For Customer Service

How To Build Customer Relationships
Sunday, August 31, 2008

Writen by Jennifer McGroary

Building a lasting relationship with your customers is a vital marketing strategy in ensuring the existence of your business. Making your customers unhappy even once can impact their likelihood of ever revisiting.

Small, local stores, retailers, and companies, can sometimes offer more personable service because of their focus on the quality and uniqueness of their products not sold anywhere else. Honoring the customers' needs is what brings them back for more. The customers who approach you will not necessarily be a part of the local crowd—therefore it is important that you take the time to make a good impression to improve business. Running a small or local venture can be mixed with challenges all in its own, but with effective marketing you can overcome all the odds. What better place to promote that concept than on your web site?

Before you have your web site up and running, first develop a marketing plan as to what you would like to achieve through it. As an extension of your philosophies and style, you will want a web site that reaches out to your customers and lets them learn about you at the same time. Once you have that together, then you can plot out the components of your site. Here are some tried-and-true ways to offer optimum results:

* List sales dates, and offer deals, discounts, or coupons/vouchers for customers to print off and use.
* Use your web site to offer email or postal mail updates to all customers who choose to be on your mailing list to which they can subscribe online.
* Offer free or discounted shipping on orders processed via your specifications.
* Offer to include a small free gift as a thank you to customers for their business.
* Suggested features to include on your web site for customers to view are a pictorial catalogue, biographies of key contacts, employees, or owners/managers, and map and pictures of your business.
* Include a Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ) section for self-help in case customers are experiencing trouble browsing or shopping online.
* Clearly explain your products or services, including all applicable fees so customers are not unpleasantly surprised when they obtain a quote or make a purchase with your business.
* State your policy of returns, damaged goods, or refunds where applicable.
* Vary your selections by season, holiday, or event. Marketing yourself as a novelty producer in your industry will help you come out on top.
* Make sure your web site is well-maintained at all times, where technical difficulties experienced on your web site are kept to a minimum to avoid losing impatient customers. A small, local business that is not prepared to handle an influx of customers will lose to a larger competitor.
* Provide a feedback section for customers to offer suggestions and rate their overall satisfaction. You can also opt to email a survey to customers who shop online with you.

With careful planning, your small business can be well on its way to surpassing local recognition and make its way to the top of the list for successful ventures!

Copyright 2005 Jennifer McGroary

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service And Handling The Massive Rush
Saturday, August 30, 2008

Writen by Lance Winslow

Have you ever worked in a business, which had two types of clientele? One, which was their standard locals and one, which was a massive rush clientele during certain nights, such as Friday or Saturday?

Well, recently I interviewed a gentleman going into the restaurant business and sure enough he worked in a restaurant as a manager, which did $800,000 in sales it first year and it was a rather small chain. But each of their steakhouses were across the street from stadiums, you know baseball, football and basketball stadiums.

The local crowd was dismal during the week, hardly anyone there actually, but it is growing now. Yet, after the big events everyone was there as in 2500 people or more and they had to move the tables in 20-30 minutes and it was jammed and packed in. They even had to seriously worry about the fire codes as people just kept jamming themselves in.

How do you manage a business like that and maintain Customer Service while still handling the Massive Rush? Well they had different policies for the crowds than with the locals that is for sure. For instance if you claimed that you wanted your steak rare instead of well done, as it was prepared well tough (literally) luck, as there are two people waiting for that table outside.

Additionally they had to clean and restock the bathrooms every 5-10 minutes and it was utter chaos, but people loved it, because they worked hard to maintain the customer service a good level, not super high, but enough to keep people happy.

You know what? They may double their sales next year, partly due to more home games scheduled, but also because people are satisfied and they keep coming back and telling friends. Please consider all this in 2006.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service Warningwhat To Watch For Indications We Have A Customer Service Problem
Friday, August 29, 2008

Writen by Alan Boyer

Do you frequently hear that customers are unhappy about something, and sometimes they are downright frustrated.

Yet, what you hear from your employees is, "Stupid customers! They just don't understand how to use the product"?

As the owner, or manager, what has been your response? Has it been to back up your employees, or do you go find out what the customer is really saying?

WARNING: you've been given an indicator of what is going on in the organization. The customers aren't getting what they thought they paid for, and the employees are actually blocking access to what the customer wants.

Let's look at it from the customer's view: You've just bought a new XYZ that is critical to your business operation. You get it back to the office, and can't make it work as advertised. You call customer support, with hope that it is just something that can be quickly fixed. After waiting on the phone for 30-40 minutes you finally get a live person who immediately says, "Oh sure. Everyone makes that mistake. All you have to do is ……[stand on your left foot while pushing the button with the right index finger]. No problem. Thanks for calling…click."

You didn't even have the chance to tell him that you aren't one of those everyday customers. You are actually quite knowledgeable and already tried that, but it didn't work. So, since he didn't listen, you've got to make that call again. Another 30-40 minutes waiting and finally get someone else whose immediate response is….[exactly the same as the last time] but you are trying to get him to listen before he cuts you off like the last guy. You finally get him to stop and listen, but his response is, "You're using it wrong. It wasn't meant to do that, at least that way. When you are using it THAT way you have to stand on the right foot while pushing the button with the left index finger. Geeeeee!!! …..click."

And after you try it on the left foot it starts working, at least it does until the next day when it goes down again. In the meantime you and your business were off line for how long at how much cost?

What did it cost you to buy that product that was supposed to save you money?

And chances are that there will be another 20-30 calls for other similar issues. In the meantime it's costing you tons of time and money while you are trying to fix THEIR product, and, in some cases, because your business is dependent upon having the product working, the entire business is down at enormous cost.

So, what's the answer to this?

Although many customer service reps, managers, and business owners think this is a technical problem that can be fixed by fixing the technical issue, please listen carefully IT IS NOT just a technical issue. It is a management problem. It is up to management to fix the fact that the person directly in contact with the customer is more concerned in proving that the product really does work and the customer is too stupid to know it instead of helping the customer get what he really wants. The employees must be informed, must be trained, to understand their real job is to help the customer and that requires listening to him thoroughly instead of justifying that your product really does work. Otherwise they are probably answering the WRONG question.

Sometimes there really is a good technical reason to stand on the left foot instead of the right when pushing the button. And if a customer doesn't know how or when to do that, isn't the problem with the instructions or possibly something else, not the customer.

Keep good records on what customers are calling about. Even if an employee has what he thinks is a justifiable answer, if that question just keeps coming up over and over it is time to find out what the real base cause is.

I also believe that most customer service people actually are trying to do a good job for their boss, but they don't understand what the goals of their job really are. So they are doing a good job delivering the wrong service. Most feel that their job is to protect the boss, the company, and maybe their own job, from that "stupid customer." That makes it a losing situation for the customer, and, after all, it is the customer that is paying your salaries not the other way around. The customer will eventually go away if this doesn't change.

If the employees change their perspective to, "My job is to help the customer get what he wants. I'm the expert on company policy, the technical issues, and I'll use those tools to help the customer get what he really wants (which usually is a product that works)."

I was traveling to the Middle East last year and saw a perfect example of how the perception of an employee might affect his customers. When arriving at the counter where they check passports there were two people that were there to facilitate faster movement through the different lines but each had a totally different idea of what their job was.

One considered himself as someone to help the people get what they wanted. They walked up to the arriving passengers, asking them if they were citizens or not and guiding citizens quickly to the right line. If they were not citizens, then they asked if they had each of the several papers filled out, checked those papers and then showed them how to to correct line XYZ before getting up to the counter that they were now being pointed toward.

The other considered himself a policeman. He was preventing people from getting in line if they didn't have the form, or if it wasn't filled out correctly, preventing them from getting in the wrong lines, and sending them over to a work table to fill out the papers themselves. When they came back the "policeman" would check the papers again and send them back to do them over. No offer to help other than to say, this isn't filled out right, do it again.

The difference between these people is mainly in their vision of their job, what they perceive as their job. They both have the same job description, making sure that the agent at the counter doesn't have to deal with improperly filled out forms and to make the lines move through faster.

However, one sees his job as catching mistakes and taking them out of line. That might actually make things easier on the guy checking papers at the counter, but certainly not on the customer, the guy trying to get in to the country. The other sees his job as helping the customer get through this tough process and guiding him to get the answers on the paper, and into the right line.

So, ultimately how can this be used in your company? Make sure that the employees in direct contact with a customer have a vision of their job that is clearly defined as: Your job, if you decide to take it, is to make sure that customer gets what he wants. You are the expert in company policy, and possibly even technical issues of the product so use those tools to facilitate, smooth out, getting the customer what he wants.

Many times the responsibility of the employee is not to find a technical reason (standing on the left foot while…..). The employees should be trained to think beyond the fact that some technical aspect of a product is or is not broken. He should be asking the customer why he is struggling, it could be in the instructions, it could be customers are buying it to do something that it wasn't intended to do (marketing, advertising, are saying the wrong thing, or not saying it clearly enough) and the employee must grasp this idea and fix the real problem, such as suggesting that the company rewrite the instructions, change the product, etc.

Frequently the employees need to be trained to think out of the box, and help the customer in ways that are not quite as obvious. The employees can better help a customer if they have the skills to probe to find what is the real cause that is well beyond a technical "it's broken" response from a customer.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Hidden Jewels Build Stronger Relationships With Customer Issues
Thursday, August 28, 2008

Writen by Leandro Goldberg

The well-known Russian Playright Anton Checkhov once wrote "Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice". Nothing could be more true when it comes to achieving efficiency in customer management.

The "practice" of knowledge as it relates to customer service varies by organization, but clearly the goal should be (for any organization) the desire to establish an efficient, consistent process for meeting the demands on the most frequently requested (and thereby necessary) knowledge bits and bytes that live at the heart of your product offering.

Careful listening is by far the very best way to build credibility in customer service - why? Your relationship with that customer becomes stronger each time you are able to service their individually unique articulation of a particular question, problem, or issue. I truly believe there is a significant difference in customer impact when a problem is solved with written communication as opposed to a passing conversation.

Furthermore, any future customers that encounter similar problems will make an identifiable connection through the benefit of written communication - consider the reasons why:

• someone took the time to document precisely what their question or issue was
• the problem was already experienced by someone else, or perhaps many others
• by responding in writing, customer support genuinely endorsed the validity of the issue

Thus, the "practice" of knowlege from a tools perspective manifests itself in the form of a knowledgebase of reusable artifacts. You would be hard pressed today to find a helpdesk or CRM system that does not have this feature, but there are some distinct differences when it comes to how much work (and what kind of flexibility) it takes to develop a good solid library of reusable artifiacts.

The first place to start when it comes to looking for a CRM or Helpdesk knowledgebase feature is the capability for a customer or external constituency to report and self-manage questions, issues, and problems in their own words. This ensures that your tool can capture the level of granularity that your customer may want to start with, and that once the knowlegebase article is added it will contain a solution that truly reflects customer intent.

How much work does this cause your administration on the inside of your company if you wish to create a closed-loop knowledgebase artifact, strengthen the relationship with that customer, and service the repeatibiltiy aspect of others in need of the same solution? Consider some "must have" features to create a positive collaborative environment for knowledge sharing:

• State Change - look for a system that enables a CSR or admin to create state change on a customer-originated issue. The state change would transition the issue from open to (for exampe), to "closed - knowlegebase" without having to create the article from scratch.
• Publishing - look for systems that enables instant publishing as opposed to batch processing or convoluted processes that slow artifact approval.
• Content - create solutions that contain rich content - many of today's knowledgebase tools have added document editing panels (similar to MS Word) that provide word processing features, enabling you to create rich content.
• Flexibilty - demand a system that gives you options on how your knowledgebase articles will be displayed - when it comes to knowledgebase preferences, you can please some of the people only some of the time with a "one-size fits all" approach.
• Security - ensure that knowledgbase articles have security settings so that certain types of external users are limited in what artifacts they are able to access.

A bit of solution shopping and careful consideration up front will go a long way in building stronger relationships with customers with well planned, collaborative knowledge sharing.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Upset Customers Dont Have To Upset You
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Dr. Albert Ellis, recently voted one of the most influential psychologists of the last century, is rumored to be on his way to a Nobel Prize.

As a long-time admirer of Ellis, and as someone who had the privilege of learning with him, in person, let me say it's well deserved.

Ellis says we can experience an emotion that we dislike and alter it, because our reasoning capacity controls our emotions, to a large extent. His approach is to teach people to talk themselves out of their funks, in some cases on the spot.

So, let's say there is a customer who is screaming at you. If you tell yourself, "It's awful whenever anybody screams at me, and I shouldn't have to take this guff!" you'll set yourself up for feeling stressed and very uptight.

Ellis says, especially when we're doing a slow burn that starts to really ignite, that we should ask, "What am I telling myself that's making me so agitated?"

In the screamer situation, there are two things, two nettlesome beliefs: (1) It's AWFUL; and (2) I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TAKE IT!

Ellis advises us to challenge both assumptions, to ask:

Why must it be awful? Can't I make it simply "mildly uncomfortable," instead? Also, who says I shouldn't have to take it? Me, right?

Maybe I do have to take it. It could be part of the job, an unpleasant part, true, but part of it, nonetheless.

Once we have challenged these assumptions, and substituted more mild alternatives, our emotions subside, and we come into better control, says Ellis.

If you're in any kind of customer-facing capacity, you may find Ellis' books a real help.

He reminds us that we may not be able to control what customers throw at us, but we can learn to duck!

That's the next best thing, right?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Dont Forget Your Existing Clients
Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Writen by Will Dylan

Quest for new clients shouldn't ignore those who pay the bills

Acquisition. It's a big word in small business marketing. Companies are constantly looking at ways to draw new people to the business and generate new streams of revenue. In this quest, some small businesses make the mistake of focusing too much on new customer acquisition, only to find that their existing customers have been lured away by a competitor.

Ironic, isn't it? The very tactics you use to drive new customers to your business are the same ones that your competitors can use to take them away from you. Losing sight of your existing customer base is truly an example of not seeing the forest for the trees. Did you know that on average, it costs a small business 10 times as much to attract a new client as it does to retain an existing one? Think about that the next time you are planning an acquisition marketing campaign, then use these three tips to ensure that your customers don't fall prey to your competitor's acquisition efforts:

Coffee Anyone?: One of the simplest and most cost effective retention initiatives I've seen involved sending your customers a brief letter and tossing in a gift certificate for a free coffee at a local coffee shop (if you're a local business), or a national coffee chain (if you operate in a broader area.) It will only cost you about one dollar for each of your customers plus mailing costs, and you'll accomplish two things. Firstly, they'll be reminded of your company name and services thanks to your brief letter, and secondly, they'll enjoy a hot cup of coffee and feel good about you gesture. That free coffee can go a long way towards client retention.

Get Them a Deal: Who are your customers? Are they small businesspeople operating in your area? Are they pet owners? Are they car lovers? The product you sell will dictate what your clients are interested in. (For example if you sell a new type of car wax, you can be fairly certain that 99% of your clients are car buffs). If you have even a few dozen clients, you could approach another local business that sells a car related product (let's say a new tire polish) and offer them a deal. You'll send a letter to all of your customers and offer them a great deal on the tire polish of 40% off the retail price. The company you approach should be willing to do this, as they have the potential to make a number of sales at one time, and your customers receive something of value from you, making them remember your company name and feel good about your offer.

Take it one step further and reciprocate the offer. The tire polish company can tell all of their clients about your car wax, and you'll offer them a 40% as well since you now have the chance to sell some of your product. Client loyalty and new business too….a total solution! Just make sure that what you offer to your clients is actually valuable and not just a hollow sales pitch. Your reputation may be hurt by partnering with businesses that do not invest as much in client satisfaction as you do.

Build a Community: Keeping in contact with your customers is another way to improve customer retention. If your customers receive a newsletter or ezine from you on a regular basis, it becomes very difficult for them to forget about you or your services. Producing an ezine or newsletter is not as difficult as you think. The Internet is full of articles and opinions on almost every subject imaginable. Most authors will grant you permission to use their articles free of charge provided that you include a link to their website (you can find a great collection of articles on a wide variety of topics at www.ideamarketers.com, www.clickforcontent.com, and others). By building a small newsletter or ezine that contains 2 or 3 articles per month, you will get one opportunity each month to remind your customers that you value their business. Of course you could also include information about your latest product or service offerings in your newsletter in addition to the articles.

Acquiring customers is important, but retaining customers is critical to the ongoing success of your business. Small gestures often go a long way towards thwarting the acquisition efforts of your competition, and ensuring that your customers remain aware of your company and interested in your services.

About The Author

Will Dylan is the Author of "Small Business Big Marketing" a powerful e-book for small businesses available through his website www.marketingyoursmallbusiness.com. You can contact Will at askwill@marketingyoursmallbusiness.com.

Article contents © 2004 by marketingyoursmallbusiness.com.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Why Communication Skills Dont Work In Customer Service
Monday, August 25, 2008

Writen by Tim Dawes

Every time my firm conducts communication skills training, we know someone is going to object.

"That doesn't work. Everybody's heard of active listening. You can't use that stuff anymore."

And we have to admit, there's a lot of truth in that. Everyone has heard of active listening. And it doesn't work for many people much of the time.

But communication skills can work for your staff.

The problem usually isn't the skills. It's the way people are trained to use them. Learn to use communication skills effectively, and they can create happy customers and higher income.

There are two components to good communication skills: (a) the skills themselves, and (b) what you're trying to do (your intention) when you use them. Many employees learn communication skills from manuals. And many manuals emphasize either skills, or intention but not both. And so, much of what we think of as communication skills training fails.

Here are a couple of examples:

Example 1: How active listening gets a black eye: using good skills, but with the intention to fix or change a customer

I was coaching a hospital social worker through a confrontation with a mother who was terribly frightened. The social worker was doing his best to demonstrate active listening.

"OK, I get that you're upset. And you want to get out of here. And I want to help you. But you've got to go through this process before you can take your daughter home."

The mother didn't react at all the way he'd hoped. "I don't want to hear all this institutional talk," she said. "You leave me alone. I'll sue if I have to!"

This appears to be a failure of active listening. And it is, but the problem goes deeper than that. When I paused the encounter and asked the social worker how he thought the mother was feeling and what she needed, he said, "I don't really know. I was busy trying to get her to do what I wanted and think it was her idea."

Active listening skills are useful, but they're only tools. They serve the intentions of the person using them. And if you don't teach trainees useful intentions, most will fall back on trying to fix people or change them. So you'll be training your staff to be very effective at letting your customers know they need to be fixed or changed. And your customers will let you know how unpleasant an experience that is.

Example 2: How "understand before you are understood" fails: having a useful intention but lacking the skills to communicate it

I paused a training scenario just after an angry man blew up at a nurse. I was coaching the nurse through an encounter with a father who felt the staff was trying to hustle him and his son out of the hospital.

He told her that he worked all day and came into the hospital all night. And where did she think he was going to get the time to go through training before he took his son home?

When I asked her how she thought the man was feeling and what he needed, she suggested that he seemed overwhelmed and afraid, and that he might need some support.

When I suggested she might ask the man if that's what he was experiencing, she turned to him and said, "You need an appointment with a social worker. I'll set something up for you."

This is a classic failure that comes from understanding your customer, but lacking the skills to communicate it. The nurse could describe the source of the man's anger clearly to me. She had real empathy for him. But she couldn't put her words together in a way he recognized as compassionate.

We'd taught her the words, of course. But like most people who learn new skills, she lacked the confidence to use them. So she, like the trainee above, fell back on trying to fix the customer. And he let her know how much he disliked being treated that way.

It don't mean a thing if you ain't practicing

Both of the examples above underscore a third important component of communication skills training, namely, the practice.

The trainee in the first example was a compassionate man with a degree in social work. I'm sure he'd had ample exposure to good communication skills. It had never gelled for him before.

Once we put him in a scenario, coached him through the skills, and alerted him to the fact that he was struggling because he was trying to fix his customer instead of connecting with her (that's the intention we teach), he developed skills rapidly. He even returned to training weeks later to report that he'd created a real difference in his life using the skills at home. He quickly became a valued mentor to others in his work group.

Communication skills are deceptively challenging. It takes no great intellect or dexterity to utter the words. What is terribly demanding is all the processing: keeping your focus on the other person despite your own discomfort, listening for the needs beneath complaints and accusations, drumming up the nerve to suggest to an outraged man that he might value some support.

What gets you through tough interactions is your confidence in your own intention and skills. And you learn confidence through practice.

In my experience, those are the keys to effective communication skills:

1. holding a useful intention like understanding the other person or connecting with them,

2. employing skills that communicate your intention, and

3. practicing the skills and intentions so you have them at hand, even when interactions get intense, especially when they do.

Find training that will provide you all three, and you'll have communication skills that will please your customers and increase your income.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Great American Customer Service Unawareness Campaign
Sunday, August 24, 2008

Writen by Tim Knox

Q: I'm so sick of you so-called business experts always saying the customer is always right. This is my business, not the customer's, so I'm the one who's always right. Sure, they can have an opinion, but in the end it's up to me to decide who's right and who's not. And if the customer doesn't like it they can take their business elsewhere. What do you say to that, Mr. Business Expert? -- Paul W.

A: Ah, Paul, and I had such high hopes that we would be friends. Oh well, so much for that hope. The fact is, Paul, within the context of a normal business transaction, the customer is always right. If you can't accept that fact, you won't have customers for long.

Sure, the customer might also be unreasonable, demanding, obnoxious, totally insane, and argumentative, but if you are willing to take their money in exchange for providing a product or service, then yes, the customer is always right.

I agree that there are terrible customers that will beat you into the ground if you let them. They rant, they rave, and they demand more than they should receive. But guess what, Paul? If a customer crosses the line of reasonability you don't have to do business with them. Thank them for their time and then send them on their not-so-merry way. Let them become someone else's problem if they are too much for you.

I have invited customers to take their business elsewhere and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The truth is some customers can not be pacified and end up doing more harm to your business than good. Still, it's up to you to do business with them and if you choose to do so, you basically agree to put up with whatever they dish out.

Most customer issues arise from bad customer service. There is not a week that goes by that I am not confronted with bad customer service, provided by apathetic business owners and their disgruntled employees who don't seem to give a flip that I am not a happy customer.

As an entrepreneur I give my fellow entrepreneurs more leeway than most people when it comes to bad customer service. I know how hard it is to be in business and I know how busy the average entrepreneur is. Still, the entrepreneur who ignores the customers needs will not be an entrepreneur very long.

I am not an over-demanding customer, but I do expect to be treated with the respect due someone who is willing to pay hard earned money for a product or service. In the past year I have been physically assaulted by a car salesman who refused to back up the promises he had made to get my signature on the dotted line. I've given up going to a certain Mexican fast food restaurant because the spiky-haired kids behind the counter act like taking my order is a major imposition on their day and when I do convince them to sell me food, the order is always wrong. And a certain cable company is still billing me for cable service at a house I moved out of six months ago.

So don't preach to me about who's right and who's wrong, Paul, because I have enough customer service horror stories to fill your soon to be empty appointment book, and in every case the customer WAS right.

Tell you what, Paul, instead of continuing my regular customer service sermon let me take this opportunity to write an open letter to you and other entrepreneurs everywhere who share your point of view.

Dear Paul (and the rest of you jokers),

The next time I order your product and you swear on a stack of bibles that it will absolutely, positively be there overnight and when it doesn't show up for two weeks and is broken in a dozen pieces and I call you to complain and you just say, "Oh well..."

The next time you tell me that my house needs a new roof when really all it really needs is a few shingles nailed down and when I confront you with the truth of the matter and you just say, "Oh well..."

The next time you tell me that my car needs a new engine when all it really needs is a battery, and I point this out to you and you just say, "Oh well..."

The next time I get lousy customer service from you I am going to go out of my way to let the world know about you. I'm going to start a campaign of customer service unawareness that will have angry customers beating on your door with torches and pitch forks in hand.

I'm going to send emails to everyone I know and encourage them to pass them on to everyone they know. It'll be like that old shampoo commercial where I tell two friends and they tell two friends and they tell two friends and before you know it the entire world will know to avoid your business like the plague.

Then I'm going to build a website dedicated to telling the world about your lousy customer service, Paul. I'll register it with search engines and send out press releases and buy TV and radio spots that announce to the world that your idea of customer service leaves much to be desired.

And when you come crying back to me, Paul, moaning that you have been run out of business as a result of my campaign of customer service unawareness do you know what I'm going to say?

That's right, Paul, old pal.

I'll just say, "Oh well..."

Note to readers: Have you experienced bad customer service? If so email me the details. Who knows, maybe we can hit the campaign trail together.

Here's to your success!

Small Business Q&A is written by veteran entrepreneur and syndicated columnist, Tim Knox. Tim's latest books include "Small Business Success Secrets" and "The 30 Day Blueprint For Success!" Related Links: http://www.smallbusinessqa.com http://www.dropshipwholesale.net

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

How My Bank Tried To Keep Me As A Customer
Saturday, August 23, 2008

Writen by Derek Williams

In short, my bank made bit of a mess of opening a new business account for me. And I waited for about 6 weeks before I eventually received a paying in book and cheque book.

They also told me that I wouldn't be able to see this account along with my other accounts when I used their internet banking facility. This would have been very inconvenient when trying to see my balances or transferring funds between accounts.

My bank manager was clearly very embarrassed by these problems. He sent me several letters of apology and also a present of a very nice Cross roller-ball pen.

At one point, I was getting so frustrated with what was happening that I actually thought about changing banks. But on second thoughts decided that I ought to at least telephone him and explain my frustrations. By letting him know how I felt, he at least had a chance to put things right.

Finally, he did manage to solve all the problems. My cheque books did arrive. And he managed to get all my accounts set up on one internet account.

I was a happy customer once more. And I will be staying with this bank.

But what was it that saved the day. Was it the letters of apology? Was it the Cross pen?

No. What convinced me to stay with this bank was when my manager had some temporary cheques made up for me and then drove 10 miles to hand deliver them to me.

I actually only needed to use one of those temporary cheques. But it was the manager's commitment to me as a customer that made the day.

Interestingly, the pen didn't save the day. But it is a lovely reminder of my manager's commitment and care.

How would you and your team demonstrate that you care?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Keep Your Customers Coming Back
Friday, August 22, 2008

Writen by Lee Fowler

So you have satisfied customers. So what.

"What do you mean, so what! We work very hard to achieve customer satisfaction - we're very proud of it."

Yes, no dispute that customer satisfaction is critical in the twenty first century, your company won't survive without it - it's what customers now expect. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about customer loyalty.

"What's the difference?" you say. Plenty. Customer satisfaction is sending a happy customer OUT of your business; customer loyalty is bringing a happy customer BACK to your business. They are very different events.

We've all read the research that shows 96% of customers with a problem will never complain (if they complained you'd have a chance to fix the problem and retain the customer), and the stories of customer focused organisations that enjoy explosive growth by giving you a discount if the phone rings more than five times. All good stuff, and valid then.

This is today. Today's satisfied customer is tomorrow's competitor's satisfied customer. Unless you know how to keep them.

We made some assumptions about our customers in the service frenzy of the 80's and 90's. Those assumptions are:

The level of service we decided to give our customers is what they actually wanted

The level of service we're giving will create customer satisfaction

High levels of customer satisfaction generates repeat business

Let's look at these three areas. Who says the level of service that your organisation gives its customers is what they actually want? Has anyone ever asked them? That may sound a little too obvious, and it's surprising how many companies never bother to ask their customers what they expect. Has your company ever formally asked its customers? By using the services of a market research company to survey them you will learn things you could never learn by asking them personally. Market researchers are impartial, and are seen to be so. The answers can be eye opening.

The second issue - the level of service we're giving will create customer satisfaction. Who says? The customer? They're the only ones who matter. Ask them.

Then the third myth. High levels of customer satisfaction generates repeat business.

Unless a customer is given very good reasons to return to do business with you again, all the customer satisfaction in the world won't bring them back.

So how do you keep your customers coming back? Assuming your products and services are good value for money, here's the key. MAKE YOUR CUSTOMER FEEL SPECIAL. Make them feel they are the most important customer you've got. Yes, every one of them - individually.

Do the unexpected. As customers, we get blasé - we expect good service as a matter of course. Do something outrageous that will turn your customer into a walking, talking advertisement for you. Like giving all the customers in your restaurant a card instead of the bill on one night per month. The card simply says "Thank you for being our guest tonight. One night a month we treat all our patrons as our guests, and there will be no bill. Please tell your friends that we randomly choose a night where everyone is our guest, and eats for free. We hope you enjoyed your visit, and we'll see you again soon."

If that happened to you, how many people would you tell, 10, 20, 30? And how many of them would visit that restaurant, 50%, 80%? A large percentage, you can bet. We all like surprises, and we all like something for nothing, and we can't resist a gamble! And what has it cost - equivalent to a 3% discount over the course of a month. This technique need not be restricted to restaurants either, any business can adapt it.

Or how about a customer who is a keen golfer. Imagine their delight when, for no reason, a box of golf balls arrives with a note from you saying "Thanks for doing business with us, we appreciate it . . . hope you continue to enjoy your golf." How quickly would the story get around the golf club?

Why not allocate one service team to visit major customer sites on one day per month to carry out a full safety inspection and report on equipment installed there - free of charge and without being asked to do it.

There are probably hundreds of outrageous ideas you can think of for your business that will make customers keep coming back, and talk about you to other potential customers - your walking, talking advertisements.

In his book, 'Positively Outrageous Service: New And Easy Ways To Win Customers For Life', T. Scott Gross explains his technique for keeping customers. The key to this technique is to create high impact experiences. A customer encounters high impact experiences when these five elements are involved:

*Its unexpected and randomly chosen
*It's out of all proportion to their business with you
*It involves the customer
*It makes customers talk about you enthusiastically
*It cements their decision to keep doing business with you

Be creative. Use your imagination to think up ways to incorporate high impact experiences for your customers. Here are some idea starters:

Entertain your customers. Especially while they are waiting. If you absolutely cannot eliminate waiting, have coffee or soft drinks available; send someone to chat to them about things they like and don't like about doing business with your company - it's amazing how much you can learn by just asking.

Apologise for even the smallest mistake. When in doubt, apologise; make amends far in excess of the slip-up; authorise your employees to solve problems and compensate customers for inconveniences.

Ask your customers' opinion. Learn to listen effectively and actively seek information from customers - you'll be amazed how many good ideas they'll give you.

Know your customer by name. And use it. Everyone likes to be called by name, and those who use customers' names are remembered. Ever been paying for a purchase with a credit card and the salesperson has used your name from the card? Using names makes people feel good.

Invite your customer to play. (And know when they're not in the mood). Give your customer fun at unexpected moments. As customers line up at the drive-up window at Gross's fast food restaurant, staff start washing windscreens and having a joke with the customers - and they keep coming back.

Companies who create outrageous service are remembered - and more importantly, talked about. Not only is word-of-mouth advertising the best form, it is very cost effective, and very easy to do, and it keeps customers coming back. All it takes is some imagination - and the courage to be different.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

5 Ways Customer Service Managers Are Implementing To Increase Customer Focus
Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Writen by Vera Haitayan

According to a Forum Corporation survey of commercial customers lost by 14 major service and manufacturing companies:

15% found a better service/product

15% found a cheaper service/product

20% cited "lack of contact and individual attention from the company"

50% said; "contact from old suppliers" personnel was poor in quality"

These days, it seems that everyone from dog walkers to dotcoms is making "customer service" their mission. Department, discount and convenience stores have all transformed the workers who used to be known as "sales clerks" into "customer service associates"- in theory at least. A recent survey of large corporation CEOs revealed that 67% had customer service earmarked as their top priority. Here are the 5 ways successful managers should implement to increase customer focus.

1. Targeted recruiting and hiring. Today's managers are faced with the challenge of recruiting and hiring people who value customers. The concern far exceeds hiring the right talent; it includes the awareness of hiring for the cultural fit of their organization. It is true that a strong correlation exists between hiring the right customer service talent and customer satisfaction, effective productivity and increased bottom line profitability.

2. Listen for what customers really need. While the extra effort being put forth to be customer focused is encouraging, there is a big difference between customer service and customer satisfaction. This is where many companies get confused and customer service efforts can go awry. Customer satisfaction is an outcome; customer service is a means or strategy for achieving that outcome. To move toward greater customer satisfaction, businesses must focus on what it is that, indeed, satisfies the customer instead of just focusing on the activities themselves.

3. Handle tough customers with tact. Quality of service is what distinguishes one company from another. Far more than in product-producing companies, in service organizations. The actions of people are the key to quality. The leadership skills of managers in service organizations can contribute significantly to the quality of customer service efforts.

4. Conduct customer surveys. Develop and implement a customer survey program. This will attempt to understand customers' satisfaction with the company, its products and services. Companies will ask key questions about the customers' experiences and determine the overall level of customer satisfaction. Compare results of survey against internal performance measurements to ensure their validity. Managers will use such survey results to understand customer expectation and increase customer loyalty.

5. Motivate employees to be customer-focused. Managers need to create a sense of enthusiasm and energy that would be powerful and contagious for their employees and customers. Employee excitement, know how and determination offer insights to the growth of customer base and success of any organization. Incorporating true customer focus into company practices simply makes good business sense. It not only helps good managers become better managers, but more effective leaders. Bringing with it continual improvement, it also aids organizations so that they are better able to take advantage of, and adapt to, the changing environment that is today's marketplace. Business can't exist without customers, and customers don't let businesses exist without customer service. This all-important aspect of your company begins with becoming customer-focused. Instead of viewing things from your business' perspective, you must learn to view circumstances from that of your clients. To stay successful, customer satisfaction is a must!

Tips & Tactics

• Pay attention to customer feedback: It's the only way you'll really know what they want

• Embrace Technology: It can help you save tremendously on customer service costs.

• Make customer satisfaction a priority: From the top executives down, give your corporate culture a customer-focused angle.

Vera Haitayan, Principal Consultant of The Leadership Laboratory., a California-based employee development and process improvement consulting firm and is the senior editor of The Stepping Stone Newsletter featuring leadership and process improvement best practices. http://www.1leadershiplab.com mailto: vera@1leadershiplab.com

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Top 10 Customer Service Tips
Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Writen by Margo Chevers

1. Hire people who have a service attitude. Some people simply enjoy serving others, their organizations, and even their communities. The spirit of service dominates their personality. This attitude of service has nothing to do with money or background, and people who have this attitude are not necessarily the most outgoing or bubbly. This type of person will move your business forward. These people make the best salespeople as well.

2. Make the customer's time with you an experience. You have but a few short moments with customers. You don't have time to complain about your day or anything else. Ask yourself, "How can I make their experience better?" Can I refer to them by name and how can I ask without being too aggressive? How can I control the environment in this company? How am I affecting their 5 senses? Exceed their expectations just a little with their senses and with your attitude to serve and please, and you will have created a memorable and compelling experience. Of course, all you really have to do is visit your competition, see what they are doing and then top them. But would that be cheating? No, that's comparative shopping.

3. Regularly inform all your employees about what's going on in your company. Employees need to know what's happening. What new products are you offering? When will they be available? What kind of advertising will take place in the next month? Will any physical changes be happening in your offices? Will new branches be add? The more they know, the better they can serve your customers.

4. Make every decision with the customer in mind. Ask yourself questions such as, "Do our customers like what we're doing?" and "Would our customers like this type of promotion?" Change the way you look at things from having it centered around you to focused on whether the customer would approve.

5. Make the customers an agenda item at every staff meeting. Present their point of view and ask these questions: What would the customer think of this? Would this move be fair to them? How can we serve our customers better or differently?

6. Empower your employees to do the right thing. And don't hold it against them if the situation doesn't turn out perfectly. That means giving employees the power to do whatever has to be done to make a customer's experience a WOW experience. They will make mistakes, but each time they will learn – with your help.

7. Continually ask yourself how you can improve and add value. If you don't keep asking and pushing yourself, you'll start to slip behind the competition. Customers have more than one choice and your competition is aggressively marketing to them. They know what is being offered by others. Be ahead of the curve by asking what you can do to add value to your customer's experience with you.

8. Create an atmosphere of excellence. Let it be known that everything you and your employees do has to be the best, and you won't accept less. Remember that winning organizations are always raising the bar. If you aren't pushing to do better than yesterday, you will be left in the dust of your competition.

9. Continually do the unexpected. Have the reputation for doing the unexpected, and customers will always expect something different and exciting from your company. This doesn't mean that you have to have dancing clowns in your lobby, but having the same lollipops that everyone else gives out is not at all unexpected. Do something different. These are the things that customers talk about.

10. Never let an untrained employee have customer contact. Your employees represent you, your company, and your brand. Working with customers is the most important thing they will do. Give them the tools necessary by giving them adequate training to handle customers.

Margo Chevers, author of the book STOP the BS (bad service), has been providing sales and customer service seminars and consulting to a diverse cross-section of industries for the past 15 years. To receive her free 10 top tips for exceptional customer service, call (800) 858-0797 or email margo@margochevers.com.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Remarkable Power Of Thank You
Monday, August 18, 2008

Writen by Wendy Maynard

An easy thing to forget in the midst of our frenzied lives is the simple act of saying "thank you." Who has the time to slow down for such old-fashioned pleasantries? And yet, by incorporating a thank-you strategy into your marketing, I promise you'll reap immense rewards.

You'll stand out because it's not something that other business owners are in the habit of doing. Extending age-old courtesies now actually gives you an edge in the marketplace. It goes a long way toward cementing relationships with prospects and reinforcing customer loyalty.

One of the best ways to thank someone is a hand-written card. Get into the habit of writing notes. Keep a stack by your desk and scribble notes to customers, vendors, leads, associates, and mentors. Once you get started thanking people, you will find limitless opportunities. And guess what? People are tickled pink to receive a good, old-fashioned card.

Write a note that is sincere. Make sure you are expressing simple gratitude in your message, not a thinly disguised sales pitch. Don't be afraid to be warm and personal. And in case you're a chicken scratcher like me, don't worry about the way your writing looks - scribble your note and send it anyway!

Timing counts! For the most part, express your appreciation within a couple of days.

Here are some different opportunities to thank people:

* A new client/customer

* Existing client/customer who gives you a new project

* Someone who makes a referral to your company

* A peer who gives you helpful advice

* As a follow-up after a meeting or phone call

* For a job well done by an employee, vendor, or associate

* When someone shows you a kindness

People like to feel appreciated and recognized. You'll find that by thanking people, you will strengthen relationships. Your simple act of recognizing people will set you apart from your competitors. It will reinforce your bond with your clients, associates, vendors, etc. By, the way, don't forget to thank employees - they like to be appreciated, as well!

And, it will bolster word-of-mouth referrals. When someone has been appreciated and they hear of someone who needs your services/products, guess whose company they will recommend?

The power of saying "thank-you" is a powerful, but simple marketing tactic. Make is a habit and you will reap the rewards.

ACTION STEP: Are you in the habit of saying thank you? No? Then go to the store today and pick up some cards. Make it a goal to send at least 1 card a day (yes, that's 5 a week!). Not only is it part of effective marketing, but it's a winning strategy that won't let you down!

Copyright 2006 Marketing Maven

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

How To Build A Customer Focused Business
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Writen by Robert Warlow

You can have the best products, the plushest offices, the best location, but unless you are a 'customer focused' business, all of this counts for nothing, you will never really hit the heights you deserve.

So what can you do to build a business which focuses outwardly on the customer, and not inwardly on the business?

Build Passion and Commitment

The first building block is passion and commitment. This is the very foundation stone of a customer focused business. Without passion and commitment the structure you will build above will be weak and prone to collapse at the first sign of stress.

The passion and commitment has to come from you and your staff. All of you have to totally believe in the concept of the customer being the centre of everything you do. From the moment you step into work everyone has to do whatever it takes to satisfy the customer.

As the key person in the business what can you do to build passion and commitment? Lead from the front and set an example. Keep the concept at the top of the agenda and demonstrate it in everything you do. Keep talking about it. Celebrate all the great examples of putting the customer totally in focus.

Build Processes Around Your Customer Not The Business

All great businesses have clearly laid down processes on how to get things done. Whether you have a formal Process Manual or a Quick Reference Guide, which sets out your processes, a clear procedure provides confidence and clarity for both your staff and the customer.

But don't just build your processes around making things easier for you, build them to make things easier for the customer. Look at every step in the process and ask yourself, "Can we do something to make it even easier for the customer to do business with us?" Are there steps which can be refined or even eliminated all together? Be inquisitive, bold and challenging!

Build a Relationship

Building a relationship with your customer is at the very heart of a customer focused model. Build a strong, firm relationship and you will have a customer for life. The basis of relationship building is A.B.C. – Always Be Communicating. Here are some ideas on building an enduring and profitable relationship through ABC:

• Make a point to periodically call your customers. Set up a diary system to provide you with a regular reminder or prompt. Call them even if you have nothing sell! A strange concept perhaps but you never know what will come out of the conversation

• Issue quarterly newsletters telling them about your latest products, what you have planned for the future, a customer profile, news about new employees. Find anything which would be of interest and at the same time binding both of you closer together

• Make it a point during any conversation to find out something about the business you didn't know before. File away any interesting fact and think how you can use it in the future. Imagine how powerful it would be when you ask how the idea they mentioned in your last conversation was going!

• Do memorable things. Send birthday or anniversary cards to your key contact, a simple thank you note for doing business with us, send articles or newspaper cuttings, which you think will be of interest to them

Build a Culture of 'Wanting To Know'

If you are to build a reputation for being customer focused you should be making an effort to find out on a regular basis what they want from you. This can be achieved by either an informal phone call or a more formal survey via mail or e-mail. Find out what they like about your business, what they don't like and what changes they would like to see.

Having gathered together all the information, suggestions and ideas, set out an action plan to follow up. Once you have acted upon the workable suggestions, get in touch with the customers again and tell them what you have done in response to their comments. This will demonstrate that you have taken their ideas seriously and really care about what they think. Powerful stuff!

Being customer focused can be very rewarding and help in building a great business. Which of these steps are you going to put into practice today? Remember this – let the customer be your focus and you will become their focus.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Superior Customer Service Seven Strategies For Success
Saturday, August 16, 2008

Writen by Brian Backer

In customer satisfaction research conducted in recent years, one theme has emerged: the essential importance of superior customer service. It has been shown that service-related attributes stand out even over attributes such as product quality in their importance to customers. While this is not universally the case, it warrants discussion about customer satisfaction measurement and how your company can translate the information to achieve higher customer satisfaction.

Most companies believe they provide a unique offering to their customers. In many industries, a company achieves this uniqueness by delivering customer service that is superior to its competitors. This leads us to the question, "What does superior customer service mean?" While the details are industry and even firm specific, the basic principles can be generalized. The following list provides a good starting point for thinking about customer service research and how it can help your company deliver superior service.

Seven Superior Service Strategies

1. Always try to exceed customer expectations. Whether customer expectations are set by the firm or by a competitor, exceeding these will reflect on your company's reputation and leave a lasting impression. To achieve this, you must have a strong understanding of customer needs as these dictate expectations. Conducting a customer service survey will provide you with a true understanding of these needs. Managing expectations up front sets the stage for you to exceed customer expectations later in the relationship.
2. Track changes in customer expectations over time. Any successful company must learn to identify and adjust to changing trends, many of which will be reflected in customer expectations. Measure customer satisfaction with tracking research in order to monitor trends over time.

3. Make a strong first impression. The first contact with a customer (the "moment of truth") often sets the tone for their lasting impression of the company. Customer Satisfaction Research shows that how a customer feels about a transaction tends to be more important than the product or service purchased.

4. Be accessible, approachable, and responsive. If your customer finds it difficult to get in touch with someone at your company, they are less likely to do so, and the prospect of developing a strong, long-term relationship built on customer service satisfaction is greatly diminished. Make a habit of regularly reaching out to your customers to enhance customer service satisfaction and build lasting relationships.

5. Determine how your well company delivers. Initial customer satisfaction research will provide a baseline against which to measure future improvement initiatives. Regularly conduct a service satisfaction survey to help identify specifically what attributes of the product/service are of greatest importance to customers, how the company performs against those attributes and how both change over time.

6. Solicit input from your service personnel. Most public-contact employees are self-motivated to achieve customer service satisfaction. They are the best source for identifying roadblocks to superior service delivery (too much paperwork, difficult return policies, lack of information, interdepartmental miscommunication, inability to schedule service call times, etc.) and what upsets customers most. Spotlighting and addressing these issues not only improves customer service satisfaction but front-line employee attitudes as well.

7. Improve employee satisfaction. Regularly conduct an employee attitude survey to measure and improve employee satisfaction. This will, in turn, have an impact on customer service satisfaction. More satisfied employees will produce higher quality products and provide better service to your customers.

These seven strategies provide a generalized approach for exceeding customer expectations and achieving superior service. An ongoing customer satisfaction research program will help to identify the issues facing your particular business, as well as their relative importance to customers. Through such a program, a full-service marketing research firm could help identify the specific improvements that will have the greatest impact on improving overall customer service satisfaction.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Courting Customers From First Date To Marriage
Friday, August 15, 2008

Writen by Bryan Brandenburg

Landing a new client is like courting a potential spouse. The first date is usually a make or break situation and if the door is still open, the work has just begun. Like dating, you'd better give your prospect a pretty good reason to meet with you again, because there is usually more than one suitor.

Getting the Next Date

The key to getting that next date or meeting with a prospect is to deliver enough value to make a subsequent get-together attractive. At our company, our first meeting consists of a thorough questionnaire. Some of the questions we cover are:

What is the nature of the problem as you understand it?

What are the most urgent aspects of the problem?

What impact does this have on your organization?

Are you willing to make investments in technology when there is a clear ROI?

Who will be involved with making these decisions?

What other areas of your organization are you considering technology solutions?

What qualities do you look for in a vendor?

What will be the key factors driving your decision on this project?

We follow-up with a letter and summarize the client's problems, the cost of the problems and the solutions we can bring to solve them. This gives the client a clearly articulated assessment of their situation based on the information they've disclosed to us. It's often a more accurate and precise appraisal then before they met with us.

We try to complement their understanding of the problem with our understanding of the technology solutions. The prospect appreciates this new tool they have to move forward with solving the problems and we've gotten permission in almost every case to continue the conversation.

Making Your "Proposal"

The next step is a proposal, and we focus on educating the client throughout this process. We go beyond quoting a price; we send links to relevant articles, case studies and other content that expands the prospects understanding of their problems.

Many of these are included in the proposal as an appendix and we strive to deliver a document that is highly educational and includes diagrams and drawings to make the project more easily understood. Our strategy is that our prospect will use this as a tool to educate the internal decision making team, putting our companies name in front of them.

Once we get a preliminary approval on a contract, it's like getting engaged. The intent is to create a permanent relationship, but any number of circumstances could send the deal south. We go the extra mile in everything we do. And like marriage, the real effort begins when the contract is signed and the honeymoon is over.

We also pay attention to how we're being treated to ensure we're making the right choice for a partner as well; do they meet their commitments for returned phone calls, decisions, meeting times. We try and get a sense of the culture; do people like working there, are the people friendly, is there a sense of mission.

A Happy Marriage

Great relationships generally have a number of common elements:

Mutual respect and trust

Congruency, integrity and accountability

Common interests and goals

Common cultural backgrounds

Financial stability

Renew Your Vows

We're always focused on a long-term relationship, because it takes significantly less effort and cost to keep a client, then to gain a new one. Below is a list of things we strive to achieve in order to create a positive relationship with a client:

Deliver more value than we're paid for and do things right the first time.

Become a respected and valuable member of the internal team.

Do the little extras without expecting extra compensation.

Meet or exceed every commitment we've made in the contract, including delivering on schedule.

Adapt to the nuances of the client, rather than making them conform to ours.

Be accessible and create an exceptional communication channel with the client.

Be likable and anticipate the client's needs.

When we've done all this we're in a prime position to renew the vows for the next project. We've developed a quality relationship and the client has no reason to look elsewhere.

The Bottom Line

Whether you're getting married or acquiring a new customer, use common sense; find somebody that's compatible and attractive to you, consistently give more than you get and be a positive force in their lives.

About The Author

Bryan Brandenburg has published 5 books as well as a number of articles both in print and on the internet. He has published almost 30 software programs both for consumers and business. More information can be found at www.vmmmg.net

b.brandenburg@vmmg.net

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Unhappy Client How To Fight Back And Keep The Business

Writen by Laura Schweiker

Historically, there have been unavoidable situations that test an agency's client relationships. Today, there are tools that can minimize, or even eliminate these threats.

As an example, one situation that plagues all relationships is the unexpected surge in project cost.

Its an old story. You send your client an invoice that is 30% higher than the estimate. The client goes nuts. Your response is that the copy was changed thirteen times in two days. And THEN there were the layout changes . . .

Nobody is happy. Your client really doesn't think they made all those changes, and after-all, you're told, it should have been right the first time.

So now you have to recreate all the time records and find all the copy versions. You discover that because things were happening so fast, vital information never made it into the traffic system or on to a conference report. Plus, you have to go through the emails of multiple agency people to see who said what to whom.

The result? You give-up and figure out exactly how much of your hard-earned revenue you are willing to sacrifice to keep the client happy.

This cycle is repeated everyday in agencies everywhere.

Which leads us to the central proposition:

How an extranet can make you rich, and keep your client happy

Let's look at this same scenario at an agency that uses an extranet.

You send your client an invoice that is 30% higher than the estimate. Along with the invoice, you send a copy of all the comments, requests, and approvals made by the client.

Time spent creating the report: 90 seconds.

Quality of the evidence: irrefutable.

Net result: you get paid, the client realizes their mistake, and everybody is happy.

This sounds way too good to be true.

Maybe. But it's not. A client extranet automatically organizes all the comments, requests and approvals made by your client, your staff and your vendors. Not only that, it also compiles a complete record of who saw what, when the saw it, and what they did with it. All the information is in one place, and can be available to anyone at any time.

Entries into the extranet can be made by any user at any computer, 24 hours a day. And everyone with an interest in the project can be notified and see all the entries immediately.

The bottom-line is that having a complete record of what everyone did and when they did it can be the saving grace. It can save time, save money and save your sanity. Most importantly, it can save your relationship. All it takes is the implementation of a client service extranet.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service Speaker Suggests Introducing Meritpay To Achieve Customer Satisfaction
Thursday, August 14, 2008

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

There have been, perhaps, six critical conversations I've had that have shaped my professional consulting career. One of them was with an operations manager at a division of Federal Express.

I had just completed a successful, nationwide training program for the field sales force, so my credibility and confidence were soaring. Then, I heard a simple, but challenging question.

"We know how to measure sales productivity," he said. "But is there something you can develop that will measure customer service productivity?"

Reflexively, I thought, "Why bother? Even if we can do it, reps will hate it." But I held my tongue, sensing that this was a rare opportunity to revisit some of my assumptions.

My gut reaction was informed by years of doing seminars across the country in which I brought together sales and service people into the same sessions. Evaluations told me that they felt they were adversaries with mutually exclusive value systems.

Sales types tend to see themselves as swashbucklers, rogues, high-wire types, who crave adventure and embrace risks. They thrive on contingent pay, on the prospect of receiving hefty commissions and bonuses when they make big sales.

Service folks tend to be more risk averse. Often, they have a clerical mentality, which commends accuracy while penalizing mistakes. I sensed, to my core, that if we suggested to them that their pay should be even partly variable, based on achievement, they'd rebel.

This was more than supposition on my part. I had introduced cross-selling programs for years into service departments, experience that informed my best-selling book, Selling Skills For The Non-Salesperson. I found I could design a great sales program for service people, yet many would balk, even after they had achieved success and financial rewards through it.

They explained to me, in a very straightforward way, that they simply didn't want to be salespeople, and that was that. Noting resistance from the rank and file, senior management, in those days, refused to push for implementation, despite the fact that big profits were being left on the table.

What, if anything, has changed since I was asked this question?

Four crucial things:

(1) We know much more about measuring customer service achievement.

(2) Job enlargement, downsizing, CRM, and the rise of professionalism in companies have all contributed to an expectation of broadened CSR responsibilities and heightened performance.

(3) Global competition, especially from knowledge workers in countries such as India, China, and elsewhere, is beginning to exert pressure on domestic workers to find ways to increase their contributions, if only to keep jobs onshore.

(4) Management is more cost and profit conscious than ever before.

Customer Service Achievement

If there have been three unwritten commandments in the past for being a capable CSR they have boiled down to: (1) Sound nice; (2) Defuse angry customers; and (3) Don't make mistakes entering or retrieving data or reciting company policies.

Now, associates are being discouraged from focusing primarily on themselves, on customer service, or the motions they go through as they work. They're being required to focus on outcomes: on customer satisfaction and on customer loyalty.

They're being shown, through new training and unobtrusive, real-time performance measures, how to evaluate the impacts they're having on transactional satisfaction and a customer's decision to buy again from their organizations.

To borrow a phrase from Peter F. Drucker, suddenly the customer handling process is being managed for results.

If we can objectively monitor, measure, manage, and systematically replicate customer results, there's no reason to deny better pay to the people that can produce them.

Future articles will explore some of the other crucial changes that have occurred, as well as discuss the pragmatics of introducing a pay-for-performance plan into the customer service context.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Service Department Warranty And Nonwarranty Repairs

Writen by Hubert Crowell

Priority

Warranty repairs should have priority over all other repairs, When a customer purchases a product, they consider the warranty period. This is an important factor in the choice of whom they buy from and the faster a warranty repair is completed, the more likely they are to buy from the same provider again. Warranty repairs should be tagged with a special color tag so that when one is spotted it can be kept moving in the repair cycle.

Repair or Replace

A quick decision should be made as soon as the equipment arrives, as to make the repairs or replace the product. Our church recently returned our projector to our supplier because a replacement lamp was not available at the time from the manufacturer. We were advised that if the problem where to be the lamp that the product would be replaced by the manufacturer as they could not provide a new lamp. The problem however turned out to be a bad power supply and a quick repair was made. We were left with a very good impression of the manufacturer and will more likely buy their products again.

Cost is the lowest factor and customer satisfaction is the highest factor when deciding whither to replace or repair. Guide lines should be worked out with sales and manufacturing on the replacement policy using your liaison team that you use for each product. Unfortunately most service personal and service departments treat the warranty repair as an easy place to relax. The repair is often moved to the last and the service person will spend more time on the repair as they will not have to explain the cost to the customer. The danger for the service department is to isolate itself from the company and our customers, taking a defiance mode instead of taking ownership of the problem.

Non-Warranty Repairs

With a non-warranty repair, cost is the main factor for the customer with time usually taking second place. If this were not true, the customer would just replace the equipment instead of sending is in for repair.

The Estimate

I believe that the most important thing to keep in mind with the non-warranty repairs is to get back to the customer as fast as possible with an estimate for the cost of the repair. I believe that a two-part estimate is the best way to proceed. As soon as the equipment arrives have a technician quickly check the equipment and make a very rough estimate. Be sure that the customer is aware that this is just the initial estimate and that a more accurate one will follow. No action should be required be the customer on this estimate unless they want you to stop the repair now. You could state that we will be proceeding with a more in-depth estimate of the repairs unless advised to stop the repair, in which case a reduced minimum charge would occur. You may want to give them a 24-hour time frame to take advantage of the minimum charge saving. This also gives you a built- in hold on the countdown to completion of the repair. During this time parts could still be pulled and the equipment could be moving down the line toward the repair station or final estimate stage of the repair. When the final estimate is sent, the service department has a problem as what to do with the unit until approval or rejection is received from the customer. The estimate should require that the customer confirm that they have received the estimate. This can be automatic with e-mails. Set time limits and if you do not receive a confirmation repeat the process until you get a response. Also request a time limit for the estimate approval, allowing more time if a third party is involved.

I would recommend dust covers for the equipment awaiting estimate approval that are clearly marked 'Awaiting Estimate Approval', and the date or a copy of the estimate attached. An envelope with all the repair information could be tapped to the cover. A calender reminder in the e-mail program could remind you when the time limit has been exceeded so a reminder e-mail could be sent to the customer. Make it clear that a failure to respond to the estimate within the time frame is understood to mean that the estimate has been declined and the unit will be returned with the minimum charge for the repair. You may want to consider storage charges for customers requiring more time for the estimate approval. This equipment will be taking up valuable space and work carts during the estimate waiting period.

Repair before approval?

Some times it may require less time to repair the equipment when making the estimate. Set some guide lines, say for example if the repair is within 20% of the minimum repair charge you may want to go ahead and complete the repair, taking the small risk of a rejection and saving valuable holding space. I would adjust the percentage as high as possible, so that when the approval is received the unit could be returned immediately. I would recommend even taking the additional risk and completing the repair and packing for shipment. If the customer declines the repair, then accept the minimum charge, and return the repaired unit. Charge the 20% loss to customer relations improvement. It will pay off in the long run. Just make sure that the percentage you set for this risk has the approval of all involved. Remember that you are saving the time of handling the equipment a second time and the repair can be completed, improving your turn around time.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Aint We Wonderful
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Writen by Pat Quinn

It may come as a surprise to you to discover that customers don't buy your products or services because they feel that you have a right to make a profit. In other words, their motive for doing business with you is not to help you buy the latest Jaguar or put your children through college. You think this is a joke? Recent research shows that something like 60% of businesspeople place more importance on what they will get from a transaction than on what their customers will benefit.

In essence, their profitability is more crucial to them than is customer satisfaction. And it shows.

If you are in any doubt about this, cast your eyes over the myriad of ads, brochures, websites and so on that major on the successfulness of their organisation, as opposed to the benefit their products or services might be to the customer.

Certainly, they pay lip-service to customer satisfaction, but beneath this thin veneer of eye-shine is the belief, probably implanted at birth, that their bottom line takes precedence over everything.

Oddly, advertising agencies are among the worst offenders in this respect. Their promotional material illustrates what great work they have done, and states how many millions they billed in the last financial year, but none (and I mean none) tell you how much product their efforts have helped shift. To put it another way, none bother to demonstrate what benefit their services have been to clients.

While I am on the subject, there's something else just as puzzling which may have escaped your notice. I refer to the ubiquitous advertising awards handed out to agencies by various advertising organisations around the world. These awards are given, without fail, to campaigns that are outstandingly funny, or technically slick, or wonderfully realistic. Rarely, and I mean never, are these awards made on the strength of how much product a given campaign has sold. They don't even take into account response rates or conversion rates generated by a campaign.

Such figures, I agree, would involve a little trouble to collate, and there would no doubt be quite a bit of trickery in the shape of false returns to overcome. But I feel that a yardstick of this kind would be far more worthy – and more relevant - than one which considered only the creativity or the cutting-edge techniques involved in a piece of work

Over the years, I have won dozens of awards for my clients; and very grateful I have been for them. A copywriter who can tote a portfolio or a showreel filled with award-winning material is guaranteed work for life. Likewise, the ad agency that employs him will see its equity rise and rise. And the client? Well, who gives a damn about the client. His products and services are merely vehicles upon which an agency can ride to glory.

The moral is clear. Rather than thinking what your customers can do for you, think what you can do for your customers. With this kind of philosophy, your profits will take care of themselves.

About The Author

Patrick Quinn is an award winning copywriter with 40 years' experience of the advertising business in London, Miami, Dublin and Edinburgh. He publishes a FREE monthly newsletter, AdBriefing. Subscriptions are available at: http://www.adbriefing.com.

j.p@markethillpublishing.co.uk

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Can You Use Customers Names Too Many Times
Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Writen by Scott Ginsberg

When I worked in guest services at The Ritz Carlton, I noticed some employees had a tendency to overuse guests' names. Unfortunately, after a certain point, it worked in reverse. (Especially in conversations under 7 minutes)

Name overkill doesn't just happen in the hotel industry - it's everywhere. Sure, we know people love to hear their names more than any word in the dictionary. But there comes a point where customers are thinking to themselves, "Alright, I got it. You know my name. That's enough!"

Each point on this graph represents a single moment when a customer hears his name in a short (about 7 minute) transaction. Here's how it makes him feel:

A, nada - "They didn't even use my name once. I don't feel valued."

B, once - "Ahhh...the cashier said 'Mr. Lynch.' Man, you gotta love this store."

C, twice - "Whoa! Two times! This salesman has a great memory. Now that's what I call service!"

D, thrice - "Alright (mild chuckle) - I got it. You know my name. Thank you very much."

E, four times - "No, seriously, you don't have to keep using my name. The first two times were enough."

F, five times - "This is ridiculous. And annoying. I no longer believe you are sincere. And now I've become uncomfortable. Please go away."

Next time you walk into a store, hotel or place of business in which you have a short transaction, keep your ears open. Count how many times they say your name. Then you be the judge. Ask yourself: Did they say it too much?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Providing Exceptional Customer Service In The Cleaning Business
Monday, August 11, 2008

Writen by Patti Page

The key to being successful in the house cleaning business is not only providing a great service but offering exceptional "customer service".

You need to be accessible to your clients at all times (during normal business hours of course) either by phone or by email. Be sure to answer all emails form clients in a reasonable amount of time.

If you are going to be away from your business phone, have your calls forwarded to your cell phone. We all know how annoying it is to try to call someone several times only to constantly get their voicemail and no return call. Clients understand that you can't be expected to sit by your phone at all times, but they do expect a call back shortly if they leave a message. Be sure to check your messages several times a day.

If you don't respond to your clients requests in a reasonable amount of time they will likely go somewhere else.

If a client calls to complain about something that wasn't cleaned properly, let them know that you will make every effort to take care of the problem. Go back to the home and re-clean the area that the client isn't happy with or send an employee to do the cleaning. This will show your client that you do care that they are satisfied with their cleaning.

When arriving at a clients home, if they are home when you arrive to clean, make sure you smile and greet the client "Good morning, how are you today" Be polite and friendly and show an interest in how your client is doing. Don't complain to clients about how tired you are or that you are having a bad day. You are there as a professional cleaner to clean their home and you should present yourself as a professional.

Always Smile, everyone loves to see a smiling face walk through their door.

Get to know your clients and what they expect from you. They will let you know how they want their home cleaned and what cleaning tasks are really important to them.

Try to include a few extra services on your cleaning schedule that other services may charge for (changing sheets, dusting blinds, cleaning glass doors are a few examples)

Below is a list of little extras you can provide for your clients:

Whenever possible and time allows, do a few extra things for your clients while cleaning. It is the little things that mean so much to clients.

For clients that have pets we bring treats for their pets. Our clients really appreciate the fact that we care about their pets also.

Bring a fresh flower arrangement for new clients or gift certificate clients. You can purchase a flower arrangement at your local grocer for around 9.00.

For Christmas you can leave a coupon for a free extra service or a discount on their next cleaning.

Always be a true professional in everything you do. When answering your phone, always answer in a proper business manor (always answer with your company name and your name) Example: "Page's Personal Cleaning, This is Patti, can I help you"

This applies to emails as well. Be polite, friendly and professional. And remember to include your signature in emails.

When giving estimates to potential clients, be prepared. Have your business card, list of services you provide for different types of cleanings, references and your residential cleaning checklist ready.

Be confident. I can't stress this enough. Clients love to see confidence. It relieves their worries and lets them know that their home is in good hands.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Complaintometer

Writen by T.J. Schier

In a past life, a former colleague of mine taught our company the concept of the Complaint-O-Meter for handling guest complaints.

We've all been through various types of complaints as both a customer and an employee. You remember both ends of the extreme. On one hand, the Ritz Carlton hotel has empowered any employee to handle any complaint or issue up to $2,000. On the other hand are many of their competitors: Have a complaint? You're told to call the office or fill out this comment card.

When handling complaints, here are a couple keys:

- Understand the lifetime value of a customer. Too often, managers and employees worry about the cost of the replacement item or refund (the pennies), but forget about how much that customer spends with them (the dollars). If a customer visits you twice a week and spends $6 per visit, they are worth about $600 per year to you. Now, if they have a complaint over a $5 value meal --- even if they are wrong --- is it worth losing $600 in annual sales over $5? Try attracting that much business with that small an investment.

- Educate the employees on what they can handle without the manager. For example, are a customer's fries cold? Replace them with hot ones. Wrong drink flavor? Replace it with a larger size of the right one. People just want their issue handled!

You likely have a few typical complaints. Rate them between 1 (minor) and 10 (major). Unfortunately, each typical complaint is different in the eye of the beholder. While I might believe a hair in the food is low on the scale, if I have that attitude with a customer who feels it is a 10, we lose.

Gauge where the customer is on the Complaint-O-Meter in their mind and handle their problem accordingly --- they just want it fixed. It might entail a replacement item or apology on the low end, or a refund and lifetime comp card for the higher end. Ensure that you address the issue they have today --- cold fries are not fixed with a comp card. Don't trip over dollars to pick up pennies. Ensure the customer leaves happy so they return again!

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Ireland Shoots To Become Shared Services Center Of Europe
Sunday, August 10, 2008

Writen by Maggie Stanfield

Ireland isn't going to be the next Calcutta or Mumbai. It isn't trying to be the back office customer care contact center Mecca of the Western world. Which is probably just as well.

What it does want to do is build its position as a leading European provider of the next business stage up from contact centers - contact center plus, if you like - offering serious technical support and a whole range of services way beyond giving simple solutions to straightforward customer inquiries. Some are operated by outsourced suppliers but most in Ireland are managed by the companies they serve.

Here, staff are dealing with the entire internal communications system for vast, multi-national operations. They are handling not only traditional Helpdesk calls, but providing technical support to their own staff and business-to-business, dealing with HR issues like recruitment and sick leave, payroll systems, company accounts as well as in-company communications about policy and strategy, staff and customer information and the intranet function.

In its now sophisticated telecoms sector, Ireland boasts 66 contact centres for a range of companies that include 3Com, American Airlines, AOL, Dell, eBay, GE Insurance, Google, Hewlett Packard, IBM, MBNA, Oracle, Starwood Hotels, Symantec and Xerox - and that's just an arbitrary sample.

These centres - Europeans call them Shared Services Centres, but most Americans will be more familiar with the term Managed Services - are where Ireland sees its growth potential, though the Irish have no intention of turning their backs on ordinary contact center investments serving banking and catalog customers for example.

Technology is changing the product. Just answering the phone isn't enough these days. To be successful, the centers need to serve the world in a host of functions.

A Customer Backlash May Boost Ireland's Efforts

A recent survey of 1,000 UK adults by contact center industry analysts ContactBabel found that 142 had switched supplier because their existing one used an offshore service, while three in four said they felt more negatively towards their supplier if they used offshore agents.

Steve Morrell, principal analyst at ContactBabel said in the report: "If UK businesses do not address the concerns of their customers, the level of customer defection will increase and their profits will decline further. "

Therein lies a problem - and for Ireland, an opportunity. In India, university graduates, attracted by the prestige of contact center jobs, earn perhaps ten times the average wage but still cost their employers only a tenth of a European or US-based operation.

Hypothetically, that means a typical bank with 12 million customers and revenues of $400 per customer each year would save over $17 million by replacing 1,000 of its expensive call centre staff with 1,000 in India. The downside is that same hypothetical bank would need only about one per cent of its customers to defect to another bank in protest to have lost all those savings instantly.

"Ireland is the only native English-speaking member of the Eurozone," points out Brendan Haplin, International Media Manager at the IDA, the Irish government agency which seeks inward investment from around the globe. "Ireland offers a first class advanced telecommunications infrastructure that includes vital bandwidth and hosting capacity, and we back this all with solid IDA support, both financial and practical."

The Appeal? Language and Low Taxes?

The landscape in Ireland - corporate and cultural - has attracted far more than its fair share of not only European but US business as well. "Ireland has changed radically from 10 or 20 years ago," Haplin says. "We now have between 60 and 70 shared services centers that are multi-lingual, pan-European and trans-Atlantic."

We're talking about major companies the size and scale of IBM or Dell. On the whole, these organisations are extremely happy with the quality of staff, the quality of life and the delivery of service they have found in Ireland. They bring in selected technical experts from the States and then use locally selected personnel to develop and expand the skills base.

These big operators are evidence of success, not only because they stay there but because they can point to significant cost reduction, increased efficiencies, better quality customer service and a real drive in sales which ultimately delivers better returns to shareholders.

Ireland, adds Haplin, offers an appealing package, complete with low corporate tax of just 12.5% It works hard to minimise bureaucracy and instead to engineer a low-risk, quick start-up, high-performance knowledge economy. "We have a well developed environment for call center and shared services operations because we have all the basic ingredients in place: the skills and knowledge, the experience and availability of IT-literate and multi-lingual staff and the global strategic fit that provides facilities for companies to 'follow the sun' on a 24-hour model."

A Population Increase Bodes Well for Employers

While Ireland may merit a spot on a company's shortlist of potential offshore locations today, what about tomorrow? Will the right talent - an enough of it - be available? According to Dr William Harris, Director General of the Science Foundation of Ireland, the answer is a resounding 'yes.' "The key element in creating knowledge is intangible assets such as expertise, insight, talent, passion, imagination and persistence.

"Investing in such abilities, we believe, is the best predictor of success Ireland could have," Harris adds. "Ireland has a wealth of young talent ready to make science and engineering the next great wave of Irish innovation."

Ireland is one of very few European countries showing an increase in its population, and some 260,000 people, 12.6% of the total workforce, are employed in business services. While the population of workers declines in other countries, boding real problems up ahead, Ireland looks to growing a youthful talent pool on a par with that of the US.

[SIDEBAR] The Irish Landscape: Poised To Compete

Ireland has changed and changed dramatically. Gone are those sad depictions of lovelorn girls waving their tearful goodbyes to men who were set for a life in the New Worlds of America or Australia? They'd make their fortunes and return to build a castle and raise a family in Kilkenny.

In the last couple of decades the Celtic Tiger has been thrusting its way through the jungles of the world economy. He's getting plumper, healthier and more voracious with every paw print he makes.

The Environment Is Hospitable

The quality of life is a fabulous balance of stunning scenery and great leisure options. Golf courses, angling, cycling, camping, hiking and finding deserted bays along the rugged coastline are just a few possibilities to ponder.

Real estate is cheap (except in central Dublin) and land plentiful. Gasoline is about half the price it is in the UK and corporate tax of 12.5% sits alongside the US's 39.5% or the UK's 30% Though Value Added Tax runs at 21 per cent, it won't have much of an impact on companies whose profits are based on export outside the EU and the government has simplified the paperwork. If 85 per cent of your goods or services are for export, then you will be exempted, so you don't have to fill in forms to reclaim VAT.

The Irish are renowned - and rightly - for their warm welcome, and that extends not only to a pint of Guinness with a passing stranger but to those who have come to stay longer.

Unlike some of their European neighbours, the Irish don't resent the arrival of migrant workers but welcome them with open arms as a real and useful addition to the native skills base.

Location and Politics Provide a Counterbalance

Air travel is reasonable but needs more development. The main airport is close to Dublin and offers about 100 direct destinations worldwide. There is a second international airport at Shannon and smaller mostly short-haul facilities at Cork, Belfast and Londonderry. Most international flights are out of Dublin or Shannon.

In terms of moving goods, ferry services are strong but the distance from mainland Europe makes them slow. Although a crossing from Dublin to Holyhead on the Welsh coast is less than two hours, Normandy is 19 hours away. From Belfast and Larne in the north, there are faster crossings to Scotland and England.

A long history of a sluggish, agricultural economy meant Ireland was slow to move into the 20th, never mind the 21st, century. Outside of a few main cities, it remains a wonderfully unspoilt but also under-developed rural society.

Ireland came into the European Union with Objective One status, meaning that its under-developed economic state entitled it to a whole package of major infrastructure grants to help it move forward rapidly. Its heavy rural culture saw the benefits of the Common Agricultural Policy, instantly enabling farmers to access guaranteed markets and guaranteed prices for their produce, even if a lot of it did end up dumped on butter mountains and in milk lakes. Almost half of the EU's entire 44.5 billion Euro budget is spent on agricultural subsidies of one kind or another.

The maze of minor country roads lend Ireland much of its charm but aren't much use for heavy lorries carrying large loads of produce to marketplaces across the world. European Union money helped extend a main road and motorway infrastructure that was essential for economic growth.

All of this helped encourage new investors from other countries to set up facilities in Ireland. The government encouraged them with appealing packages that drew in the likes of Dell, Xerox, Baxter International, Hertz and a host of others before they even got onto contact centers.

But all that Eurozone assistance has gone now. The surge of the Celtic Tiger, the reality of economic growth, has forced Ireland to move from being subsidised by the European Union to being a subsidy provider to other emerging nations, including some of the 10 new countries whose joining has taken the European bloc to 25 in total.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

When Service Goes Wrong Bounce Back
Saturday, August 9, 2008

Writen by Ron Kaufman

We all try to do things right. No business sets out to do wrong when servicing customers. But life is full of unexpected moments and, inevitably, mistakes do happen.

While many people in business focus on doing things right the first time, very few seem to take a powerful interest in setting things right when things do go wrong. In those moments, a passion for 'zero defects' often gives way to 'Let's get this mess cleaned up fast and pretend it never happened.'

Because of this attitude, businesses miss an important opportunity to build customer loyalty and valuable goodwill. It is exactly when things go wrong that customers are most sensitive about how they are treated, most likely to share their experiences with friends and colleagues and most likely to make lasting decisions about whether to bring their future business back to that company, or to its rival.

We all know mistakes will happen. What we do not know is how we will be treated when we go back to get the mistake corrected. 'Will they treat me as if it's my fault?' 'Will they argue with me?' 'Will they make it difficult for me to prove my purchase, fill out papers or otherwise file my complaint?'

In these unpleasant moments, customers' sensitivities are heightened. If they were casual shoppers before, they become discerning now. If they were discerning shoppers before, they become hypersensitive when things go awry.

You can make that sensitivity work in your favor. When service errors are quickly and professionally handled, customer loyalty can actually 'bounce back' to greater heights than if the problem never happened. That's why service recovery situations can be described as 'opportunities you wish you never had'.

Consider this example:

You buy a pair of expensive shoes at a small boutique and pay cash. You go home and eventually throw away the receipt. Two weeks later as you're walking down the street, the heel pops off and falls beyond reach into the drain below. You decide to return your new shoes to the boutique and ask for a replacement. But of course you're a bit nervous since you've thrown away your receipt.

Now imagine the sales clerk welcoming you with a smile and right away setting you at ease about not having kept your receipt. She promptly gives you a new pair of shoes and then adds in a free pair of matching socks to thank you for coming back, and to apologize for the inconvenience you experienced.

Would you return to that boutique in the future? Would you recommend that boutique to your friends? Of course you would. Your loyalty to the boutique has actually gone up because you had a service problem and the recovery was handled very well.

This is the key point: When things go wrong, you have a tremendous opportunity to build more customer loyalty just by quickly and generously setting things right.

To capture the secret advantage hiding inside your next service breakdown, train everyone to understand and use these seven simple steps to gain customer loyalty.

'Bouncing Back' with S E R V I C E recovery:

S-ay You're Sorry.

There's nothing like a sincere apology, delivered right away, to let people know you really care. There's no need to grovel or apologize forever. One honest and heartfelt apology will suffice.

E-xpedite Solutions.

The faster you can fix the problem, the better. This is not the time to calculate the cost of repairing the damage. Do what it takes to set things right. Costs will be forgotten or absorbed over time, but benefits last forever.

R-espond to the Customer.

Remember people are involved, not just products, dates and orders. Take the time to empathize. Be a listening ear. Keep personal contact; use the phone, send a fax, stay in touch. And when it's all over, thank them personally with a note, small gift or some other special gesture.

V-ictory to the Customer.

Build higher levels of customer loyalty by giving more than they expect. Refunds, discounts, special assistance, extra services; it doesn't have to be money. But whatever it is, do it fast! No loyalty is gained from a refund or gesture that takes months to negotiate, authorize or discuss.

I-mplement Improvements.

Change your processes and improve training to avoid the same problem next time. Institutionalize improvements.

C-ommunicate Results.

Spread the word so that everyone can learn from what has happened. Provide full information about consequences and improvements.

E-xtend the Outcome.

Don't stop working when they stop complaining. Stay in touch until you are sure the customer comes back and their long-term loyalty is assured.

What else can you do to keep your customers coming back for more?

Make it easy for your customers to complain! Create new ways for customers to let you know what's wrong.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Set up a telephone hotline for immediate response to customer comments and complaints.

• Give counter staff the power to take prompt and significant action for your customers.

• Conduct focus groups with a cross-section of customers to find out what they want you to improve.

• Run surveys to keep track of your customers' changing expectations. Find out what customers are buying now and what they want in the future.

• Provide easy-to-use comment cards at all points of customer contact and insert them in all outgoing mail. Show your appreciation for responses, and reply quickly.

• Become a customer of your best competitors. Eagerly seek out what they do better or differently than you. Then make appropriate improvements in your business operation.

Long-term, loyal customers lead to lower costs, repeat orders, frequent referrals and expanding profit margins. Losing one of these precious patrons is much more costly than the revenue from a single sale!

Service recovery does cost money (although a sincere apology costs nothing and goes a long way toward appeasing upset customers). But perhaps service recovery shouldn't be seen as a cost at all!

Bouncing back through generous service recovery is a proven strategy for building repeat business and long-term sustainable profits. It's not a cost, it's an intelligent business investment.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Email Or Snail Mail Which Does Your Customer Prefer

Writen by Diana D'Itri

Give your customers a choice in how you correspond with them. Although email has received a lot of bad press, there's still no better or cheaper way to communicate. Ask your customers for their preference, would they rather receive updates, newsletters and discounts via regular mail or email?

While there is still some negative thinking associated with email marketing, most everyone (at least those under 60) is pretty much in agreement that email communication has revolutionized how we communicate on many different levels. With that said, there are still those who would rather have their communication sent regular mail and are not interested in using the Internet as a means to correspond. It's important to respect your customer's choice and try to accommodate their request as much as possible.

Making it a habit when signing up a new client to ask them which type of correspondence they would prefer to receive from you, email or regular mail, is similar to the grocery store bagger asking "paper or plastic?".

Emailing saves money and the environment by not requiring natural resources like trees to be used in generating the message. You may want to chime in when asking your clients for their preference by letting them know that, the more you can email (especially newsletters and discounts), the more savings you can offer back to them.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service For Vitamin Stores
Friday, August 8, 2008

Writen by Lance Winslow

Most vitamin stores offer very good customer service and the people that work there are very knowledgeable about all the products. This level of customer service is something you do not see in most retail stores. The vitamin business requires special care and the customers always have lots of questions. Being able to answer these questions is indeed a major step in great customer service for a vitamin store.

Unfortunately, with unemployment rates so low it is really hard to find someone who really knows their stuff when it comes to vitamins. Nevertheless, it is required that each employee being knowledgeable in a vitamin store otherwise you really cannot say you have good customer service. When vitamin store customers have been surveyed; they say the number one most important thing to them is being able to have their questions answered before they buy the product.

There is no doubt that the Wal-Mart Super Centers would sell more vitamins and supplements in all those rows of products, if only they had a knowledgeable and well-trained person to answer all the questions. While I'll bet they could triple or quadruple their sales in vitamins. But their loss is your gain if you own a vitamin store. So please consider this in 2006 when you are upgrading your customer service for your customers.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Why Do I Want To Communicate
Thursday, August 7, 2008

Writen by Bill Gluth

Communication is the act of relaying ideas, concepts, advice and recommendations to people who want to hear from you or have reason to care.

We'll call the people who want to hear from you your clients. The people who have reason to care are your prospects.

You want to communicate to inform, inspire or provide advice. Keeping your name in front of people is an end result not a reason. You build your business most effectively by communicating with a focused purpose.

Take existing clients as an example.

Instead of sending a message that says "Here's the best deal ever on our latest widget or service," suppose you said

Dear Ms. Client,

I was thinking of you yesterday and had an idea that would help you to ACHIEVE THEIR GREATEST GOAL.

I'd like to set up a meeting to explain my rationale and show you how you can utilize this idea to your profitable advantage.

Which message would have the best chance of being "heard" by your client?"

Let's talk to prospects; the people who have reason to care.

Most communication to prospects is based on making a sale. The problem is, prospects won't buy from you until they see you as an expert in their space, like what you have to say and view your experience as credible.

It's the story in your prospects mind that counts.

Instead of blasting out a SAVE MONEY, WE'RE THE BEST CHOICE or YOU CAN TRUST US; how about making a recommendation.

Dear Mr. Prospect,

My name is YOUR NAME and my company, YOUR COMPANY NAME has worked with INDUSTRY for the past TIME IN BUSINESS.

We assist companies like THE PROSPECT'S COMPANY NAME gain THE RESULTS YOU PROVIDE.

We've provided this service for NAME OF 3-TOP CLIENTS. We've helped them to RESULTS YOU PROVIDE THAT MAKE MONEY, SAVE MONEY OR IMPROVE EFFICIENCY.

I will give you a call on DAY at TIME to see if we can assist you in OVERCOMING THE GREATEST FEAR YOUR CLIENTS HAVE.

Which message is going to be heard? Which one has the best chance of generating a sales meeting?

Providing ideas and making recommendations are two very solid communication strategies that bring you more business or open the door to meaningful sales opportunities.

So, the answer to the question "Why do I want to communicate" is to provide ideas that help clients achieve their business goals and to make recommendations that have value to niche groups you can service.

The success of your business depends on understanding and consistently creating words that sell your products, services and ideas.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

20 Business Telephone Etiquette Tips

Writen by Avis Ward

Today's technology has many advantages and a great many disadvantages. I often wonder how our society survived without a mobile telephone. I wonder how I survived without the Internet. I was connected when Prodigy was first introduced on the scene. The pharmaceutical company for which I worked provided a laptop to help me manage my territory or I may have not been so well connected.

One disadvantage of a mobile telephone is the lack of telephone etiquette. People seem to have no manners when talking on their phones. Personally, I do not care to hear another person's conversation. If I'm having dinner alone in a restaurant, I believe I am having more fun than a family whose parent (usually the Father) is interrupted by a call and does not tell the caller about the personal family time he's having but continues to talk on the phone. Of course, it's not my business. I have no idea the understanding that exists between those family members. I do know the call is about business because people tend to talk extremely loud when talking on their mobile phones. That really annoys me.

I have addressed my leisure time away from the workplace where I have observed others and their inconsideration to the general public. At the workplace, impoliteness and rudeness to others when on the phone or not, is totally unacceptable from employees. Since I am a trainer and consultant, I find it extremely difficult minding my own business when I hear conversations employees have with customers, clients or patients. I think of the many opportunities I have to offer assistance to the companies who have not made the connection between untrained employees in the area of proper telephone etiquette (or any area if the employee is untrained) and lower profits. Every connection an employee has with a customer, patient, client (or potential one) is vital to the profits of any company. I therefore offer to you, 20 Telephone Etiquette for Businesses Tips. I'm aware many of these tips are common sense yet I'm also aware common sense is not very common, oftentimes. This list was initially written for dental and medical healthcare professionals but is applicable to any business.

1. Make sure you speak clearly and are smiling as you answer the phone; also identify yourself.
2. Before placing a caller on hold, ask their permission first and thank them.
3. It is better to return a call than to keep someone on hold too long. If the phone rings back to you, you've kept them on hold too long.
4. Do not forget to return the call as you promised.
5. Do not permit the phone to ring into the office more than three times.
6. Always use a pleasant, congenial and friendly tone.
7. Never interrupt the person while he/she is talking to you.
8. Never engage in an argument with a caller.
9. Do not handle an unhappy caller's concern openly at the checkin-checkout desk.
10. Do not make it a habit of receiving personal calls at work.
11. Do not answer the phone if you are eating or chewing gum.
12. Do not give the impression that you are rushed. It is better to return the call when you can give the person the time they need to handle the reason for their call.
13. Learn how to handle several callers simultaneously with ease and grace.
14. Return calls promptly that have been left on voice mail and ansafones.
15. Always get the best number (and an alternate) and the best time to have a call returned to the caller, especially if a manager or another team member must return the call.
16. Do not ever leave a message with someone else or on an ansafone or voice mail regarding details of a delinquent account. Instead, leave a message asking the person to call the "Accounting Department."
17. Always make collection calls in private and away from the patient flow or public areas.
18. If possible, provide a telephone for patients/customers/clients to use. An area providing privacy is preferred.
19. Do not call a patient, customer or client's home before 8:00AM or after 9:00PM, unless they've given you permission to do so.
20. When hanging up the phone, make sure the caller or person called hangs up first if the phone is slammed on the receiver. Otherwise, always hang up the phone, gently. I recommend a remote, handless headset for the business staff. They are wonderful. This will solve hanging up as you push release on the headset to hang up the phone. Also, it does not tie your staff to their desk. The team member checking on insurance really appreciates this device. (The phone can also be answered if away from your desk.)

Contact me if you'd like to know the make and model of the remote, handless headset recommended. I am not asserting this list answers (no pun intended) all of the issues surrounding excellent telephone skills but it's a very good start. If a tip does not apply to you or your business, I commend you. If even one does, I encourage you to begin immediately to eliminate it.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Third Place Retailing The New Battlefield
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Writen by John Stanley

On 10th January 2005, McDonalds' USA announced it was entering the premium coffee industry. It would sell premium coffee at a premium price. A business recognised for fast food at a low price point is re-engineering itself to provide an up-market coffee, yet coffee is looked on as the second most common commodity product after oil.

Is this an opportunity to go head to head with Starbucks? I think not. I believe a Starbucks consumer will remain a Starbucks consumer and will not shift to McDonalds, but as Starbucks philosophy states; there is a retail opportunity for businesses that develop a 'third' place.

What is a 'third' place? Consumers spend time at home, their first place; at work, their second place and then often have a favourite third place.

As a "Brit" the traditional third place for "blue" collar males was the pub. For many Generation X it may be the gym. For many baby boomers it is Starbucks.

One of the keys to success is that if you have a retail opportunity to develop a third place and succeed, you can start developing premium priced products. I believe part of McDonalds' strategy is to strengthen their third place in the minds of their target market.

"Third" Place Retailers

In the UK 60% of people who visit their local garden centre bought a cup of coffee. Garden centres intentionally or unintentionally have developed a "third place" for their target consumer. Restaurants and bars are an obvious third place for another segment of the market place. Third place retailers can include furniture companies (IKEA in some locations) farmers markets and specific shopping centres.

What makes a retail organisation become a third place in the consumer's mind? They are retailers who really understand their target market and make that target group feel like they are in a home away from home. They select store graphics and furniture that make their customers feel at home, plus they inevitably provide a refreshment offer. Why go to this much trouble to make the customer feel at home? Consider Starbucks, where their target customer visits them on average 18 times a month and purchases a premium priced product.

"Third" place retailers also realise that it is more than the visual graphics. The look is important, but equally important is how the customer feels and that relates to customer satisfaction, not customer service. Customers want to feel they are individuals and to be treated as such. This means team members need to be trained in customer service, but also have an understanding of the customer as an individual and what pleases them as an individual.

Lovemark Loyalty

Some retail consultants use the term "lovemark loyalty" for organisations that have achieved this business success. A "lovemark" is a brand that the consumer loves to own (BMW, Starbucks, Virgin and Burberry all aim to be lovemarks.)

Customers can fall in love with the product, but not the store. To fall in love with the store it has to be a "love zone" in the customer's eyes. In other words the people employed have to genuinely care about the customer, the product and the store environment.

Many may believe this to be self explanatory, but I recently purchased my 'lovemark' car. When my wife and I went to the show room to pick the vehicle up, the 'love zone' customer service was a long way off the mark. My wife was ignored and we were left waiting, without an explanation, for twenty minutes. I was also advised they would contact me within one month to check on their customer service, three months later, I'm still waiting.

The key to success is that as the perceived image of your product increases, the standard of customer satisfaction from your team members also needs to increase. It is a real challenge and often misunderstood by many businesses. For those that do, "third" place retailing presents huge opportunities.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Whatever Happened To Customer Service
Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Writen by Lorraine Pirihi

Do you remember the last time you went into a shop and the person 'serving' raced over to you, greeted you with a lovely smile, heaps of enthusiasm and said, "Welcome to our store, what can I help you with today?" And then listened attentively to what you had to say?

Doesn't happen very often does it? In fact, while I was writing this, I couldn't recall when I had experienced it. I'm sure I must have yet it would have been so long ago, I can't remember.

Let me tell you what happened this week…

I belong to a well-known trade exchange which I have found very useful for my business. I wanted to purchase a suitcase from a particular store which usually takes trade dollars. From time-time the store will limit the use of trade dollars if they have reached their maximum for the month. Anyhow I quickly discovered this wasn't going to be my lucky day.

I walked in and the assistant who was sitting down behind the counter (and remained there), didn't smile. She barely acknowledged me with what looked like a scowl. I had interrupted her reading time. (She was so busy, there was no-one in the store). I then politely (yes I can be polite sometimes) asked her if they were accepting trade dollars as I wanted to purchase a suitcase. She turned around to the owner who was sitting behind her doing some bookwork and repeated my question. The owner stayed seated, didn't look up and told her assistant "No".

The assistant then relayed to me that "we are not accepting trade dollars at the moment, but we have good deals for cash".

She remained seated all that time. I didn't answer and walked straight out the front door with my cash sitting in my purse.

No matter how good their "cash" deals were going to be, if I was going to spend my hard-earned money anywhere, it definitely would not be with them!

The 'Colour- blind to service' Copy Centre

I had spent thousands of dollars with a printing company over a couple of years. A couple of times I was told by one of the staff, when they've been snowed under "Mary's too busy to speak with you at the moment, I'll have to get her to call you back when she's got more time". Needless to say I didn't remain with them.

The 'Can't do that' Café

We went to a local café which we hadn't been to for a while and I was told by the waiter that "no, we can't do that". I wanted a particular type of sandwich which wasn't on the set menu. I informed the abrasive young waiter that "yes, you can". That got him scared and the order I wanted turned up within 5 minutes.

Are Customers Important to Business?

Of course they are. No customers, no business. Yet why are businesses deliberately driving customers away? It's ridiculous isn't it?

About The Author

Lorraine specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life. www.office-organiser.com.au, lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

The Keys To Delivering Worldclass Service
Monday, August 4, 2008

Writen by Jay Lipe

Every so often, I'm hired by a company to develop a marketing plan for its business. Yet after conducting my initial assessment, I discover that the company's lack of a marketing plan isn't the problem. The real problem is the company's poor service. For these companies, spending any money at all on marketing is like pouring fine wine down a sinkhole; a complete waste. If your company's service stinks, fix that first. Then, worry about promoting your company.

The Pillars of Service Cool

Without great service, your company is doomed from the start. But what exactly constitutes great service? There are three basic elements; my Pillars of Service Cool. They are: Timeliness Follow through and Integrity.

1. Timeliness In today's "I want it now" society, timeliness can be your company's trump card. Yet, too many companies don't seem to respect their customers' time. Witness:

In a recent study by Jupiter Research, 33 percent of all Internet companies surveyed took three days or longer to get back to customers that had e-mailed for help.

A study by Portland Research Group found that the average consumer must call a company 2.3 times before having their issue resolved.

2. Follow-through What is a golf swing without follow-through? Accumulated energy without an outlet. A beginning without an end. Effort without results. The same is true of a company's marketing. "You can have a terrible logo and pathetic signage, but if you are known for your incredible commitment and follow-through, you will be successful" says Jim Logan, marketing consultant and popular blogger at www.jslogan.com. "Reverse the formula and you'll fail every time." With diligent follow through, your company will demonstrate its commitment, beyond a shadow of a doubt. From this, you can expect to reap repeat purchases, positive word-of-mouth, and referrals; the trifecta of successful marketing.

3. Integrity Today's buyers are a distrustful bunch. Is it any wonder? Just look at the ethical lapses seen in today's market:

In 2005, Sony Pictures Entertainment quoted the praise of a nonexistent film critic to promote several of its films. For A Knight's Tale, The Patriot, and several other films, plaudits were attributed to David Manning, a supposed film critic at The Ridgeview Press. But at the time of the reviews, The Ridgeview Press, a weekly in Connecticut, did not even have a film critic on staff. Sony was ordered to pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit.

In August 2001, McDonald's and the FBI revealed that an employee of Simon Marketing, one of McDonalds' marketing agencies, had distributed winning game pieces for the "Monopoly" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" promotions to a network of accomplices. The accomplices then claimed prizes ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.

In 2005, Abercrombie & Fitch, a favorite clothing brand among teenagers, launched a T-shirt line featuring such alcohol-related slogans as "Don't Bother, I'm Not Drunk Yet," "Bad Girls Chug, Good Girls Drink Quickly," and "Candy Is Dandy, But Liquor Is Quicker." The T-shirt line was quickly withdrawn from the market when complaints from the media and advocacy groups surfaced.

Marketers for these companies all showed an alarming lapse in ethics. To avoid blunders like these, I recommend holding your marketers to a higher ethical standard; that's why I've created the Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics:

The Lipe Code of Marketing Ethics

-We will always be clear and truthful in our marketing communications.

-We will never intentionally deceive or mislead our customers. If we do, we'll apologize—immediately.

-We will fully disclose, in the large print, all pricing information.

-We will always respect the privacy of our customers.

-We will always give buyers the ability to opt-out; quickly honoring their desire to do so.

-We will stand behind our products if they fail to deliver on their promises.

-We will listen to our customers' needs and concerns, and make every effort to incorporate their input.

-We will not use strong-arm tactics to get people to buy.

-We will always document claims, testimonials and comparative statements.

-We will always accept responsibility for the consequences of our actions.

Don't let years of creating your company identity be wiped out in an instant by an ethical lapse. Circulate this Code of Marketing Ethics to all your marketers, and then hold them accountable for sticking to it.

The Top 7 Customer Service Mistakes

Before learning how a company can offer world class service, it might be helpful to point out the most common service problems in business today. Fix these and your company's reputation may well be the only marketing program you need:

7. Not adequately training your staff – Financial services call centers in the US that enjoy the highest customer satisfaction levels, routinely invest 180 hours of initial training and seven hours of ongoing training every year into each agent. Does your company take its service training this serious?

6. Trying to win an argument with a customer – Arguing with a customer is bad business. You may win the argument, but you'll probably lose the customer. Instead, show empathy. Tell the buyer you understand how they feel and that together you're going to find a solution to their problem.

5. Over relying on voicemail – Customers who take the time to contact your company want to know there's a face behind your company. Work hard to get customers talking to your company's humans, not its technology.

4. Spending too much time with chronic complainers – Some people will never be happy with your service. If you've received at least three complaints from the same customer, it's time to get rid of them, and focus on those you can help.

3. Taking criticism personally – Most callers don't want to attack you personally. Although they may be lashing out at you, they're really most frustrated by the problem they face. Take their attention off you and place it squarely back on the problem.

2. Not acting like you care –68 percent of buyer defections take place because customers feel they've been treated poorly. Most customers don't expect an immediate resolution to their problem, but they do expect your concern. Routinely use terms like "sorry to keep you waiting" and "thanks for contacting us today."

1. Not delivering what you promise – Because some buyers are continually misled by companies, they're understandably distrustful. For world class service, deliver exactly what you promise. If it's "I'll call you by tomorrow with the answer" or "I'll put that in the mail today," do it.

Concierge marketing: How to turn information into a marketing tool At the root of it, a concierge marketer—much like the hotel concierge who dispenses invaluable information about restaurants and local happenings—tries to simplify a buyer's life by providing helpful information. The first step in being a successful concierge marketer is to provide passive marketing tools which are printed or online informational products. Using any of these, buyers can quickly get answers to their nagging questions:

-Tip sheets

-Booklets/pamphlets

-White papers

-Checklists

-Buying guides

As an example, I offer on my website, www.emergemarketing.com, a "Marketing Lingo" section with over 200 common marketing terms and their definitions. Another set of concierge marketing tools are called buyer involvement tools. These are designed to create dialogues with your market and include:

-Post-installation follow-up calls

-Online customer forums

-Interactive dialogue tools

One of my favorite buyer involvement tools is Amazon.com's "Wish List" program. Using this tool at the Amazon site, I can develop my own "Wish List" of books, and then email it to members of my family. That way, my family knows what to get me for Christmas without having to ask, I get the Christmas presents I want, and Amazon gets the sales. Everybody wins.

Next steps for concierge marketers To become a concierge marketer, first identify the most common information voids your buyers face. Ask yourself these questions:

-At which stage in the buying cycle are our buyers confused?

-What information do they lack?

-What customer questions does our service staff repeatedly field?

Then, design tools to address the highest priority ones. If for example, your buyers are confused about which elements of your service are outsourced and which are performed in-house, you could develop a PowerPoint slide that covers this topic in greater detail.

In closing…. Milton Hershey once said that quality was the best kind of advertising in the world. For your company identity to be successful, the service provided must be of the highest quality possible. Focus on delivering world-class service first, then, and only then consider marketing it.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Raising The Bar For Online Magazine Subscription Services And Customer Service

Writen by Jason Ciment

After years of flying below the radar in the magazine subscription service arena online, MagMall.com is gaining traction real fast. In December, the subscription retailer relaunched it's once relatively boring (though clean) site with the express intent of competing more effectively against its rivals. Key to the makeover is allowing customers to manage all their subscriptions online year after year.

The new look came after Magmall.com spent 18 months learning about web design and usability with the help of the 2 founding brothers of FuturenowInc.com. Now, the web site has far less colors than before and the navigation system has been uprooted completely to simplify the entire process of finding magazines and filling out an online order forms

MagMall's reentry into the highly competitive magazine subscription industry is not only expected to pull in new consumer customers, but provide a lift to its efforts to expand into new markets. Since September, MagMall has created a new division to sell gift certificates to magazine subscriptions in any custom denomination. Plus, it has launched new services just for small and large businesses looking to manage all their magazine and newspaper purchases.

"The new site design is a way to pull in new customers and keep them there longer," says Jason Ciment, CEO of Magazine Mall Inc. "Plus, with the new online account management system (which is soon to get a name), we are enhancing customer loyalty in ways we never could before."

Jason Ciment is a graduate of Fordham University (Law) and Yeshiva University (B.S. Accounting) who has forsaken two professional careers (Law and CPA) in favor of entrepreneurship and high stress.

He now runs these 2 companies: - http://www.MagMall.com / magazine subscription wholesaler - http://www.mountain-net.com / ecommerce shopping cart solution

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Stimulate Customer Curiosity
Sunday, August 3, 2008

Writen by Cathy Stucker

Want to get prospects to read all of your marketing message? Want to generate interest and motivate them to action? Awaken their curiosity!

A great example of this is the direct mail package put out by Boardroom Publications. They offer exciting news and benefits, with the page number where you can find out the details. Of course, to get to that page, you have to first order the book from them. They get lots of orders from people who want to look up the information they were teased with in the ad.

Get customers itching to know more by engaging them in these ways:

• Make an outrageous statement that causes them to wonder about who you are and why you think that way.
• Ask a provocative question that gets them thinking.
• Pose a puzzle or a riddle.
• Tantalize them with a chance to get something free, learn something new, or get something more.

Leave them wanting more, but with a call to action. Tell them how they can satisfy their curiosity by reading your book, visiting your Web site, coming to your workshop, or whatever it is you want them to do. Then, deliver what you promised.

According to the old saying, curiosity killed the cat--but it can build your success.

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Business Relationships Depend On Many Quotlittle Thingsquot And One Quotbig Thingquot
Saturday, August 2, 2008

Writen by Larry Galler

Growing, vital businesses are built on grand strategies. But having a grand strategy is just not enough. A grand strategy needs to be implemented and then constantly reinforced to maintain momentum; that is when the vastness of a grand strategy becomes difficult. Ultimately, most grand strategies boil down to relationships and relationships depend on the interaction between people – one-to-one.

There are many relationships, both internal and external in a business setting. These relationships exist whether they are consciously strengthened or unconsciously ignored. Either way they send a message about how one person values another. It makes sense that, in a businesses relationship, one should strive to create strong bonds. It makes working together easier and more pleasant, selling and buying faster and less stressful, managing smoother. Respect, ease of communication, more pleasant working conditions, faster flow of information, and easier negotiations all result from strengthened relationships. The bottom line is that it is easier to implement the grand strategy when people have strong, positive relationships inside and outside the company.

These one-to-one relationships depend on many "little things." It is a personal note to a first-time client, a birthday card to a member of the staff, a congratulatory phone call or "high-five" to the salesperson who just won a key account (see "personal note" above), a "welcome to our company" message to the new hire, a social event with a key vendor, a pizza party to a department that far exceeded its goals. Each relationship building "little thing" demonstrates personal respect, reliance, and caring as well as gratifying the recipient by being noticed.

"Little things" by themselves are just that – little. But they are like individual bricks that are joined with many other little bricks to create a wall. When the walls are joined with other walls, a strong structure is created. Use "little things" in the same manner – join them, brick-by-brick, into a culture that shows respect and caring. When those little bricks become walls that then become structures, the grand strategy becomes much more attainable… and it's all built on "little things"… but don't forget the mortar between bricks – the mortar is a smile – and that's a "big thing!"

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Client Service As A Competitive Advantage
Friday, August 1, 2008

Writen by Doug Brown

As someone who has been heavily involved facilitating strategic planning processes with organizations during the last 15+ years, I often find it somewhat amusing how people answer the questions I pose.

For example, if I ask people, "What is your unique differentiation in the marketplace?" or "What does your organization really excel at?" They will almost always reply, "It has to be our client service." Almost no one will admit to being "lousy" in client service, any more than they will talk about living in an average town with average kids. Instead I see the "Lake Woebegone Syndrome." In Lake Woebegone it seems all the women are pretty, all the men are handsome, and all the kids are well above average.

If while getting to know someone's agency or company, I ask the question, "If I hauled you into a court of law and accused you of being a 'world class' client service provider, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Many times, unfortunately, their answer is, "Probably not."

Therefore, if so many people think client service and satisfaction is so critical to the success of the vision and the execution of the strategic plan, why is it not usually monitored with the same intensity as the financials? After all, financials are a lagging indicator (telling what happened after the fact) while client satisfaction may be a leading indicator (it can be predicting what may happen in the future).

Many organizations go through all sorts of trial and error and purchase various software programs to keep their finger on the pulse of dollars and cents because they want to know where they are and minimize opportunity for loss. For years it has been known that "what gets measured gets done."

If that is the case, why is it that many organizations choose to almost ignore measuring client satisfaction? By doing so, they run the risk of losing established clients to the competition.

Client Service as Overarching Philosophy In 1960, Professor Theodore Leavitt wrote the groundbreaking article, "Marketing Myopia," in the Harvard Business Review. To paraphrase, he basically concluded that the purpose of all business is to attract and maintain customers while generating adequate profitability today and improved profitability in the future. That balancing act still holds true today. How many organizations do you know that are masters at bringing business in the front door only to lose it out the back door just as quickly? We have also dealt with organizations that service their existing business so well that the owners and principals "never get around to developing new business."

Those organizations and agencies that see customer or client service as simply a department to be managed rather than a point of strategic differentiation may be looking at the business through the lens of short-term focus. So many people that we talk with have never calculated the lifetime value of a typical insured and even those that have usually aren't communicating that number to their staff at every level of the organization on a regular basis. Knowing that number can provide a framework to make decisions for the long haul and maintain the client relationship rather than looking at it from a "transactional" basis.

To calculate the lifetime value, take the number of years that a client/insured usually stays with the agency multiplied by the estimated net profit per line of business (auto, P&C, E&O, DB, etc). The total dollars can give you some idea of what is at risk in the future if you under serve your client base.

For example, if a typical insured stays with your agency 15 years and has 3 different policies with you each generating $200/year in profit, each new insured is worth approximately $9000 going forward (15yrs x $200/policy x 3 policies = $9000) if they are treated so well that they won't even consider moving to someone else. Now ask yourself, how cavalierly would you treat a check written to your agency for $9000? Would you do the equivalent of going into your back yard, digging a hole, burying it there and walking away from it forever? In essence that is what happens when clients are taken for granted. The cause can either be by default ie. not paying attention, understaffing by design, allowing a lack of systemic follow-up and follow-through, or it can be attributed to a management team with so strong a focus on short-term results that they become almost greedy. Does your organization have a client service strategy? If you examine your strategic plan, it's necessary to differentiate the agency strategy and plan from the client service strategy. They are not identical. Organizations need to implement a "Client Bill of Rights."

Leaders in organizations need to ask themselves if they are willing to pay the price for excellent client service vs. good client service. Excellence costs, but it also pays off. Being even a little better than the competitor pays huge dividends. Yet many organizations are not willing to pay that price. Instead they are content with processes, technology and staff who are "good enough."

As mentioned before, "what gets measured, gets done." Client expectation measurements are important as are ways to monitor them. It is necessary for organizations to take the time to discover why a client has signed on with you and not the competition. It's also necessary to determine what they really want to have happen as part of the client experience. It is then up to you to make sure you are delivering what your client wants. Failure to do so most likely will result in the loss of that client to your competitor.

Once you determine what it is your client really desires, make sure you match those expectations in terms of pricing and service. Make sure you are not trying to sell a champagne policy to someone with a beer budget and vice versa. It's necessary to have processes in place to support excellent client service from beginning to end. That is, do you have the right amount of staffing resources to meet their needs? Make it as easy as possible for them to conduct business with you.

While having the proper talent is vital to ensuring excellence in client service, it is also known that 94% of failings are the result of process/system failures and not people failures.

My car recently broke down. While it was being towed to the dealer, the towing company damaged another part of the car. The dealer was willing to go ahead and fix the damage, but the towing company wanted the damage they caused handled by their insurance carrier. They had a local agent connected to an insurance company in Arizona. The problem was that the local agent did not have the necessary claim number or phone number for the agent handling the claim in Arizona. Therefore, the dealer, who was willing and able to fix the car, didn't have the information they needed to work with the towing company. As a result, repairs that could have been completed in 48 hours took four to six weeks.

The problem was that no one owned the entire client experience, each company only owned a piece of it. Anytime there is an opportunity for a hand-off where something can go wrong, organizations often rely on the client, who has no knowledge of the situation, to be able to handle the details. It is vital for organizations to own the entire client experience.

Of course, no matter what the situation is, things don't always go smoothly. Problems arise, that's why organizations should make sure they have a process in place for "service recovery." That is, if something goes wrong suddenly, they should be able to recover with minimal damage.

Finally, organizations should make sure their policies protect the right people. Often, they have policies in place that protect themselves against the 1% of clients who abuse the system. This makes the other 99% of their clients who play by the rules pay the price. Many organizations, unfortunately, don't look at what they are doing through the eyes of the customers. Rather, they only are looking to protect themselves.

Excellent customer service demands a price. Are you willing to pay it?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

Customer Service Speaker Confides Quotcomputers Suckquot

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

It's a rare morning, to be sure.

My computer is working fast and flawlessly. The DSL speed is adequate to the task, and instead of facing one frustration after the next, I'm actually getting my work done.

And let me point out that my work is not computers in the same way that a cook's work is not a stove. We use them to do our jobs, and the less time we have to attend to their mechanics, the more time and energy we have for getting done what we're really paid for doing.

This is so peculiar, this near-effortlessness today that it's making me wonder why can't these infernal devices work nicely ALL THE TIME?

Why do we accept such hit and miss performance from them?

In a kindred article, I asked why computers, and by that I mean PCs, laptops, PDA's and similar devices; why can't they run as reliably as appliances, such as refrigerators?

When you open the fridge, you expect cold food.

When you open a device, you expect functionality, as well.

Anyway, I think I may have chosen the wrong item to which to compare the computer. Refrigerators are far too hardy. Arguably, they're the most durable and reliable machines ever devised.

Actually, most new computers act like very old used cars. Just when you think they're up and running, they break down again.

I know for a fact that this island of peace that I'm occupying right now will be eroded all too soon by those insidious invaders, viruses and spyware.

Before long, it will take eons to boot up, and I'll be working, once more, at a glacial pace.

And then, only after going through tech support or wasting a day fixing it myself, will I have a restored tool.

That great question politicians ask comes to mind, and I'd like to paraphrase it for you:

Are you better off today, dependent on these computers, as I am, than you were in the early 1990's, when they were less "functional," and the Internet was only a tool known to universities, to the government, and to a relative handful of geeks?

I don't believe I am. In fact, looking back on the past decade, I know I've done screen time when I should have been doing face time or phone time.

Customers and prospects have left phone messages and I've responded with email, instead of truly engaging them in real time.

I've expected my internet presence, and especially my web site to do the heavy lifting of marketing, when deep down I knew that it was really no more than an elaborate brochure, and brochures are notoriously poor at closing deals.

As I write these words, I'm actually ashamed at myself for throwing so much time away and investing so much hope in, what for me, is a file cabinet, a library, and a fancy memory typewriter.

Sure, you can doll up these toys, cue up a thousand MP3s on your iPod, glue yourself in front of that cell phone and get blurry vision watching all of the "I Love Lucy" reruns that you want.

But tell me, has your quality of life really improved because of these devices?

posted by Alexis WATERS @ 1:00 AM, ,

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