We have all had friends in our circle who were known as Mary & John, and when John split Mary was alone. Mary was the odd number at the dinner party and we were all concerned about her. Well, today it seems that the union of customer & service have had a breakup. Service has split and customer is on his or her own.
Today, let me tell you a story that many of you will find humorous but is all too common. I can tell you this without fear of our local editor getting sued because it is about me, but business owners take note that you do not fit the profile of company X.
Four weeks ago I decided that I needed another green recycling can from my trash pickup company. We will call them Brown Keg Trash Pickup, an anonymous company in the interest of avoiding litigation. I called their customer service number, and as an environmentally conscious citizen requested my extra recycle can. The cheerful voice on the other end of the line chirped, Of course, we will have one delivered in 48 hours. After giving her all the pertinent location information, I hung up the phone with the satisfied feeling of a good citizen.
I arrived home about 5 p.m. the next day and I was happy to see another green can at the mouth of my driveway. When I looked again, I noticed that I had another green can, but it was without a lid. I quickly dialed my cheerful telephone voice at Brown Keg Company thanking her graciously for the rapid service and then told her about the missing lid.
Just as cheerfully as the first time, she told me to leave it at the end of my driveway after my usual trash pickup and they would replace the entire unit since they did not have extra lids. I agreed, and after hanging up the phone I pondered their plight of having lidless cans but no extra lids. I conjured up all sorts of scenarios that explained where all the lids to the lidless cans went, and sympathized with their predicament.
Well, 3 days went by and there sat my poor, green, lidless can at my driveway and a replacement never arrived. Feeling empathy for this green plastic waif, I returned it to the side of its brother that had a lid. I called my cheerful customer service voice again, and reiterated the plight of my poor lidless can and after a chuckle she assured me a complete unit would be forthcoming.
I found it necessary to make use of my lidless friend, and put it out the next pickup day filled to the brim. Fortunately, it was not windy and all the contents remained inside it. That was 2 weeks ago, and life being what it is, other more important tasks have occupied me until this morning when facing another pickup day I thought of my lidless friend.
Once more I picked up the phone and called my trash pickup company, and this time I listened to a litany of choices of buttons I could punch and chose my cheerful customer service button again.
I was transferred, listened to a brief melody when there was a click and I expected my cheerful voice to chirp hello. The next thing I heard was another click, silence, and then the dreaded dial tone that means you have been disconnected.
Not being one of the fainthearted, I simply redialed my number. Again there was the litany of button choices, my choice and the music, and just when I began to feel that all was right with the world I heard click, dial tone and nothing.
This was not the morning for the phone to be playing games with me, so I made one more determined effort and REDIALED! NASA, we have lift-off! I once more heard the litany of button choices, but this time I outfoxed that monotonous voice and punched 0. I asked for the Manager of Customer Service, I was given her name and was transferred. What greeted my eager ear was, You have reached the voicemail of, please leave your name and number and she will return your call.
So here we sit, my lidless, green can and I facing another pick-up day. This eager-to-serve plastic green waif must bravely face another dutiful day half-clothed.
You must admit that is an amusing story, and one that far too many of us have lived through, but what a sad commentary it is about our business community.
Does it not make you wonder if our language has changed so drastically that what we interpret customer service to mean is not what todays business owners mean. It makes me wonder when the marriage of customer and service broke-up, leaving us all the lonely ones.
Entrepreneurs and business owners take note! If you are going to have a number for your customers to access your customer service, please follow these rules.
Have the phone manned by an employee that can hear thunder and see lightening.
Give that employee training in helping the caller and not shuffling the problem to another desk.
Have an overseer, who can also hear thunder and see lightening, check that all incoming complaints were handled appropriately.
After learning how to find your customers and what they want; after getting them committed to doing business with YOU; and after wooing them to keep them as your customers, WHY WOULD YOU LET SERVICE DIVORCE CUSTOMER?
If your customers are not getting the service they require from you, your competitor will be only too happy to help them!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Freelance Work At Home Basics - 3 Ways to Build Client Trust While Working From Home
One of the best consulting assignments in the world is when your top client (i.e. your main source of income) has you perform all the work from your home office. However, while it is very optimal to work from home and you have advantages over people that commute to the office, you do have to consider building and keeping client trust.
After all consulting is a very simple concept: you are paid to get results through completing projects for your client. Otherwise you are not worth the money the client pays you. Building client trust makes consulting assignments easier and also provides opportunity for more work. If you want to build trust with your client then try these three practices (or exercises) to build trust through exceptional service.
Be available most of your client 's business hours
One sure fire way of gaining the trust of your client is to be available during your client 's business hours. Remember is that most corporate offices operate and communicate with their clients and vendors from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday. Being available during business hours not only builds trust with your client but can also be rewarding in the form of more work.
Businesses always need to be supported during the work day. You never know when you're needed as a resource other than the project you're working on. You become part of the team as you are establishing a presence with your client. You are becoming part of your client 's support system. Most clients want to trust their consultants. Your goals should always be an integral part of your client 's team.
The best ways to be available for your client are to provide a mobile phone number, and be on Windows Live Messenger and AOL Instant messenger. If you plan to be away during the business day, make sure to let your client know via the messenger status window. Using instant messenger programs is becoming very popular among businesses, which leads me to our next practice to build client trust.
Learn to work with distraction
One thing about any work day whether you are working from home or not is the fact that there will always be distractions. This usually comes in the form of client requests or if you're working from home personal requests.
No one likes to be distracted from their projects. However, I would recommend that one of the best ways to work with distractions is to embrace them. However, some thought must go into the importance of the distraction.
Working on a project and juggling multiple clients can be trying at times. No matter what you are working on it seems you're destined to get calls from your clients. If a client is calling you during the day, your best bet is to take the call. If you look at it from your clients point of view, they have your call on their "to do" list. Meaning they are blocking of time from their day to reach out to you. This call can mean anything from a simple question or more billable work. It 's definitely worth it.
Try to finish the project you are working on before going to the next one
The main reason you are hired as a freelance consultant is to get the job done. Have you heard of the old saying "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"? This saying holds very true in the IT small business consulting world. So remember results get you more work.
So what 's the best way to get results, you ask? If you are working on multiple projects, always work toward completing a project milestone before you work on another project. Always make your closest project due date your central point of your workday until it 's completed. This will provide you and your client the mental boost necessary to show progress with your projects.
Hopefully you can see now why it 's possible to be at a disadvantage while working from home. With the 3 methods mentioned above, you should be able to provide exceptional customer service to your client.
After all consulting is a very simple concept: you are paid to get results through completing projects for your client. Otherwise you are not worth the money the client pays you. Building client trust makes consulting assignments easier and also provides opportunity for more work. If you want to build trust with your client then try these three practices (or exercises) to build trust through exceptional service.
Be available most of your client 's business hours
One sure fire way of gaining the trust of your client is to be available during your client 's business hours. Remember is that most corporate offices operate and communicate with their clients and vendors from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday. Being available during business hours not only builds trust with your client but can also be rewarding in the form of more work.
Businesses always need to be supported during the work day. You never know when you're needed as a resource other than the project you're working on. You become part of the team as you are establishing a presence with your client. You are becoming part of your client 's support system. Most clients want to trust their consultants. Your goals should always be an integral part of your client 's team.
The best ways to be available for your client are to provide a mobile phone number, and be on Windows Live Messenger and AOL Instant messenger. If you plan to be away during the business day, make sure to let your client know via the messenger status window. Using instant messenger programs is becoming very popular among businesses, which leads me to our next practice to build client trust.
Learn to work with distraction
One thing about any work day whether you are working from home or not is the fact that there will always be distractions. This usually comes in the form of client requests or if you're working from home personal requests.
No one likes to be distracted from their projects. However, I would recommend that one of the best ways to work with distractions is to embrace them. However, some thought must go into the importance of the distraction.
Working on a project and juggling multiple clients can be trying at times. No matter what you are working on it seems you're destined to get calls from your clients. If a client is calling you during the day, your best bet is to take the call. If you look at it from your clients point of view, they have your call on their "to do" list. Meaning they are blocking of time from their day to reach out to you. This call can mean anything from a simple question or more billable work. It 's definitely worth it.
Try to finish the project you are working on before going to the next one
The main reason you are hired as a freelance consultant is to get the job done. Have you heard of the old saying "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"? This saying holds very true in the IT small business consulting world. So remember results get you more work.
So what 's the best way to get results, you ask? If you are working on multiple projects, always work toward completing a project milestone before you work on another project. Always make your closest project due date your central point of your workday until it 's completed. This will provide you and your client the mental boost necessary to show progress with your projects.
Hopefully you can see now why it 's possible to be at a disadvantage while working from home. With the 3 methods mentioned above, you should be able to provide exceptional customer service to your client.
Can You Really Use Articles To Build Your List?
Getting customers in your site should always be ranked as high as the importance of the quality and the excellence of the product and the services you provide.
They should go hand in hand in providing your customers the satisfaction they get in exchange for the money they have paid for them. Customer service should as well be as fantastic so that the customers are provided with the same satisfaction.
One of the ways you can combine marketing and customer service is through opt-in marketing. With an opt-in list you get the opportunity to introduce your site and products on a good time basis.
Opt-in marketing strategy is a marketing strategy that is virtually low cost and not time consuming. Here, you get the consent of your website visitors to subscribe to your newsletters and other promotional materials such as catalogs and free promotions.
Opt-in marketing uses your list of subscribers to send e-mail to. These e-mails will contain the materials you will send to your subscribers.
It is essential that you present your promotional items in a manner that will catch the interest and the eye of your subscribers to keep them wanting for more. The best way to do this is to provide fun, entertaining and informational articles.
Well written articles full of content and useful information will help in building your list as more subscribers will be enticed your list.
When they have read the samples of your contents in your sites, they will be intrigued as to what will come next. Subscribing to your newsletter will offer them a glimpse of what you have to offer next.
Many sites and companies have captured the importance of articles and this also aids in search engine optimization. As more people are heading towards the internet for their information needs, serving the right information to them via articles in your site will increase the flow of your website traffic.
With more traffic, the percentage of your sales will grow. More sales turn into more profit.
There have been the rise for the importance of well written, information enriched and keyword packed articles for the content of their site as well as for newsletters.
These articles provide the information many are seeking in the internet. If your site has them, more people will be going to your site for information and research.
Well written articles would also boost your sites reputation. If they are filled with many information you will be regarded as well informed and an expert on the subjects that you tackle.
Your articles must be well researched so that the people will trust you. When you have gained their trust, they will always come for you for their needs on that subject.
In connection, you must write articles or commission them to tackle subjects that are closely connected with your type of business. If you have a site for a medicine tackling a certain disease, your articles must be about the diseases. Or if you sell materials for home improvements provide articles with those themes.
Most articles searched for are tips, guidelines, methods, manuals and such. If you provide these articles to your customers and you have their trust, they will always go to your site for help and advice as well as for your products.
With the loyalty of these customers, they may subscribe to your opt-in list to receive all the information you have.
If you provide them with the answers for that need, they will be happy to be receiving your newsletters as well as other promotional materials to keep them well informed. Others may even forward your newsletters to other people when they find a certain article interesting.
You should provide links in your newsletter so that when other people are reading it and wants to read more, they may click on the link and go to your site. With the articles you have in your site that are good, they may decide to sign up as well for your opt-in list. This will build your list and make it bigger.
Make sure to keep your subscribers happy and interested in your newsletters and promotional materials. Keep on posting and writing good articles for your site and newsletter.
If you are not interested in writing them or if you just don't have the time, there are many available well experienced and knowledgeable writers available to help you out. This is an investment that will pay for itself in time.
They should go hand in hand in providing your customers the satisfaction they get in exchange for the money they have paid for them. Customer service should as well be as fantastic so that the customers are provided with the same satisfaction.
One of the ways you can combine marketing and customer service is through opt-in marketing. With an opt-in list you get the opportunity to introduce your site and products on a good time basis.
Opt-in marketing strategy is a marketing strategy that is virtually low cost and not time consuming. Here, you get the consent of your website visitors to subscribe to your newsletters and other promotional materials such as catalogs and free promotions.
Opt-in marketing uses your list of subscribers to send e-mail to. These e-mails will contain the materials you will send to your subscribers.
It is essential that you present your promotional items in a manner that will catch the interest and the eye of your subscribers to keep them wanting for more. The best way to do this is to provide fun, entertaining and informational articles.
Well written articles full of content and useful information will help in building your list as more subscribers will be enticed your list.
When they have read the samples of your contents in your sites, they will be intrigued as to what will come next. Subscribing to your newsletter will offer them a glimpse of what you have to offer next.
Many sites and companies have captured the importance of articles and this also aids in search engine optimization. As more people are heading towards the internet for their information needs, serving the right information to them via articles in your site will increase the flow of your website traffic.
With more traffic, the percentage of your sales will grow. More sales turn into more profit.
There have been the rise for the importance of well written, information enriched and keyword packed articles for the content of their site as well as for newsletters.
These articles provide the information many are seeking in the internet. If your site has them, more people will be going to your site for information and research.
Well written articles would also boost your sites reputation. If they are filled with many information you will be regarded as well informed and an expert on the subjects that you tackle.
Your articles must be well researched so that the people will trust you. When you have gained their trust, they will always come for you for their needs on that subject.
In connection, you must write articles or commission them to tackle subjects that are closely connected with your type of business. If you have a site for a medicine tackling a certain disease, your articles must be about the diseases. Or if you sell materials for home improvements provide articles with those themes.
Most articles searched for are tips, guidelines, methods, manuals and such. If you provide these articles to your customers and you have their trust, they will always go to your site for help and advice as well as for your products.
With the loyalty of these customers, they may subscribe to your opt-in list to receive all the information you have.
If you provide them with the answers for that need, they will be happy to be receiving your newsletters as well as other promotional materials to keep them well informed. Others may even forward your newsletters to other people when they find a certain article interesting.
You should provide links in your newsletter so that when other people are reading it and wants to read more, they may click on the link and go to your site. With the articles you have in your site that are good, they may decide to sign up as well for your opt-in list. This will build your list and make it bigger.
Make sure to keep your subscribers happy and interested in your newsletters and promotional materials. Keep on posting and writing good articles for your site and newsletter.
If you are not interested in writing them or if you just don't have the time, there are many available well experienced and knowledgeable writers available to help you out. This is an investment that will pay for itself in time.
Hi, How May I Offend You Today?
As an American consumer, chances are that you have been offended in some way by a company this year. It hasn't always been that way. Before the current era of mass-everything, there was a real connection between proprietor and customer: a connection that continues to be the envy of most businesses today.
Let me take you back to a time when the customer and business had a real - not artificial - relationship.
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
"Jim was spending a typical fall Saturday working on a never-ending list of home repair projects. Ever since he bought the little two-story fixer-upper, he has been a regular down at the corner hardware store. Earl, the sole proprietor, was from the old school. He didn't believe in fancy systems or gimmicks; he just liked helping his fellow neighbors. Earl knew everyone by name, and as any good businessperson should - he knew what one of his best customers, Jim, was up to today.
When Jim walked in the door, Earl recognized him like an old friend and immediately asked him about his latest project. Within minutes, Earl had found just the right product and tool that would help Jim get the job done. Earl made a sale as well as a very happy customer."
That scenario just doesn't happen often enough anymore does it? Perhaps it was easier back before quaint neighborhood stores were overrun by the big-box retailers and the mass-production of, well, everything. Neighborhood storeowners developed real relationships with their customers; not a relationship defined by a customer record stored in some computer database.
BAD SERVICE - MASS PRODUCED
Unfortunately, in today 's environment of mass-produced products and services, companies rely too heavily on a rapidly changing employee base, and a less than adequate customer database. As a result, it 's far too easy - and common - for companies to offend their customers.
If we were to replay Jim 's scenario in today 's environment, it might go something like this:
"Jim jumped in his car for the second time this Saturday to make the 20-minute drive to a strip mall where the big-box home improvement store was located. On his first trip, the young assistant didn't really understand what Jim was trying to do and had sold him the wrong product. Now, Jim had to return to the store to exchange it for something else.
Upon arriving at the store, nobody greeted or recognized him, and when he finally tracked down a store employee, he had to re-explain his entire project and problem. After a long deliberation, Jim finally had a replacement product and was ready to check out. But without his receipt for the original product..."
You probably know how the story would go. Too many consumers have been treated just this way. It 's no wonder that many consumers say that customer service across the board is just plain bad.
THE REMEDY?
Unfortunately, we live in a time where mass-produced products and services are the norm. If you work for one of these organizations, you have to make the most of a difficult situation: multiple locations, multiple channels, changing employees, and rising customer expectations. Many companies turn to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions to bridge the gap on poor customer service.
Although CRM solutions can stem the tide of poor customer service, they often can't achieve the level of customer intimacy that some customers require. CRM solutions do a great job of tracking customer information, transactions, and interactions, but I would argue that a CRM system is only as good as the customer-facing individuals using it.
Ideally, your CRM system should help your organization to keep track of all pertinent customer information:
* Customer Information: This should include all of the basic identifying information for your customer including name, address, email address, telephone number, sex, age, etc.
* Transaction History: This should include a record of all transactions associated with your customer including the transaction dates, amount, products or services purchased, payments, receivables, returns, refunds, etc.
* Interaction History: This should include a record of all contacts made with the customer including telephone calls, emails, newsletters, direct mail, invoices, service calls, etc.
Armed with all of this great information, customer-facing employees should be well prepared to provide excellent customer service, right? In a perfect world, they should. However, there are several factors that can hinder the best intentions of any CRM solution:
1. Employee Behavior & Discipline: Poor customer service can continue even with a CRM solution in place when employees don't utilize it properly or consistently.
2. Data Quality & Accessibility: A customer database can help to collect and aggregate critical information, but it won't help if the data is incorrect or inaccurate, or if your employees can't access it when and where they need it most.
3. Single View of the Customer: CRM solutions in your company are like debt; more is not necessarily better. Too often, multiple CRM solutions arise in an organization, which creates silos of customer data. That can prevent your company from ever getting a single view of your customer - a scenario that can perpetuate poor customer service.
Bad customer service doesn't need to become a habit. We may never return to the time of quant neighborhood stores, where intimate customer service just came naturally. However, companies can begin to improve their customer service by taking a more customer-centric view of their CRM systems. CRM should not be viewed as the end-all solution, but rather as a enabling tool that, if used properly by your employees, can help to develop a more meaningful relationship with your customers.
The next time I walk into a business that I frequent, I'd like them to remember me. I'd like them to recall that I just bought something from them last week, or that I've been a regular customer for more than a year. I'd like them to ask me how I'm doing, or how they can help me with my latest project - which they should know about. Nobody wants to be greeted with an all too common mantra: "Hi, How May I Offend You Today?"
Let me take you back to a time when the customer and business had a real - not artificial - relationship.
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
"Jim was spending a typical fall Saturday working on a never-ending list of home repair projects. Ever since he bought the little two-story fixer-upper, he has been a regular down at the corner hardware store. Earl, the sole proprietor, was from the old school. He didn't believe in fancy systems or gimmicks; he just liked helping his fellow neighbors. Earl knew everyone by name, and as any good businessperson should - he knew what one of his best customers, Jim, was up to today.
When Jim walked in the door, Earl recognized him like an old friend and immediately asked him about his latest project. Within minutes, Earl had found just the right product and tool that would help Jim get the job done. Earl made a sale as well as a very happy customer."
That scenario just doesn't happen often enough anymore does it? Perhaps it was easier back before quaint neighborhood stores were overrun by the big-box retailers and the mass-production of, well, everything. Neighborhood storeowners developed real relationships with their customers; not a relationship defined by a customer record stored in some computer database.
BAD SERVICE - MASS PRODUCED
Unfortunately, in today 's environment of mass-produced products and services, companies rely too heavily on a rapidly changing employee base, and a less than adequate customer database. As a result, it 's far too easy - and common - for companies to offend their customers.
If we were to replay Jim 's scenario in today 's environment, it might go something like this:
"Jim jumped in his car for the second time this Saturday to make the 20-minute drive to a strip mall where the big-box home improvement store was located. On his first trip, the young assistant didn't really understand what Jim was trying to do and had sold him the wrong product. Now, Jim had to return to the store to exchange it for something else.
Upon arriving at the store, nobody greeted or recognized him, and when he finally tracked down a store employee, he had to re-explain his entire project and problem. After a long deliberation, Jim finally had a replacement product and was ready to check out. But without his receipt for the original product..."
You probably know how the story would go. Too many consumers have been treated just this way. It 's no wonder that many consumers say that customer service across the board is just plain bad.
THE REMEDY?
Unfortunately, we live in a time where mass-produced products and services are the norm. If you work for one of these organizations, you have to make the most of a difficult situation: multiple locations, multiple channels, changing employees, and rising customer expectations. Many companies turn to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions to bridge the gap on poor customer service.
Although CRM solutions can stem the tide of poor customer service, they often can't achieve the level of customer intimacy that some customers require. CRM solutions do a great job of tracking customer information, transactions, and interactions, but I would argue that a CRM system is only as good as the customer-facing individuals using it.
Ideally, your CRM system should help your organization to keep track of all pertinent customer information:
* Customer Information: This should include all of the basic identifying information for your customer including name, address, email address, telephone number, sex, age, etc.
* Transaction History: This should include a record of all transactions associated with your customer including the transaction dates, amount, products or services purchased, payments, receivables, returns, refunds, etc.
* Interaction History: This should include a record of all contacts made with the customer including telephone calls, emails, newsletters, direct mail, invoices, service calls, etc.
Armed with all of this great information, customer-facing employees should be well prepared to provide excellent customer service, right? In a perfect world, they should. However, there are several factors that can hinder the best intentions of any CRM solution:
1. Employee Behavior & Discipline: Poor customer service can continue even with a CRM solution in place when employees don't utilize it properly or consistently.
2. Data Quality & Accessibility: A customer database can help to collect and aggregate critical information, but it won't help if the data is incorrect or inaccurate, or if your employees can't access it when and where they need it most.
3. Single View of the Customer: CRM solutions in your company are like debt; more is not necessarily better. Too often, multiple CRM solutions arise in an organization, which creates silos of customer data. That can prevent your company from ever getting a single view of your customer - a scenario that can perpetuate poor customer service.
Bad customer service doesn't need to become a habit. We may never return to the time of quant neighborhood stores, where intimate customer service just came naturally. However, companies can begin to improve their customer service by taking a more customer-centric view of their CRM systems. CRM should not be viewed as the end-all solution, but rather as a enabling tool that, if used properly by your employees, can help to develop a more meaningful relationship with your customers.
The next time I walk into a business that I frequent, I'd like them to remember me. I'd like them to recall that I just bought something from them last week, or that I've been a regular customer for more than a year. I'd like them to ask me how I'm doing, or how they can help me with my latest project - which they should know about. Nobody wants to be greeted with an all too common mantra: "Hi, How May I Offend You Today?"
5 Guaranteed Ways To Retain Your Online Customers & Keep Them Away From Your Competition
Whatever the product or service you offer on your website; there are probably hundreds of thousands or millions other websites which a potential online customer can go to. It takes a lot of hard work to get the visitors to your website in the first instance; now that some prospects have visited your website, you have a very high chance of converting them into your online customers. It is very important for you not to lose them to your competitor.
How can you retain your leads and prospects, and ensure that they buy from you and not from your competition?
· A friendly, professional and easy-to-navigate website is a necessity. You must ensure that you have a friendly website; and make it easy for your customers to navigate. Have you ever visited a website which is simply confusing? You do not know what is being sold, or there are so many things on offer on that website and it is all very confusing? Well, you must avoid having such a website because it will make you lose your online customers. A customer-friendly and clearly laid-out website is a definite way of retaining your online customers. The prospect may really want to buy from you, but if your website is not easy to navigate and takes a lot of time for the prospect to find what they want; they will leave. Time is of essence for online customers. Have a 'Frequently Asked Questions' on your website to explain more about your website or the product / service that you offer.
· Your website must be full of BENEFITS. This is another necessity if you want to convert your prospects into online customers. Everyone appreciates something for free. Offer free tips, information, 's tuff' or anything else related to what your website offers. It helps to make a your website a 'one-stop-shop' where the prospects or online customer can get more information about the topic related to your products and services - so make sure you have a lot of free information, tips and articles on your website. It is important to have some valuable benefits which your online customers would really appreciate getting if they bought from you. Be creative and make sure that you have some valuable free offers to your online customers.
· Easy, free and speedy communication. Your website is your 's hop' that operates 24/7. You will need to make it easy for your prospects and online customers to contact you. You must have many contact alternatives on your website; namely email address, toll free fax or telephone number - whatever you see suitable for you and your business. Allow prospects or online customers to contact you by email, and it helps to hyper link your email address so that they do not have to type it in. You must check your emails on a regular basis and respond to any queries as soon as you can.
· Keep in touch. This ties in with the above aspect, but focuses more on proactively staying in contact with your prospects and online customers. Offer a free e-course or e-zine subscription on your website so that you keep in touch with your website 's visitors. This will help you create trust and build a relationship with your prospects, and soon they will be your online customers. Having a 'list' is a definite way of making money online as you can make regular offers to them. After every sale, follow up with the customer and see if they are satisfied with their purchase. Retain their email on your list and offer them any services or products you may have in the future.
· Go that 'extra mile' for your customers and be nice. This is a critical factor which is often underestimated in its importance. Always be ready to help, answer any questions or offer some advice. Be polite to your customers. Show them that you really care about them.
By simply following the above recommendations, you can be sure to convert your prospects into online customers and also keep them away from your competition.
How can you retain your leads and prospects, and ensure that they buy from you and not from your competition?
· A friendly, professional and easy-to-navigate website is a necessity. You must ensure that you have a friendly website; and make it easy for your customers to navigate. Have you ever visited a website which is simply confusing? You do not know what is being sold, or there are so many things on offer on that website and it is all very confusing? Well, you must avoid having such a website because it will make you lose your online customers. A customer-friendly and clearly laid-out website is a definite way of retaining your online customers. The prospect may really want to buy from you, but if your website is not easy to navigate and takes a lot of time for the prospect to find what they want; they will leave. Time is of essence for online customers. Have a 'Frequently Asked Questions' on your website to explain more about your website or the product / service that you offer.
· Your website must be full of BENEFITS. This is another necessity if you want to convert your prospects into online customers. Everyone appreciates something for free. Offer free tips, information, 's tuff' or anything else related to what your website offers. It helps to make a your website a 'one-stop-shop' where the prospects or online customer can get more information about the topic related to your products and services - so make sure you have a lot of free information, tips and articles on your website. It is important to have some valuable benefits which your online customers would really appreciate getting if they bought from you. Be creative and make sure that you have some valuable free offers to your online customers.
· Easy, free and speedy communication. Your website is your 's hop' that operates 24/7. You will need to make it easy for your prospects and online customers to contact you. You must have many contact alternatives on your website; namely email address, toll free fax or telephone number - whatever you see suitable for you and your business. Allow prospects or online customers to contact you by email, and it helps to hyper link your email address so that they do not have to type it in. You must check your emails on a regular basis and respond to any queries as soon as you can.
· Keep in touch. This ties in with the above aspect, but focuses more on proactively staying in contact with your prospects and online customers. Offer a free e-course or e-zine subscription on your website so that you keep in touch with your website 's visitors. This will help you create trust and build a relationship with your prospects, and soon they will be your online customers. Having a 'list' is a definite way of making money online as you can make regular offers to them. After every sale, follow up with the customer and see if they are satisfied with their purchase. Retain their email on your list and offer them any services or products you may have in the future.
· Go that 'extra mile' for your customers and be nice. This is a critical factor which is often underestimated in its importance. Always be ready to help, answer any questions or offer some advice. Be polite to your customers. Show them that you really care about them.
By simply following the above recommendations, you can be sure to convert your prospects into online customers and also keep them away from your competition.
Outsourcing: Past, Present and its Future
Undeniably, outsourcing professional jobs from Western countries to other parts of the globe is by far, the biggest phenomenon that the business world has seen these last twenty years. The rapid development of the technology behind communication has helped make outsourcing expand exponentially. But what paved the way for this so-called business maneuver to take hold among many of its present practitioners? How is this business practice faring today? What will this phenomenon bring the global market in 20, 30 or even in 50 years time?
In its simplest terms, outsourcing is the delegation of jobs from an internal production to an external entity; a process that is somewhat similar to handing out jobs to different subcontractors. Although many companies are outsourcing professional tasks the different service providers within their countries boundaries, the term outsourcing in itself has now come to mean the elimination of the native staff, in favor of utilizing the services of the less expensive overseas work force. Outsourcing can also be defined as the management and execution of an entire business function by a 3rd party service provider.
Brief History
Although many studies have shown that this kind of business strategy was practiced by global companies since 1962, it was only in 1989 that outsourcing became formally identified as such (Mullin, 1996). Hiring subcontractors to do jobs with ancillary capacity may have paved the very ground work for outsourcing practices; and soon, as a safeguard for this new business strategy, companies begun establishing outsourcing support services as well.
By the middle of the 1990s, companies started looking at outsourcing as a way of becoming more cost-efficient. Business functions that were necessary in running a company, but not related to the core business were being delegated with the emerging group of service companies: from accounting, to data processing and even security companies. Other types of service providers catered to delivering assistance in human resources, internal main distribution, plant maintenance, etc.
At the turn of the century, outsourcing also paved the way for offshore outsourcing practices or simply, offshoring. Offshoring may be defined as a relocation of business processes like manufacturing and production to a lower cost location. These locations are usually situated overseas. Unlike outsourcing companies which delegates jobs to different service providers (or utilizes different companies for one or more specific tasks,) offshoring utilizes the same internal structure or internal business organization as the mother company.
Outsourcing Today
Today, outsourcing is one of the most prominently used business strategy in the world. This business phenomenon has created new jobs for many countries - and some of these job vacancies are unprecedented until outsourcing became a substantial force in the market. Only upon the onset of the new millennium are managers and engineers finally outsourced. There is now room for work force that can generate weekly activity reports, weekly update reports, all to answer the specifications of an evolving market. Auxiliary tasks like customer support, technical support and front desk services are also being outsourced.
Many companies now are subscribing to outsourcing for a variety of reasons. However, the primary cause seems to lean more on a companys desire to cut costs or at the very least, to streamline the companys expenses. Others prefer handing out auxiliary tasks or jobs with ancillary capacity so that the mother company can focus its energy on running its core business. Other small companies rely on outsourcing in their bids to access skills and technology which may be otherwise unattainable to them due to financial or time restraints.
However, outsourcing in itself is often plagued with its own set of problems. Although this business strategy is often used as a cost-saving device, there are still considerable transaction costs to contend with. There are also emerging problems when it comes to confidentiality and privacy of company matters, as well as infringement of intellectual property rights. These are but a few of the problems when it comes to hiring human resources overseas. On the other hand, there are also incessant rumblings about how outsourcing deliberately affects the unemployment rate in the western countries when jobs are shipped overseas.
A Future Market for Outsourcing
These days, market analysts are predicting that ASP or Application Service Providers will come to its own in the future. Already, there are growing numbers of ASP with companies practicing outsourcing methods. ASP can offer deployment and management of application through the Internet or some other private network on a monthly or per-user basis. Basically, it provides software as a service driven by the Internet, helping IT infrastructure markets and software program markets converge. Examples of this technology include: application monitoring, data centers, customer support from consulting firms, connectivity offers to and from hosting companies, hardware monitoring, software applications created by independent software vendors, system implementation created by system integrators, telecommunication providers, etc. ASP offers these advantages over outsourcing: ease of use, faster marketing time, IT expertise, and of course, lower fees and expenses.
In its simplest terms, outsourcing is the delegation of jobs from an internal production to an external entity; a process that is somewhat similar to handing out jobs to different subcontractors. Although many companies are outsourcing professional tasks the different service providers within their countries boundaries, the term outsourcing in itself has now come to mean the elimination of the native staff, in favor of utilizing the services of the less expensive overseas work force. Outsourcing can also be defined as the management and execution of an entire business function by a 3rd party service provider.
Brief History
Although many studies have shown that this kind of business strategy was practiced by global companies since 1962, it was only in 1989 that outsourcing became formally identified as such (Mullin, 1996). Hiring subcontractors to do jobs with ancillary capacity may have paved the very ground work for outsourcing practices; and soon, as a safeguard for this new business strategy, companies begun establishing outsourcing support services as well.
By the middle of the 1990s, companies started looking at outsourcing as a way of becoming more cost-efficient. Business functions that were necessary in running a company, but not related to the core business were being delegated with the emerging group of service companies: from accounting, to data processing and even security companies. Other types of service providers catered to delivering assistance in human resources, internal main distribution, plant maintenance, etc.
At the turn of the century, outsourcing also paved the way for offshore outsourcing practices or simply, offshoring. Offshoring may be defined as a relocation of business processes like manufacturing and production to a lower cost location. These locations are usually situated overseas. Unlike outsourcing companies which delegates jobs to different service providers (or utilizes different companies for one or more specific tasks,) offshoring utilizes the same internal structure or internal business organization as the mother company.
Outsourcing Today
Today, outsourcing is one of the most prominently used business strategy in the world. This business phenomenon has created new jobs for many countries - and some of these job vacancies are unprecedented until outsourcing became a substantial force in the market. Only upon the onset of the new millennium are managers and engineers finally outsourced. There is now room for work force that can generate weekly activity reports, weekly update reports, all to answer the specifications of an evolving market. Auxiliary tasks like customer support, technical support and front desk services are also being outsourced.
Many companies now are subscribing to outsourcing for a variety of reasons. However, the primary cause seems to lean more on a companys desire to cut costs or at the very least, to streamline the companys expenses. Others prefer handing out auxiliary tasks or jobs with ancillary capacity so that the mother company can focus its energy on running its core business. Other small companies rely on outsourcing in their bids to access skills and technology which may be otherwise unattainable to them due to financial or time restraints.
However, outsourcing in itself is often plagued with its own set of problems. Although this business strategy is often used as a cost-saving device, there are still considerable transaction costs to contend with. There are also emerging problems when it comes to confidentiality and privacy of company matters, as well as infringement of intellectual property rights. These are but a few of the problems when it comes to hiring human resources overseas. On the other hand, there are also incessant rumblings about how outsourcing deliberately affects the unemployment rate in the western countries when jobs are shipped overseas.
A Future Market for Outsourcing
These days, market analysts are predicting that ASP or Application Service Providers will come to its own in the future. Already, there are growing numbers of ASP with companies practicing outsourcing methods. ASP can offer deployment and management of application through the Internet or some other private network on a monthly or per-user basis. Basically, it provides software as a service driven by the Internet, helping IT infrastructure markets and software program markets converge. Examples of this technology include: application monitoring, data centers, customer support from consulting firms, connectivity offers to and from hosting companies, hardware monitoring, software applications created by independent software vendors, system implementation created by system integrators, telecommunication providers, etc. ASP offers these advantages over outsourcing: ease of use, faster marketing time, IT expertise, and of course, lower fees and expenses.
Mystery Shopping Doesn't Have To Be A Mystery
Mystery shopping is not a new phenomenon it actually started its life in America in the 1930s as a way to test the integrity of financial services staff. So how mystery shopping changed over the last 70 years? For many, mystery shopping is still perceived as a low-tech process conducted by part-time staff with little or no training, the reality may surprise you!
A mystery shopping programme prepared and managed by a professional company, involves using highly trained assessors posing as customers (for many assessors mystery shopping is in fact a full time professional career). These assessors interact with branches or departments of an organisation, typically to assess their customer service and sales performance standards.
Reports are provided which usually comprise how the organisation has performed in relation to pre-agreed questions (these questions are formulated at the commencement of a programme and should integrate seamlessly with the organisations sales and service standards). Within retail, a typical report format would be split into a number of subsections covering areas such as 'First Impressions', 'Meeting & Greeting', 'Product Demonstration', 'Recommendation' and 'Close & Upsell'
Mystery shopping comes in a number of varieties, telephone, (where a recording of the call is also provided), email/website for complete evaluation of customers' online experiences (including the order fulfilment process), report-based mystery shopping visits and video mystery shopping visits, the latest and fastest growing service, which provides high quality video footage of the entire customer experience by utilising assessors wearing the latest hidden video camera technology.
It has long been recognised that mystery shopping across a retail network can identify through league tables an organisation 's shining stars as well as their pits of despair! Well today the level of reporting and depth of analysis is being taken to new levels. Many mystery shopping companies can now provide a wide range of reporting available online, allowing you to track the precise progress of your programme, as well as conduct analysis for your entire estate or pre-selected outlets in areas such as which day of the week or which profile of staff (male/female, under 25s/ over40s etc) are delivering the best service.
Also, which product category your staff perform best with, and of course which areas of performance are improving or declining. A useful recent addition is also the ability for retailers to now benchmark their performance in key areas against averages for the retail sector.
Where mystery shopping has seen significant strides in recent years is in the understanding that it can provide not only a powerful and accurate means of measuring performance, but also be used as crucial tool for driving improvements. Many organisations have come to realise that measuring alone will not necessarily create a change in staff behaviours.
Nowhere is this more evident than when using video mystery shopping. The key for creating change is about getting staff to recognise service issues and understand the need for change. Many forward thinking retailers are now conducting regular video mystery shopping visits across their retail networks and then critically having a structured video review mechanism that involves individual retail staff self-evaluating the video footage of their branch 's performance, creating their own action planning and buying into a programme for change.
Interactive DVDs are made available to highlight best practice for both induction training and continuous coaching development. These real-life examples of service delivery from real staff seem to have so much more impact than sanitized training videos featuring actors.
Certainly one of downsides of embarking on a mystery shopping programme, is once you start its very hard to stop, some describe it like going on a diet, if you are disciplined and you eat properly and take the right exercise you will lose weight, once you stop those good practices, the pounds start piling back on, and lets face it there is nothing more depressing than an overweight retailer!
A mystery shopping programme prepared and managed by a professional company, involves using highly trained assessors posing as customers (for many assessors mystery shopping is in fact a full time professional career). These assessors interact with branches or departments of an organisation, typically to assess their customer service and sales performance standards.
Reports are provided which usually comprise how the organisation has performed in relation to pre-agreed questions (these questions are formulated at the commencement of a programme and should integrate seamlessly with the organisations sales and service standards). Within retail, a typical report format would be split into a number of subsections covering areas such as 'First Impressions', 'Meeting & Greeting', 'Product Demonstration', 'Recommendation' and 'Close & Upsell'
Mystery shopping comes in a number of varieties, telephone, (where a recording of the call is also provided), email/website for complete evaluation of customers' online experiences (including the order fulfilment process), report-based mystery shopping visits and video mystery shopping visits, the latest and fastest growing service, which provides high quality video footage of the entire customer experience by utilising assessors wearing the latest hidden video camera technology.
It has long been recognised that mystery shopping across a retail network can identify through league tables an organisation 's shining stars as well as their pits of despair! Well today the level of reporting and depth of analysis is being taken to new levels. Many mystery shopping companies can now provide a wide range of reporting available online, allowing you to track the precise progress of your programme, as well as conduct analysis for your entire estate or pre-selected outlets in areas such as which day of the week or which profile of staff (male/female, under 25s/ over40s etc) are delivering the best service.
Also, which product category your staff perform best with, and of course which areas of performance are improving or declining. A useful recent addition is also the ability for retailers to now benchmark their performance in key areas against averages for the retail sector.
Where mystery shopping has seen significant strides in recent years is in the understanding that it can provide not only a powerful and accurate means of measuring performance, but also be used as crucial tool for driving improvements. Many organisations have come to realise that measuring alone will not necessarily create a change in staff behaviours.
Nowhere is this more evident than when using video mystery shopping. The key for creating change is about getting staff to recognise service issues and understand the need for change. Many forward thinking retailers are now conducting regular video mystery shopping visits across their retail networks and then critically having a structured video review mechanism that involves individual retail staff self-evaluating the video footage of their branch 's performance, creating their own action planning and buying into a programme for change.
Interactive DVDs are made available to highlight best practice for both induction training and continuous coaching development. These real-life examples of service delivery from real staff seem to have so much more impact than sanitized training videos featuring actors.
Certainly one of downsides of embarking on a mystery shopping programme, is once you start its very hard to stop, some describe it like going on a diet, if you are disciplined and you eat properly and take the right exercise you will lose weight, once you stop those good practices, the pounds start piling back on, and lets face it there is nothing more depressing than an overweight retailer!
Secrets Of Extreme Customer Satisfaction
Keeping customers happy should be the aim of most businesses. A brand name is no longer enough to help an organization build its client base. The concept of brand loyalty is almost passe nowadays. Customers today have no issues in shifting from one service or brand to another. However, if a person is given great customer service, she/he might not even want to switch loyalties. Every customer wants the royal treatment. Most organizations have realized this and make sure that their customer service policy is aligned with the idea that "the customer is king".
In the initial stages, ads and promotional measures will bring in new clients. Thereafter, however, new customers are brought in by word of mouth. Existing customers may praise the efficiency of a company, and new customers may walk in to see the truth for themselves. Having a good customer service policy in place will ensure that these customers never feel the urge to shift to some other company. This would lead to greater profits, and hence, the company in question would benefit.
Irrespective of what one is trying to sell, the company should look after the customer. This attitude is very important when the company is an upcoming one. The more established ones can afford to rest on past laurels and on the goodwill that already exists for them. But a company that is a new entrant on the scene will have to make sure that its customers go home rooting for it.
It is essential that the people in the customer service department be approachable and friendly. Sustaining the customer is a more complex task. A hint of rudeness can lead to the loss of a customer. A customer is likely to be more patient with someone who seems to smile into the phone than with a person who does not. Each customer services executive should remember that they are simply working for the customer. They are merely helping the company provide great service.
Every customer services representative must be trained to listen to the customer and should try and empathize with him. It is aggravating for a customer with a problem to have to talk to a disinterested representative. No problem should ever be written off. Of course, some customers tend to be rather painful. However, that is one of the cons of being in the business of providing satisfaction to customers.
Customer service executives have to learn to deal with such situations in the best possible way. Tackling customer complaints and dealing with angry customers is an art that is hard to imbibe. But it would be essential for maximizing customer satisfaction.
It helps to have a customer policy that is clearly defined. This gets rid of the problem of shuttling the customer from one phone line to another. We have all been through the same drama a few times. We are all familiar with the frustrations that build up. Hence, it is essential that different problems and issues be farmed out to different groups.
This will help to ensure that the customer 's problem is taken care of at the soonest, with minimal delay. In fact, speed has become a measure of efficiency. Perhaps the rise of the Internet is partly responsible for it. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that customers are most likely to stay on with the company that provides great service instantly, and which holds true to their promises.
Sometimes, all that it takes to keep a customer happy is to keep him informed about even the smallest of developments. A customer will appreciate the fact that his/her complaint is receiving attention. At times, this could even dissuade your customer from making a switch to some other company. Competition is fierce these days, and one cannot afford to slack off if there is a disgruntled customer.
Losing even a single client is bad for business. A disgruntled client may spread bad reviews and convince others to look at other companies. By keeping the customer up-to-date and by sending out prompt replies to his/her queries, one can make sure that (s)he does not switch loyalties.
There are several other little things that can be used to make the customer happy. A greeting card sent out at the start of the New Year could make him/her feel valued. Informing the customer about various new developments that might prove useful may be a good idea. If the company is able to foresee the client 's needs, she/he is not likely to ever become disgruntled.
Going out of one 's way to help out a client in need could mean a lot of business success. The aim of every organization should be to exceed the expectations that the customer may have already built up. When this is achieved, the company would really be flourishing.
In the initial stages, ads and promotional measures will bring in new clients. Thereafter, however, new customers are brought in by word of mouth. Existing customers may praise the efficiency of a company, and new customers may walk in to see the truth for themselves. Having a good customer service policy in place will ensure that these customers never feel the urge to shift to some other company. This would lead to greater profits, and hence, the company in question would benefit.
Irrespective of what one is trying to sell, the company should look after the customer. This attitude is very important when the company is an upcoming one. The more established ones can afford to rest on past laurels and on the goodwill that already exists for them. But a company that is a new entrant on the scene will have to make sure that its customers go home rooting for it.
It is essential that the people in the customer service department be approachable and friendly. Sustaining the customer is a more complex task. A hint of rudeness can lead to the loss of a customer. A customer is likely to be more patient with someone who seems to smile into the phone than with a person who does not. Each customer services executive should remember that they are simply working for the customer. They are merely helping the company provide great service.
Every customer services representative must be trained to listen to the customer and should try and empathize with him. It is aggravating for a customer with a problem to have to talk to a disinterested representative. No problem should ever be written off. Of course, some customers tend to be rather painful. However, that is one of the cons of being in the business of providing satisfaction to customers.
Customer service executives have to learn to deal with such situations in the best possible way. Tackling customer complaints and dealing with angry customers is an art that is hard to imbibe. But it would be essential for maximizing customer satisfaction.
It helps to have a customer policy that is clearly defined. This gets rid of the problem of shuttling the customer from one phone line to another. We have all been through the same drama a few times. We are all familiar with the frustrations that build up. Hence, it is essential that different problems and issues be farmed out to different groups.
This will help to ensure that the customer 's problem is taken care of at the soonest, with minimal delay. In fact, speed has become a measure of efficiency. Perhaps the rise of the Internet is partly responsible for it. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that customers are most likely to stay on with the company that provides great service instantly, and which holds true to their promises.
Sometimes, all that it takes to keep a customer happy is to keep him informed about even the smallest of developments. A customer will appreciate the fact that his/her complaint is receiving attention. At times, this could even dissuade your customer from making a switch to some other company. Competition is fierce these days, and one cannot afford to slack off if there is a disgruntled customer.
Losing even a single client is bad for business. A disgruntled client may spread bad reviews and convince others to look at other companies. By keeping the customer up-to-date and by sending out prompt replies to his/her queries, one can make sure that (s)he does not switch loyalties.
There are several other little things that can be used to make the customer happy. A greeting card sent out at the start of the New Year could make him/her feel valued. Informing the customer about various new developments that might prove useful may be a good idea. If the company is able to foresee the client 's needs, she/he is not likely to ever become disgruntled.
Going out of one 's way to help out a client in need could mean a lot of business success. The aim of every organization should be to exceed the expectations that the customer may have already built up. When this is achieved, the company would really be flourishing.
Customer Service ABC 's
What makes for outstanding customer service in your business? Follow some of these alphabetical tips to provide high quality service, along with a dash of fun for customers.
A: Anticipate: Plan ahead for possible sangs.Do you need extra staff on a busy weekend? Is rain predicted the night of your outdoor luau? Will you have enough merchandise for the upcoming sale? Anticipating problems saves you headaches later on.
B: Balance: Maintain a balance between your personal and professional life. It 's easy to get so caught up serving customers you forget to take time for personal relaxation and recreation.
C: Creativity: People are looking for more than dull, ordinary customer service. Be creative in signage, programs and special events. Many businesses offer customers a chance to get their picture taken with Santa. Why not offer pictures with the Grinch?
D: Donate: Foster positive community relationships by donating products or services. Offer a free monthly swim pass from your athletic center to silent auctions or community fundraisers. Offer to loan your extra display units to an elementary school planning a reading festival.
E: Exceed: Exceed customer expectations. Do that tiny bit of extra service that leaves people with the feeling of, "Wait till I tell my friends what happened at that bank!"
F: Fun: Doesn't everyone want some humor in their lives? Add elements of fun for customers. Give a box of chocolate to every 25th customer signing up for an account. Hold raffles for gag gifts. Have staff dress in costumes for various events. Offer half price admission to your theater or bowling center if people wear pink or white on Valentine 's Day.
G: Go Green: Many people want to do their part for the environment. Provide recycling bins. Sponsor a recycling carnival where you use empty cans, newspapers and egg cartons to construct carnival booths.
H: Help: Help your staff have a positive attitude. Your smile and upbeat personality helps them cope with the stresses of the day.
I: Innovative: Take a risk and try new things. Encourage staff to give input about registration or ordering supplies. Their new ideas might provide better customer service.
J: Juggle: Expecting extra long lines? Hire a professional juggler to teach juggling skills to customers if they have to wait in line at your business.
K: Knowledge: Even though you feel there 's never enough time, try to learn some new skills. Read a book on something besides your particular field. Take a class in an area that 's new to you.
L: Leadership: Often, the leader of a department determines its success. Develop your own style of management. People see when you are sincere, instead of trying to imitate Colin Powell.
M: Memory Making: Does your business cater to families? Some families have limited time together. Do what you can to create a time of positive memories for them. Offer small rewards to children with good grades. Offer discount tickets to movies or skating centers.
N: Novelties: Many people love getting small key chains or notepads from businesses. Pass out novelty items as a fun way to let customers know you appreciate their business.
O: Organized: If organization isn't one of your strengths,get help fast! Customers immediately notice when a business is organized. Make checklists, have supplies on hand and have a back-up plan.
P: Pretend: Pretend you are a customer. See things from a customer 's point of view. Eat the hotdogs sold in the snack bar. Stand in line to open a new checking account. Better yet, ask your mother to pretend to be a customer. She'll certainly tell you where you need to improve!
Q: Quality: Customers expect high quality when dealing with your business. Return phone calls and e-mails within 24 hours. Handle complaints in a professional manner. Provide a small bouquet of flowers in the bathrooms.
R: Resourceful: How can you stretch your staff training budget? Ask Toastmaster groups to lead a session on public speaking. Ask a local high school for the decorations after their prom. You'll get great themed items to use to decorate your business. Set up a display about your business at community events.
S: Surprise: Add that unexpected element of surprise to your customers. Call them by name. Thank them for participating in past programs. Send them a birthday card.
T: Training: Ongoing training is essential to keep staff motivated. Use role playing and small group discussions at staff meetings. Invite a customer to share their personal experiences, so staff has insight into customer 's opinions.
U: Unique: What makes your business unique? Is it the quality of staff? Extra clean restrooms? Unusual facilities? Low cost? High cost for quality service? Find something that makes your programs stand out from the rest.
V: Versatile: Try cross-training staff so they become more versatile. They'll also gain an awareness of the various duties required to keep the business running smoothly.
W: Why? Ask yourself why customers would want to do business with you. What can you offer that your competitors can't?
X: Xylophone: Learn to play the xylophone so you can perform at staff meetings. (What did you expect from the letter X? Install a coin-operated X-ray machine?)
Y: Young At Heart: Don't forget inter-generational marketing possibilities. Grandparents enjoy spending special time together with grandkids. Plan a tea party for grandparents and grandkids when you open a new branch office or have a special sale.
Z: Zany: Let loose and get silly at times! Customers enjoy seeing your staff with a light hearted attitude. It is possible to be professional and also have fun.
A: Anticipate: Plan ahead for possible sangs.Do you need extra staff on a busy weekend? Is rain predicted the night of your outdoor luau? Will you have enough merchandise for the upcoming sale? Anticipating problems saves you headaches later on.
B: Balance: Maintain a balance between your personal and professional life. It 's easy to get so caught up serving customers you forget to take time for personal relaxation and recreation.
C: Creativity: People are looking for more than dull, ordinary customer service. Be creative in signage, programs and special events. Many businesses offer customers a chance to get their picture taken with Santa. Why not offer pictures with the Grinch?
D: Donate: Foster positive community relationships by donating products or services. Offer a free monthly swim pass from your athletic center to silent auctions or community fundraisers. Offer to loan your extra display units to an elementary school planning a reading festival.
E: Exceed: Exceed customer expectations. Do that tiny bit of extra service that leaves people with the feeling of, "Wait till I tell my friends what happened at that bank!"
F: Fun: Doesn't everyone want some humor in their lives? Add elements of fun for customers. Give a box of chocolate to every 25th customer signing up for an account. Hold raffles for gag gifts. Have staff dress in costumes for various events. Offer half price admission to your theater or bowling center if people wear pink or white on Valentine 's Day.
G: Go Green: Many people want to do their part for the environment. Provide recycling bins. Sponsor a recycling carnival where you use empty cans, newspapers and egg cartons to construct carnival booths.
H: Help: Help your staff have a positive attitude. Your smile and upbeat personality helps them cope with the stresses of the day.
I: Innovative: Take a risk and try new things. Encourage staff to give input about registration or ordering supplies. Their new ideas might provide better customer service.
J: Juggle: Expecting extra long lines? Hire a professional juggler to teach juggling skills to customers if they have to wait in line at your business.
K: Knowledge: Even though you feel there 's never enough time, try to learn some new skills. Read a book on something besides your particular field. Take a class in an area that 's new to you.
L: Leadership: Often, the leader of a department determines its success. Develop your own style of management. People see when you are sincere, instead of trying to imitate Colin Powell.
M: Memory Making: Does your business cater to families? Some families have limited time together. Do what you can to create a time of positive memories for them. Offer small rewards to children with good grades. Offer discount tickets to movies or skating centers.
N: Novelties: Many people love getting small key chains or notepads from businesses. Pass out novelty items as a fun way to let customers know you appreciate their business.
O: Organized: If organization isn't one of your strengths,get help fast! Customers immediately notice when a business is organized. Make checklists, have supplies on hand and have a back-up plan.
P: Pretend: Pretend you are a customer. See things from a customer 's point of view. Eat the hotdogs sold in the snack bar. Stand in line to open a new checking account. Better yet, ask your mother to pretend to be a customer. She'll certainly tell you where you need to improve!
Q: Quality: Customers expect high quality when dealing with your business. Return phone calls and e-mails within 24 hours. Handle complaints in a professional manner. Provide a small bouquet of flowers in the bathrooms.
R: Resourceful: How can you stretch your staff training budget? Ask Toastmaster groups to lead a session on public speaking. Ask a local high school for the decorations after their prom. You'll get great themed items to use to decorate your business. Set up a display about your business at community events.
S: Surprise: Add that unexpected element of surprise to your customers. Call them by name. Thank them for participating in past programs. Send them a birthday card.
T: Training: Ongoing training is essential to keep staff motivated. Use role playing and small group discussions at staff meetings. Invite a customer to share their personal experiences, so staff has insight into customer 's opinions.
U: Unique: What makes your business unique? Is it the quality of staff? Extra clean restrooms? Unusual facilities? Low cost? High cost for quality service? Find something that makes your programs stand out from the rest.
V: Versatile: Try cross-training staff so they become more versatile. They'll also gain an awareness of the various duties required to keep the business running smoothly.
W: Why? Ask yourself why customers would want to do business with you. What can you offer that your competitors can't?
X: Xylophone: Learn to play the xylophone so you can perform at staff meetings. (What did you expect from the letter X? Install a coin-operated X-ray machine?)
Y: Young At Heart: Don't forget inter-generational marketing possibilities. Grandparents enjoy spending special time together with grandkids. Plan a tea party for grandparents and grandkids when you open a new branch office or have a special sale.
Z: Zany: Let loose and get silly at times! Customers enjoy seeing your staff with a light hearted attitude. It is possible to be professional and also have fun.
The Truth About Call Centers
Even though call centers are helping developing countries such as the Philippines stay competitive in the global economy, there have been a lot of criticisms directed against call centers in general. Critics say that the work atmosphere of call centers tends to dehumanize the employees. This is because the employees have to work on graveyard shift in servicing clients overseas, particularly in the United States. In this case, call center agents in the Philippines has to stay up from 8 pm to 5am to deal with the 12-hour time difference with the United States. They say that such work situation provides health and safety hazards for those working so late.
To deal with the transportation issue late at night, call centers have instituted a kind of shuttle service where people can go to and be transported to the call center office. This way, safety hazards are minimized. For Westerners, the salary level given to call center agents may seem small. However, in the standards of the country such as the Philippines, such rates are considered as one of the highest starting salaries in the market. In fact, a lot of young professionals are opting to work for call centers while finishing their masters degrees.
Although call centers in the Philippines are strict with time, the time of agents in the toilet is respected to prevent them from contracting any disease. Moreover, they are provided with medical insurance so that in case of illnesses, they can easily be treated.
Another criticism concerns the level of salary being given to call center agents. The amount of money being paid to them is not enough to cover the hazards they have to face. Another issue is the way in which the time of the agents in going to the toilets is limited. In some cases, agents spend 15-minute breaks once in the morning and once in the afternoon and the total time that they can spend in going to the toilet is 10 minutes for the whole day. In worst cases, the agents might develop some kidney trouble if they are not given enough time in the toilets.
Customers have also complained regarding the level of proficiency of call center agents. They say that some of the agents are not very helpful with their concerns and that they tend to lack the technical skill and knowledge in helping them out. What is even alarming is that some agents appear to be apathetic in the face of very irate customers.
Call centers in the Philippines recognize these criticisms directed against call centers. As such, what they do is to ensure that their agents are remunerated well. They are provided with hazard pay and transportation allowance to deal with the graveyard shift. In fact, in most call centers in the Philippines there are sleeping quarters where agents can rest and refresh themselves before or after their shifts.
Employee development programs are also instituted in the Philippine call centers so that the agents do not remain where they are. Refresher trainings are provided to them, and time for recreation is also provided to ensure that there is a good work-life balance in the lives of call center agents. The job is stressful at times and recreation is needed so that the agents sensitivity to the customers is at par with company expectations.
To deal with the transportation issue late at night, call centers have instituted a kind of shuttle service where people can go to and be transported to the call center office. This way, safety hazards are minimized. For Westerners, the salary level given to call center agents may seem small. However, in the standards of the country such as the Philippines, such rates are considered as one of the highest starting salaries in the market. In fact, a lot of young professionals are opting to work for call centers while finishing their masters degrees.
Although call centers in the Philippines are strict with time, the time of agents in the toilet is respected to prevent them from contracting any disease. Moreover, they are provided with medical insurance so that in case of illnesses, they can easily be treated.
Another criticism concerns the level of salary being given to call center agents. The amount of money being paid to them is not enough to cover the hazards they have to face. Another issue is the way in which the time of the agents in going to the toilets is limited. In some cases, agents spend 15-minute breaks once in the morning and once in the afternoon and the total time that they can spend in going to the toilet is 10 minutes for the whole day. In worst cases, the agents might develop some kidney trouble if they are not given enough time in the toilets.
Customers have also complained regarding the level of proficiency of call center agents. They say that some of the agents are not very helpful with their concerns and that they tend to lack the technical skill and knowledge in helping them out. What is even alarming is that some agents appear to be apathetic in the face of very irate customers.
Call centers in the Philippines recognize these criticisms directed against call centers. As such, what they do is to ensure that their agents are remunerated well. They are provided with hazard pay and transportation allowance to deal with the graveyard shift. In fact, in most call centers in the Philippines there are sleeping quarters where agents can rest and refresh themselves before or after their shifts.
Employee development programs are also instituted in the Philippine call centers so that the agents do not remain where they are. Refresher trainings are provided to them, and time for recreation is also provided to ensure that there is a good work-life balance in the lives of call center agents. The job is stressful at times and recreation is needed so that the agents sensitivity to the customers is at par with company expectations.
The 5 W 's of World Class Customer Service Training
The preamble to the United States Constitution begins, 'We, the people.' I feel strongly that we, the people, are what make the difference in life, both personally and professionally.
The interaction anyone has at any level with your company, your employees, including you, gives a customer-- whether current, potential, or internal or external--an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, all companies like yours in the industry.
With continued focus on customer satisfaction, customer retention, and lifetime value of the customer, it is no surprise that contact center operations continue to increase in importance as the primary hub of a customer 's experience. For the customer, the person on the other end of the phone is the company. The contact center is still the most common way that customers get in touch with businesses. In fact, Gartner reports 92% of all contact is still through the center. And its been reported that 70% to 90% of what happens with customers is driven by human nature, having nothing to do with technology. State of the art technology is certainly a necessity today, but it is meant to enable human endeavors, not to disable them.
I often talk about taking customer service and kicking it up a notch. In the food industry, the word lagniappe is often used. Its definition is a small present given to a customer with a purchase. For example, when you go to the bakery and buy a dozen donuts or bagels, you oftentimes get a free one or a baker 's dozen. That is what customer service should be about--giving the customer more than they expect! Let us bring lagniappe into the contact center.
If were going to speak about world class customer service, Here 's my working definition so were all on the same page.
Customer service is those activities provided by a company 's employees that enhance the ability of a customer to realize the full potential value of a product or service before and after the sale is made, thereby leading to satisfaction and repurchase.
Let 's look at the first W which is Why?
The state of customer service today is not good, be it over the phone or self service. Because 92% of people feel their call experience is important in shaping the image of a company, this reinforces the importance of branding the image of your companies.
In a Mobius Management Systems Survey, here 's what happened because of poor customer service:
60% cancelled accounts with banks
36% changed insurance providers
40% changed telephone companies
35% changed credit card providers
375 changed Internet service providers
Are you one of these statistics? I certainly am.
In a study done by Purdue University/BenchmarkPortal, in answer to (1) how did agents satisfy your needs and handle the call, and (2) based on any negative experience, would you stop using this company in the future? the findings reveal a strong correlation between the participants age and the tendency to stop using the company after a bad experience.
What does this mean? Younger participants were less tolerant and more likely to move to the competition. People over 65 were found to be more demanding than those in middle age.
What can you do? Give younger callers a wow experience--maintain their loyalty. People over 36 probably have more of an emotional bank account with the company they are dealing with. Maybe they had some good experiences and therefore are more willing to forgive.
In a recent study (CRM Magazine/PeopleSoft Web Seminar on How Usability Helps to Drive a Profitable Contact Center), the number of applications required for agents to access customer inquiries were:
3.7% just 1
81.5% 2 to 5
7.4% 5 to 10
7.4% more than 10
As you can see, the majority of applications are 2 to 5. The goal? Link every point of contact to one central location for a customer-centric, synchronized approach satisfying customer experiences with every interaction.
It 's important to point out that today 's pressures on employees are different than in the past. They are asked to handle more customers, more volume, more complex and/or complicated calls. After all if we could handle our issues with self service, we probably would not call. But if we tried self service and it didn't work, then were upset and its an escalated call from the get go.
They are also asked to provide more information, do it faster and be available and accessible. But they also are tasked with lowering costs, generating revenue, incorporating new technologies, ensuring closure and commitment, delivering great service and when? Yesterday, of course.
The #2 W is Who should receive customer service skills training?
We encourage front line agents/representatives, supervisors, team leads, senior reps, managers, assistant managers, internal customers and other departments--anyone who is a touch point so that they can learn to speak the same language, and more importantly, not be in an adversarial position, but rather, together serve the external customer or end user.
The #3 W is Where should the training take place? Offsite vs. onsite has advantages and disadvantages for each. Certainly it is most cost effective to have training on site. However, distractions are rampant as is the participant 's availability to a manager or project
Offsite is more costly. However, there are no distractions and the participants are not available to other departments, managers, or any issues. I further believe there is psychic value in taking people away from their work stations and off site to acknowledge the tough jobs they have.
The #4 W is What should be included in any training? The following modules provide a robust, powerful, and succinct training curriculum:
Quality Customer Service
Rapport Building
Customer Expectations
Language Skills
Perception Shifting
Conflict Resolution
Anger Management
E-Mail Protocol
Stress Reduction
Empathetic Responsiveness
Change Management
Communication and Listening Skills
Interaction/Role Play
Service with a Smile
Further suggested is university certification to up the ante. Ultimately, the more professionally you treat your employees, the more professionally they will treat your customers.
The #5 W is When. We urge training not only for new hires but monthly, ongoingly, consistently, whenever change occurs, when stressors increase, and as needed.
We further recommend that each employee receive a minimum of 24 hours per year of ongoing training, spread over time for the most optimal absorption/retention. We deliver our trainings in two four hour sessions per day and deliver 6 days per employee. If there has been no ongoing training, we do four sessions once a month for four months and then one three months later, and then another three months later. Or, every other month providing sessions for the entire 12 month period. All training is customized, in real time, and can address whatever challenges are presented when they occur.
Together we can raise the bar in the area of world class customer service. Take great care of your employees and they will take great care of your customers. Everyone wins.
The interaction anyone has at any level with your company, your employees, including you, gives a customer-- whether current, potential, or internal or external--an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, all companies like yours in the industry.
With continued focus on customer satisfaction, customer retention, and lifetime value of the customer, it is no surprise that contact center operations continue to increase in importance as the primary hub of a customer 's experience. For the customer, the person on the other end of the phone is the company. The contact center is still the most common way that customers get in touch with businesses. In fact, Gartner reports 92% of all contact is still through the center. And its been reported that 70% to 90% of what happens with customers is driven by human nature, having nothing to do with technology. State of the art technology is certainly a necessity today, but it is meant to enable human endeavors, not to disable them.
I often talk about taking customer service and kicking it up a notch. In the food industry, the word lagniappe is often used. Its definition is a small present given to a customer with a purchase. For example, when you go to the bakery and buy a dozen donuts or bagels, you oftentimes get a free one or a baker 's dozen. That is what customer service should be about--giving the customer more than they expect! Let us bring lagniappe into the contact center.
If were going to speak about world class customer service, Here 's my working definition so were all on the same page.
Customer service is those activities provided by a company 's employees that enhance the ability of a customer to realize the full potential value of a product or service before and after the sale is made, thereby leading to satisfaction and repurchase.
Let 's look at the first W which is Why?
The state of customer service today is not good, be it over the phone or self service. Because 92% of people feel their call experience is important in shaping the image of a company, this reinforces the importance of branding the image of your companies.
In a Mobius Management Systems Survey, here 's what happened because of poor customer service:
60% cancelled accounts with banks
36% changed insurance providers
40% changed telephone companies
35% changed credit card providers
375 changed Internet service providers
Are you one of these statistics? I certainly am.
In a study done by Purdue University/BenchmarkPortal, in answer to (1) how did agents satisfy your needs and handle the call, and (2) based on any negative experience, would you stop using this company in the future? the findings reveal a strong correlation between the participants age and the tendency to stop using the company after a bad experience.
What does this mean? Younger participants were less tolerant and more likely to move to the competition. People over 65 were found to be more demanding than those in middle age.
What can you do? Give younger callers a wow experience--maintain their loyalty. People over 36 probably have more of an emotional bank account with the company they are dealing with. Maybe they had some good experiences and therefore are more willing to forgive.
In a recent study (CRM Magazine/PeopleSoft Web Seminar on How Usability Helps to Drive a Profitable Contact Center), the number of applications required for agents to access customer inquiries were:
3.7% just 1
81.5% 2 to 5
7.4% 5 to 10
7.4% more than 10
As you can see, the majority of applications are 2 to 5. The goal? Link every point of contact to one central location for a customer-centric, synchronized approach satisfying customer experiences with every interaction.
It 's important to point out that today 's pressures on employees are different than in the past. They are asked to handle more customers, more volume, more complex and/or complicated calls. After all if we could handle our issues with self service, we probably would not call. But if we tried self service and it didn't work, then were upset and its an escalated call from the get go.
They are also asked to provide more information, do it faster and be available and accessible. But they also are tasked with lowering costs, generating revenue, incorporating new technologies, ensuring closure and commitment, delivering great service and when? Yesterday, of course.
The #2 W is Who should receive customer service skills training?
We encourage front line agents/representatives, supervisors, team leads, senior reps, managers, assistant managers, internal customers and other departments--anyone who is a touch point so that they can learn to speak the same language, and more importantly, not be in an adversarial position, but rather, together serve the external customer or end user.
The #3 W is Where should the training take place? Offsite vs. onsite has advantages and disadvantages for each. Certainly it is most cost effective to have training on site. However, distractions are rampant as is the participant 's availability to a manager or project
Offsite is more costly. However, there are no distractions and the participants are not available to other departments, managers, or any issues. I further believe there is psychic value in taking people away from their work stations and off site to acknowledge the tough jobs they have.
The #4 W is What should be included in any training? The following modules provide a robust, powerful, and succinct training curriculum:
Quality Customer Service
Rapport Building
Customer Expectations
Language Skills
Perception Shifting
Conflict Resolution
Anger Management
E-Mail Protocol
Stress Reduction
Empathetic Responsiveness
Change Management
Communication and Listening Skills
Interaction/Role Play
Service with a Smile
Further suggested is university certification to up the ante. Ultimately, the more professionally you treat your employees, the more professionally they will treat your customers.
The #5 W is When. We urge training not only for new hires but monthly, ongoingly, consistently, whenever change occurs, when stressors increase, and as needed.
We further recommend that each employee receive a minimum of 24 hours per year of ongoing training, spread over time for the most optimal absorption/retention. We deliver our trainings in two four hour sessions per day and deliver 6 days per employee. If there has been no ongoing training, we do four sessions once a month for four months and then one three months later, and then another three months later. Or, every other month providing sessions for the entire 12 month period. All training is customized, in real time, and can address whatever challenges are presented when they occur.
Together we can raise the bar in the area of world class customer service. Take great care of your employees and they will take great care of your customers. Everyone wins.
Is Mystery Shopping A Mission You'd Choose To Accept?
Mystery Shopping has always fascinated me. I guess it is the notion of doing something covert, something sneaky, something spy-like. I always wanted to be the kid that got asked to go into a shop and try and buy cigarettes without the right identification. But then again I always wanted to be James Bond.
As I got older I began to recognise the difference between good service and bad service and the more money I had to spend the more irritating it became when things did not go right. After all good service should be a part of any product or service you purchase. It shouldn't be an expensive add-on. Especially bearing in mind that good customer service is not difficult it just involves a small amount of effort from the people offering the product or service. So now I make a living evaluating the level of customer service for a wide range of clients. The variety of paces that use mystery shoppers is vast. Here is an introduction to some of the major types of mystery shopping that exist.
A mystery shopper will generally work for an agency. This agency will dispatch the mystery shopper on different assignments that can encompass a broad range of businesses and activities.
Covert Video Shoppers
Covert Video shoppers record the performance of staff. They are recruited and trained to work in and report on an enormous range of types of businesses. This type of Mystery Shopper is most like a conventional Hollywood spy in that they are equipped with a small camera. They hide this small camera on their person - usually in a bag or lapel of some description. The covert video shopper, equipped with the camera, then enters the company or business they have been told to report on and acts like a customer. They will be given a particular task or question to ask the staff and will record the process. They are utilised many different situations. These include high street shops, banks, car salesrooms, offices and public services. They will also provide a written report to go with the video that they supply.
Report Only Mystery Shoppers
Report Only Mystery Shoppers do exactly what their title suggests. They supply reports on the business they are sent to report upon. The reports that these types of mystery shopper compile are typically based around a number of pre-determined tasks which the shopper is expected to fulfil as part of his or her research. They then evaluate their targets against the predetermined criteria. The data the report only mystery shopper provides to the agency can be both qualitative and quantitative. This gives the shopper an opportunity to share their honest opinion as well as the specific answers that are required to collate for analytical purposes. These reports are typically completed online and the time it takes between collecting the data and submitting it is minimal. This means that the company seeking their advice can get the results and start to rectify any problems immediately.
Postal monitor
This type of secret shopper analyses correspondence between a company and a customer through the post. So any letters that are received are analysed and the mystery shopper and the shopper reports back to the agency. The shopper will usually make a note on the speed and accuracy of replies to letters they send. The Mystery shopper is reimbursed for the postage costs and is also paid a fee for their work.
Email mystery shopper
Like postal shoppers email shoppers monitor mail from a company the only difference being that they do so on the computer and analyse email correspondence. Again they will look at things like speed of reply, accuracy of reply, quality of written English and they will also make comments on how accessible the information is to the reader. They will also have the opportunity to comment on whether circular emails from a company are useful or annoying.
As I got older I began to recognise the difference between good service and bad service and the more money I had to spend the more irritating it became when things did not go right. After all good service should be a part of any product or service you purchase. It shouldn't be an expensive add-on. Especially bearing in mind that good customer service is not difficult it just involves a small amount of effort from the people offering the product or service. So now I make a living evaluating the level of customer service for a wide range of clients. The variety of paces that use mystery shoppers is vast. Here is an introduction to some of the major types of mystery shopping that exist.
A mystery shopper will generally work for an agency. This agency will dispatch the mystery shopper on different assignments that can encompass a broad range of businesses and activities.
Covert Video Shoppers
Covert Video shoppers record the performance of staff. They are recruited and trained to work in and report on an enormous range of types of businesses. This type of Mystery Shopper is most like a conventional Hollywood spy in that they are equipped with a small camera. They hide this small camera on their person - usually in a bag or lapel of some description. The covert video shopper, equipped with the camera, then enters the company or business they have been told to report on and acts like a customer. They will be given a particular task or question to ask the staff and will record the process. They are utilised many different situations. These include high street shops, banks, car salesrooms, offices and public services. They will also provide a written report to go with the video that they supply.
Report Only Mystery Shoppers
Report Only Mystery Shoppers do exactly what their title suggests. They supply reports on the business they are sent to report upon. The reports that these types of mystery shopper compile are typically based around a number of pre-determined tasks which the shopper is expected to fulfil as part of his or her research. They then evaluate their targets against the predetermined criteria. The data the report only mystery shopper provides to the agency can be both qualitative and quantitative. This gives the shopper an opportunity to share their honest opinion as well as the specific answers that are required to collate for analytical purposes. These reports are typically completed online and the time it takes between collecting the data and submitting it is minimal. This means that the company seeking their advice can get the results and start to rectify any problems immediately.
Postal monitor
This type of secret shopper analyses correspondence between a company and a customer through the post. So any letters that are received are analysed and the mystery shopper and the shopper reports back to the agency. The shopper will usually make a note on the speed and accuracy of replies to letters they send. The Mystery shopper is reimbursed for the postage costs and is also paid a fee for their work.
Email mystery shopper
Like postal shoppers email shoppers monitor mail from a company the only difference being that they do so on the computer and analyse email correspondence. Again they will look at things like speed of reply, accuracy of reply, quality of written English and they will also make comments on how accessible the information is to the reader. They will also have the opportunity to comment on whether circular emails from a company are useful or annoying.
Mystery Shopping No Longer A Mystery
Mystery shopping is becoming more and more important for businesses to ensure they offer exemplary customer service. So what is it? I hear you ask. Well Mystery shopping sounds mysterious and alludes to something covert and spy-like. The reality is not quite as glamorous as the image of an international spy but nevertheless the mystery shopper provides a similar service. Mystery shopping is utilised by businesses that want to have someone impartial analyse the performance of their staff and the services they offer.
The company will employ a mystery shopper typically to visit their place of work and provide feedback so that the company can make sure there company is up to scratch in the areas that the mystery shopper has been dispatched to analyse.
There are a number of areas in which a mystery shopper can be useful. This can be by visiting a store, shop, restaurant or other place of work where the staff are customer facing and provide a report on their performance. These reports are typically a mixture of both qualitative, the opinion of the person that has performed the analysis, and quantitative. Often the mystery shopper will be asked to fill out a form with ratings on different aspects of the performance that they have experienced. Because much of the information they provide can be quantified this makes it very easy for the company that have employed the mystery shopper to keep on track with their performance. Figures can be collated and used to keep track on the performance of the area that has been scrutinised. As a result this is a very welcome method of analysing performance.
There are a number of different types of mystery shopping and these types of mystery shopping tend to be used for analysing specific areas of a businesses relationship with their customers. One of the most exciting types of mystery shopping is covert video shopping. This type of shopper attaches a video camera discretely to their person and then proceeds to enter the place of work that they are analysing and film the interaction that they have with the staff. The cameras these shoppers used are extremely small and should be indistinguishable to the employees. The video mystery shopper will perform a pre-determined task such as buying a skirt or returning an item and they film the interaction. Alongside the film footage they also submit a written report.
Another typical type of mystery shopping that is utilised by a wide variety of companies is email mystery shopping. This type of mystery shopping makes use of the modern technology of email. The mystery shopper will be asked to monitor the communication they receive from a company through email. This is a vital aspect of modern business and is all too often overlooked by managers and they do not have to deal directly with customers this way. Nevertheless it is vital that the communication that you have will customers over email is spot on. Customers deserve the same level of respect and time as you would give them face to face. It is also important that you offer them as much as you can through the email. Often customers of your are interested in the new products that you offer so you need to make sure that you tell them about them. If used effectively the email mystery shopper will give you useful feedback on this vital aspect of the modern business to make sure that you can get it right in the future. This job can be done from home as all you need to monitor email is a computer. Like all forms of mystery shopping the mystery shopper will fill out a form along with supplying qualitative information about the service they received.
The company will employ a mystery shopper typically to visit their place of work and provide feedback so that the company can make sure there company is up to scratch in the areas that the mystery shopper has been dispatched to analyse.
There are a number of areas in which a mystery shopper can be useful. This can be by visiting a store, shop, restaurant or other place of work where the staff are customer facing and provide a report on their performance. These reports are typically a mixture of both qualitative, the opinion of the person that has performed the analysis, and quantitative. Often the mystery shopper will be asked to fill out a form with ratings on different aspects of the performance that they have experienced. Because much of the information they provide can be quantified this makes it very easy for the company that have employed the mystery shopper to keep on track with their performance. Figures can be collated and used to keep track on the performance of the area that has been scrutinised. As a result this is a very welcome method of analysing performance.
There are a number of different types of mystery shopping and these types of mystery shopping tend to be used for analysing specific areas of a businesses relationship with their customers. One of the most exciting types of mystery shopping is covert video shopping. This type of shopper attaches a video camera discretely to their person and then proceeds to enter the place of work that they are analysing and film the interaction that they have with the staff. The cameras these shoppers used are extremely small and should be indistinguishable to the employees. The video mystery shopper will perform a pre-determined task such as buying a skirt or returning an item and they film the interaction. Alongside the film footage they also submit a written report.
Another typical type of mystery shopping that is utilised by a wide variety of companies is email mystery shopping. This type of mystery shopping makes use of the modern technology of email. The mystery shopper will be asked to monitor the communication they receive from a company through email. This is a vital aspect of modern business and is all too often overlooked by managers and they do not have to deal directly with customers this way. Nevertheless it is vital that the communication that you have will customers over email is spot on. Customers deserve the same level of respect and time as you would give them face to face. It is also important that you offer them as much as you can through the email. Often customers of your are interested in the new products that you offer so you need to make sure that you tell them about them. If used effectively the email mystery shopper will give you useful feedback on this vital aspect of the modern business to make sure that you can get it right in the future. This job can be done from home as all you need to monitor email is a computer. Like all forms of mystery shopping the mystery shopper will fill out a form along with supplying qualitative information about the service they received.
Dealing With Buyers Remorse - Returns and Refunds
Requests for returns and refunds are one of the most damaging aspects in the profits of any direct marketing business. You waste a good deal of your time, efforts and funding on these two courtesies.
Keep in mind that all businesses endure some degree of this problem and many do nothing about it. Many businesses a simply accept returned merchandise and refund requests as a normal business cycle. It is as if they can think of nothing to solve this expensive scenario.
On the contrary, you can do plenty to reduce returns and refunds drastically. I am about to tell you how you can eliminate the majority of them. It is a simple and painless process.
To be able to understand what causes an excess of return and refund requests, you must first know what does not cause them to happen.
Returns and refunds are not the cause of rendering poor service or faulty good, since a little time, care and concern guarantee quality in the services and products you offer.
Dishonest consumers do not cause them, although you may come across a shady character from time to time. The majority of your consumers are those who are searching and satisfied with getting honest value for the price they pay.
Customers searching for a better price somewhere else does not cause them, although, pricing is an element in selecting merchandise for purchase. However, this is rarely the reasoning for a customers decision of returns or refunds.
If none of these aspects is the single, most reason for the largest number of return and refund request, then what is.
The reason is buyers remorse.
Yes, it is true; buyers remorse is the leading factor or returns and refunds. This is enough to send shivers up and down your spine. Buyers remorse is your powerful and rotten opposition.
The explanation for this is that all the reasons mentioned above are reasonable, matter-of-fact problem situations that have logical and practical solutions. They are much easier to overcome. On the other hand, buyers remorse is a more difficult problem with an even more complex solution. Buyers remorse is emotional in nature. Therefore, buyers remorse will not find a solution with any amount of logical and sensible problem solving.
To understand the strong influence of buyers remorse, you will need to understand when it occurs. Buyers remorse occurs the moment, of a completed transaction of purchase.
You will find this true when a customer makes a purchase on an explicit decision rather than that of an implicit decision. An explicit decision is, when outside sources influence your customer, while an implicit decision is one that the customer makes on their own.
Of course this is a completely other topic on its own and we shall now leave it at that, for the moment.
Buyers remorse causes fear in the customer as soon as they have completed their purchase, the moment that money changes hands.
However, the good news is that you can turn this type of scenario around quiet easily. However, you must use the right tools to accomplish this. I am sharing this tool with you now. It is a powerful fast moving tool.
This tool is post purchase reassurance.
Post Purchase Reassurance
Post purchase reassurance indicates you understand that customers will suffer from buyers remorse. It also indicates that you recognize this problem comes from their emotions. Once you understand this, you can take creative action to eliminate the unfortunate influence it has.
To achieve your post purchase reassurance goals, you will need to create and send a very personal follow up letter to your consumers, soon after they have made their purchase. You will also benefit by giving away special reports and bonus products in your letter to your consumers.
You can deal with buyers remorse, while eliminating the amount of returns and refunds you might incur. Do it now!
Keep in mind that all businesses endure some degree of this problem and many do nothing about it. Many businesses a simply accept returned merchandise and refund requests as a normal business cycle. It is as if they can think of nothing to solve this expensive scenario.
On the contrary, you can do plenty to reduce returns and refunds drastically. I am about to tell you how you can eliminate the majority of them. It is a simple and painless process.
To be able to understand what causes an excess of return and refund requests, you must first know what does not cause them to happen.
Returns and refunds are not the cause of rendering poor service or faulty good, since a little time, care and concern guarantee quality in the services and products you offer.
Dishonest consumers do not cause them, although you may come across a shady character from time to time. The majority of your consumers are those who are searching and satisfied with getting honest value for the price they pay.
Customers searching for a better price somewhere else does not cause them, although, pricing is an element in selecting merchandise for purchase. However, this is rarely the reasoning for a customers decision of returns or refunds.
If none of these aspects is the single, most reason for the largest number of return and refund request, then what is.
The reason is buyers remorse.
Yes, it is true; buyers remorse is the leading factor or returns and refunds. This is enough to send shivers up and down your spine. Buyers remorse is your powerful and rotten opposition.
The explanation for this is that all the reasons mentioned above are reasonable, matter-of-fact problem situations that have logical and practical solutions. They are much easier to overcome. On the other hand, buyers remorse is a more difficult problem with an even more complex solution. Buyers remorse is emotional in nature. Therefore, buyers remorse will not find a solution with any amount of logical and sensible problem solving.
To understand the strong influence of buyers remorse, you will need to understand when it occurs. Buyers remorse occurs the moment, of a completed transaction of purchase.
You will find this true when a customer makes a purchase on an explicit decision rather than that of an implicit decision. An explicit decision is, when outside sources influence your customer, while an implicit decision is one that the customer makes on their own.
Of course this is a completely other topic on its own and we shall now leave it at that, for the moment.
Buyers remorse causes fear in the customer as soon as they have completed their purchase, the moment that money changes hands.
However, the good news is that you can turn this type of scenario around quiet easily. However, you must use the right tools to accomplish this. I am sharing this tool with you now. It is a powerful fast moving tool.
This tool is post purchase reassurance.
Post Purchase Reassurance
Post purchase reassurance indicates you understand that customers will suffer from buyers remorse. It also indicates that you recognize this problem comes from their emotions. Once you understand this, you can take creative action to eliminate the unfortunate influence it has.
To achieve your post purchase reassurance goals, you will need to create and send a very personal follow up letter to your consumers, soon after they have made their purchase. You will also benefit by giving away special reports and bonus products in your letter to your consumers.
You can deal with buyers remorse, while eliminating the amount of returns and refunds you might incur. Do it now!
Customer Loyalty or Where Did All the Customers Go?
We keep reading that there is no more loyalty -- customer or otherwise. The worker complains the employer will no longer guarantee job security. The employer claims he trains employees so well they start their own businesses and become the competition. The manufacturer claims the consumer buys only on price. The consumer says they would buy brand but the value is not there.
There is a dynamic missing in each of the above statements. The dynamic only goes in one direction.
To build a relationship - especially a strong one involving loyalty - is a two way street. If your business has few loyal customers or clients then you will have few repeat buyers. Most businesses either make it or break it with repeat customers.
That pizza company calling you for a phone survey is not interested so much in the ten bucks you spent last week as the $7000 you will spend in the next 25 years.
So it makes sense that if your business has few loyal customers you need to figure out a way to not only get them but keep them. Simple.
The way to do that is to totally focus on the customer; not just in the sales and marketing meetings. But in everything you do. Inside out. When you look outside first to your market and customer base and then change the way your business operates to meet those market demands you are reengineering processes.
With this refocus employees must be hired who understand the importance of customer loyalty. To keep them motivated incentive plans should reward employees for retaining regular customers as well as gaining new ones.
Tools and Training allow skilled employees to resolve customer complaints very quickly. Most consumers understand that no business can always be perfect. By handling problems quickly and effectively your customers understand very clearly your commitment to them.
Attitude must be honed with other skills. Positive, upbeat employees are liked then trusted then bought from. You cannot expect depressed employees to keep customers happy.
Measure and survey what your customers do, say and pay for. If your product/service is higher priced follow up regularly to insure satisfaction. The very act of following up strengthens long term relationships.
Establish personal relationships with your customers. This distinguishes you from the competition and makes it harder for your customer to 'jump ship'. Allow employees to be real people -- let their personalities come through to establish a bond.
Canned 's miling service' is actually perceived as insincere and contrived. Research has shown we actually use different facial muscles in a genuine smile than in a faked one. Strive to be genuine.
Exceed those customer expectations and they will remember you each and every time they need your product or service. Remember that if you cannot distinguish yourself they will buy on price alone.
Updated problem solving and decision making skills are a must. Employees must not be afraid to make a tough decision. Customers have a sense that if an employee is truly trusted by the company to resolve a concern then the company will make it right if that decision turns out to be a mistake.
The customer is a fickle animal. We may not be impressed when the cashier calls us by our last name after running the credit card through the machine. We may even get to the point where we can expect that. What surprises us is that which goes beyond our sense of expectation.
When someone in a business context does something for us we do not expect we just stand there with our jaws dropped. We have been transformed by an experience which transcends the business simplicity of supply and demand. We have been zapped by a thunderbolt and may never be the same.
Your business or employer may be very good at customer focus. If so you may develop the most valuable of all business assets 'the loyal customer'. If you don't have that loyal customer feeling then maybe you are focusing too much on self-introspection.
Your business may in time discover that you really aren't all that bad from an internal view. But customers are external. And maybe the time is right for shifting the focus where it really needs to be.
Maybe you need to 'reengineer' or reorganize. Or maybe just tweak your strategy here and there. But whatever you do focus on your customer to gain their loyalty.
There is a dynamic missing in each of the above statements. The dynamic only goes in one direction.
To build a relationship - especially a strong one involving loyalty - is a two way street. If your business has few loyal customers or clients then you will have few repeat buyers. Most businesses either make it or break it with repeat customers.
That pizza company calling you for a phone survey is not interested so much in the ten bucks you spent last week as the $7000 you will spend in the next 25 years.
So it makes sense that if your business has few loyal customers you need to figure out a way to not only get them but keep them. Simple.
The way to do that is to totally focus on the customer; not just in the sales and marketing meetings. But in everything you do. Inside out. When you look outside first to your market and customer base and then change the way your business operates to meet those market demands you are reengineering processes.
With this refocus employees must be hired who understand the importance of customer loyalty. To keep them motivated incentive plans should reward employees for retaining regular customers as well as gaining new ones.
Tools and Training allow skilled employees to resolve customer complaints very quickly. Most consumers understand that no business can always be perfect. By handling problems quickly and effectively your customers understand very clearly your commitment to them.
Attitude must be honed with other skills. Positive, upbeat employees are liked then trusted then bought from. You cannot expect depressed employees to keep customers happy.
Measure and survey what your customers do, say and pay for. If your product/service is higher priced follow up regularly to insure satisfaction. The very act of following up strengthens long term relationships.
Establish personal relationships with your customers. This distinguishes you from the competition and makes it harder for your customer to 'jump ship'. Allow employees to be real people -- let their personalities come through to establish a bond.
Canned 's miling service' is actually perceived as insincere and contrived. Research has shown we actually use different facial muscles in a genuine smile than in a faked one. Strive to be genuine.
Exceed those customer expectations and they will remember you each and every time they need your product or service. Remember that if you cannot distinguish yourself they will buy on price alone.
Updated problem solving and decision making skills are a must. Employees must not be afraid to make a tough decision. Customers have a sense that if an employee is truly trusted by the company to resolve a concern then the company will make it right if that decision turns out to be a mistake.
The customer is a fickle animal. We may not be impressed when the cashier calls us by our last name after running the credit card through the machine. We may even get to the point where we can expect that. What surprises us is that which goes beyond our sense of expectation.
When someone in a business context does something for us we do not expect we just stand there with our jaws dropped. We have been transformed by an experience which transcends the business simplicity of supply and demand. We have been zapped by a thunderbolt and may never be the same.
Your business or employer may be very good at customer focus. If so you may develop the most valuable of all business assets 'the loyal customer'. If you don't have that loyal customer feeling then maybe you are focusing too much on self-introspection.
Your business may in time discover that you really aren't all that bad from an internal view. But customers are external. And maybe the time is right for shifting the focus where it really needs to be.
Maybe you need to 'reengineer' or reorganize. Or maybe just tweak your strategy here and there. But whatever you do focus on your customer to gain their loyalty.
Toronto Vending Services For Your Place of Business
So how does a vending machine service really operate?
Essentially a vending operator or sometimes called vending service provider will provide vending machines to different companies in their community. These companies can include schools, offices, factories, hotels, car washes, auto mechanic shops, community centers skating rinks and many others as well. In the community these companies have employees that work at their facility that require refreshments.
Vending service companies will provide different types of machines which include soda machines, snack machines, coffee and food vending machines. Depending on a number of factors these companies will decide which machine is best suited for each location. Some factors that they consider are the amount of employees that work at the facility. A company that has a 100+ employees may require soda and snack vending services where as a company that only has 30 employees may only require a soda machine.
When looking to obtain vending services for your company be prepared to answer a few questions.
What kind of vending machines do companies offer? Most vending service companies offer beverages, snacks, coffee and food vending machines. Be sure to ask for pictures and what selections are offered in the machines.
What costs are involved to have these machines set up at your company? Most vending service providers will set up these machines at your place of business FREE of charge provided that you meet their requirements. What vending machines they offer will be based on a numbers of factors.
Be prepared to answer some of these questions;
1. How many employees work at your company?
2. What are your hours of operation?
3. How many days per week are you open?
4. Who else will be using the machines? Walk thru traffic? Customers?
How often will these machines get restocked? Vending service provider 's should be restocking the machines every week to ensure customer satisfaction, and to make sure the machines are in proper working order.
What happens if there is a problem with the machine? If problems occur with the vending machines look for a service provider who will fix the problem that day or the next business day. That is the norm in this business. It is no help to you or the vending company if the machine is down for several days.
What kind of products are offered in the vending machines? Are there healthy choices? A good service provider will provide you with a product list so your staff can choose products that they like to be put in the machines. Be sure to ask for a product list to get the best choice. The service provider should offer a variety of soft drinks, juices and bottled water. For snacks chips, chocolate, gum, cookies and pastries are common.
Do we receive a % of sales from the vending machines? In some cases vending service providers may pay commissions, check with your service provider to see what there policy is. Usually if a service provider pays a commission there has to be a specific arrangement made with the company. Again this is determined by a number of factors. Example (If there is a high sales volume running through the vending machines on a steady regular basis).
When will the machines be delivered and set up? Service providers should be able to deliver and set up the machines within 7-10 business days. The service provider should not charge you for delivery and set up of the machines.
Finding the right vending company to get the job done right for you is critical. You are busy enough as it is at work and if you have a vending company who is causing you more headaches that good then it may be time for a change.
At the end of the day you want to find a vending company that can provide you with reliable good working machines and restocking service where your machines are not always running empty. Having a good selection of products to choose from is very important and having healthy choices in your machines is becoming a more prominent request. Having the right vending company at your facility will ensure that you and your staff are always satisfied with their services.
Essentially a vending operator or sometimes called vending service provider will provide vending machines to different companies in their community. These companies can include schools, offices, factories, hotels, car washes, auto mechanic shops, community centers skating rinks and many others as well. In the community these companies have employees that work at their facility that require refreshments.
Vending service companies will provide different types of machines which include soda machines, snack machines, coffee and food vending machines. Depending on a number of factors these companies will decide which machine is best suited for each location. Some factors that they consider are the amount of employees that work at the facility. A company that has a 100+ employees may require soda and snack vending services where as a company that only has 30 employees may only require a soda machine.
When looking to obtain vending services for your company be prepared to answer a few questions.
What kind of vending machines do companies offer? Most vending service companies offer beverages, snacks, coffee and food vending machines. Be sure to ask for pictures and what selections are offered in the machines.
What costs are involved to have these machines set up at your company? Most vending service providers will set up these machines at your place of business FREE of charge provided that you meet their requirements. What vending machines they offer will be based on a numbers of factors.
Be prepared to answer some of these questions;
1. How many employees work at your company?
2. What are your hours of operation?
3. How many days per week are you open?
4. Who else will be using the machines? Walk thru traffic? Customers?
How often will these machines get restocked? Vending service provider 's should be restocking the machines every week to ensure customer satisfaction, and to make sure the machines are in proper working order.
What happens if there is a problem with the machine? If problems occur with the vending machines look for a service provider who will fix the problem that day or the next business day. That is the norm in this business. It is no help to you or the vending company if the machine is down for several days.
What kind of products are offered in the vending machines? Are there healthy choices? A good service provider will provide you with a product list so your staff can choose products that they like to be put in the machines. Be sure to ask for a product list to get the best choice. The service provider should offer a variety of soft drinks, juices and bottled water. For snacks chips, chocolate, gum, cookies and pastries are common.
Do we receive a % of sales from the vending machines? In some cases vending service providers may pay commissions, check with your service provider to see what there policy is. Usually if a service provider pays a commission there has to be a specific arrangement made with the company. Again this is determined by a number of factors. Example (If there is a high sales volume running through the vending machines on a steady regular basis).
When will the machines be delivered and set up? Service providers should be able to deliver and set up the machines within 7-10 business days. The service provider should not charge you for delivery and set up of the machines.
Finding the right vending company to get the job done right for you is critical. You are busy enough as it is at work and if you have a vending company who is causing you more headaches that good then it may be time for a change.
At the end of the day you want to find a vending company that can provide you with reliable good working machines and restocking service where your machines are not always running empty. Having a good selection of products to choose from is very important and having healthy choices in your machines is becoming a more prominent request. Having the right vending company at your facility will ensure that you and your staff are always satisfied with their services.
Customer Complaints or It 's Not Just the Whine and Please Anymore
If you sell a product or service you will get complaints.
Resolution is the word used when we describe the process of successfully handling those complaints. The complaint process you set up determines how successfully your company resolves complaints.
The first step is to develop an attitude that complaints are problems that often are a symptom of some type of flaw or defect. Because it can be very subjective, complaint resolution is not always a matter of right or wrong.
Some complaints are groundless but others can reveal internal problems that may be costing your company.
Time is a key in dealing with any complaint. In general, complaints that are dealt with rapidly tend to get resolved rapidly. A rapidly resolved complaint is a cheaper complaint.
Quick responses can often avoid confrontation and confrontations are seldom good for business.
First, listen to the complainer 's side of the story. Put special emphasis on how they feel. This can provide another perspective on your business. Even though it may be difficult, try to show empathy even if you do not admit guilt.
Ask them what you can do to make them happy. Often their solution is the cheapest and it might give you insight on how to fix a business defect. Also they really can't complain if you follow their suggestion.
Who can complain when you give them what they want?
Determine how the problem happened and how it can be prevented. Don't jump to conclusions before you have all the facts.
Don't assume the customer is crazy or wrong just because they complain; keep an open mind to the remote possibility that by golly it just might be your fault.
Don't take it personally...look at the issues objectively and control your emotions. This can be difficult if someone is questioning your integrity and calling your mother nasty names.
The fact is customers can be jerks. Some appear to get their jollies by complaining and giving you a hard time. Whatever you do or say is not enough. They hold their noses as if they can't stand the smell, even though they are smelling their own feet.
You know the kind; they want to get into an argument with you about why the manufacturer doesn't make just what they want.
It 's not as if these jerks have anything else in their depraved, petty lives they could be doing other than pestering you.
Why in the world is this nitwit arguing with you about the engineering of a product and all you do is carry it? Get a life, pea brain.
You can't control the fact that some people are jerks. All you can do is control how you react to jerks. If you get upset and angry then you lose. The jerk has won.
Words might also be hurtful but the reaction to them can be controlled. Take it with a grain of salt and for your sanity maybe deflect it with some humor.
"Why sir, let me see if I can get their engineering department on the phone right now to address your concerns though I think they are all asleep in China right now." Nitwits.
Laugh it off and don't get jaded. Don't let the jerk determine how you will react to the next customer. That is what we see in today 's marketplace; too many distressed and depressed employees.
But most people are OK; they just want to be treated fairly whereas the jerk wants to be treated special. How about a 75% surcharge on all parts and labor for the 'jerk factor.'
We all get behind these jerks in the check out line. They want to argue with the poor clerk over something the clerk has no control. But fortunately most of us aren't that way because if we were no one would ever make it out of the store.
There also comes a point in every business' development when they have to simply say "we chose to not do business with you because we always lose money whenever we deal with you. Besides, you are a big jerk and a pain in the posterior. Have a nice day."
Is there a law against it?
This one simple tactic can do more to reduce headaches and improve the bottom line than any complaint resolution process. Maybe it 's time you just stood up and fired all jerk customers.
Handling that complaint professionally can make your business run more smoothly and keep your hard earned customers...if you get really skilled at dealing with complaints you might even bring in some new business.
Just make sure to stay close to the chase and take the pulse of your customers regularly. After all, most customers don't complain, they just go somewhere else.
Resolution is the word used when we describe the process of successfully handling those complaints. The complaint process you set up determines how successfully your company resolves complaints.
The first step is to develop an attitude that complaints are problems that often are a symptom of some type of flaw or defect. Because it can be very subjective, complaint resolution is not always a matter of right or wrong.
Some complaints are groundless but others can reveal internal problems that may be costing your company.
Time is a key in dealing with any complaint. In general, complaints that are dealt with rapidly tend to get resolved rapidly. A rapidly resolved complaint is a cheaper complaint.
Quick responses can often avoid confrontation and confrontations are seldom good for business.
First, listen to the complainer 's side of the story. Put special emphasis on how they feel. This can provide another perspective on your business. Even though it may be difficult, try to show empathy even if you do not admit guilt.
Ask them what you can do to make them happy. Often their solution is the cheapest and it might give you insight on how to fix a business defect. Also they really can't complain if you follow their suggestion.
Who can complain when you give them what they want?
Determine how the problem happened and how it can be prevented. Don't jump to conclusions before you have all the facts.
Don't assume the customer is crazy or wrong just because they complain; keep an open mind to the remote possibility that by golly it just might be your fault.
Don't take it personally...look at the issues objectively and control your emotions. This can be difficult if someone is questioning your integrity and calling your mother nasty names.
The fact is customers can be jerks. Some appear to get their jollies by complaining and giving you a hard time. Whatever you do or say is not enough. They hold their noses as if they can't stand the smell, even though they are smelling their own feet.
You know the kind; they want to get into an argument with you about why the manufacturer doesn't make just what they want.
It 's not as if these jerks have anything else in their depraved, petty lives they could be doing other than pestering you.
Why in the world is this nitwit arguing with you about the engineering of a product and all you do is carry it? Get a life, pea brain.
You can't control the fact that some people are jerks. All you can do is control how you react to jerks. If you get upset and angry then you lose. The jerk has won.
Words might also be hurtful but the reaction to them can be controlled. Take it with a grain of salt and for your sanity maybe deflect it with some humor.
"Why sir, let me see if I can get their engineering department on the phone right now to address your concerns though I think they are all asleep in China right now." Nitwits.
Laugh it off and don't get jaded. Don't let the jerk determine how you will react to the next customer. That is what we see in today 's marketplace; too many distressed and depressed employees.
But most people are OK; they just want to be treated fairly whereas the jerk wants to be treated special. How about a 75% surcharge on all parts and labor for the 'jerk factor.'
We all get behind these jerks in the check out line. They want to argue with the poor clerk over something the clerk has no control. But fortunately most of us aren't that way because if we were no one would ever make it out of the store.
There also comes a point in every business' development when they have to simply say "we chose to not do business with you because we always lose money whenever we deal with you. Besides, you are a big jerk and a pain in the posterior. Have a nice day."
Is there a law against it?
This one simple tactic can do more to reduce headaches and improve the bottom line than any complaint resolution process. Maybe it 's time you just stood up and fired all jerk customers.
Handling that complaint professionally can make your business run more smoothly and keep your hard earned customers...if you get really skilled at dealing with complaints you might even bring in some new business.
Just make sure to stay close to the chase and take the pulse of your customers regularly. After all, most customers don't complain, they just go somewhere else.
What To Do With Angry Clients
Why is your client so angry when it truly was not your fault? And how do you handle such a situation?
Do you figure there is no pleasing some people, or do you attempt to unravel where the point of no return took place?
Something went terribly astray. Your first step toward redemption is to apologize, whether your fault or not, just apologize. It is a tough lesson to learn but this action works well.
The second step is to quietly listen to the client rant and rave, even foam at the mouth, until they are exhausted in every sense. It takes a strong stomach to sit through this at times but it helps to know the positive outcome is around the corner.
Once your client has finished verbally assaulting you and your company, two things will occur. You will both realize there is nothing left to be said, and your client will realize you are the only person who cared enough to listen as to what went wrong. Your client will begin to regard you differently.
It is now your cue to ask,If I look into resolving this issue, will you be willing to give me an opportunity? Now they may look at you skeptically and say, No one else apparently thought they could fix it or they would have offered. What makes you think you can?
This is your opportunity to differentiate yourself from everyone else. Tell your client that you care, you deliver on service and will examine what went wrong and attempt to fix it, only if they will allow you to do so.
Promise to report back on your findings whether negative or positive. Deliver on your promise in a timely manner. Your angry client will become very grateful, particularly if you are able to fix what went wrong.
Once you have become proficient at fixing problems and if you are working at a company with a filling cabinet filled with dead files, ask permission to review these. You have just found yourself a gold mine!
One by one call each dead-file company by stating you are aware that once upon a time they did business with your company but something must have gone wrong because they are no longer clients. Explain you are new at the company and specialize in excellent service. Ask for permission to set a date to talk about what occurred in the past, what needs to be done to fix the relationship and work on a satisfactory solution for everyone involved.
Understand you will not get 100% of the dead file companies to say yes to your proposition, but you will get some who are willing, and this is far better than cold calling. Although they are angry, it is a warm call because you reached out to them and they are obviously willing to work with you.
My Story:
My favorite example is of a legal copying service that was so angry with my company they did not want to meet. Upon my encouragement and stating that I would walk away if I could not resolve the issues, my client (whom I had never met before) agreed to meet with me.
Upon entering the offices, he angrily pointed to a large piece of equipment and said in a not so nice voice, This has not worked since the day it arrived.
I laughed and responded. That is fabulous news!
He looked at me as if I were crazy.
I continued, That is not ours, it belongs to our competitor. Show me your next problem.
My client continued pointing to machinery that was not ours. I finally asked about his invoicing challenge which also failed at the very beginning. It turned out that it was my client who had inverted serial numbers and so the billing was never right. This issue was entirely his fault.
If I had not taken the time to meet with this client, I would never have had the opportunity to completely turn the situation around and open the door for future business.
It is important to note that if you have the ability to turn your angry client into a happy client, you are very likely to generate an even greater stream of income. The reason is the client will be so appreciative that you took the time to resolve their issue, they will tell their associates and friends, You will not believe what this person did for me, and will relay all of your virtues.
You will achieve repeat business, referrals and testimonials all at the same time - our definition of a Smooth Sale!
Do you figure there is no pleasing some people, or do you attempt to unravel where the point of no return took place?
Something went terribly astray. Your first step toward redemption is to apologize, whether your fault or not, just apologize. It is a tough lesson to learn but this action works well.
The second step is to quietly listen to the client rant and rave, even foam at the mouth, until they are exhausted in every sense. It takes a strong stomach to sit through this at times but it helps to know the positive outcome is around the corner.
Once your client has finished verbally assaulting you and your company, two things will occur. You will both realize there is nothing left to be said, and your client will realize you are the only person who cared enough to listen as to what went wrong. Your client will begin to regard you differently.
It is now your cue to ask,If I look into resolving this issue, will you be willing to give me an opportunity? Now they may look at you skeptically and say, No one else apparently thought they could fix it or they would have offered. What makes you think you can?
This is your opportunity to differentiate yourself from everyone else. Tell your client that you care, you deliver on service and will examine what went wrong and attempt to fix it, only if they will allow you to do so.
Promise to report back on your findings whether negative or positive. Deliver on your promise in a timely manner. Your angry client will become very grateful, particularly if you are able to fix what went wrong.
Once you have become proficient at fixing problems and if you are working at a company with a filling cabinet filled with dead files, ask permission to review these. You have just found yourself a gold mine!
One by one call each dead-file company by stating you are aware that once upon a time they did business with your company but something must have gone wrong because they are no longer clients. Explain you are new at the company and specialize in excellent service. Ask for permission to set a date to talk about what occurred in the past, what needs to be done to fix the relationship and work on a satisfactory solution for everyone involved.
Understand you will not get 100% of the dead file companies to say yes to your proposition, but you will get some who are willing, and this is far better than cold calling. Although they are angry, it is a warm call because you reached out to them and they are obviously willing to work with you.
My Story:
My favorite example is of a legal copying service that was so angry with my company they did not want to meet. Upon my encouragement and stating that I would walk away if I could not resolve the issues, my client (whom I had never met before) agreed to meet with me.
Upon entering the offices, he angrily pointed to a large piece of equipment and said in a not so nice voice, This has not worked since the day it arrived.
I laughed and responded. That is fabulous news!
He looked at me as if I were crazy.
I continued, That is not ours, it belongs to our competitor. Show me your next problem.
My client continued pointing to machinery that was not ours. I finally asked about his invoicing challenge which also failed at the very beginning. It turned out that it was my client who had inverted serial numbers and so the billing was never right. This issue was entirely his fault.
If I had not taken the time to meet with this client, I would never have had the opportunity to completely turn the situation around and open the door for future business.
It is important to note that if you have the ability to turn your angry client into a happy client, you are very likely to generate an even greater stream of income. The reason is the client will be so appreciative that you took the time to resolve their issue, they will tell their associates and friends, You will not believe what this person did for me, and will relay all of your virtues.
You will achieve repeat business, referrals and testimonials all at the same time - our definition of a Smooth Sale!
Good Customer Service Is Not Good Enough Anymore
Do you have Renowned Customer Service?
Do your customers leave your store / take delivery of your products and think, "Wow, it is so nice to buy from this business!!" Is your business well known / famous for your customer service?
Do your customers tell others about you? If not, you do not have renowned customer service.
Face it. Your customers can buy the products and service you sell from a lot of different competitors. The only thing you really have to differentiate your business and yourself is your service.
So what is good customer service these days?
Does it mean getting a customer out the door fast? Or having a sales assistant help find the right item, size and color? Or keeping costs as low as possible? Keeping the restrooms clean? Self-checkout? No self-checkout? Is it having the latest stuff shoppers don't even know they want until they see it? Making a delivery on time? Fixing errors quickly? Having a live person answering the phone?
Good customer service can only be defined by what is important to each individual customer. Renowned customer service is service that is so good that the customer finds it important to them and tells others about it.
I was very fortunate, my father taught me what Renowned Customer Service was when I was 17 years old.
My father taught valuable lessens one of two ways. By example or by experience. Unfortunately for me one snowy Christmas eve in central Pennsylvania he taught me Renowned Customer Service through experience.
I was home from college on holiday vacation and working at the business with my dad. On the morning of Christmas Eve a customer of my fathers, a truck driver, came into the electronics store and purchased from my father our low end, leader black and white 19" diagonal television. A sale we lost $10 on. I asked my father why he did not sell the customer up to a model we made a profit on. He told me that the customer was a good truck tire customer, we also had a tire store, whose business was not doing very good at the time and in fact the man was delivering freight to the west cost over Christmas to make extra money and catch up on his bills. He then instructed me to deliver the television to the man 's home after we closed at 6pm. Plus the television was a surprise for his wife and 4 children.
I left the store at 6pm that evening to deliver the surprise gift. It had been snowing most of the day and now there was a strong sleet storm hitting our area. The first mistake I made was not to wear a heavy winter coat. I figured that I would only be out of the warm truck a few minutes. When I arrived at the customers home I took the television out of the back of the truck, carried it up a dozen or so steps. Standing on the porch, that did not have a roof on it so I was being bombarded by snow and ice, I knocked on the door. A lady opened the door, I could see four small children in the living room sitting near a small Christmas tree.
I told her I was from Janet 's and had a television for her that her husband had purchased. She immediately told me I was making a mistake that they could not afford a television and her husband never would have made such a purchase. She them shut the door in my face.
I picked up the television, off the porch I went, down the steps and back into the truck. Now I knew I could not go home without at least telephoning my father first and telling him what had happened. So I went next door to one of her neighbors and asked to use the telephone. I called my father and he said. "Do not come home before you deliver that television."
Back out in the snowy, icy weather I went, into the truck, back to the customers house, out of the truck, hauling the television up the steps and on to the poach. I knocked on the door. This time when the lady came to the door she did not open it so I had to talk through the glass. I told her I had telephoned my father and I was not mistaken, the television was for her. She again told me I was making a mistake and told me to get off her porch or she would call the police.
Off the porch, down the steps, through the snow and ice. I was now freezing. Back in the truck. Back to the neighbors to call my father again. I again told him of my problem and all he said was "Deliver the television" and he hung up on me.
I sat out in front of the customers house for a while trying to think of what I could say to her to get her to accept delivery. Then a police car pulled up beside me. She had called the cops! The police office motioned for me to come over to his window, he was not about to get out in the snow and ice storm, the weather had now developed into. I told him what was going on and he said while finally getting out of his warm cruiser, "Get the TV and come with me."
We went back up the steps and on the porch. He knocked on the door, got the lady to let us in the house and said, "I know Janet 's store very well and they usually do not make mistakes. Mr. Janet will sign that if in fact this is a mistake and this television was not purchased by your husband you get to keep it anyway.
After a bit more discussion she accepted the television.
When I arrived home, cold, wet and still freezing my father was sitting in front of a roaring fire drinking egg nog. I said in a demanding tone, "What the Hell was that all about." Before I could continue he looked at me and said, "We are 100% Customer-Centered. Everything we do is about and for the customer. NOT ABOUT US. We do not have good service we have 'renowned service'. I promised the customer we would deliver the television and we deliver what we promise. If you want to be successful selling products and services you will be 100% Customer-Centered. Not almost 100% - but 100%!!"
99.9% is not good enough.
If it were in the USA..
* 12 newborn babies will be given to the wrong parents each day.
* 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes will be shipped a year.
* 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled every hour.
* 2,000,000 documents will be lost by the IRS this year.
* 2.5 million books will be shipped with the wrong covers.
* 315 entries in Webster 's Dictionary will be misspelled.
* 20,000 drug prescriptions will be filled incorrectly in a year.
* 103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly during the year.
* 5.5 million cases of soft drinks produced will be flat.
* 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly.
* Two planes will crash each day at Chicago 's O'Hare airport.
10 Commandments of 100% Customer-Centered Service
1. The one who solves the custome 's needs, problems and wants the easiest for them will get the sale.
2. The customer is the most important person in our business.
3. The customer is the Boss, who can fire everyone.
4. The customer deserves all of our attention.
5. The customer is always right, never wrong.
6. The customer is the total purpose of our business.
7. The customer is doing us a favor when allowing us to serve them.
8. The customer 's feelings and emotions are of the most importance to us.
9. The customer is deserving of our most attentive treatment possible.
10. The customer is the only reason we (as a business) exist.
How can you afford to have a staff member give each customer the same 100% Customer-Centered Service?
You can't afford not to.
Do your customers leave your store / take delivery of your products and think, "Wow, it is so nice to buy from this business!!" Is your business well known / famous for your customer service?
Do your customers tell others about you? If not, you do not have renowned customer service.
Face it. Your customers can buy the products and service you sell from a lot of different competitors. The only thing you really have to differentiate your business and yourself is your service.
So what is good customer service these days?
Does it mean getting a customer out the door fast? Or having a sales assistant help find the right item, size and color? Or keeping costs as low as possible? Keeping the restrooms clean? Self-checkout? No self-checkout? Is it having the latest stuff shoppers don't even know they want until they see it? Making a delivery on time? Fixing errors quickly? Having a live person answering the phone?
Good customer service can only be defined by what is important to each individual customer. Renowned customer service is service that is so good that the customer finds it important to them and tells others about it.
I was very fortunate, my father taught me what Renowned Customer Service was when I was 17 years old.
My father taught valuable lessens one of two ways. By example or by experience. Unfortunately for me one snowy Christmas eve in central Pennsylvania he taught me Renowned Customer Service through experience.
I was home from college on holiday vacation and working at the business with my dad. On the morning of Christmas Eve a customer of my fathers, a truck driver, came into the electronics store and purchased from my father our low end, leader black and white 19" diagonal television. A sale we lost $10 on. I asked my father why he did not sell the customer up to a model we made a profit on. He told me that the customer was a good truck tire customer, we also had a tire store, whose business was not doing very good at the time and in fact the man was delivering freight to the west cost over Christmas to make extra money and catch up on his bills. He then instructed me to deliver the television to the man 's home after we closed at 6pm. Plus the television was a surprise for his wife and 4 children.
I left the store at 6pm that evening to deliver the surprise gift. It had been snowing most of the day and now there was a strong sleet storm hitting our area. The first mistake I made was not to wear a heavy winter coat. I figured that I would only be out of the warm truck a few minutes. When I arrived at the customers home I took the television out of the back of the truck, carried it up a dozen or so steps. Standing on the porch, that did not have a roof on it so I was being bombarded by snow and ice, I knocked on the door. A lady opened the door, I could see four small children in the living room sitting near a small Christmas tree.
I told her I was from Janet 's and had a television for her that her husband had purchased. She immediately told me I was making a mistake that they could not afford a television and her husband never would have made such a purchase. She them shut the door in my face.
I picked up the television, off the porch I went, down the steps and back into the truck. Now I knew I could not go home without at least telephoning my father first and telling him what had happened. So I went next door to one of her neighbors and asked to use the telephone. I called my father and he said. "Do not come home before you deliver that television."
Back out in the snowy, icy weather I went, into the truck, back to the customers house, out of the truck, hauling the television up the steps and on to the poach. I knocked on the door. This time when the lady came to the door she did not open it so I had to talk through the glass. I told her I had telephoned my father and I was not mistaken, the television was for her. She again told me I was making a mistake and told me to get off her porch or she would call the police.
Off the porch, down the steps, through the snow and ice. I was now freezing. Back in the truck. Back to the neighbors to call my father again. I again told him of my problem and all he said was "Deliver the television" and he hung up on me.
I sat out in front of the customers house for a while trying to think of what I could say to her to get her to accept delivery. Then a police car pulled up beside me. She had called the cops! The police office motioned for me to come over to his window, he was not about to get out in the snow and ice storm, the weather had now developed into. I told him what was going on and he said while finally getting out of his warm cruiser, "Get the TV and come with me."
We went back up the steps and on the porch. He knocked on the door, got the lady to let us in the house and said, "I know Janet 's store very well and they usually do not make mistakes. Mr. Janet will sign that if in fact this is a mistake and this television was not purchased by your husband you get to keep it anyway.
After a bit more discussion she accepted the television.
When I arrived home, cold, wet and still freezing my father was sitting in front of a roaring fire drinking egg nog. I said in a demanding tone, "What the Hell was that all about." Before I could continue he looked at me and said, "We are 100% Customer-Centered. Everything we do is about and for the customer. NOT ABOUT US. We do not have good service we have 'renowned service'. I promised the customer we would deliver the television and we deliver what we promise. If you want to be successful selling products and services you will be 100% Customer-Centered. Not almost 100% - but 100%!!"
99.9% is not good enough.
If it were in the USA..
* 12 newborn babies will be given to the wrong parents each day.
* 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes will be shipped a year.
* 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled every hour.
* 2,000,000 documents will be lost by the IRS this year.
* 2.5 million books will be shipped with the wrong covers.
* 315 entries in Webster 's Dictionary will be misspelled.
* 20,000 drug prescriptions will be filled incorrectly in a year.
* 103,260 income tax returns will be processed incorrectly during the year.
* 5.5 million cases of soft drinks produced will be flat.
* 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly.
* Two planes will crash each day at Chicago 's O'Hare airport.
10 Commandments of 100% Customer-Centered Service
1. The one who solves the custome 's needs, problems and wants the easiest for them will get the sale.
2. The customer is the most important person in our business.
3. The customer is the Boss, who can fire everyone.
4. The customer deserves all of our attention.
5. The customer is always right, never wrong.
6. The customer is the total purpose of our business.
7. The customer is doing us a favor when allowing us to serve them.
8. The customer 's feelings and emotions are of the most importance to us.
9. The customer is deserving of our most attentive treatment possible.
10. The customer is the only reason we (as a business) exist.
How can you afford to have a staff member give each customer the same 100% Customer-Centered Service?
You can't afford not to.
First Call Resolution: What About That 14%?
Customer satisfaction is crucial to customer loyalty, positive word of mouth, and return on investment--this is a given. We also know first call resolution (one and done) is the #1 driver for customer satisfaction with best practices reported at 86%.
However, this means that 14% of your customers are contacting you more than once (even more than twice or three times) to resolve their issues! This not only frustrates your CSRs and yourselves, but your customers as well. Repeat calls are costly not only to operations and the bottom line, but they negatively impact customer satisfaction as well as employee productivity.
Here 's some questions to ponder.
* How do you define first call resolution?
* And how do you--if you do--calculate it?
What gets measured gets managed, and what gets managed gets better.
In a recent study (Ascent Group) more than 90% of companies measuring first call resolution reported improvement in their performance. Another study reported a dramatic fall in call volume identifying that a minimum of 20% of all calls were repeat calls from customers needing an answer or help they didn't get. Further, that the absence of first call resolution was found to account for a minimum of 30% of a call center 's operational costs!
In another study released recently (CFI Group) reports that (yet again) first call resolution has the most impact on customer satisfaction, and therefore, their loyalty and likelihood to recommend. In this study, across all industries measured, almost a fifth of all callers hung up with their issue unresolved. Of those customers who didn't have their issue resolved, 68% are at risk of defection (43% said they'd definitely defect; 25% weren't sure).
The bottom line: Invest in your people--give them the training, the tools, and the authority to get their job done right the first time.
We're finding that quite a number of centers do not measure FCR, and for those that do, there is still no standard for this measurement.
Following are additional questions to ask yourself:
* What percentage of your customer 's concerns and/or questions are handled on first contact?
* How frequently do your customers contact you?
* Do you/can you identify repeat calls?
* Do you/can you segment responses by call type?
* Do you ask your customers if their concern was resolved, and how many contacts this required?
The more you can drill down your data, the more actionable and accurate the outcome.
Of course, the best measurement of FCR lives with your customers. So go to the source. Find out if they think their issues and/or questions are being resolved on the first contact. Your metrics alone, although quantifiable, are indirect and are only approximations of customer opinion and could easily be overstated. Many times the customer 's view is lower than these measurements.
From an Ascent Group Study (2003), the four primary ways of measuring FCR were:
34% Call statistics calculations (internal measure)
26% Agent-driven call logging or tick sheet (internal measure)
15% Call monitoring (internal determination)
25% Customer satisfaction surveys (external measure)
Your front lines are the interface with customer 's issues. One of the foremost methods to boost customer satisfaction and improve FCR is to consistently and ongoing train your people in world class customer service skills.
The bottom line once again: Invest in your people--give them the training, the tools, and the authority to get their job done right the first time.
However, this means that 14% of your customers are contacting you more than once (even more than twice or three times) to resolve their issues! This not only frustrates your CSRs and yourselves, but your customers as well. Repeat calls are costly not only to operations and the bottom line, but they negatively impact customer satisfaction as well as employee productivity.
Here 's some questions to ponder.
* How do you define first call resolution?
* And how do you--if you do--calculate it?
What gets measured gets managed, and what gets managed gets better.
In a recent study (Ascent Group) more than 90% of companies measuring first call resolution reported improvement in their performance. Another study reported a dramatic fall in call volume identifying that a minimum of 20% of all calls were repeat calls from customers needing an answer or help they didn't get. Further, that the absence of first call resolution was found to account for a minimum of 30% of a call center 's operational costs!
In another study released recently (CFI Group) reports that (yet again) first call resolution has the most impact on customer satisfaction, and therefore, their loyalty and likelihood to recommend. In this study, across all industries measured, almost a fifth of all callers hung up with their issue unresolved. Of those customers who didn't have their issue resolved, 68% are at risk of defection (43% said they'd definitely defect; 25% weren't sure).
The bottom line: Invest in your people--give them the training, the tools, and the authority to get their job done right the first time.
We're finding that quite a number of centers do not measure FCR, and for those that do, there is still no standard for this measurement.
Following are additional questions to ask yourself:
* What percentage of your customer 's concerns and/or questions are handled on first contact?
* How frequently do your customers contact you?
* Do you/can you identify repeat calls?
* Do you/can you segment responses by call type?
* Do you ask your customers if their concern was resolved, and how many contacts this required?
The more you can drill down your data, the more actionable and accurate the outcome.
Of course, the best measurement of FCR lives with your customers. So go to the source. Find out if they think their issues and/or questions are being resolved on the first contact. Your metrics alone, although quantifiable, are indirect and are only approximations of customer opinion and could easily be overstated. Many times the customer 's view is lower than these measurements.
From an Ascent Group Study (2003), the four primary ways of measuring FCR were:
34% Call statistics calculations (internal measure)
26% Agent-driven call logging or tick sheet (internal measure)
15% Call monitoring (internal determination)
25% Customer satisfaction surveys (external measure)
Your front lines are the interface with customer 's issues. One of the foremost methods to boost customer satisfaction and improve FCR is to consistently and ongoing train your people in world class customer service skills.
The bottom line once again: Invest in your people--give them the training, the tools, and the authority to get their job done right the first time.
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