Customer Service Articles For Entrepreneurs & Small Business OwnersWhen Should You Stop Chasing A Potential Client?You have been to see a potential client and then dutifully gone back and sent over a proposal. And then, radio silence. Nothing back at all. You know you’re going to have to pick up the phone and that thought doesn’t fill you with joy – what if they say no? Here’s the bad news. […] Dealing with Customers, Issues in Realer than Real Time“The only one that thinks that this is a game is you, man. This is real. We are here to show those guys that are inching their way on the freeways in their metal coffins that the human spirit is still alive” – Grommet, “Point Break,” 20th Century Fox, 1991 You probably won’t believe this […] Jamba Juice Mobile Loyalty Program Gets Over 1 Million SignupsBecause life’s luxuries are now very hard to come by, everyone wants to get the best value for their every purchase. It’s no secret how customers can easily switch from a product or a brand to another – and the world of choices out there makes it incredibly easy for them to do this. As […] Customers Are Lost When They Think You Don’t Care“Well, when you guys tell her, she’s not just finding out about the accident. She’s finding out that her life is basically a setup.” – Henry, “50 First Dates,” 2004, Columbia Pictures Despite what Amazon, Google, Yahoo and Facebook do to convince companies that they represent the pathway to the future; the success/failure of a […] Companies Need an A-Team for the Ultimate Customer ExperienceI took a break the other evening from thinking about our business to watch a couple segments of a TV series I enjoyed as a kid, “The A-Team.” I remembered how I was torn between which soldier of fortune I wanted to be: Hannibal- the unflappable, composed boss or Faceman-the good-looking guy with the cool […] Customer Service Has to Be Real, Responsive“We might just make it. Did that thought ever cross your brain? Well, regardless, I would rather take my chance out there on the ocean than to stay here and die on this island, spending the rest of my life talking…” – Chuck Noland, “Cast Away,” 20th Century Fox (2000) Last Saturday, the wife went […] Showrooming is an Opportunity Retailers Shouldn’t RefuseEmpowered Consumer – Mobile and web technologies haven’t put today’s retailers in a position they can’t refuse but have helped give consumers complete information about products, services and outlets. A more enlightened consumer should help produce a happier customer and better relationship for all parties. Stop me if you heard this one – “A gal […] Customer Support Channels – Drive FriendlyWhile driving from the Austin (TX) airport to our soon-to-be-open new Creative Design & Customer Support Center, I had to smile as I passed one of the highway signs that urge drivers to “Drive Friendly.” During an early site survey, our contractor explained that the signs encourage Texans to yield to other drivers and be […] Using a Cell Phone as a Business Line? Follow These Three TipsIf you are a solo entrepreneur or home-based business owner, you’re undoubtedly looking for ways to keep expenses down, especially if you’re just getting started. One easy way to do this is to use your cell phone number as your business line. By using your cell phone for business purposes, you can avoid the costs […] Customer Satisfaction – A Metric for SuccessRecently, at one of the customer service training seminars we now make available to community businesses, an attendee congratulated us for receiving the About.Com 2012 Reader’s Choice Award. He was looking for help in turning the employees at his organization toward the same award-winning customer service-oriented approach that set us apart in an industry both […] Where Is Customer Loyalty? New Survey Finds Consumers Tend To Switch Between CompaniesA new survey by the Accenture Global Consumer Company decided to look into the present state of customer service. There has been a lot of talk about customer service in the press lately, with many stating that it is central to business survival and, perhaps more importantly, business success. The survey asked ten thousand consumers […] The Best Customer Service I’ve Ever SeenGreat teams of any sort are rarely great without great leadership. When I think of great team leaders, I think of Kristi Fox, Second Vice President of Group Client Relationships, at Minnesota Life, a Securian Company. The Client Relationship Department at Minnesota Life includes 24 associates who manage group life insurance relationships nationwide. Many of […] The Shocking Truth About Customer ServiceFor many years now, “customer service” has become a dirty word in some parts. That is regrettable. Some corporations feel the pinch on their bottom line and tighten in the one place where tightening is perhaps the most detrimental—listening to the customer. When the customer gets squeezed by CSR quotas, the company will end up […] 5 Tips to Supplement Customer Service Training for your PeopleIf you’re a new business owner, here’s a little tip for you: your customers are people, not just your source of profit. Once you begin to fully embrace that little idea, you’ll realize that your business revolves around people, and not just your products or services. Many business owners make the mistake of concentrating all […] ‘Honesty, Accountability and Quality’ Ads Up Domino’s SalesDomino’s Pizza took a turn-around by resorting to non-traditional ads. To bravely receive feedback from its consumers through its website and to own up to its failures were initially thought to be risky moves. But eventually, the company was rewarded for its honesty, accountability and improved recipe. Bloomberg Businessweek says that this has earned Domino’s […] 14 Signs You Are A Sales ZombieA recent editor’s note in a sleep products magazine discussed how many people suffer from poor sleep and the editor referred to these individuals as zombies. Instantly, I thought of dozens of sales people I have encountered over the years who could be classified as zombies, too. Here are 14 signs that you might be […] Writing Effective Customer SurveysThere is usually a time in any business where you think it might be useful to ask your customers what they think and get their opinions. This is particularly useful if you’re considering launching a new product or service and want to know whether people are likely to buy it. So if you do want to […] Good Conversations Build Relationships“It is a choice, Wesley, that each of us must face: to remain ordinary, pathetic, beat-down, coasting through a miserable existence, like sheep herded by fate – or you can take control of your own destiny and join us, releasing the caged wolf you have inside.”. – Sloan, Wanted, Universal Studios (2008) Soon we will […] How To Get Payment From ClientsAlthough you might not think that getting payments from clients is anything to do with marketing, I would completely disagree. Because I think that there is nothing more demoralising that celebrating getting a new client and then finding that they do not pay. It can make you feel very low and be very stressful, which […] Concentrate On ResultsI came across a very interesting formula the other day, which was shared by a sales guru based in the US called Lisa Sasevich. She was talking about the fact that when many of us talk about what we can do for customers, we concentrate on how we can deliver the product or service and […] |
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