted to large companies, you can use it too. I did, and it has resulted in some very happy customers. In my case, I had published a book that my customers really liked, but they wanted a way to continue a dialog to help them establish their own businesses. This led me to publishing a blog on my website, but I wanted to share some information with my customers without posting it for the world on my website. The next logical step seemed to be a newsletter to my customers that went out monthly. This too was a hit, but it was very time consuming for me and I wasn't getting enough customer input and really wanted a means for them to share their experiences, ask questions, and in general interact with each other.

I do not want to convey that a newsletter is not a good thing, it was really appreciated by my customers, but did not allow them to interact with each other and this was something that several of them expressed an interest in doing. Then a really strange thing happened, I listened to what my customers were telling me they wanted and the solution provided a great way to satisfy everyone - start a restricted access forum.

Why restricted? Because I wanted to be able to share information with my customers that would help them in their businesses without sharing it with the world. I also wanted them to feel comfortable posting things in the forum without concern of harassment or intimidation that even I experienced in some other forums.

Since launching the forum, I have been told many times how much it is appreciated and how useful my customers are finding it. The concept was not something I pulled out of the air, it was the result of a direct question from one of my customers that asked, "Have you ever considered hosting a forum so that I can chat with other booksellers and we can learn from each other too?"

If your sales are not meeting your expectations, then instead of continuing down the same path that got you where you are right now, take some time and listen to your customers to find out what they want or need. It might not have an immediate effect on your sales campaign, but it will most likely have a positive long-term effect.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Why Your Clients Are Buying From Someone Else And What You Can Do About It
Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Writen by Lori Saitz

Have you ever wondered why a client would come to you for your services one time and then next time go to someone else? It's a frustrating situation. You spend lots of time, energy and money to bring in new clients, only to have them defect to your competition shortly thereafter. There are a few common reasons why you might face this challenge. There are also several ways to rectify it. As you read this list, keep an open mind and be honest with yourself. Have you ever given clients a reason to think…

Another Company is Easier to Work With. If someone is ready to give you his business, it seems the least you could do for him is make it easy to work with you. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a store, with my wallet in hand, and no one around to ring up my purchase. Or have you ever called a business to ask a question or place an order by phone and been put in the cue with a recorded message, "you are caller number 17, your approximate wait time is greater than 10 minutes, please stay on the line." This actually happened to me this week and once I got a live person, she said she needed to transfer me to someone else. Guess what? I got put back into another cue as caller number 14. When that person answered and announced she was going to put me in touch with a third person, I told her that if I had to hold again, I was taking my business to another company. Her response? "Oh, I'm so sorry, please hold." Grrr! Look at the processes your business uses to collect information and deliver your product or service. Is it easy for the client or just easier for you?

Your Competition is Cheaper. Many times clients are looking for the cheapest price, but more often they're looking for the best value. An important part of your job is to show clients how valuable what you offer is and why it's worth the price you charge for it. When someone recognizes the value of what you provide, she will not leave you because of price. Remember last week when I talked about my insurance company, USAA? I know I could pay less somewhere else, but the service USAA provides is worth more to me. Evaluate all the ways you let your clients know the value of working with you. Just for your own clarification, make a list of your distinctive characteristics that contribute added worth and justify your price.

Someone Else is Paying More Attention. Almost everyone likes it when someone pays attention to him. Occasionally though, we get complacent with our clients (and maybe our significant others?) and after a while we aren't as attentive as we were in the beginning of the relationship. This creates an ideal opportunity for a competitor to come in and steal your client's "affection." Checking in and communicating regularly with your clients helps them feel more connected to you. It shows them that you still appreciate them, even after the first, tenth, hundredth transaction. Plus, you get an opportunity to learn if their needs are evolving and how you can continue serving them. Which leads me to the next point…

A Rival Business is Solving Problems Better. Doctors aren't the only ones who need excellent diagnostic skills. Once again, it's not necessarily a case of what you offer, but how you position what you offer. If you're able to hear what the client's problem is and provide a solution more accurately than "the other guy," your client will continue buying from your business. I've had plenty of experience with auto care places that have misdiagnosed my car's ailments. I kept trying different companies. It was very exciting when I found my current mechanic because he is so far superior to all his competitors when it comes to knowing what is wrong with cars. He knows what questions to ask and how to find and fix the problems. I'll never go anywhere else because he's also proactive in forecasting potential problems that keep me from being stranded on the side of the road on my way to an important meeting. Ask more questions, even when you think you know the answers. Get clarification on everything to make sure you're all on the same page. You know the saying about what happens when you assume, right?

Out of Sight, Out of Mind. This one is a case of giving clients a reason NOT to think. You might believe that if a client does business with you once or twice, and loved your service, she would automatically come back again. In reality, people are busy and, while this may be hard to accept, your business and service are not necessarily at the top of their minds. Consistent communication is the only way to make sure you have a place in a client's consciousness. Use ezines, mailings, letters, cards, newsletters, newspaper articles, radio spots, TV interviews, etc. as ways to help ensure you're remembered.

Now that you're aware of these challenges and know the steps to take care of them, you'll keep more clients coming back to you. Another good thing about these hazards is that they're also reasons for other people's clients to leave them and come to you!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Making The Connection Customer Relationships That Build Your Business

Writen by Kathy Gulrich

Have you ever wondered why you often find a coupon tucked inside your cereal box, or get invited to a customer preview sale at your favorite department store? Those companies know that their existing customers are the best - and most profitable - customers they'll ever have. So it's not surprising that they'll do whatever they can to keep these customers happy and coming back again and again.

Believe it or not, the same concept holds true for your art career. While you don't want to ignore potential customers, you'll find that when you pay a little more attention to the customers and collectors you already have, it will really pay off - in increased sales and profits for your art business. The following 10 practical strategies will get you started.

1 - Understand how and why your customers buy art

Put yourself in your customers' shoes. What's in it for them when they purchase your art? Maybe they feel great about owning a piece of original artwork. Or they're happy to support an emerging artist. Perhaps they're looking forward to showing their new painting to friends. Start listening to your customers and asking questions, and you'll learn a lot - fast.

Don't underestimate the power of being an art collector yourself. You'll know firsthand how your collectors feel when they purchase your work, and you'll be a great role model for them. Even better, you'll be supporting other artists.

2 - Make the first purchase a fabulous experience

When you sell a piece of artwork, remember that it's also an exciting event for your customers. So let them be excited about their purchase. Accept any compliments graciously. Then share something personal that lets them know that you're excited about the sale, too. Tell them how the sale is meaningful to you: It's your first; your first to someone in New Jersey; your first in this series, or your last one like this. A positive connection now can pay off for years to come.

3 - Be businesslike in everything you do

Treat your art as a business, and treat your customers in a businesslike manner. Be meticulous about meeting deadlines and keeping appointments. Always provide the materials or information you promised - complete, and on time. And remember to thank your collectors personally when they attend one of your shows or support you in any way. A quick note or an e-mail will be appreciated, and remembered.

In addition, be businesslike when you price your artwork. Keep your pricing consistent: from the gallery to your studio, and from city to city. And stick to your prices no matter what; never discount your work.

Naturally, it makes sense to present yourself in a professional manner every time you show someone your work. That said, never try to be someone you're not. Let your personality come through, and you'll be the best businessperson you can be: you.

4 - Make it easy for your customers to purchase more of your work

I was at a friend's house recently and admired a beautiful hand-made journal she'd purchased at a local craft fair. Thinking it would make a perfect gift for another friend, I asked for the artist's name. When she didn't remember, we looked inside the journal and discovered the artist's name and phone number were nowhere to be found. The result? He or she lost a sale.

Put your contact information on everything that leaves your studio: letterhead, invitations, show announcements, note cards, etc. Affix a personalized label on the back of each painting that includes your name, plus your e-mail address or Web site.

And send your new collectors home with an "Artist Pack": a professional-looking folder with your business card, resume, artist statement, bio, articles about you and by you, and so on. Youíll be amazed at how often your customers will share it with their friends and associates.

5 - Ask for another sale

When liquid shampoo first came out, it gave consumers a convenient and easy way to wash their hair. "Lather and rinse," the label said. But shampoo sales really took off when just one word was added. Your shampoo bottle now says, "Lather, rinse, and repeat if desired."

Repeat sales can revolutionize your business, too. So display your work in your home and studio where visitors will see it. And when customers are making a purchase, be bold: Ask them if they'd like to purchase a second (or third) piece. Ask your collectors for referrals to another collector, or to a shop or gallery where they think your work might fit in. Or suggest a commissioned piece you'd like to do for them. The key here is to ask for the sale.

6 - Upgrade your customers

Another way to increase your income is to upgrade your customers to a more profitable product ("deluxe" shampoo for color treated hair, for example). It's really pretty easy, once you get the hang of it. Here are some upgrade ideas that have worked well for my clients:

• Encourage your customers who ordinarily buy giclee reproductions to purchase an original painting.

• Introduce your existing customers to some of your more expensive or larger pieces of art.

• If you have collectors who so far have bought only your sketches or drawings, suggest they purchase one of your paintings next time.

7 - Cross-sell your customers

Cross-selling is simply selling your customers something different from - but related to - what they're already buying. Think back to the shampoo example. Wouldn't it be relatively easy to cross-sell hair conditioner to someone who already uses shampoo?

Now take a look at your own artwork. Cross-selling might mean selling a piece of your pottery to one of your painting customers, selling a painting to one of your sculpture collectors, or suggesting your art note cards as an add-on sale when a customer stops by to pick up his pet portrait. Be imaginative, and you can increase both sales and profits.

8 - Get to know your customers and collectors

Remember that your customers are people first, customers second. Take your relationships beyond "business" and build personal relationships, as well. If appropriate, invite them to social gatherings, send a holiday card or drop them a postcard from your favorite vacation spot.

When you're chatting with your collectors, make it a habit to listen for important dates and occasions. Then remember their very special occasions with an artwork gift. Imagine having a small piece of your artwork forever connected in your collectors' minds with their 50th anniversary, the birth of their first child or grandchild, or their son's graduation from medical school. Sometimes a little goes a very long way.

9 - Let your customers get to know you - and your art

Don't you just love it when you get to watch another artist at work and see for yourself how they do what they do? You're not alone.

Almost all art collectors are curious about how you create. So it makes good business sense to find ways to share your process with them. You might invite them to an informal demo. Show them photographs of the location that inspired you. Or even let them try the process themselves. Take the time to show your customers what makes you and your art unique.

Customers who understand how you apply your paint, why you use those strange-looking long brushes, or how you get so many layers of color onto your canvas are not only educated about what you do - they're interested in what you do. And that will translate into more sales, and more referrals.

10 - Build strong, ongoing relationships with your collectors

Don't be shy about asking your customers for advice and input, whether it's on how you showcase or hang your work, or on new projects or techniques you're trying out. Do it one-on-one, or host a studio open house (notice I did not say "studio sale") to find out what they think.

And when you've just finished a new series or collection, or you're ready to hang a new gallery show, invite your best customers to your studio for a special preview of your new work. They'll love it.

Most importantly, be yourself with your customers and collectors. Yes, you may meet a collector or two who wants to be dazzled by art double-talk and rhetoric. Most collectors, however, will want to get to know the real you. They'll love hearing about your feelings about your artwork, some of your artistic quirks - and even some of the mistake youíve made.

Once customers and collectors really connect with you and your work, they'll be back for more. And that's good for every artist's business.

Best-selling author Kathy Gulrich helps clients get from idea, to action, to results - more quickly, and more easily - whether they're looking to write a book, develop a new product, or market their product or business. Clients love her direct, no-nonsense approach - and her gentle insistence on great results. Find out for yourself: Check out one of Kathy's teleclasses, or pick up a free worksheet, at http://www.smARTbusinessCoaching.com

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

More Is More Than Enough
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Writen by Ron Kaufman

During the holiday season, and in business generally, we can hear the pursuit of more: more money, more customers, more profits, more food, more clothing, more friends, more time, more more.

When is more, enough? Do you have enough air to breathe and food to eat? Enough space to live in and business to keep you busy for a while?

If you are reading this now, you've surely got enough in your life to give yourself an occasional rest, a break, a moment out of the persistent quest for more…a chance to really enjoy what you already have, which most of the time is quite enough.

This is not a call to discard ambition or quell your quest for greater goals. Rather, this is an invitation to enjoy a moment of relaxation where you are, calm in all that is, comfortable in all you have, and grateful for the chance just to be here.

That's enough.

YOU MAY USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR FREE NEWSLETTER OR YOUR WEB SITE as long as you include this complete statement:

Copyright, Ron Kaufman. Used with permission. Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed educator for quality service. He is author of the bestselling series "UP Your Service!" and founder of "UP Your Service College."

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

5 Easy Ways To Increase Your Business Using A Tollfree Number
Monday, July 14, 2008

Writen by Katherine Hansen

Toll-free numbers allow customers to contact your business without them having to pay for their call. Studies have shown that consumers are more likely to call a business with a toll-free number than those who only have a long-distance number, and 90% of Americans say that they use toll-free numbers. By following these five easy steps, you can discover for yourself how a toll-number can help your business grow.

1. Expand your market. Toll-free numbers allow you to use the same number for receiving local toll and state-to-state calls. This gives you the opportunity to market your business nationwide. Even if you don't provide service in certain areas, toll-free numbers have the flexibility to block calls from those areas.

2. Advertise your number. Toll-free numbers lend an air of legitimacy and professionalism to your business. By using a toll-free number, your business may appear larger and more established to the consumer which will make him/her trust you more.

3. Initiate a direct response mechanism for impulse buyers. By allowing your customers an avenue to immediately react to your company's efforts calling for their action, this prompts significant increases in phone orders. It has been found that these buyers generally order more merchandise and higher ticket items nearly every time they call.

4. Qualify your buyers. Toll-free numbers enable your business to use time more efficiently and effectively. With a toll-free number, you know that someone who has called your business is already interested in what you have to offer. You spend less time trying to find interested prospects and let the number find them for you.

5. Analyze your call detail. Toll-free numbers allow you to track calls and access all of a call's details such as the number, time, date and duration of every call. This information cannot be blocked and is an excellent tool for generating leads which can lead to more sales.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Saying Thank You To Your Clients

Writen by Brande Brown

"Thanking your customers" - Why you should do it and how...

Your customers make up 100% of your sales and 100% of your profits. Yet we spend a lot of money and time beating the bushes for new customers and not much time thanking those responsible for 100% of our business! One lesson your mother taught you was to say "thank you" when someone did something nice. We tend to give lip service to saying thank you to our customers by using phrases like "Thank you and have a nice day." But after using the same phrase repeatedly, it becomes rote, and not very heartfelt. So what can you do?

Customer Service Experts say that people complain more than they praise. Taking the time to show customers how much you appreciate their business is important. It can build and reinforce relationships - both business and personal. It can promote growth, encourage teamwork and express your commitment or caring. It's a subtle expression of the desire for an ongoing relationship.

There are many programs that offer you an easy solution to saying thanks to those important customers. A lot of them will work with your budget to find the perfect thank you that suits your business… it may be a box of chocolate, a coffee mug, or a nice pen. These are all items that will assist in helping you retain your customers and getting referrals from them.

Calendars are also very effective. That calendar you give your customer with your name on it will be in front of them day after day for 365 days a year. You certainly can't do that by handing them a business card. Everyone sends a Christmas card so why not send a 4th of July card… or what about a Thanksgiving card. What a better time than that to say thanks to your favorite customers?

One last thought………………..

Most companies have a budget, marketing plan and goals for the year. But does your budget set aside money for customer retention and recognition of loyal customers? What strategies have you added to your marketing plan to strengthen the relationship you have with your customers? What goals do you have to improve the experience your loyal customers receive when they call or visit your business?

It costs six to eight times as much to attract a new customer as to keep an existing one. Most business owners agree that a customer can be worth anywhere from a couple thousand dollars to tens of thousands, or more. Yet most companies fail to incorporate into their budget the basics for a customer recognition and retention plan. Why, then, is it so difficult to invest money to retain your existing customers when they clearly are the lifeblood of any company?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Repeat Customers Six Ways To Get And Keep Customers
Sunday, July 13, 2008

Writen by Kelly Biedny

Getting Customers

First, three great ways to get customers to come to you:

1. Get Visible

• Join a Local Business Association
  Many communities and/or neighborhoods have business associations. Investigate to see if your area has one and if it does, join it. Get your face and your small business known in the community and become one of those people and businesses everyone knows—remember people prefer to do business with those they know and trust.
• Volunteer at and/or Sponsor Community Based Events
  Another way to get your face and small business' name out there is by volunteering and/or sponsoring community based events. Something as small as donating products or services to a local PTA event gets your business in front of hundreds of parents...parents who will know that you support their kids and the community. All communities have opportunities for your small business to give back, and since you reap what you sow, get busy sowing!
• Donate Your Products or Services
  Get involved with groups where you can donate your products and or services to help others. Whether it be a group of entrepreneurs just starting out, or as a resource for those in the community that are in need. Not only is providing others a step-up a rewarding experience, but it also provides your small business with great PR material

2. Get the Word Out

• Write and send out press releases
  Using press releases is an excellent way to establish your small business in its area of expertise and it's free publicity. Press Releases are easy to write, but if you're not comfortable writing them, hiring a professional is also an affordable option. (see the Resources Box for more information on Press Releases).
• Offer Discounts to Current Customers for Recommending New Customers
  Word-of-mouth advertising is not only free, it's the best kind. When your current customers give live testimonials to their friends and associates, your small business is more likely to reap the reward of new customers. Offering incentives to your customers only makes them want to share the joy of doing business with your small business even more.
• Write Informational Articles
  Yes, more writing. Why? Because it's an excellent way to get the word out! Writing informational pieces on topics that are related to your business should be relatively easy—if you have a scrapbooking store, write something on scrapbooking; if you're a plumber, writing about plumbing—just make sure to make the piece informative, useful and timely. Again, if you're not comfortable writing the piece yourself, work with a professional, it is more affordable than you might think.
  
  Once you've written your piece, submit it to publication's that would be interested in the topic. Associations are great resources for this and most of them have newsletters that are always in need of useful content. For example, if your own a dog grooming business, sending your article for consideration to a Dog Owners Club or Association for inclusion in their newsletter is a place to start. If you're considering trying to get into a magazine, make sure to check out their article submission guidelines—this avenue will be more difficult, but you can always try – I recommend sticking with association newsletters and submitting to article submission sites online. (see the Resources Box for more information on writing and submitting articles).

3. Offer Incentives

• Offer Discounted rates for new customers
  For service based small businesses, offering discounted rates to first time customers is a great way to let them "try you out." Once they've experienced how valuable it is to work with you, they'll be coming back for more—and referring others!
• Sales and free gifts with purchase
  Sales are another great way to get customers in the door for the first or second or third time; as are free gifts with purchases. New customers can be more comfortable trying out new things at discounted rates and everyone likes a gift. If their experience is positive (and it will be!) and they are communicated with (see "Keeping Customers" below); they will return and become regular customers.

Keeping Customers

Second, three ways to make sure those customers remain loyal:

1. Communicate Continuously

• I can't say this enough, communicate, communicate, communicate. If you want to become THE resource for your clients in your area, you have to be 'top of mind' for them when that area is mentioned. A great product or service and excellent customer service help, but so do reminders. This doesn't mean bombard them with junk mail and spam, but some formal marketing/communication plan is recommended. Make sure the communication adds value, remind them of an upcoming sale, provide tips or an informative article...something that they'll look at and make a mental note of at least. (see more information on Customer Communication in the resources Box).

2. Ask for and Act on Customer Feedback

• This is one that gets overlooked, or only half done many times. Ask your customers what they like and what your small business could do better AND then, ACT on it. I don't mean every piece of feedback is worth acting on, but if you hear the same thing over and over, or if a comment rings true, DO something about it. You're in business because your customers pay for 'stuff', if you can improve the experience of them getting the 'stuff,' it'll only make them want to come back when they need more 'stuff.'

3. Go Above and Beyond

• Excellent Customer service is a given on this one, so why not take it a step further. Throw in something unexpected that fits your type of small business. It can be something small, but meaningful, something that the "other guys" don't do—your customers will remember and return.

Following all or some of these steps will have your small business on the road to more new and returning customers who truly enjoy doing business with. Start your plan for getting 'em and keeping 'em now!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

What Makes A Good Customer Service Representative
Saturday, July 12, 2008

Writen by Mary Anne Winslow

For each and every company, their customer service department is almost as important as the sales department. Yes, you can sell, but are the customers satisfied with the product? Customer Service representatives hold the difficult job of serving as a buffer between the company and the customers. They soothe angry customers, answer silly and hard questions, at the same time protecting and upholding company policy.

All business organisations need to make certain that their customers are satisfied with the service they receive because; customers are the most important part of any successful organisations. Businesses such as, Barclays aim to exceed customer expectation in order to ensure that customers enjoy themselves, leave having enjoyed themselves and return in the coming future.

Good customer service makes customers satisfied by fulfilling their needs first. Good customer service requires all staff to place themselves in the position of their customers. All staff should be aware of how they would like to be treated if, they were a customer, and deal their customers, for that reason. All business organisations should complete the A.R.T. of great service, to carry out a good customer service:

A

Approachable- An organisation must create an open and friendly environment

R

Responsive- All staff should take responsibility of their action.

T

Timely- All customer services provide their services accurately and

efficiently to new and existing customers, at all times.

The following are the main activities of customer service:

Providing Information

The type of information will depend on the product or service. Here are some examples, is the wool jumper flammable; how much is that laptop; when can you deliver the double-sized bed, what after-sales facilities do you provide? Getting the correct answers to these questions depends on the product and service knowledge of the sales staff, i.e. how well they have been trained.

Giving Advice

Advice is more accurate than information because, it involves more detail, greater specialist knowledge and modified to the needs of the person making the request. Some types of advice are more important than the others. For example, advice on legal, safety, financial or medical issues must be precise.

All business organizations need to make certain their staff:

* know enough about the area they work in to give good advice

* are trained how to give it clearly and politely

* know that if they can't offer any advice, they should ask someone with more experience

Providing Assistance

Most customers often rely on an organization's staff for practical help. For example:

* a staff member carries shopping bags for a elderly woman to her car

* giving directions to a boy to the nearest toilet

* explaining to someone how to use the first aid kit

* a staff member helps a wheelchair person to get a loaves of bread from a top shelf

* a staff member helps a partially blind man to the nearest checkout

All business organizations need to:

* identify the different types of help their customers might need

* make sure staff are trained, equipped and available to provide it

Providing credit facilities

Individuals often require credit to purchase expensive items, such as a car. Without this facility, customers may not able to buy the item and the organization will not make a sale.

Credit and private individuals

Many businesses offers more payment options and this will help the businesses to meet the needs of customers. Customer service staff needs to understand all the payment options available, and provide customers assistance, and advice to meet their particular needs. Staff also need to be aware that some customers may be turned down for loans because, they have a poor credit record and be able to explain this tactfully to the customer, in private.

After-sales services include different types of activities:

* Giving refunds on returned goods

* Offering a maintenance service

* Handling and dealing with complaints

Giving refunds on returned goods

All business organizations should have a clear and understandable policy on returned items, so that customer service staff does not have to ask their managers for assistance or explanation. There are some businesses that will accept any goods back within limited period (e.g. within fourteen days) if, the customer kept the receipt so that, they can refund the money. Other organizations will only exchange goods which are faulty. They will not exchange the goods if, purchasers have changed their minds. There are some business organizations that will only allow goods which are not faulty to be exchanged for other goods or for a credit note so that, the purchaser can choose another good at a later date.

When customers return their goods, they should always keep the receipt as a proof of purchase. If customers have not kept the receipt but still want to return the goods, they must have some other proof of purchase, such as a bank statement showing a payment was made, or a credit voucher which shows details of the transaction.

Handling and dealing with Complaints

When receiving a complaint from an unhappy customer, the business must carry out the following:

* Listen to the customer's story

* Ask for invoice/receipt to show date of purchase

* If customers is angry, report to a manager

* Examine the product

When dealing a complaint from an unhappy customer, the business must carry out the following:

* Advise customers of their views such as, legal requirements

* Make an offers to customer such as, refunds or replacements

* Give a receipt for products

* Write on credit note any expiry date

Many businesses record customer complaints so that, they can review the matter, and to improve its customer service. Details of each complaint can be recorded in several ways. For example, IKEA records all telephone complaints and directs them to the call centre at Stockport. Details of each complaint can be recorded onto the computer. Also, details of each complaint can also be recorded onto the Customer Complaint Form.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Knowing What Is Good Customer Service Satisfaction

Writen by Dave Poon

When was the last time you had encountered an unforgettable buying experience? There are instances when you had bad experiences with e-commerce sites that failed to respond on time with your email query.

Or there could been times when a sales associate at your local community computer store did not even know what are the products he is selling. You might have also experienced being placed on hold over the phone for a long time when you called just to ask a mail order company about their toll free line services.

These negative buying experiences are always associated to shoddy and low quality customer service. Is it really that hard to find good quality customer service support nowadays?

Many companies have always put in their trademarks about putting people first. However, customer service is not very well offered the way it should be. In fact, with the many consumer groups criticizing low quality customer service support, many companies have put a lot of efforts on improving their respective customer care assistance to their customers.

With the competetive markets nowadays, the business that has great customer service is the one that can obtain a stable position and excel more than its business rivals. Having a great customer service means that you are exceeding the expectations of your customers and not only satisfying them.

Others may think that customer service only involves the product or service you being offered but it also involves looking after for the people interested about the features you sell or service.

Having great products and high quality service should be your first step to create a reputable and credible market. Every client looks out for the quality of a specific product. This can be tough especially when the product you sell has a reasonable price that is competitively priced with other similar products. If you are manufacturing your own product, make sure that you produce quality products by enhancing, improving and providing guaranteed satisfaction to the end users.

Now that your customer base is growing because of these good quality products, you must now assess your pre and post sales services performance. There are many sellers out there that only care how they sell the product. Yes, customer service selling may literally mean serving the client.

Customer service clients should care about customer care assistance in providing high quality assistance and support for customer satisfaction. Here are some important things to remember in customer service.

1. As a seller, you should remain polite and use appropriate style in dealing with customers.

2. You should always remember that the customer is always right.

3. You may offer refunds if the problem is unfixable.

4. Make your customers feel free to ask questions.

5. Make sure to make follow up calls to ensure product efficiency.

6. Be open in providing extra information about the product. You may send out pictures and brochures.

Good customer service should be offered with politeness, respect, understanding and with proper knowledge. It is proper to attend customer concerns promptly and accurately. Make sure that every customer concern or questions are answered accordingly to ensure a guaranteed customer service satisfaction among customers.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Clients And 38 Ways To Communicate With Them
Friday, July 11, 2008

Writen by Lee Hopkins

As Alan Weiss (guru to the savvy consultant) says:

"It is actually difficult to contact clients too much. It is easy to fail to contact them frequently enough. If there is anyone anywhere who has ever sent you a check for your services and with whom you haven't communicated in the past 6 months, then you will never reach your growth potential. The secret is simple: Establish an ongoing dialogue with clients. In the worst case, a monologue will do."

You don't get business you don't ask for. You don't get remembered if you don't keep in your clients' minds.

But how can you keep your name on the tip of their tongues?

Here's 38 ways:

Print:

Letters; brochures; newsletters; article reprints; job aids and checklists; posters and sayings; cartoons; testimonials and examples of completed assignments.

Phone

Calls to 'stay in touch'; a 1800 (or 800 in USA) number and hot-line help to encourage use; information relayed on meetings or events of interest; reminders of long-term follow-up responsibilities and dates; introductions to third parties (that is, customers for your client).

Events

Interviews with the client for industry journals; attendance at industry and professional meetings that the client attends; hosting periodic conferences on topics of interest; acting as an intermediary with other clients for mutual learning.

Internet

Web page updates and additions; 'password' website reserved for clients; regular email contact; branding in your email signature file; email with ideas and suggestions; references and/or hyperlinks to relevant sites; a chat room on your website; an extranet

Personal

Visits to the client without any particular agenda; entertaining key clients; sending holiday cards or gifts (as permitted); participating in mutual charity events and fund-raisers; seeking out common community and social events; sending "I'll be in the area" cards.

Other

Co-authoring articles with the client; sending fax messages and information; advertising in industry publications the client reads; exhibiting at trade shows that key clients will attend; asking the client to help you as a critiquer, advisor, editor, etc.; inviting the client to be on your advisory board; breakfast or lunch meetings you sponsor on relevant topics.

Obviously, not all of these methods will lend themselves to your own business. But I am amazed and ashamed that there are so many more ways I can be keeping in contact with my clients than I currently am.

What might be useful is to compile a Communications Strategy for each of your clients, utilising a checklist of the most appropriate of these methods for each individual client.

---

When you match consumer psychology with effective communication styles you get a powerful combination. Lee Hopkins can show you how to communicate better for better business results. At Hopkins-Business-Communication-Training.com you can find the secrets to communication success.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Making Great First And Last Impressions Over The Telephone
Thursday, July 10, 2008

Writen by Myra Golden

1. Greet the customer enthusiastically. Put a smile on your face and energy in your voice. Intentionally sound fun, interesting, friendly, and conversational. When you do these simple things, you will find that you are quickly establishing rapport with callers and that customers enjoy speaking with you.

2. Listen without interrupting. It can be tempting to interrupt a rambler or storyteller, but try not to do so within the first few seconds. Listen patiently and let the customer tell you what is on her mind. Of course, you can't let a long-winded caller get out of hand.

3. Respond with appropriate emotions. Be natural with your customers. When they are happy and the situation calls for more energy, express this energy. If the situation calls for empathy, don't sit there like a stone, express empathy. When I was in car rental and a customer would complain about a breakdown in one of our rental cars, I'd quickly make an expression of empathy like: "I realize how frustrating this whole thing must be for you."

4. Make the customer feel smart/good. Yesterday I conducted a mystery shopper call for a client and one of the customer service representatives did an outstanding job of making the caller feel good. The "mystery shopper" was told to ask several redundant and "dumb" questions and she did that very well. At one point the customer service representative said, "You obviously care about your health or you wouldn't have called today." That went over very well---instead of making the caller feel like an idiot, she made her feel like a star!

5. Never come across annoyed, "interrupted", or irritated. Your job is to help and serve. And in your job you are going to hear a lot of the same thing over and over. Some customers will annoy you and some of the comments you hear will be just outrageous. But don't let it show. Give every caller your best and sound patient, interested, friendly and helpful every time.

Master these five points at the beginning of the call and your impression will be friendly, helpful, and memorable. Read on to discover ways to end the call on positive note.

Make the most of the last few seconds of the call--

1. Ask if there is anything else you can do. Don't rush to end the call. Make sure you've answered all of the customer's questions by simply asking, "Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

2. Express sincere appreciation for the call. One of my clients does a phenomenal job of this. Anytime and every time a customer calls Accuvue Vision, they will get a warm and sincere thank you for the call. Every representative will make the caller feel great about calling with sincere phrases like: "I'm really glad you called us today." "Your feedback is definitely appreciated and I'm so glad you chose to share it with us today." "Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to call and tell us this."

Always end the call on a positive, upbeat note.

3. Let your caller hang up first. It's simply polite to let your caller hang up first. In most cases, callers will hang up with 2-4 seconds of the last spoken word.

Never forget that your callers remember the first and the last thing in a series of events disproportionate to anything else. Make the most of these critical touch points by adopting these steps.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

To Be Distinctive Be Different

Writen by Ron Kaufman

There are many ways for a business to 'stand out from the crowd'. One approach is to give your customers more of what they ask for. If others are fast, you go faster. If others are clean, you be cleaner. If others are cheap, you can discount deeper. If your competitors offer a lot, you offer even more.

This approach has obvious problems. First, your top position can be overtaken by anyone else offering 'even more'. Second, the cost of escalation can become overwhelming. You need happy customers but healthy profits, too.

A different approach is worth your time and effort: Find completely new and different ways to surprise, intrigue, support, nurture and delight your customers.

For example, international airlines compete on big seats, quality service, good wine and movies. But Virgin Atlantic was first to offer neck and shoulder massages on all long-distance flights. They stand out in the airline crowd.

Most quick-service restaurants provide clean counters, fast delivery and low prices. But McDonald's put enormous, colorful slides for children inside their restaurant buildings. McDonald's french fries are made from potatoes, much like everyone else's. Their play space stands out in the fast-food crowd.

How many times have you left your tube of toothpaste wet, wrinkled and gooey on the bathroom sink? Procter & Gamble helped solve the problem with the first standup toothpaste tube. Their toothpaste container stands out from the crowd.

The Garden Café in Dubai serves many customers who are bachelors, always on the move and short of time. So the Café provides a lunch and dinner buffet of good food and drinks, but also irons your shirts and shines your shoes while you eat!

You can do this, too. (Stand out from the crowd, not the laundry.)

Key Learning Point
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone can compete by doing 'more' of what's already expected. But there's another way to be distinctive: Be different!

Action Steps
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Make a list of all the 'usual ways' your organization offers good customer service. Now think of totally different ways you could surprise, intrigue or delight.

What bothers your customers? How can you fix it? What do they do before or after your service? How can you integrate it? What do they bring, carry or take away? How can you replace it?

The first bookstore to offer plush chairs and fresh coffee changed the industry completely. The first bank that offered drive-through service transformed our expectations. What can YOU do to stand out, stand up – be different?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

To Build Your Business Appreciate The Customers You Already Have
Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Writen by Ron Kaufman

Consumer banking is a very competitive industry. Banks battle for market share with advertising, free gifts, lower charges, higher interest rates and more.

So much energy and expense are spent attracting new business. But so little effort is invested in truly appreciating the customers they already have.

For example, have you ever bought a house with a housing loan? After you moved in, did the bank call to ask about your new home, or send you a housewarming gift?

Have you ever purchased a car with a car loan? Did the bank send you a note afterwards to congratulate you on your new car, or send you a friendly coupon for a free car wash and wax?

Do you have a credit card? Does your bank ever call you just to say 'Thank you' for using the card and ask if you are happy with the bank's service?

At a bankers' convention I asked if anyone in the audience of 3,000 routinely called their customers just to say 'Thank you!' The answer, predictably, was 'No'.

The bankers were stunned by their own admission.

'Relax,' I said. 'None of the other bankers here are doing it either…not yet.'

Most banking customers have accounts at more than one bank. You probably do too.

What would it take to get you to consolidate most of your banking activity to one bank? A free gift, slightly lower charges, or a higher rate of interest?

Not likely. Those incentives exist today and you still have multiple banking accounts.

But if one bank started genuinely thanking you, calling you, truly listening to your thoughts and suggestions about their banking service, would you be more inclined to rely on that bank in the future? to use them again and again? to migrate your accounts to that one bank for more comprehensive service?

What would it cost the bank to make those telephone calls to you? Not much. What might it earn the bank? A lot.

Key Learning Point
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Picking up new business is important, but it can cost a lot in advertising, special discounts, promotions and new customer orientation. Increasing your business with existing customers magnifies the loyalty of those you already have, and substantially boosts your profits.

Action Steps
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pick up the telephone. Write a letter. Send out a few `free gifts' - not to the new customer you've just signed up, but also to the loyal customers who have been with you all along.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Is Your Crm Customer Relationship Management System Doomed To Fail
Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Writen by Perry Norgarb

"Right, People. Let's blast out that mail campaign we've been planning for so long."

It's time to put your trusty CRM software to work; to let it earn its keep. You run a search of people and companies you want to target.

You soon realize something's wrong when your list is far smaller than anticipated. A quick check reveals many profiles/categories have not been filled in, impacting your search results. Further inspection shows numerous records are incorrect; others are riddled with typos. And that's just for starters.

With a sinking feeling, you realize that last push isn't going to happen in a hurry.

Time for some Damage Control or Preventative Maintenance.

Fortunately one of the most common reasons cited for the high failure rate of CRM systems - poor data quality - is also one of the easiest to avoid.

Your CRM software is only as good as the information it contains. As the old programmers motto goes 'garbage in, garbage out'.

So how can you avoid incomplete, incorrect, irrelevant or out-of-date and generally unfit-for-use data from permeating your CRM software?

You need to gather your key CRM users together and thrash out a DATA CAPTURE PROCEDURE document, defining the rules of use.

Spell out:

• Who has what rights to the system; who can Create, Insert, Modify or Delete records, assuming your software supports all these functions? Forward this information to your system administrator to action.

• Decide on a procedure to check for any duplicates before creating a record. Depending on what 'de-duping' or 'data scrubbing' features your system has, this might require some simple searches before starting a new record.

• Do you allow abbreviations or acronyms? For example: IBM, or I.B.M, or International Business Machines Inc. or Incorporated and so on. A policy on ensuring consistency of input will help to avoid duplications in future.

• Are records going to be created in Upper and Lower case and when are CAPS acceptable?

• By when do you expect records, notes and so on to be created or updated? Same day, on return to the office?

• Check to see whether your Postal Services have specific requirements. Ensure your data meets these criteria.

• Is the primary address of clients to be created as a postal or a physical address?

• Make sure everyone checks spellings if they are unsure and do not trust spellchecker! When in doubt, ask the client – they'll respect that. Is it Clark with an 'e'; Shawn, Sean or Shaun? One certain way to get your mail binned is to spell someone's name incorrectly.

• Also confirm the kind of corporation e.g. LLC, Inc, PTY Ltd. and so on.

• Make rules for creating new profiles or User Definable Fields (UDF) (or whatever your specific CRM software calls them.) Place a lot of emphasis on this. Every time a new UDF is needed, it should first be approved. Otherwise duplicates will permeate your database e.g. Lead Source: Yellow Pages, YP, yelo pages.

• Ensure that email addresses are put in correctly. Basic but common mistake!

• Set up procedures, if not supported by your software, of how to create records from inbound emails.

• If applicable, are you going to use Mandatory/Forced fields?

You might as well address the issue of Backups while you are about it.

• Who is the responsible person for backing up your databases/s? Who covers for them when they are absent or unavailable?

• How frequently are backups to be done? Diarise!

• How are backups done e.g. by the Grandfather, Father, Son method.

• Ensure backups are made on good quality CD's or whatever format you are using. It's no good doing a backup, then finding on attempting a Restore that it doesn't work! It is also a good idea to copy backups onto more than one data format.

• Where are the backups to be stored?

• Are the backups secure? This is important for both security and practical reasons.

Once your Data Capture Procedure Document is finished, get everyone to sign it off as READ!

As standard practice, ensure that document is handed to all new employees at your company.

Refer back to this document for possible revision every three months or so.

Try this: select a couple of records - both good and bad - every week, to put on the overhead at staff meetings. Make sure you don't unduly embarrass anybody but watch this become the light-relief highlight of your meetings! People learn best when having fun!

What if your database is in one unholy mess?

Has the rot set in so deeply that your database needs a complete overhaul? Turn this seemingly insurmountable task into an opportunity to you. This is an excellent excuse to re-establish contact with your clients and let them know you care. You can always put lapses down to data crashes but tell them you have fixed the problem!

Importantly, help your staff understand what you need from the data to facilitate more accurate marketing and reporting and hence the success of your business and their careers.

By creating a sense of pride and ownership in the company database, you are nurturing the essential process of buy-in, necessary for the success of your CRM initiative. Don't compromise this critical tool by allowing your CRM software to be infected by inferior data.

About The Author

Perry Norgarb has specialized in Small Business CRM solutions for the last 15 years.

Contact him or find out more about CRM, Contact Management and other Sales Tracking software tips and solutions for small businesses at: http://www.smallbizcrm.com.

You are free to re-publish this article as long as this bio box and copyright remain intact. © 10 December, 2004.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Voice Of Customer Service
Monday, July 7, 2008

Writen by Craig Harrison

Customer relationship management tools abound, yet let's hear it for old technology. Your voice is the most multifaceted customer service tool in your toolkit. Your voice can convey concern, care and compassion. It can alternately convey boredom, neglect or contempt. Your challenge: to insure your voice reinforces the service you strive to deliver through your actual words and action.

Customer service is about more than mouthing the words customers want to hear. You have to sound believable. How do you sound? Try this experiment. Call your own answering machine and leave yourself a message normally intended for your customers. Now replay it. Are you convincing? Does sincerity ring from your voice or are you just mouthing clichés in a disinterested fashion?

Depending your tone of voice you can alternately sound:
Compassionate or Condescending
Confident or Insecure
Knowledgeable or Ignorant
Attentive or Disinterested
Focused or Scattered
Alive or Comatose

Pick one of the following phrases:

"Thank you for calling. We're excited to serve you."

"Welcome back. It's so nice to see you again."

"We've missed you. Thank you for coming in again."

Mouth it a few times to a colleague next to you or over the phone to a friend.

- Now ask your listener: "How do I sound?"

- When you're monotonal you may sound flat and lifeless.

- How does this sound when you're tired? Uninspired?

- How does this sound when you're expressive? Do you generate good will and energy?

- How does this sound when you're sincere? Is there a genuine quality to your voice?

- How does this sound when you're friendly? Does warmth emanate from your conversation?

- How does this sound when you are smiling? Does your good humor come translate?

Mirror Mirror on the Desk
There is a reason many telesales and customer service representatives have mirrors on their desk. It's not to admire their beauty or to insure the proverbial spinach isn't stuck to their teeth. In this case, the mirror has two purposes. First, as a reminder to reps to smile while on the phone. Even though their smile isn't seen by listeners, it is felt. When we smile it loosens up our jaws and relaxes us. This is then conveyed through our voice. We sound more relaxed, friendly and open because we are. The act of smiling activates certain muscles in our face and neck and actually alters our disposition for the better. The mirror both reminds us to smile and confirms we are when we glance at it periodically. Not to sound overly Dramatics, but "What you see is what they get."

Inflection
When we consider the message our voice sends customers, don't forget to consider your inflection. It is important to understand where in a sentence you put the emphasis. What words do you accentuate? Which words do you emphasize? Depending on your placement of accent you can send different messages with the same set of words. Consider the following statement: "It's all over my friend." Depending on the placement of accent and pause, this statement could either lament the end of a successful run of some sort, or be describing the result of a sick bird flying overhead of your pal.

Similarly, this statement, based on inflection, may send two entirely different messages: "What's that in the road ahead?" or "What's that in the road, a head?" You can see how inflections inform. Let's make sure the information we convey is supported by our inflections.

Actors often take the Shakespearean phrase "to be or not to be, that is the question" and repeat it alternately while emphasizing different words. For instance, one variant might be "To be or NOT, to be THAT is the question!"

Revisiting our triplet of phrases let's see how inflection alters their meaning:

"Thank you for calling. We're delighted to serve you."

We can place the accent on different words to convey different sentiments. The capital letters indicate the words being accented through our inflection.

"THANK you for calling. We're delighted to serve you."

"Thank you for CALLING. We're delighted to serve you."

"Thank you for calling. We're DELIGHTED to serve you."

"Thank you for calling. We're delighted to SERVE you."

"Thank YOU for calling. We're delighted to serve YOU."

For yourself, try this same exercise with each of the statements below, accenting different words within each sentence so as to find the inflection that best conveys your sentiment.

"Welcome back. It's so nice to see you again."

"We've missed you. Thank you for coming in again."

Voice Your Concern Using a pleasant tone, effective intonation, and empathic emotion your voice can go a long way toward helping customers feel heard, valued and cared for. Mama was right, it is more than what you say, it's how you say it too.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Keeping Clients Happy Keeps Them Coming Back
Sunday, July 6, 2008

Writen by Janice Byer

Whether you are a seasoned small business professional, or you have just opened your doors to new clients, your marketing strategy should not only involve bringing in new business, it should also include keeping your current clients, your most important asset, happy and coming back for more or referring your services.

Top-notch customer service is the most important contributing factor in the success of your business. Unfortunately, there are some business professionals who don't live by that sentiment. I'm not sure if they don't understand the advantages of making clients feel like number one, but let's see if we can't keep ourselves from forgetting those that have helped our businesses get where they are today.

Providing exceptional customer service centers around ensuring your customers are happy. They need to feel that you improve your business to help improve their business. There are several processes that will prove your dedication to exceptional customer service and are a must for all business professionals.

1. Provide the best service and provide it on time. Keeping customers happy means you give them your very best and you make sure to deliver when you say you will. If for any reason you have to delay delivery, be honest with your client and inform them of the situation. If the delay will be of any inconvenience to your client, be sure to compensate them or offer to help alleviate the crisis.

2. Really listen to your clients and their needs. You may be able to provide expert advice but they usually know what they want. Work WITH them to give them exactly what they need and that will help improve their business. And, the same holds true when reversed. If your client makes a suggestion to you to help improve your business, consider their opinion. After all, they are the experts about what they need from you.

3. Strive to always improve your services. With the advancements in technology, it is always a good idea to update your skills. But, that shouldn't be the only reason. Enhancing your services allows you to offer more to your clients and thus keeps them happy.

4. Provide a guarantee. This is a vital aspect of exceptional customer service. Satisfaction is something everyone wants. If they are 100% happy with what you have provided them, they will be your biggest contributor to future business. If they aren't happy, make sure your rectify the problem.

5. Provide prompt responses to all communications & inquiries. Don't keep your clients waiting. Try to return phone calls within 24 hours, or at least 36 hours. People become impatient and will move onto the next business for what they are needing. Respond to emails on the same day if possible and answer all written inquiries within 3 business days. The longer inquiries wait to be responded to, the greater the chance of losing their business all together.

6. Always say Thank You! How good do you feel when someone says thank you to you? That sentiment should be shared. Send out thank you cards to those who request a quote and when a new client comes on board. To save costs, send e-cards or emails of thanks.

Customer service is vital to ensuring your business' successful future. By keeping your clients happy, you are adding to the value of your business and the services you offer and proving to others that your are the person they should be talking to when they are in need of your services.

About The Author

Janice Byer is a certified Master Virtual Assistant and owner of Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services (http://www.docutype.net). See this and other articles on her website; jbyer@docutype.net

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Office Cleaning Advice For The Cleaning Company

Writen by David Andrew Smith

For contract cleaning companies office cleaning is the most competitive market to break into. Some organisations change their cleaners on a regular basis, every year or some even every six months because they cannot find a company that will consistently meet their requirements. What we find is that these companies do not have a clear indication of what is expected from the clean. After some time they complain that standards have fallen. This phrase 'standards have fallen' is oft repeated by a company representative who is complaining about the cleaning.

So you ask what aspect of the cleaning has or is not being done. The reply is often along the lines of, well its all being done but the standard is not what we have come to expect. So you then ask if they can give specific examples so that these can be rectified. Answer; 'not really its just that standards have fallen'. This is the most frustrating part if you are the cleaning services company. So you go in to visit the premises, talk to the company and to the cleaners. Quite often you can find nothing is actually wrong with the cleaning and that everything according to the contract is being fulfilled. This may very well be the beginning of the process of the company trying to replace you.

Why does this happen? It can happen for a number of reasons, but the principle reason is that the customers expectations of the cleaning process is not reflected in the cleaning schedule, as it changes with time or it may simply be unrealistic and does not take account of natural deterioration in the building.

For example it may be that some employee has found cup rings on their desk and complained that these are not being cleaned. The cleaners when approached about this maintain that they can never clean that particular desk because it is always full of documents. Or somebody has moved their workstation and complained about the amount of fluff and dirt accumulated around the wiring of their computer. As a result the cleaners are obviously not doing a good job.

How are these problems overcome? The best way of avoiding these problems is to carry out a cleaning survey of the premises in which such details can be highlighted and a possible remedy suggested. For example desks can be polished on a rota system and when it is time for a particular block of desks to be polished the individuals whose desks are being done are informed of the impending clean and instructed to clear their surfaces. If they do not then they cannot complain if they are not polished . Having produced a detailed cleaning survey it should then be possible to sit down with the client and discuss which parts they would like to take up and which can be ignored. On this basis a quote can then be provided. Both parties are then very clear as to the extent and standard of the clean. So what was subjective before becomes objective and measurable. The cleaners should know exactly what is expected of them and the customer should have a more realistic and objective appraisal of the cleaning. Cleaning surveys carried out correctly can save you complaints and the potential loss of contracts.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customers Want A Relationship
Saturday, July 5, 2008

Writen by Elizabeth Gordon

Would you rather go out to a different store every time you want to buy something, never being completely satisfied with what you get, and having to look for a new store on each new shopping trip or would you rather go to the same store and get everything that you need and want each time you go? The same is true for your customers. Just like anyone seeking a relationship, customers want a long-standing business relationship not a one night stand. To get your business to flourishing you need to focus on your customers and their satisfaction.

The real value of your customers is found in the second and third purchase and every one after that. You can grow the value of your business by growing the value of your customer base. When you create a marketing campaign, look at both the immediate return on investment you expect as well as the long term customer value that you are providing.

You need to get in your customer's shoes. By having an intimate knowledge of what your customers really want from your product or service or what their real pain or desire is you will be able to create customer-driven marketing. Rather than a traditional campaign that screams ME, ME, and more about ME, a company with a customer relationship focus approaches it from the opposite angle of YOU, YOU, YOU. Try using secret shoppers. This doesn't need to be an expensive initiative but it can yield a priceless return. Sit down and make a list of what needs to happen to create an excellent customer experience for anyone interacting with your company. Have someone test your operational process on how you do in each of these criteria. Identify areas for improvement and come up with a way to implement those improvements.

In-store surveys are another easy way to determine the level of your customers' satisfaction. If you or one of your employees speak with your customers ask them to be candid with you about your product or service and ask them to tell you what they are satisfied or dissatisfied with (always asking for both so you can get an understanding of your strengths and your weaknesses). Making efforts in these areas shows your customers and your employees that you are creating a culture of continuous improvement and one that encourages open feedback. Make sure that you act on what you uncover. There is nothing worse than asking people how you can do better and then ignoring their response. Not only is it a waste of your time, it is also insulting to those you asked.

Customer relationships are more profitable than transactions. When you look at the cost of acquiring a new customer versus the cost of retaining an existing customer the mathematical conclusion is obvious. It is much cheaper to keep who you've already got, than to go out and try to market and sell to a bunch of strangers. Instead of launching a marketing campaign that will target new customers, look into campaigns that will encourage your current customer base to expand their relationship with you, and introduce you warmly to a friend. You can use promotional items with your existing customer base to further ingrain your brand into their life. By keeping an existing customer happy and giving them a useful gift you are enabling them to do grassroots marketing for your business by toting your brand name around. They are more than likely to promote you to their friends and family when they're happy and it's very likely that those people are also your target customers, as birds of a feather tend to flock together. With this tactic you can kill two birds with one stone, making this both efficient and effective.

You also need to focus on how your employees treat customers. A company that encourages employees to mirror their customer's mood, being extra friendly to customers that are seeking that kind of relationship and being quietly at the ready for a new customer that seems to not want to be bothered by a salesman is a company that is going to earn long-standing relationships with all sorts of customers. Training videos can be a useful way to teach employees these kinds of techniques when working with different types of customers. You can disseminate the information widely and have it for posterity, and not have to reinvent the wheel each time you hire someone new.

Without customers you don't have a business. Keeping that at the forefront of your business plan, and making every effort to find and keep good customers, your business is sure to flourish. For more information on how you can form lasting relationships with your customers, visit www.flourishingbusiness.com.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

One Of The Secrets Of A Great Customer Experience

Writen by Colin Shaw

A few weeks ago we conducted our annual "Customer Experience Study Tour" in London England. This is where we take delegates to visit a number of leading Customer Experience companies for a behind-the-scenes look at how they approach the task of building a great Customer Experience. Companies include Prêt-a-manger, Virgin Atlantic, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, Dell Computers, T-Mobile, Lexus Cars, AOL and Microsoft. As we travelled around these companies on the luxury coach, I pondered what the common traits are of companies who provide a great Customer Experience. Undoubtedly one of these traits is "attention to detail".

So let's give you an insight to what some of these companies did. Prêt-a-Manger told us about the absolute struggle they go through to make sure that all the ingredients in their sandwiches are additive free so as to enhance the taste of the sandwiches. This involves a great deal of searching to determine the best supplier, as well as extensive tasting. The time and money they spend on this activity is phenomenal and costs a great deal. But this is part of their attention to detail.

Liam Lambert, Director of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel told us of his "attention to detail". He wanted his doorman to stand out as "beacon's" to help promote the hotel - as it is on the less busy side of the street. He saw other hotel doormen who were all dressed in "grey" overcoats. This colour made them blend into their hotel buildings and act as great camouflage! Liam decided to dress his doorman in red! Truly a beacon! It worked! More people noticed than ever before.

Liam told us about how he treats his new arrivals. Our group were privileged to attend and witness his "Morning Prayers". This is where all the managers from all the departments in the hotel get together EVERY MORNING and talk through EACH AND EVERY new guest that is arriving at the hotel that day. They look at who they are. They look at where they are coming from and therefore how likely they are to be tired for instance. They even get on their guests web site and try and find out more about the person coming to stay so that they can serve them better! Finally, if available on the web site, they will print a picture of the individual who is staying with them and place it on the "Guests Wall" so the staff can recognise the person by name! So do you go into that amount of detail with your customers?

When a guest is staying with them they "learn their behaviour". They take note of the drinks they order, whether they like ice or not, whether they have a cappuccino or a Latte after a meal. This information is then recorded on what is effectively a CRM system and used to enhance the Customer Experience on the next occasion. This is attention to detail!

On our visit to Virgin Atlantic they told us about the amount of time they have spent working out when the optimum time is to deliver hot towels in Upper Class! Before or after take off! They also have worked out the optimum layout of a service trolley and they have great new lie down beds in Upper class. As someone who spends a lot of time travelling around the world giving conference speeches, I can't wait to try them!

Dell Computers have set up a number of "Listening Posts" to ensure they capture customer information and convert this into something that is usable by the customer.

So attention to detail in Building Great Customer Experiences is key. The converse is also true. Lack of focus on the Customer Experience will detract from the Customer Experience. The other night I visited my local cinema. The "baby booster chairs" were left in the aisle so that when we entered the cinema, late, we nearly broke our necks falling over them! ……the massive queue to buy a ticket - only two tills were open but there were 3 people standing at the back chatting whilst 50 customers fumed. We have all had similar experiences. It takes thought, it takes time and it takes commitment to build a great Customer Experience. We commend you to pay attention to the detail

Colin Shaw Founding Partner, Beyond Philosophy © Beyond Philosophy 2004

Ref.QR

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service And Its Importance
Friday, July 4, 2008

Writen by Greg Culver

Whenever we go out to eat what we look for the most after good food is the customer service. Most of the people prefer to eat at places where they like the customer service as when we go to eat outside then we are overwhelmed by good service to get that special feel. The customer service is therefore very important for a hotel or any other establishment if it want to survive in this competitive world. Customer service is not an easy job as you have to deal with stressful and thankless business sometimes. I have experience of eight years in this industry and all times were not good, some were worse enough to scatter my confidence. Even if you are not from hotel industry still you can understand the need for customer service as for people in hotel industry you earn your rent from the public by providing customer service.

I started my career in this industry by working at a Chinese restaurant owned by my best friend's father. In my interview my best friend's father and my new boss questioned me about the importance of customer service which I could not answer as since then I hadn't learned English very well. It was my luck that he was distracted by the cook otherwise I would have answered him the question I understood wrongly. I estimated that he asked that why is cussing servants in Portland. I still remember when my friend translated me the question I could not stop my laughing on the foolishness it would have been if I would have answered the wrong question that I understood before. Although I faced some problems in the starting due to communication problem but I was able to learn the importance of customer service in this industry. Most of the times I was late to deliver the food due to language problem which resulted in the irritated hungry customers who didn't paid me good tips in anger. Then I migrated from one job to the other from video stores to malls to bars. Bar was the place where I understood the new meaning of customer service when I had to deal with drunken customers. These customers are more than worse if they are angry and drunk, as your tip is gone in this case. You want and need the gratuity in the form of paycheck when you work positions like these.

I hope now you would have completely understood the importance of good customer service if you were unaware of it before. There would be a very few of such persons who have never gone to any dining or bar in their lifetime and if they have gone to such places then they can easily understand the importance of good customer service. Smile on face is the motto of the customer service. You not only make people happy by good customer service but also earn a good sum of money.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

In Your Best Interest

Writen by Ron Kaufman

A diversified medical group suffered from a common procedure that frustrated patients, doctors and laboratory technicians every day.

First, doctors sent their patients to the laboratory for tests. After the tests, patients asked the laboratory technicians for results.

When technicians shared the test results, patients often got upset. When patients got upset, doctors got upset. Doctors preferred to explain test results to their patients personally and offer next steps for treatment.

But if technicians did not give patients their test results immediately, patients complained that information was being withheld and claimed the laboratory technicians were unhelpful.

The situation was clearly lose-lose-lose: patients, doctors and laboratory technicians – everyone got upset.

(Does this ever happen in your organization? Do your customers ever become frustrated, angry or confused? Do your staff get upset when your customers are upset? Does your brand image suffer, too? Are there 'lose-lose-lose' situations lurking in your business?)

The medical group asked me for help. I diagnosed the situation as a case of 'unmanaged customer expectations'. If you were a patient, wouldn't you want to know your test results right away?

If you were a doctor, wouldn't you be upset if your patient knew the results before you did? If you were a technician, wouldn't you feel caught in the middle?

We solved this problem with a simple but powerful system called 'In Your Best Interest'.

When doctors order lab tests, they use a printed checklist to indicate which procedures are required. At the top of the checklist, in bold letters, is now printed this statement:

'IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, all laboratory results will be sent to your doctor who will explain them to you personally and discuss the most appropriate treatment.'

Many doctors now read this statement to their patients. Many patients read the statement themselves. Most patients understand the message, but many are so nervous about their upcoming tests, they don't pay attention.

In the waiting room of the laboratory, a large poster now hangs on the wall. In bold letters the poster reads:

'IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, all laboratory results will be sent to your doctor who will explain them to you personally and discuss the most appropriate treatment.'

All patients can see the sign, and many understand the message. But some are so anxious about their upcoming tests, they still don't pay attention.

After the tests are done, a small percentage of patients still ask laboratory technicians for an immediate explanation of the results. For those few, the lab technicians have been trained to say one simple sentence in a compassionate and caring manner:

'IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, all laboratory results will be sent to your doctor who will explain them to you personally and discuss the most appropriate treatment.'

By this time, everyone pays attention. Patients wait to see their doctors. Doctors can fully inform their patients. And laboratory technicians can do their job compassionately without getting caught in the middle.

That's a 'win-win-win' for everyone.

Key Learning Point
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Customers may become confused or frustrated by your policies and procedures. This is especially common in large organizations. But it's not productive to blame your customers or your colleagues – that only makes things worse.

What is effective is to resolve the situation permanently by improving the clarity and consistency of your communications.

Action Steps
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find a point of friction where your customers or colleagues get upset. Choose a tension point that has persisted for many months. Do people complain about your applications and procedures? Are your policies hard to understand? Is your guarantee confusing? Have your systems grown slowly out-of-date?

There may be good reasons why your policies and procedures were created. But the explanation may be missing today or the reason may no longer apply. In either case, you can improve the situation dramatically by enhancing your communications, streamlining the procedure or changing the policy itself.

It makes good sense to fix whatever you can, whenever you can. After all, 'win-win-win' is also in your best interest.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

First Contact The Source Of Customer Loyalty
Thursday, July 3, 2008

Writen by Leanne Hoagland-Smith

With customers being smarter, more cost conscious, more product knowledgeable and more demanding, improving customer service has become a major focus within many businesses. In Customer Satisfaction is Worthless; Customer Loyalty is Priceless, author Jeffrey Gitomer contends the real solution is shifting the paradigm away from customer service to customer loyalty. This may be the first step, but the next step is to shift the focus away from loyal customers to loyal employees.

By recognizing the significance that the "first contact" a customer has is with the employees. The foundation for a loyal relationship begins with the employee. In retail and many service businesses, employees experience a short training session usually 16 hours or less. The time is spent viewing required legal videotapes, completing paperwork and learning the basic company policies including from answering the telephone to using the cash register. Yet, very few businesses actively develop those employees who have first contact with the customer. This results in employees who lack the real skills that are needed to develop those long-term relationships and contributes to the high turnover rate experienced by many retailers.

Imagine developing employees who can answer the following questions consistently and then take the appropriate action:

* What do my customers really want or need?

* How can I meet their needs?

To create such positive self-aware employees begins with creating good feelings about the individual employees. Techniques such as creative visualization or positive affirmations can enhance the employees' behavior. Creative visualization uses the imagination to visualize and achieve success.

Recent research conducted by the Helsinki School of Business reveals that only 5% of all communication is received as it was intended. In simpler terms, five out our every 100 words are actually received by the customer as the employee intended. Given the brief dialogue between customers and employees, this research suggests that the source for many dissatisfied customers begins with this first contact. How many orientation sessions actually discuss effective communication skills?

Now imagine developing:

* Employees who are proactive in their communications with customers

* Employees who understand the four fundamental principles of successful interpersonal communication

* Employees who go the extra mile for customers

Possibly by shifting paradigms, businesses can begin to cultivate loyal customers through loyal employees who are self-aware and actively demonstrating successful attitudes, skills and knowledge on a daily basis. Your business begins and may potentially end with that "First Contact." The question now is "What are you going to ensure that each first contact turns into a second, a third…?

Leanne Hoagland-Smith is President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, The Process Specialist, located outside of Chicago, IL. She partners with her clients to connect the 3P's of Passion, Purpose and Performance to affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth and innovation within a variety of industries ranging from education to manufacturing. Leanne can be reached at 219.759.5601 or leanne@processspecialist.com

Copyright© Leanne Hoagland-Smith http://www.processspecialist.com

Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Top Customer Service Speaker Tells Them You Lost My Business
Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Most disappointed customers "vote with their feet," and show their disdain indirectly by patronizing other, less offensive, or more satisfying establishments.

There are no fireworks to signal their departure. No "ugly scenes" are made.

And this is actually too bad, in a way.

Companies and nonprofit organizations and even governmental units should be told that you're displeased and that you're intending to deny them future opportunities to let you down.

You might be thinking, "I have no choice but to do business with the government," but in many cases that's not true.

For example, I may be in California, but I can choose to incorporate anywhere, in say, Nevada, Delaware, or Oregon, if I believe their tax codes are more business friendly, or their civil servants are more hospitable.

In fact, I can incorporate offshore, if I wish.

As consumers, we have similar options.

But the key is to tell offending sources that we're leaving or that we've left. They utterly need to hear the feedback that says "You lost my business!"

I admit, this seems confrontational, but how else will they know they have erred and they have directly caused your departure?

Plus, you'll feel better having purged your system of them in a constructive way, so everybody wins.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Who Comes First The Customer Or The Customer

Writen by Don Doman

I was waiting for my fast-food breakfast while my cohort of four little girls scurried over the indoor Big Toy.

"They're sure taking their time today," grumbled the man next to me. He wasn't talking about my granddaughters.

He was wearing a purple tee-shirt over his middle-aged paunch. A baseball cap and jeans completed the outfit. He could have been there with his grandchildren, but he was alone.

I nodded my head. I hate standing in line and really hate waiting, but I hadn't reached my annoyance threshold, yet. Obviously, my fellow breakfaster had passed that bar.

"They wait on the drive-through customers first and make the people inside wait," he said to me while maintaining a watchful eye behind the counter and into the kitchen area.

I nodded again and followed his gaze. The young woman, who seemed about four-foot-five, behind the counter was taking orders and was doing a good job with a friendly smile. The prep people were cooking and delivering, and yet . . . on the counter were five food trays. Each had a cash register receipt. In addition, between the trays were another two or three receipts. The young woman would take orders, fill them as best she could, and then wait for food from the kitchen, while she continued to take even more order.

A tray of goodies was handed out to someone who had been behind us. "I was here before him. This has happened to me before," my hungry friend commented. "I was waiting for about fifteen minutes once and I complained to the waitress. She said she didn't realize there was a problem and offered me a free meal. I told her that wasn't the problem and pointed to all the people waiting behind me." He shook his head in disgust, "I think I need to call corporate, again."

I like to hear people complaining. It shows that I'm not the only one observing problems and potential problems in business.

The kernel of this fast-food breakfast story pops up repeatedly in retail and small businesses around the world. It's a good illustration of priorities. Who comes first: the customer in front of you, or the customer who calls on the phone (or ordering on the intercom)?

It's a juggling act that requires people handling skills. You don't want to offend or lose either customer, but by faltering in your juggling you run the risk of losing one or the other, or both. It's like fishing with two poles and a fish on each line. While this is enviable, the fisherman sometimes goes home hungry.

Here are some suggestions for working with multiple customers:

Be observant. Is everyone happy? Can anything be done for the unhappy ones?

Be polite. Use words and phrases like "excuse me," "I'm sorry for the delay," and "it'll be just a moment."

Know when to apologize and when to offer relief, "Can I get you a free coffee?"

Be respectful, "Excuse me, while I put you hold. I am currently helping another customer. I'll return as soon as possible."

Get help when possible.

I got my order before my friend, but then I was in line before he was. My grandkids ate, played, and then with money in hand went back for snacks as a group. One returned with an unsolicited comment, "It's terrible over there. People are placing orders and not getting them!" Ah, yes, that's what I like, a ten year-old complainer. She's being raised right, I guess.

As my unhappy friend left a little while later, there were 12 people in line with the same clerk and finally another clerk joined her. Within minutes the line was gone and so where the people waiting for their orders. I wish the friendly little clerk had just asked for help a little sooner. She might have saved a customer . . . the one who had been directly in front of her.

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, ,

Top Speaker Says Beware Of Bogus Customer Service Awards
Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I was picking up a prescription at my pharmacy when I spotted a self-serving poster that proclaimed that a nearby facility was "Voted Foothill's Best Hospital."

As if that distinction weren't enough, the line beneath that one puffed, "3 Years In A Row!"

Well, that's impressive, isn't it?

Wait.

Back-up a minute.

To my knowledge, the hospital to which the banner refers is the ONLY one in the Foothills; the only game in town, so to speak.

So the line could have read: "It Ain't Much, But It's The Best We've Got!" and it would have been truthful.

Plus, to be the "best" at something, there have to be at least THREE entities in the competition. Any grammarian will tell you that "best" is a superlative. If there are two in the running, one can be said to be "better" but not "best."

And there is no way there are THREE hospitals in the foothills, unless two are veiled in secrecy.

But that's just the beginning of the analysis. Let's probe a bit more.

What, precisely, is the compass of "The Foothills?" Where is the border between your foothills and mine, and the non-foothills, for that matter?

And who voted?

Clearly, it was the living, and not the definitely dissatisfied, the facility's "mistakes," that no longer have a vote, at least a terrestrial one.

Did the employees vote?

Did a hospital accrediting agency, using objective criteria, bestow this distinction?

What other hospital, if any, was in the running?

What questions were asked?

"Which hospital is the prettiest?"

"Which hospital is in the most scenic location?"

Or, is this facility the best in heart surgery survival rates, parental education, teaching, or other really important, health-related areas?

When consumers make these inquiries, asking serious questions about these awards, I believe we'll see fewer and fewer of them.

Perhaps then we'll have a solid reason to trust the truthfulness of the ones that survive the scrutiny.

Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 800 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered a 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, ,

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