Posts Tagged ‘customer service’
What Small Businesses Did Right in 2008
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
The news bulletins of 2008 became one relentless reminder of the economic crisis. They reported that businesses and industries suffered, under the great weights of declining sales and a wounded morale.
But the year also taught some valuable lessons, especially to small business owners. Whatever losses they suffered the public noticed, which made their successes all the more notable:
- What they could not compensate in price, they made up for with customer service. Take note of Kelly Spors, small-business writer for the Wall Street Journal, and her recent experience buying trout at her neighborhood fish and meat market:
“Rather than just ringing me up, the man behind the counter spent 10 minutes energetically explaining to me his favorite way to season and broil it,” she wrote. “He obviously knew a lot about the fish and meats he was selling, and it turned out delicious. I know where I’ll go next time I want fish – and it won’t be a major grocery chain. - They sought alternative means of credit as their usual sources dried up. Local, community banks became more viable options. There, commercial and industrial lending continued to rise throughout the year, amounting up to $1.24 billion in November, according to the Federal Reserve.
Credit unions also became a reasonable source of lending. The Credit Union National Association predicted that, with their conservative practices, they should see savings and loans growth this year and into next year. - They lent to a growing online retail environment. And, considering this year’s growth, 60 percent of small and medium-sized businesses could have a Web site by 2010, according to Kelsey Group, a search and directory research firm. About 33 percent of them have a Web site today.
Internet design and marketing companies catering to small and medium-sized businesses also took notice. Web.com saw its number of subscribers more than double over the past year, from 82,000 to about 274,000.
What else did small businesses do right in 2008?
Tags: business credit, christina lee, Credit Union National Association, customer service, economic crisis, Kelly Spors, online marketing, Web.com
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How To: Establish Trust With an Online Buyer
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Without a doubt, the number one obstacle to running a successful online business is getting potential buyers to trust your website enough that they are willing to make a purchase.
Let’s be really honest; there are plenty of steps involved with the purchase and receipt of any online product from the release of a credit card number to final delivery - and potential customers will worry about every single one of these areas when it comes to making a purchase from a business they have not used in the past.
About Branding
There is a lot of competition in online sales out there, and some of it is from well-recognized companies that have their own names to create the kind of trust you need from your visitors.
So that is your first step to establishing that trust with customers on your site; build yourself an identity. This step is more popularly known today as branding, and it extends to everything your business does, from the site layout to slogans to a nice looking logo.
Everything you put out needs to look professional and great, or your first impression on a visitor might be the last.
Guard Your Reputation
Next, you have to make sure that you know what is being said about you. Business can be dirty business sometimes, and with the amount of online competition there is no guarantee that yours will play fair.
It is easy enough to go into consumer forums and make false posts about businesses, so make sure that you are doing your own search engine inquiries about your business to have a look at what’s being said.
If you do encounter negative feedback, defend your business honestly and don’t jump to conclusions; try to track down the source of the complaint on your end and remedy the situation, and then post that you have done so.
Social Media Concerns
In the Web 2.0 World, you also have to be very careful about the way you present yourself when on a message board, posting a video to YouTube, on Facebook, and so on.
Most of us are using social media to extend awareness of our businesses, but people can get the wrong impression according to how you conduct yourself. If they don’t like how they see you as a person, odds are that you won’t have their trust, and you even run the risk of them discouraging others from using your business.
Finally, the best way to establish trust with your online customers is to provide them with honest, prompt service and delivery. No customer should ever have to contact you about the delivery of a product.
Instead, be proactive and contact them to inquire about whether or not they have received what they bought, the condition it was in, and so on. This is a great way not only to gain repeat business but to gain testimonials, which are another important tool when it comes to gaining the trust of online customers.
Tags: branding, customer service, E-Commerce and E-Business, establish trust, how to, Leeia Ladipoh, online shopping, online transactions, reputation, Sales, social media, web 2.0
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Using the Web to Draw in Customers
Monday, June 2nd, 2008
Many brick and mortar stores have learned by now that they need to have a website in order to compete in today’s internet driven consumer marketplace. What many of them haven’t figured out yet is that there is much more to using the internet to draw in customers than simply having a website with store hours and information on it.
It is becoming increasingly important for businesses to make themselves available for customer reviews. Sites such as Amazon.com use the customer review system to sell products. Yelp.com uses the same concept but allows consumers to review actual businesses. This type of instant feedback is valuable to the business as well as potential customers. Studies show that consumers trust peer reviews 83% of the time while experts are trusted only 63% of the time.
If you put your business out there for customer reviews expect both good and bad. Take the time to contact all reviewers if you can. This will likely improve your overall rating and bring in a considerable amount of extra business from people who check these sites frequently and write reviews themselves.
Tags: customer service, Generating More Sales, Growing Your Business, Marketing, Marketing Your Business, peer reviews, Rebecca Button, yelp
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How to Thank Your Customers
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008
When you have made a major purchase whether it was a car or living room furniture chances are you received some sort of thank you from the company you made the purchase from. Usually at a high quality dealership for cars or furniture the salesperson will be given the responsibility to write the thank you note but often times the note will be signed by anyone who you came in contact with during your purchasing experience.
Thank you cards are a nice touch, particularly if they are hand written. Giving a small gift can even be appropriate if the purchase is large enough to justify the expenditure. A nice quality travel mug for coffee, a bouquet of flowers, or a gift card to a favorite place are some of the more commonly given thank you gifts businesses give to customers.
How do you incorporate this customer appreciation into your online purchase where often times you will never see your customer? While the appreciation may not be as easy to show, it will definitely be worth it if you can find an appropriate, repeatable way of thanking your customers for their business.
The first decision you need to make is which customers you are going to recognize. Will you base your decision on number of orders or on the amount spent with your company in a given period of time? It is possible to give gifts monthly even though quarterly or annually seems to make the most sense?
Once you have decided which customers you are going to recognize you need to have a process to identify those customers. Make sure your process is easily repeatable. It’s best if you have one customer service agent or other person in your company whose job it is to recognize the customers.
You can identify this person with a title such as customer relationship manager, customer fulfillment manager, or perhaps customer care manager would fit better with your business. The person you select needs to have regular contact with your customers. Additionally, it is important that this individual have enough authority to solve any problems that may be brought to their attention by the customers they are coming into contact with regularly.
The level of reward you give to your customers needs to be commensurate with your industry and with their volume of purchases with your company. Whether you sell buggy whips or blow guns, make sure the customers you are spending effort on to reward are worth the effort. You want to do the right thing and take care of all of your customers but only go the extra mile for those who have earned it.
What should you give you customers? Try to give away things that are thoughtful and useful. Cheap trinkets don’t usually build loyalty but well thought out gifts do. Talk with the people in your company who deal with the customers the most. If a quality travel mug is appropriate then have their company logo and yours put onto the cup. If a windbreaker or other type of garment makes sense, then consider that. Find something that your customer will appreciate that is unique to your business relationship.
Perhaps a holiday basket would be best with a card signed by everyone on your team. The handwritten note or card is a classy touch every customer will appreciate, no matter how far their physical location is from your company. It still is a very personal touch and one that will make your company unique.
Tags: advice, customer appreciation, customer service, Generating More Sales, larry Slusser, Sales, tips
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Is Starting a Retail Business Right for You?
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
With the retail industry taking in $4.5 trillion in sales in 2007, it’s no wonder that more and more people are considering opening their own retail store. But, being a successful retailer isn’t as simple as entering the industry and opening a store. In order to have the best chance of running a successful retail establishment, you should first assess your skills to figure out what your personal strengths and weaknesses are for being a retailer. If you fall short in some areas, don’t worry, you can always take a course, do some research or, even easier, hire someone who excels in that area.
Retailing skills - where does your experience fall?
It’s no surprise that successful small business owners consider themselves jacks of all trades, with experience or knowledge in almost all facets of their business - from customer service to product selection. However, it’s also important to know where your skills are lacking. If you have zero experience in marketing, it’s best to realize that an attempt by you could end up backfiring, leading your business off on flat note. Don’t be hesitant to hire professionals when you know your experience in a certain area is minimal. Here is a list of the basic skills required in order for a retailer to be successful:
* Customer service - A friendly smile and a welcoming atmosphere is important to any retail store. The way employees treat their customers can many times make or break a store. From the extra effort of special ordering to handling customer returns, each situation needs to be handled in a calm and friendly manner - even if the customer is being rude and demanding. If you have a hard time controlling your emotions (especially anger), then maybe hiring a customer service agent to handle these situations would be best.
* Sales - Depending on the store, having a background in sales can be imperative to turning visitors into customers. It’s important to learn the line between pushy and annoying and helpful and informative. While the former can literally drive potentially customers out of your store (and never to return), the latter can make visitors feel comfortable and eager to make a purchase.
* Marketing - Having a great store is one thing, but getting people in the door is quite another. Flyers, in-store events, advertisements and online websites are all important to getting your store’s name in front of potential customers. Professionals with a background in retail marketing can help create the right marketing blitz for your store, getting people excited about what you have to offer.
* Management - Managing a store and its employees is harder than most people think. It’s important to have well-trained workers who are excited about their job and ready to help customers. Do you have experience in training, hiring and firing employees? If not, you may want to hire an employee who also serves as the employee manager. But, management doesn’t stop with employees. Your store - from ordering products to setting up product displays - will need to be managed as well. Otherwise, you could end up with backordered items and a stale store layout.
* Accounting - This is the one area where many new retailers feel in over their head the most. If your only experience with accounting has been balancing a checkbook, you may find that hiring a bookkeeper is money well spent. In addition to regular monthly bills like rent, phone and utilities, you’ll also have product vendors and employees to pay, advertising costs and, eventually, business taxes to prepare. With everything else you have to worry about to make your store a success, you may quickly find that, even if you have the skills, accounting simply takes too much time away from the business.
So, while retailing is by no means rocket science, it’s certainly not as easy as running a lemonade stand either. Before deciding to open up a new store, it’s important to first assess your skills and then determine in what areas you will need to employ outside help. Good luck!
Tags: Accounting, advice, Carrie Hinkel, customer service, Finance and Accounting, management, Marketing, retail store, Sales, Starting a Business, tips
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The Importance of Business Transparency
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
You may have heard the old adage “honesty is the best policy”. This is also true in business. While most people think that anything goes in business, when it comes to what your customers think about you and your company, you are definitely better off letting them know what is going on.
You have heard of the “business - customer relationship”, but do you really treat it like a relationship? You should. The better you build this relationship up front, the more supportive your customers will be down the road - especially if problems arise.
Transparency in Product Problems
It seems every time we turn around, there is something on the store shelves that is a health threat, from peanut butter and pot pies with salmonella to toys with toxic lead paint. While the companies involved may not have known there was a problem in advance, the way they dealt with it said volumes to their customers.
Let’s look at the lead paint issue. Once the first “toxic toys” were discovered, the toy companies pulled those specific toys off the shelves and said little more about it. A few weeks later, there was another wave of toys being pulled off the shelves due to the same threat. A few weeks after that, it happened again.
To many consumers, it seemed the toy companies were willing to leave toxic toys on the store shelves until someone “caught” them. That doesn’t do a lot for trust.
Many of these companies were actually doing the right thing. They were testing their other toy lines to see if they, too, had the lead based paint. But they did not divulge that information to the public, until they found more problems.
Communication Is Key
The way the media made the situation sound was that these companies were “caught” with more bad toys - not that these companies were working to ensure that the rest of their toy lines were safe for the public.
It all came down to communication. If the toy companies had gone out of their way to let the public know what they were doing, they would have sounded like proactive, concerned and responsible corporate citizens, who were looking out for the welfare of children who may be using their toys.
By quietly going about this business, they looked like they were lurking around trying to hide something, but were caught doing something shady.
While you will always have some customers who are unhappy no matter what you do, the majority of customers realize there are humans behind any business and that humans make mistakes.
By being honest and open when your business makes mistakes and letting people know what you are doing to fix them, you will come across as a company run by people who are trying to do their best, instead of a company that is trying to go behind their customers’ backs and hide things from them.
Tags: business ethics, business transparency, customer service, Generating More Sales, Leeia Ladipoh, management, Sales
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Building Your Business: The Benefits of Customer Service Training
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
A successful and capable business owner, operator or manager perfectly understands that the ultimate key to business success is customer satisfaction. There are two primary factors that play major roles in ensuring customer satisfaction both in the immediate and long term future.
First, a business that is committed to customer satisfaction makes very certain that products or services offered to consumers are top quality. Second, a business that strives to maintain customer satisfaction understands the key role that customer service plays in that process. Therefore, a successful, capable business owner, operator or manager understands the vital role that customer service training plays in the overall scheme of business operations. Indeed, in so many ways, thorough customer service training, including in depth call center customer service training, is the keystone or the glue that actually holds all of the other elements of a thriving business enterprise together.
When it comes to developing a thriving business enterprise, quality customer service has always been the foundation upon which business success is founded. More often than not, customers have the most direct experiences with a business enterprise when seeking customer service or assistance. As a result, establishing a solid customer service training program, complete with call center customer service training, benefits a business by ensuring that a customer’s direct interaction with the business enterprise is positive and professional.
Many businesses spend little time in the development of phone customer service training. This scant attention to phone customer service training is evident in many businesses despite the ultimate reality that most men and women in today’s world access a business’s customer service operation via a telephone call center. Thus, by implementing a call center customer service training program as part of an overall scheme and regimen, a business is able to work to ensure that in every situation a customer’s interaction with customer service staffers is positive, professional, and pleasant.
A phone customer service training scheme cannot downplay the importance of making certain that customer service staffers engage with customers in a pleasant and respectful manner … no matter how upset a calling customer may be in a given situation. One of the benefits of call center customer service training is the development of a call center team that is able to diffuse even the most bombastic of situations.
Achieving long term and broad based customer satisfaction requires work and long term dedication. By embarking on a thorough course of customer service training, which includes call center training in its mix, a business enterprise will be laying a solid foundation upon which business success will be evident today — and well into the future. Satisfied customers draw even more satisfied customers to a business, ensuring future success.
Tags: advice, customer loyalty, customer service, Growing Your Business, PR, tips
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Tweaking Your Customer Service Department
Monday, March 10th, 2008
One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is in their customer service departments. From a Fortune 500 company to the humble ma and pop shop, you need to have good customer service. The people in your customer service department are the representatives of your company and they are the people that most of your customers and potential customers will encounter the most - so it is vital that your company be presented in a professional light during any encounter with the public.
Tone of Voice
It’s worth mentioning about tones of voice. We all know different tones of voice mean different things. You can say "Good morning!" with an excited tone showing you are excited and happy at the prospects of the day, or with a depressed, slow tone to your voice which lets the listener know you’re not very happy at the moment. Take that further to a customer service call. Answering the phone or saying "How many I help you?" with a particular tone can set the mood for the entire conversation with a customer.
Listen
It is important that you let the customer talk. Don’t interrupt and wait your turn to speak. If both of you are speaking at the same time, no one will get heard. Don’t think about what you’re going to say while they are speaking, really listen to what you’re being told. If you are genuinely interested in helping someone, the words will come easily if you’re engaged in an actual conversation with them. Also simply talking will help a lot of people cool down if you happen to be dealing with a customer that is less than pleased with your company’s service.
Keep it Positive
People tend to react to negativity with even more negativity. Keep your responses as positive as possible. If you’ve been asked to do something that you absolutely can’t do for the customer, try to start your sentence off with, "I apologize, but I am unable to do that. How about [offer other solution]?".
Leave Your Personal Problems Out of It
So you had a fight with your spouse, or someone nearly hit you on the way to work, or another day-ruining event happened; leave it outside the door. Don’t let a bad morning color your every dealing with a customer. In order to be professional, it is important to let those feelings go, or you might wind up venting on an undeserving person on the other end of the line or standing right in front of you.
Use these tips and help your customer service department become even more professional and adept at dealing with every customer concern that arises - your company will reap the rewards for it!
Tags: advice, customer service, Generating More Sales, Rebecca Button, Sales, tips
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Ungluing Sticky Fingers - 7 Tips for Tackling Shoplifting
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
Have you ever thought about how much money you could be losing from merchandise that goes out the door without your knowledge?
The price of shoplifting on retail businesses is high. Millions of dollars are lost to shoplifting annually. This represents lost money that you have to make up through increased sales.
Even if your store loses only ten dollars a day to shoplifting (which is a low estimate for retail shops), that translates to over $3,600 a year. How much nicer would it be to have an extra $3,600 in the bank instead of trying to make up for $3,600 in stolen goods?
Reducing loss takes work. And that work will be rewarded by a boost to your company’s bottom line.
Here are tips to protecting your store from shoplifters:
1. Out of Sight, Out of Store - Shoplifters look for an opportunity to steal and get away with it. Where does your staff stand in the store? At the cash register? Near the dressing rooms? From their vantage points, are there areas of the store they cannot see clearly?
These “blind spots” are where shoplifters go to grab merchandise. Rearrange your store to allow clear sight of all the racks and items from wherever your employees are.
2. Shoplifters Hate Great Customer Service - Not only is great customer service a way to make your buying customers happy, it is also a way to scare away non-buying customers who would try to steal from you.
By making sure your employees know where all customers are and go out of their way to offer assistance, shoplifters will know that they will probably be spotted - and will be prosecuted if they try to take anything.
3. Pay Attention To The Fitting Rooms - If you run a clothing store, the fitting rooms are an area where a lot of shoplifters will try to hide merchandise in their clothes or belongings and steal them.
Make sure an employee counts the articles of clothing both on the way in and on the way out.
4. Take Temptation Away - If you look around your store with a critical eye, you can see which items will likely catch the eyes of shoplifters. Items that are more expensive and easier to sneak out with - like jewelry - should be under lock and key to keep unwanted hands out of the till.
5. Have Enough Employees - The best time for a shoplifter to strike is when there is only one employee working the cash register. They know that person is focusing on transactions, leaving them with an open window to take off with the goods. Never leave just one person running the shop.
6. Don’t Go Light on Shoplifters - Often, once a storeowner catches a shoplifter they will let them go if they “promise not to do it again”. This is a surefire way to have more shoplifters come to your store. The lighter your prosecution policy, the more likely you are of being a target.
Instead, you should prosecute shoplifters to the fullest extent of the law. This sends a message that you will not allow this activity in your store - both to the shoplifter you caught and others.
7. Get Your Employees Involved - You should have a shoplifting policy in place, letting your employees know what to do if they catch a shoplifter. Make sure they are fully trained on what and what not to do. Many businesses also offer an employee reward program, offering bonuses to employees who catch shoplifters in the act.
While you will never be able to completely stop shoplifters from trying to target your store, the more you do to make this a harder task for them, and levy consequences when they are caught, the more likely they are to avoid your store - and hit one with a lighter enforcement policy.
Tags: advice, brick and mortar, customer service, Generating More Sales, Leeia Ladipoh, protecting your business, retail, Sales, shoplifting, tips
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Increase Customer Loyalty Through Communication
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
When you receive a comment or feedback, ask yourself how would you want someone to respond to you if it was you giving the feedback or comment? Moreover, how does it make you feel when the restaurant you always go to remembers you and what you usually order? Or maybe you buy a lot on eBay from one seller in particular -how does it make you feel when the seller remembers your name and the products you’re interested in? By placing yourself into your customers’ shoes and remembering their buying habits or feedback, your customers will be more loyal to you because you care about them and their business.
Effective customer communication is important for both attaining and maintaining customer loyalty. Here are a few things to remember in order to create and maintain customer loyalty.
Building a customer knowledge base. It is important to first look at what you know about your customers. For instance, if you have had a long-time customer, do you and your employees remember how long they have been a customer? Have you obtained some personal information, such as their birthday or anniversary? This information is very helpful in a sales-oriented business. Regardless, knowing how long they have been a customer and remembering some key information, such as their buying patterns, will go a long way in helping to maintain customer loyalty.
Responding to feedback, and in a timely manner. You value customer feedback. In order to obtain customer feedback in a timely manner, you have established a means for customers to submit feedback on your website, or even at your physical location. It is imperative to ensure that someone gets back to the customer, even if it is an acknowledgment of receipt. If there is a serious concern, your first priority should be to investigate and deal with the situation. Even if it’s a suggestion for improving a service provided or business idea, getting back to the customer will affirm their loyalty and give you a good reputation. You want the word of mouth referrals to be positive, not negative.
Improving communication through emails. Obtaining customer emails for marketing your products or services is a great way to illicit more business; but how are you communicating through those emails? Are they relevant and interesting to your customers? Are you emailing them enough, or too much? Evaluate your email marketing program to ensure it’s cultivating customer loyalty, not scaring customers away.
On the other side of the coin, some people may be opting out of receiving emails because there is too much being sent out, the email content isn’t interesting to them, etc. This will happen, and whatever the reason, ensure that the unsubscribe process is easy for the customer. Having an unsubscribe process that takes a long time will only frustrate the customer and potentially prompt them to send a nasty gram. Again, make it as easy as possible for the customer to both sign up and to unsubscribe.
In essence, when you own a business where you provide a service or product, practicing effective communication by remembering them, listening to their feedback and what information they provide you, as well as responding to your customers will illicit better customer loyalty.
Tags: advice, customer loyalty, customer service, Generating More Sales, Growing Your Business, larry Slusser, tips
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