Sep
7
Morale And Business - Happy Employees Are Your Best Salesman
Posted by admin at 12:52 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
When I first signed up with my mobile phone company, the employees were happy, smiling, friendly… their attitudes made me feel good about spending my money with them. When I walked out of the building, I felt like I got a great deal - just because they seemed so positive about their jobs.
A few months later I stopped by to evaluate my plan and to see what my options were. I was still happy with the service, just checking out what was available. I remember the salesman who first signed me up, but now he seemed tired, annoyed, and unhappy. Logically, I knew it wasnt on account of me since he appeared that way before I walked through the door, but being a sometimes illogical human being with feelings and curiosities- I did wonder if I had in some way contributed to his disposition.
I returned to the store a few months later to find the same guy in the same downtrodden mood. He wasnt rude. There were no negative comments or gestures. He just didnt seem happy anymore. After this encounter, I did all I could to not return to the store. I conducted all my dealings either online, with the customer service 800 number, or with other agencies. I didnt like the way I felt when I walked in or out of that store.
After my phone had a nice, 3 year long run of reliable use- occasionally jumping out of my purse, spent time in a cup of water, and a brief swim in a pond it was time to replace the battery. I tried to go out of my way not to return to the store. I looked for other locations to drive to, looked online for battery replacements, and asked friends if they knew of any options. All my efforts ended in the conclusion that I would have to go to the store that housed the Man of Ill Rapport.
Its no surprise- Low morale, bad attitudes, and unhappy employees can cost your business both money and customers. Your customers will only feel good shopping with you if your employees feel good about serving your customers.
You want your customers to come into your store! Thats how business works- It gives your sales staff the chance to promote new and wonderful items and accessories. If you have a product or service you would like for your customers to purchase or use, you must expose them to those products or services as often as possible. If a customer only shops with you when they have to, you will make the minimum amount of sales and your customer may eventually become someone elses customer instead.
For some reason the simplest concept eludes many employers: Employee morale directly affects your business.
Customers are people- with feelings, emotions, doubts, worries, and concerns. If they come in contact with an employee who is feeling down, sad, worried, or unhappy, they will respond with their own negative feelings. Sometimes outwardly, creating an escalated situation that could have been completely avoided. Sometimes inwardly, choosing to get out of your store as fast as possible.
Unhappy employees create an unhappy business.
\r An unhappy business creates unhappy customers.
\r If your customers are unhappy, you and your employees will be out of business.
Eventually, I returned to the dreaded location to purchase my replacement battery. To my delighted surprise, the morale at the store was positive again. Just as it was when I first visited the store. Instead of walking out with just a new battery, I purchased a new phone and renewed my contract. The improved environment increased my satisfaction with the company. This, in turn, restored good feelings about doing business with them.
Take care of your employees- evaluate their work environment, create an open dialog within your company, and encourage your workers to do their best and feel their best every day.
Happy employees create a happy business.
\r A happy business creates happy customers.
\r If your customers are happy, you and your employees will be in business for a long, long, happy time.
Taking care of business really means understanding people. Lola has worked in areas of Customer Service for nearly a decade, including CSR Training Coordinator at a major dot com. Her articles will show how every moment can be an opportunity to provide better service to the people around you.
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Sep
7
You are Guaranteed To Win and Keep More Customers Without the Missing Link
Posted by admin at 04:32 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
On a recent family visit to the English Lake District my consulting instincts were aroused. Perhaps you never lose it and look for things like the missing link.
For many years to break regular journeys to Scotland we stayed at a superb hotel. The hotel on the side of lake Ullswater offers country house accommodation, a lovely view, walks alongside the lake and superb cuisine.
In recent years our journeys to Scotland have been less frequent so when we had reason to travel to the Lake District for a few days we naturally booked into the hotel. On working out when we were last there we were amazed that the gap was 9 years.
On our journey I mentioned to my wife that I had been wondering if by installing a customer database they had removed the missing link. On previous visits we were greeted warmly but it was always as if they had never seen us before.
I had thought how easy to have a customer database recording such small things as last date of last visit, Christian names, newspaper taken, any special requirements etc? If this was in place the visit could be made much more personal and the experience enhanced to an even higher level.
Sure enough we were greeted normally with warmth and great civility. The food and accommodation could not be faulted but there was still the missing link.
As a now less active consultant it was tempting to mention how they could insert the missing link and enhance the experience. By deciding not to do so I wished to avoid possibly giving offence or a suspicion that we were not satisfied.
It led me to think however, how important it is to be aware at all times that we must strive to give the ultimate total experience to our customers. Try to have a look at your performance whether employed or in business on your own account and make sure there is no missing link.
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Sep
6
Needing Brochures
Posted by admin at 17:27 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
Printing brochures is one way to get noticed. Although it is an old medium, there is a reason why it has withstood the ages of television ads and internet. It is cost effective, simple and gets the best immediate results from your community.
Brochures work best for events or information you want to get the people around you to know about. Travel brochures or business work well over a more wide spread area. If you are hosting an event, such as a launch of your company, fundraiser, or perhaps a school carnival/fete and are working on a strict budget, flyers are the easiest way to go.
To create a layout is simple as there are many programs available that can create them for you. They should be colourful with the promise of what the event is all about. Details such as venue, contact details and whether there is an entrance fee should be placed on the top in clear, easy-to-read format. The flyers can either be placed in the mailboxes around the neighborhoods or handed out at the robots.
For shop owners, brochures can be a simple and effective way of promoting a sale or opening days. Rates and cut prices should be included, and once again, emphasis on the usage of colour. Colour is eye catching and will attract a customers attention.
Images of the products should be used as well as a simple map of where they can find you. This will especially help if you are new to the area and want to gain community support for your shop. Posters are also a good way to go. Just check with the local municipality about sticking them on the telephone poles.
Brochures can also be handed to friends to hand out amongst their friends. For communities wanting to get a meeting together about neighborhood watches, or other important issues that might effect the suburb, brochures can be printed with the information about where the community meeting will be held, as well as the topics that will be discussed.
Several houses might have been broken into, someones dog might have gone missing or warnings of water been cut off can be delivered door to door to alert the occupant. For traveling agents, brochures are an easy way to show information about vacation spots. Brochures can also hold extra information for all businesses that wish to demonstrate a service in depth to a client. It gives the customer something to take home with them to read further and think over.
Brochures hold a world of information in visuals and they are an affordable method of advertising. With striking colour use and simple fonts, brochures are probably one of the more efficient methods, whether they are in the office for customers, or being handed out. They are versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. The options are limitless and have proven positive results. They are one of the few types of advertising, other then word of mouth, which have truly stood the test of time.
Celeste writes for Ao Copy London, who specialise in copywriting and printing.
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Sep
5
Finding Your YAMIDs
Posted by admin at 17:52 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
Are there certain practices in your business that inadvertently make it difficult for customers to do business with you? Youre probably thinking, Of course, not! But without knowing it, nearly any business has little idiosyncrasies that, when corrected, make it easier to do business.
The suction cup lesson
\r Heres an example. You should know, first and foremost, that I HATE to shop. When I find it necessary, I try to buy as many of my purchases in one place as I possibly can. \r In shopping for holiday gifts for a friend, I stopped at a quaint little gift shop that promised to have what I needed to complete my shopping for the holidays. I found a lovely stained glass sun catcher that was perfect! I took it to the counter along with several other items and asked the cashier if I could buy the suction cup on which it was displayed. That way, my friend would enjoy the sun catcher immediately upon opening the package. The cashier replied, We dont sell those but you can pick them up at any grocery or hardware store. The only ones we have are for our displays.
The problem here was that it was late, I was in a hurry and I did NOT want to make another stop on my way home. I pleaded with the cashier, But cant you please just sell me one suction cup so I wont have to make another stop?
She replied, No Im sorry I cant.
So without hesitating, I declined to purchase the gift and the others I had selected, walked out of the store and made a second stop at another gift store on my way home!
How smart was it for this shop to lose $35 in sales because they would not sell a 25 cent item to go with a $10 gift?
I call this the YAMID Syndrome. YAMID stands for You-Are-Making-It-Difficult.
How many YAMIDs occur in your business?\r Is parking convenient in front of your establishment or do you require customers to drive around trucks and park in the back?
Does your telephone answering system require that the caller listen to a lengthy message, then press several sets of numbers to talk with a real, live person? What happens when callers are put on hold? Is there a looping commercial message, obnoxious music or nothing?
What happens when a customer complains? Are phone calls returned promptly and pleasantly or do complaints fall the bottom of your desk, being handled only after all the other fires are extinguished? \r Do you apologize to an unhappy customer and take immediate action to see that their complaint is handled fairly?
Are your front line employees practiced in the art of negotiation, listening and courtesy. . .or are they defensive? A defensive tone discourages complaints and, ultimately, results in lost customers.
Do you have policies in force that are stated in negative language? An example is any statement with the words, no, none, never, cant, wont, etc. and generally focuses on what you cant do.
Is it difficult or cumbersome for customers to access information youve collected in soil sampling or other tests?
Are your employees knowledgeable about the products you sell and the services you provide? All employees should be able to explain the advantages of any of your products or services and answer questions about them as well.
YAMIDs apply to your internal as well as external customers. When someone from another department requests assistance, it is granted pleasantly or griped about behind the persons back? The way you treat internal customers often reflects on your handling of external customers as well. \r Evaluate and fix your YAMIDs \r Use this early part of the year to evaluate your procedures and find your YAMIDs. Merely looking at procedures wont really reveal the information you need. Conduct customer surveys to find out first hand about your YAMIDs and get feedback and suggestions from the customer as to how the YAMIDs can be eliminated.\r Then make the effort to correct them so your customers feel welcomed, cared about and pleased to do business with you.\r June Van Klaveren owns Compelling Communications, Inc., a company specializing in helping companies attract more customers. She can be reached through the web site www.compelcom.com or 800-779-0067
June Van Klaveren, owner of Compelling Communications, Inc., is a professional speaker and writer on topics of customer service and marketing. She can be reached at 800-779-0067 or through the website at http://www.compelcom.com She helps her clients attract and keep customers.
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Sep
5
Life is Changing Fast - You Need New Ways to Fill Client Needs, Part 1
Posted by admin at 04:57 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
I was very anxiousness to write about new ways to fill client needs in our days. A lot of you will not be agrees with my theory but in my mind, what I will expose just make common sense. This article is the first of three. I prefer to write it in small chunk in order to be more enjoyable to read.
Is there something more annoying to receive a phone call from a salesperson at 6 P.M. when your family and you are relaxing in front of a great dinner? Are you tired of being disturbed at all times during your weekend by someone who wants to sell you something? It can be at your grocery or at the bank… It seems to me that there always somebody who wants to sell me something in a rude way! Thats enough. Base on my experiences as a president of an IT consulting services and now, as a financial advisor, I thing that people who sell must change their ways to do business. In fact, selling is dead. Finish. In our days, is there something more easy then buying a product? I dont think so. Salesperson must change their approach. At first, they need a very good product. Something honest that will really fill client needs.
Todays clients are occupied and well inform. The only thing that matters is what they really need and not what you think they should buy. It is a world of difference. If you always find what they really want, now youre talking. Youve got to be honest. Integrity is everything. Anyway, clients are easily able to recognize a liar. Follow these simple rules:
1. ALWAYS find the real needs for your client
2. Be honest, it is the only way to do business. Client will appreciate a lot more an advisor that will tell the truth, even if it is not want they want to hear.
3. Integrity is everything. You cannot give advises on a product that you have no confidence in…
4. Be a professional in all time. Good or bad.
5. Do not disturb client for nothing. Do a good job on marketing yourself and client will come to you. Thats what happened for me. In fact, it will be the subject of my second article on the subject.
6. Needs create a different lever in a business situation. If the client really needs to have enough money to retired, believe me, he will listen to your advice because it will fill what he really wants. At this time, it is a win-win situation and this is the ultimate way to do.
7. Listen what your client have to say. This is a true problem in our society. Everybody wants to talk. Dont forget that you are the consultant, the person who know his product and give advice on what to buy. Listen in order to promote the right product.
See you in my next article that will give you some impressive ways to do marketing a new way.
Stephan Painchaud is a financial advisor in Montreal. To learn more, and to receive Stephans free articles, contact directly at sniconseil@videotron.ca
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Sep
4
Ways To Better Your Customer Service Department
Posted by admin at 21:07 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
Sitting at a phone all day and taking orders from customers who are in assorted moods can be a demoralizing job. Customer service representatives deal with customers who do not know what they want, customers who want what they cannot get and at times, customers who are unaware of what a business actually sells. These various factors make customer service a difficult profession.
Representatives who answer the phones for your business, however, may be more important in the publics viewpoint than anyone else in the company. Sure, customer service representatives dont run the company, create products or write and design the companys Web site, but they are in direct contact with the public during business hours, every day. When customers call a promotional products and corporate gifts company, they should be treated in a respectful manner. The representatives in customer services should be capable of handling problems with honesty and respect; they should care about each customer and their requests equally; and the company as a whole should have the ability to come up with creative ideas that inspire each customer through newsletters, emails and possibly a blog.
Problems come in various shapes and sizes. Customers can be disappointed that the spacing on the 100 cups they ordered is not wide enough or that the seat cushions they purchased are not the correct hue of red. Each of these issues, no matter how small or trivial they seem, are important. Every issue a customer service department deals with should be done so with care and honesty, that-as cheesy as it sounds-comes from the heart or at least the heart of the company. In the article Communicating with Credibility on EmergingLeader.com, Christine W. Zust said, When a message is communicated from the heart, it is more believable. Without genuine care and honesty, customers will think the company they are dealing with did not care they made a mistake. This can cause the customer to not want to deal with that company again. Zust said that leadership that deals with and accepts full responsibility for their words and actions from the beginning are the most successful.
Another definite way to lose a customer is if your company customer service representatives have an air of indifference. In the article \”How to Enhance Customer Service\” in the e-magazine Customer Service Professionals, Bill Gessert, president of TeleSolutions Consultants LLC, said, 68% of customers who stop doing business with you do so because of a perception of indifference. If customer service is not your passion, it will be for your competition. Indifference or a lack of enthusiasm is something to avoid; dont let it bring down your company.
The last thing that should be maintained by customer services and a company concerns employees who think of the ideas a company presents. This does not directly pertain to those answering the phone, but it does concern those who write the companys newsletters, emails, blog, and those who come up with and design the products the company sells. A monthly newsletter that goes out to customers and gives them new market trends, product ideas and special company discounts can help a customer feel like they are in touch with a company. Having a company blogger may also help or come in useful if a customer has a particular question they want answered.
Many companies have a blog that is run by someone within the company. This blogger can help customers develop product ideas to ensure the customer gets what they want. Newsletters, blogs and emails can get the attention of a customer and help them communicate with those who create products in a timely manner. In the article The Keys to Delivering World-Class Service in the e-magazine Customer Service Professionals, Jay Lipe said, In a recent study by Jupiter Research, 33 percent of all Internet companies surveyed took three days or longer to get back to customers that had e-mailed for help. Make sure that your company contacts customers quickly to ensure customer satisfaction. This type of communication between customer and employee may not be as personal as a phone call or a meeting, but it is important.
Customer service is a department at a company that should not be ignored. Merely hiring someone who has the ability to pick up a phone is not enough to maintain and build a customer base. Hiring people who have the ability to maintain an honest message, having employees who care and who are able to interact and assist customers with specific products and interact with a customer will.
Abbie Stutzer is a graduate student in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. She is currently working in the marketing department at Absorbent, Ink
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Sep
4
Auto Dialer - Make Your Calling Process Easiest
Posted by admin at 19:42 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
Auto dialer is an automatic machine that dials thousands of calls frequently and leaves verbal messages to the live agents. It can solely do multiple tasks without the help of call center agents, who can then utilize their time in many other important works. Auto dialer has the competence to enhance the efficiency of the operators by removing the manual dialing processes which are somewhat time consuming and non productive procedures. Usually, manual dialing cannot dial numerous calls at the same time, which is quite a disadvantage in this growing world where every minute counts in thousands. Therefore, auto dialer performs its work automatically and increases the productiveness of the businesses.
Usually, when customers contact to BPO operators they demand quick retrieval of their problems, but it is not always important that their problems can be easily sort out in the shortest possible time. However, it can be possible with the help of auto dialer which perform all the work of agents without their help; moreover, it can easily broadcast phone messages and ultimately increase the business efficiency.
Auto dialer usually comes in different forms or types and you can choose any of them depending on your business requirements and needs. Given below are some kinds of auto dialers which performs their work with variety of functions and technologies:
Smart auto dialer: Smart Auto dialer is efficient to handle personalized messages and is able to collect touch tone or speech feed backs.
Preview Dialer: It helps agents to view phone information before making any call to the customers. It provides agents the prospects to preview all the contact information of the client to whom they are going to talk.
Power dialer: It provides proficient, consistent and multi-lined outbound dialing process. It is generally utilized when large numbers of outbound calls are needed to perform.
For more information on auto dialer you can log on to http://www.yoursautodialer.com
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Sep
3
Building Great Customer Experiences - Or Beware Consultants With No Clothes!
Posted by admin at 22:32 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
It must be one my personal business nightmares, if you can imagine having just flown to New York to meet a new client and the airline has lost all your clothes! So what can one learn from such events about delivering great customer service experiences?
The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry
To give you the background, Id just been to California and had arranged to meet the COO of a potential great new client in New York on my way back home to England. Id visited them a few weeks before and Id felt as though Id wandered onto the set of The Devil Wears Prada (or should that be Ugly Betty?). So not wanting to be left too far behind the New York Chic look of my hosts, Id gone out and purchased the very best of shirts & ties that London has to offer (OK anyone from Milan is allowed a note of scepticism at this point) combined with my new Italian suit & cuff links, I knew Id look the part 
My plane was several hours late into New York due to unexpected delays I was little nervous as Id arranged to go out to dinner that evening. Still with my Platinum Frequent Flyer card my suitcase had qualified for a special Priority Handling label so I was looking forward to getting my suitcase quickly and rushing off ahead of the pack to the taxi rank. Sadly, after all of the luggage had disappeared off the carousel there was no sign of my case, so I made my way to the airlines baggage handling office. I was joined by another passenger who had experienced a similar fate. The Airline staff assured me that my suitcase had landed and recommended I went back to check the carousel again. This experience was repeated another 3 times. From my interactions with the airline staff, I managed to get the impression that losing ones baggage was not a completely unusual experience. My heart sank as I looked at the back wall of the hall which was filled floor to ceiling with damaged suitcases in glass cases awaiting collection from their owners.
After an hour and a half of going back & forth from the luggage carousel to the airline desk, the airline staff finally conceded that perhaps my bag was lost after all and I was given a claim form to fill in. I was given an 0800 number to contact and a tracking reference number and that was it. I had a sense of disappointment and unfinished business but I had to move on and let other passengers register their lost baggage too.
Theres no such thing as a free breakfast
I headed off to my hotel (minus any luggage) and checked in. The receptionist noted down my comment that my luggage had been lost and hopefully it might arrive in the next 24 hours. The receptionist realised I was a Gold member of their hotel loyalty system, so she kindly gave me vouchers for free breakfasts for my stay in Manhattan. Sadly, by this time it was too late for the dinner out Id planned, so I went off to bed to dream the night away with visions of lost clothes, deodorants and shavers! I guess I wasnt too worried that I could replace my lost items in the morning, after all America is the land of retail plenty. And as I was staying just off 5th Avenue, which is lined with clothes stores, it wasnt going to be too difficult to get replacements in the morning.
In the morning, fortified by my free breakfast, though looking a little rough, unshaven (or should I say with designer stubble) and with crumpled clothes, I headed off to the shops and quickly purchased everything I needed. I guess as they were happy to process my credit card without phone verification I cant have looked too bad. So at this point, it was an opportunity for me to think through the series of events as an interesting example of managing the customer experience. My airline goes to the trouble of writing hand written thank you notes each time I fly with them, and yet when it looses all my belongings all they give me is a piece of paper and thats it.
Its great that its free but is it useful?
The hotel gave me a nice free breakfast but I would have preferred a shaver & some deodorant! If I think about a number of the budget hotel chains in the UK where they are happy to give you free shaver, foam, combs, deodorant etc. if youve forgotten them, theres much their my American hotel & airline could learn from them.
A great technique for managing these unfortunate experiences was pioneered by Jan Carlson (former CEO of SAS Scandinavian Airlines) who coined the expression moments of truth. A moment of truth occurred whenever an employee interacted with a customer; Carlson said that these moments left an impression good bad or exceptional. \r Carlson applied 4 guiding principles for managing these moments of truth positively:\r Everyone needs to know and feel they are needed \r Everyone wants to be treated as an individual \r Giving someone the freedom to take responsibility releases resources that would otherwise remain concealed \r An individual without information can not take responsibility whereas an individual given responsibility can not help but take responsibility
The technique is fairly straightforward to implement. I guess a start is to get your service operations team together and ask them to map out the service experience from the customer perspective. Whenever you come across a moment of truth, you can then work out with your team just how best you can handle that sticky situation. I like to use the high-tech toolset of 2 sets of Post-It notes in different colours for such work available from all good stationers Use one pack of Post-Its to map out the service experience from a customer perspective, and then use the other pack to define the main alternative events that can occur at each moment of truth and the best options for your own staff in how to deal with these. [For a more extensive and sophisticated approach try the moment mapping technique described in Building Great Customer Experiences by Colin Shaw & John Ivens]. I guess an even simpler approach is the Nordstrom approach; their employees are given the freedom to decide for themselves and have the single rule do whatever you think is right for the customer.
Dont let disappointing service lose you your most valuable customers
And the end to this tale. Well my suitcase was located during the morning and arrived over at my hotel. I was able to locate my special shirt, tie & cuff links. [On a fashion point here Im convinced English mens shirts are more stylish than American shirts]. It made my day when the clients PA complimented me on my cufflinks (OK its a small pleasure but still a delight). On the business front though, one of the key lessons is that a poor service experience is one of the key drivers for customers switching suppliers. The disappointing experience causes customers to shop around other suppliers and they may well find a better value option losing you a very valuable customer. Best to make sure that your moments of truth are well managed.
As for me, Im now minded to try out Silverjet Airways (see www.flysilverjet.com) the new low-cost all business class airline they offer fantastic service (flat beds, 30 minute check-in and even fly Carbon neutral) with much lower prices.
Ill update you on the experience hopefully after my next trip to New York 
Best wishes John
John Corr has over 25 years experience working with high-value service businesses (such as AXA, Capital One, EDS & Time Warner) helping them increase their revenues, margins and delighted customers.
You can learn more at http://www.closequarter.co.uk
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Sep
3
CRM and Knowledge Workers
Posted by admin at 01:02 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
As we move even further into the information age with technology advancing every year, an interesting truth about business emerges increased dependence on people.
While computing power can move information and data across the world faster than a click on a keyboard, only people can turn that information into a tangible asset. Only people can take raw data, organize it, and combine it with intelligence and experience, creating real value.
Employees possess an important means of production their knowledge. There have been many attempts to create knowledge through artificial intelligence and expert systems but they have not succeeded because computers cannot have hunches or instincts and they cannot learn from good and bad decisions.
Those who actually do a job know more about it than anyone else. Employees who actually interact with customers know them better than anyone else. This includes the CEO, upper executives, managers. Customer facing employees (CFEs) know what customers want and what they do not want because they work with them everyday.
Management must use the knowledge from employees and be constantly asking, What can we learn from you? What can you tell us about customers and what tools do you need to serve them better? Many good customer service employees become less motivated when they feel managers do not want their input or do not put any value on it. Big mistake!
While many facts about a firm may be documented, much of its experiences reside in its employees heads. Very often, a companys competitive edge resides with its knowledge workers. When the person having a critical piece of knowledge quits, joining a competitor, that knowledge walks out the door. It has been well documented that the loss of a key employee can result in the departure of key clients and a significant loss of income.
Workers, who accumulate specialized knowledge, will not be easily bound to one company. They will ultimately go where they can achieve the greatest satisfaction.
Employees in depth skills, reputation, and experience often represent an edge that competitors will find hard to substitute.
Companies that will truly thrive are those that can leverage employee knowledge through information technology in ways that are immediately applicable. This could include satisfying the right customers in the right way at the right time.
Unlike the assets of labor, capital, and land, knowledge is an infinite resource that can generate increasing returns through systematic use and application.
Through the sharing of knowledge a company can help its employees do their job better, faster, and more effectively. Knowledge can provide the perfect link between business strategy and technology investment.
In many service industries, the ability to identify best practices and spread them across a dispersed network of operations or locations is a key driver of added value.
As business visionary Peter Drucker said
The ability to survive and thrive comes only from a firms ability to create, acquire, process, maintain, and retain old and new knowledge in the face of complexity, uncertainty, and rapid change.\”
About the author: Chuck Wallin is a 20 year IT and business consultant with an MBA. He has done work with such companies as Barnes and Noble, CHASE, Arrow Electronics, and First Data Merchant Services. His web site http://www.thecustomerconcern.com deals with issues of Customer Relationship Management.
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Sep
2
Look To Current Customers For Business Help
Posted by admin at 14:42 | Filed In Customer Service Tools | Comments Off
You are running a business that you really love. It has been a couple of years since you got it off the ground, you worked through all those tough times in the beginning and things really seem to be moving along.
However, you still feel like something is missing. You feel as if it is not moving as fast as you would like, or you have hit a lull in sales.
So you start contemplating, maybe you should spend more on advertising, change your marketing campaign or even hire more sales personnel.
Before you do that, maybe you should take an unofficial survey of your own business. When I tell people that, they all look at me probably the same way you are looking at the computer screen right now. With a little confusing face wrinkle and some head scratching you are curious as to what an official survey is and who exactly are you surveying.
Both questions you wonder, are very easy to answer. To answer question number one an unofficial survey that I am referring to is one in which you ask random people a series of questions in regards to your business, what you are selling and so on. They can range from, \”rate your satisfaction level of the product your purchased\”, to \”One a scale of one through ten, rate our customer service.\” You get the idea.
You want to create a series of questions, all geared toward finding answers about your business, what you sell, how your staff is doing, and ideas that can make your company better. Then, with these questions in hand you ask people to participate in answering them for you, which brings us to answer question number two. Who exactly are we surveying.
When business is sluggish, maybe sales are down, or maybe things have gotten stale, there are no better people to ask then your own customers. They are perfect for the question list you just put together. The reason being, is they have already done business with your company, so obviously they like what you have to offer. You are trying to find out, why they chose you in the first place, and what else they would like to see out of your company to make buying from you an even more enjoyable process.
Customers are a huge source of information. Most, if not all, have already done their research on why they chose you in the first place, and can offer some insight on other options they liked about your competitors, that you may be able to implement into your own business.
You will want to ask as many different customers as you possibly can. The more the better of course. Armed with this information, you can create a plan of attack on how to make some changes that could spark more interest and even better more sales into your business.
As you can see, this great idea to help your business is not very complicated, easy to put together, can be a fun project for your entire team if you hold competitions and things of that nature, and in the end, everyone benefits. So go ahead, give it a try and I am sure you will learn things about your business, you never even knew existed.
By: Bruce A. Tucker
About the Author:
\r Bruce A. Tucker is the Associate Director of http://www.Indocquent.com, an online resource that allows web surfers and internet businesses to post their products and services for sale and hire in 20,000 cities throughout 200 countries around the world free of charge.
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