Growing Your Business - With Customer Service

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What do these companies have in common, Southwest Airlines, Neiman Marcus, Marriot, Disney, and Enterprise Car Rental? They are all customer service pioneers.

The Cost Of A Lost Customer

Have you ever lost a customer because of a mistake you or someone else in your organization made? Have you ever thought of the potential cost of that defecting customer?

Using CRM Software To Keep Clients

Not all companies use CRM software, and companies that do use it often find that surprising. They know the benefits of the CRM software and how much it can do for their companies.

Is The Recession Hurting Your Customer Service ?

Great companies make sure all their employees are involved in customer service.

Top Tips for Perfect Customer Service

The 7 Secrets Of Wow! Customer Service

This article shows you how to give your customers a service that will knock them dead in their tracks.

Are You Providing Outstanding Customer Service?

Your customers are your business. Without them, life would be very difficult. The best way to keep your customers, and get new ones, is to provide outstanding customer service.

Improve Customer Service for Your Business

Today's organizations are faced with the challenge of attracting and retaining customers. The answer is customer service!

Making Sure Your New Business is Fully Accessible

Web based help desk software helps you increase your customers’ satisfaction

Everyday you get heaps of inquiries from your clients and sometimes it is difficult to answer them all in appropriate time.

Perception vs. Reality Is Killing Your Referrals

You've worked with a client for some time. You perceive they are happy with your work. And naturally, you're expecting them to refer...

4 Tried and True Techniques To Create Loyal, Life-Long Customers

The IT Consultant: Considering the Costs of Downtime

There’s nothing more stressful for IT consultants than getting the dreaded emergency call from a client whose office is "crippled" because of a major systems outage.

Computer Service Repair Business and Providing Customer Service During All Aspects of a Sale

Customer service is a crucial part of the computer service repair business, because computer service repair is about working with customers to solve problems.

Home Business And Customer Service: Is It Necessary?

Having a home business does not mean that customer service is not important Quite the opposite is true, because your home business does not have a huge customer base, so it is important to keep your customers satisfied so they tell their friends and become repeat customers

10 Tips On Improving Customer Service

Benefits of Using Customer Phone Surveys

Most companies spend huge amounts of their budgets to attract new customers to their business, while neglecting and then losing existing customers.

How to Respond to Angry Customers

Ten powerful steps to diffuse angry customers, address the issues and sustain customer loyalty.

A Comparative Study in Customer Service

Once upon a time, both of my laptop computers failed within the same week. This was an interesting opportunity to see how the two manufacturers reacted to the same situation. Their contrasting responses were interesting, to say the least.

Customer Service Principles

By The Service Coach

What do these companies have in common, Southwest Airlines, Neiman Marcus, Marriot, Disney, and Enterprise Car Rental? They are all customer service pioneers. Each company has forged a new path through their commitment, dedication, and innovations, to become known as leaders in delivering excellent customer service. Serving the customer is more than some fancy words on their company mission statements. Customer service truly represents the very essence of each company’s’ existence.

These companies, along with hundreds more, have already done the hard work; they have laid the ground work, set the examples, and blazed the trails for other companies to follow. They have demonstrated how to achieve success by serving the customer.

Why then, don’t all companies follow this proven path to success?

Do they not know the core principles these companies follow?

To borrow a concept from the Late Show with David Letterman, this is a top ten list of principles all companies need to implement to achieve service excellence.

Number 10: Focus – The customer should always be the number one focus of any company. All decisions, services, and products should be based upon satisfying the needs and expectations of the customers.

Number 9: Take Action – The best laid plans will never come to life, without action. If you are going to talk-the-talk, then you must walk-the-walk. When companies, which brag about the importance of customer service, fail to deliver outstanding service, customers and employees lose faith and trust in them.

Number 8: Create Happy Employees – Your employees’ beliefs, attitudes and behaviors determine the quality of the customer service provided. The quality of customer service will never exceed the quality of the people who provide it. Happy employees create happy customers.

Number 7: Develop Employees – The three key words in employee development are training, training, and training. Teach your employees how to serve the customer, equip them to serve, and then empower them to serve with excellence.

Number 6: Establish Relationships – Customer loyalty is achieved by having a relationship with your customers. The stronger the relationship, the more loyal your customer becomes. Relationships are built upon trust, communication, and interaction. Every customer interaction is an opportunity to further enhance communication and improve trust.

Number 5: Measure Performance – If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Measuring customer satisfaction, customer feedback, and employee adherence to customer service standards is paramount in delivering exceptional customer service with any degree of consistency. Always inspect what you expect

Number 4: Build Team Unity – To achieve optimal success everyone must be on the same page, striving for the same goal, aspiring to the same vision, and functioning as a team. Teamwork will always produce greater results, then individuals working alone.

Number 3: Formulate a Plan – Is the care your customers receive by design or by default? Without a crystal clear, well defined, universal set of customer service standards you will leave customer satisfaction up to chance. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Number 2: Commit to Excellence – Customer service is the number one differentiator in today’s competitive marketplace. Having a good product or a low price does not guarantee a competitive advantage or customer loyalty anymore. Commit to installing and fostering a customer-first culture within your company. Serving with excellence is a choice.

And the Number 1 principle all companies need to implement to achieve service excellence is:

Belief – Believe in the power of customer service. Believe in necessity of customer retention. Believe in the relationship between customer loyalty and the growth of your business. Believe that becoming customer-focused not only makes good business sense but it guarantees increased revenue and profit. It has been said,” A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses, it is an idea that possesses the mind.”

I challenge every company to not only implement these principles, but to have the faith, courage, and vision to move beyond providing excellent customer service to building a reputation as a customer service pioneer.

Some companies make things happen

Some companies watch what happens

Some companies wonder what happened

About the Author: My name is Glen Hamilton. I teach companies how to build customer loyalty. My expertise is in defining the “Why” and “How To” in achieving customer satisfaction, then moving companies beyond satisfaction onto the realm of customer loyalty. My mission is to educate, motivate, and inspire others to service with excellence. My vision is for all companies to strive for 110% customer satisfaction - 100% of the time.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

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The Cost Of A Lost Customer

by Shaun Belding

Have you ever lost a customer because of a mistake you or someone else in your organization made? Have you ever thought of the potential cost of that defecting customer? There's a reason that conflict resolution training and service failure recovery training is so important in today's competitive environment.

Here is a model to illustrate how important it is that we minimize defecting customers. Follow along with numbers from your own company to give you an idea of how much an angry customer can be costing you.

There are two basic factors involved in calculating the cost of a defecting customer:

The average Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
The ripple effect

Calculating a CLV

The Customer Lifetime Value is the average amount one customer might be expected to spend with one business over a lifetime. It involves three components:

i. The average dollar amount per transaction

ii. The average number of transactions per year

iii. The average number of years a customer remains in a business's primary target group

Let's use a coffee shop as an example. You might think that losing a single customer because of poor service in that business isn't a big deal. Think again.

Assume an average dollar amount per transaction of $3.00, and that the average customer is there once a day, for approximately 200 days a year. That means $600 ($3 per transaction x 200 transactions) per year, per customer. How long does an average customer remain in a coffee shop's target group? Let's estimate just 5 years to be conservative. That means that the lifetime value of an average customer is $3,000 ($600 per year x 5 years). That $3 customer has just turned into a $3,000 customer. And it doesn't stop there.

The Ripple Effect

The Ripple Effect is the impact of a service failure beyond the initial incident and initial customer. A large body of research shows that the average customer will tell 7-10 people about a bad service experience; and that people will tend to avoid businesses they have heard negative things about, and patronize businesses they have heard positive things about.

So, let's assume the worst case scenario: that a customer has a negative experience in the coffee shop, and says she's never coming back. She then tells ten people about her experience, all ten people also fall in the primary target group, and all ten subsequently choose to avoid the coffee shop in the future. The CLV is now multiplied by 11 (the initial customer, plus the ten others). With the Ripple Effect, therefore, the potential cost of a single service failure over a five year period in a coffee shop is as high as $33,000. Even if these numbers are only half correct, it's still a lot of money for a single bad coffee experience!

If this isn't motivation to work on your dealing with difficult customer skills, I don't know what is!

About the Author: Shaun is CEO of The Belding Group of Companies, which helps organizations improve customer experience through customer service training and measurement. He is recognized as one of the leading global experts on customer service, service recovery, employee performance and building positive workplaces.

Shaun is author of the global best-selling “Winning with the (customer, employee, boss, caller) from Hell” book series, published in 10 languages. His newest book - "Win at Work: navigate the nasties, get things done and get ahead" is scheduled for release in Spring 2010.

Shaun speaks extensively on customer service, employee performance and positive workplaces. For more information, visit www.beldingskills.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

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Using CRM Software To Keep Clients

by Lincoln Roth

Not all companies use CRM software, and companies that do use it often find that surprising. They know the benefits of the CRM software and how much it can do for their companies. They find that they can get more clients � and keep the ones they have � when they use it, as well. Naturally, keeping clients is vital. However, getting new ones is also something that needs to be done. By using CRM software, clients can be reassured. They are treated well, and they feel as though their opinion matters. Because of this, they often tell others of their experiences with a particular company. In doing so, word of mouth advertising spreads quickly. Those who hear about the quality of the company may then try it, and more clients will be gained.

The way that CRM keeps customers feeling secure, and the way that it brings in new ones through word of mouth work together to allow for a lot of help for companies. It is remarkable how many companies are now moving toward using this software. Generally, it is larger companies. However, this is not because CRM software is not good for smaller companies. Instead, it is because larger companies simply have more difficulty keeping track of their clients. They usually have a larger client base, and they also have more people who may need access to that information. For smaller companies, however, getting and using CRM software can be very beneficial. It enables them to be ready when they grow and their client base expands.

This is highly important for companies that feel as though they must continue to build the number of clients that they have. These companies want to be ready for whatever comes next, and this is a good idea, especially for smaller companies. Larger ones can also benefit , though, because they still want to gain new clients. Just because someone has a good client base, he or she usually still wants more. Clients come and go, and getting a steady flow of new ones will not only help the client base grow, but will also help to replace clients who may leave for various reasons. Even a good company will lose clients. This is often through no fault of their own. Clients may relocate. Some may pass away. Still others may find a better deal, a company closer to home, or something that they feel better about.

CRM software can be used for many different things. Most commonly it is used to store names and dates. However, there are many other things it can do. Companies use it to keep track of their client�s purchases and returns. It is also often used to remind salespeople of important appointments and to ensure that they do not forget their clients. This can mean sending out anniversary and birthday cards, returning phone calls more promptly, and handling many other areas of life that are important to business interactions. Overall, using CRM software is one of the best choices that a company can make.

Dave Roth has a site focusing on CRM software reviews His site offers reviews on everything from open source crm to various web based CRM solutions . Not only that, this site gives salespeople the tools to make these tools even more effective.

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

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Is The Recession Hurting Your Customer Service ?

by Mel Luigs

I took a phone call at my office the other day from a pleasant sounding young man representing the national office supply store I have a reward card with. He spent a minute of my time reading from a script about the current deals the company had and then asked me if I would place an order and receive an additional 10% discount. I was very impressed at this point with the telemarketing campaign this company was undertaking to boost sales in this difficult financial period. As all small business people do several times a day, I wished I had thought of this marketing strategy and assisted my clients in implementing it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t need 3 cases of copy paper or a new desk chair so I told the young man that I could not take advantage of the program at this time. I expected to hear him say, “Thanks for your time and we look forward to serving you when you need future office supplies.” Unfortunately, the next words out of his mouth were – “I need you to place an order today because I have a quota and will be fired if I don’t meet my quota this week.” Very little in the business world shocks me anymore but this did. I immediately asked him if I could speak to his supervisor and he uttered some expletive as he quickly disconnected our phone call.

I wish I could say this is an anomaly in the business world but it has become more and more common place over the last year. As our sales slow and our profits turn to losses, all companies are reducing personnel and asking our remaining employees to do more until the recession ends. Many small and medium businesses are currently staffed with 50% to 75% of their normal employee level. We all recognize that while sales are down from last year, there is only so long that we can stretch our people until they become as frustrated as the telemarketer from the national office supply company.

Due to my work as a consultant, I am much more tolerant than most customers and will continue to use the national office supply company but how many individuals would simply tear up that rewards card and switch to a different office supply company? I have to believe that young man will run off many customers before he gets fired by the company and the company will have no idea why several of their customers are not returning. I suspect the young man was hired just over the past several months after he was fired from another firm and was hired because he was cheap and had experience. His training definitely was not very good and his supervision is not good at all.

Small and medium sized business must pay very close attention to their customer service attitude at all times since this is the primary element separating you from your competitors. The internet and our new global business environment insure that having a unique product is no longer the only acceptable piece of a company’s sales strategy. Better products are showing up in the marketplace daily so a good business uses great customer service to keep customers from trying different products and companies. It is ironic that your company must pay more attention to customer service when sales drop yet you cannot afford customer service employees. It is, however, a fact of business life.

Great companies make sure all their employees are involved in customer service. Are your employees trained and a part of your customer service strategy? The Accounts Payable clerk, the warehouseman, your delivery personnel, and even your janitor must all be trained and understand the company’s customer strategy and how they fit into it. If this has not been the case in the past, take the time right now to start. This cannot be a onetime all employee meeting. This must be several meetings every month and must continue forever !!

Customer Service must be in your Mission Statement. It must be a part of your interview process with potential employees. It must be in your training for all employees. It must be a part of your incentive package. It must be a chapter in your employee manual. It must be talked about daily in staff meetings, employee gatherings, etc. The bottom line is that it must be the primary attitude in your business and it must be communicated and discussed daily. You, as a business owner or senior manager, must embrace customer service and demonstrate good customer service at all times.

Most employees see customer service only as a way of treating individuals who buy your products or service. As a business owner or manager, you must help everyone understand that Customer Service is an attitude that governs how we deal with everyone including fellow employees and suppliers.

Now that you have established a great customer service attitude in your company, you must make sure the training and follow up with all employees is in place; even in a financial downturn.

There are many great resources on the internet and many good consultants who can get your company up and running quickly and assist you in making sure that training continues in a positive and efficient manner.

There are also numerous hardware and software products on the market that allow you to record and listen in on your employee’s phone conversation. This is a great training and follow up tool for every business. I personally like the various software products that record these conversations directly to your network computer server and can be reviewed directly on your PC in your office. Some of your employees may initially see this as an invasion of their privacy but you must explain this is your way to provide positive feedback and customer service training. Your employee manual should already have a statement outlining that all activity on company assets such as phones and computers can be reviewed by management at any time. Your outside legal advisor should assist you with your state requirements but this is not a major issue in any state.

If that young man from the office supply store was being reviewed with phone recording software, he would already be unemployed and I would have received a personal letter from the company’s president apologizing for that call and offering me an amazing deal to keep me as a customer. Since I have not received that letter, I have to assume his only review comes from a list of the purchase orders his calls have generated.

I have used this software in the past as an initial as well as a continuing training tool to ensure a company knows and controls the exact message it is sending to its customers and potential customers.

Another great and inexpensive customer feedback tool is your own company website. Make sure you have something listed on your home page that makes it easy and simple for a customer to get information to you. You can make this as sophisticated as you wish but do not burden your customer with having to know the serial number, date purchased, color of the cashier’s hair, etc. Start out simple and make it easy for your customer to give you whatever information he or she feels is necessary.

This also gives you the ability to lead your customer back to your website for additional information you want to provide. It’s truly a win-win situation. I would also recommend having your website programmer attach a simple “auto-responder” message for your customer. The message should be sent to their email address within 5 minutes of them hitting the submit button. It should be simple and just state something to the extent of “We appreciate you taking the time to contact us and someone will be back with you within 24 hours. If you do not hear from us, feel free to contact our President personally at 999-999-9999.”

Your problem is to have an employee review this information every few hours and you, as President, must be able to take those phone calls if your company doesn’t respond properly. Putting your phone number on the email will ensure your company listens to the customer feedback and replies timely.

Customer Service is a major responsibility and privilege for every company. Not paying enough attention to customer service will ensure the failure of every small and medium business. Take the time during this financial downturn to review your company’s customer service attitude and insure your customer has no need to buy from your competitors.

About the Author:

Mel Luigs is the President and CEO of AML & Associates, a national management consulting company, which provides a "Part Time" CFO for small and medium business that want to grow and expand. He is a highly accomplished executive with a solid history of developing critical business solutions and demonstrated leadership in both small and Fortune 500 companies. He has a strong combination of operational and financial expertise in both the manufacturing, retail and franchise business areas along with a solid background building strong working relationships, growing small companies or departments, building customer oriented teams and obtaining results. His company website is www.aml-associates.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com

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Top Tips for Perfect Customer Service

by Mark Richards

In every business, the customer should be considered the king. Once we realize this, we will also realize that our business is all about keeping our customers happy and not as much about our products and services as we might think. It is often seen that stores are lavishly designed and loaded with expensive merchandise, but without stellar customer service, this is all for nothing.

Every company should treat each and every customer like royalty. Keeping this in mind, below are some easy to apply tips that would surely bring a customer back for more:

1. Your customer service representatives are more valuable then the customer service they provide. If you think that by paying them low wages, giving no benefits and no bonuses and providing little or no training you would expect them to give their best performance, then you are mistaken. A happy customer service representative usually means that they will keep your customers happy as well.

2. Your sales representative will treat your customers they same way you will treat them. The employees tend to adopt the manners of their management, the same way they take after their parents. If you would address your employees enthusiastically everyday day; so would they to the customers. When a customer complains of your representatives being rude, then the fault lies at your feet.

3. You should know your customers inside out. We all want to feel special and important. When we go to a shop, we want to be called out by our name and the representative should remember important things about us like what our favorite color is, what our favorite meal is or what our favorite drink is. A customer service representative should know all this about his customer, if the customer comes on regular basis.

4. Do your customers know who you are? You should be so good in dealing with customers that if they see you in the market they should call you out by name. It is often seen in some firms and organizations that they put their managers and employees pictures on the main offices or store entrances so that the customers would know the face of the person who is in charge. This can increase the confidence they have in your company by associating a human face with your company.

5. For excellent customers, be prepared to go the extra mile. If a customer is regular and brings in steady money, you should make every effort to retain them. Details like thank you notes, cards and gifts will go a long way to insure they stay a customer.

Mark Richards turns Dreams into Reality. He teaches how to produce great customer service with some simple steps at Customer Service Training Sydney.

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

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The 7 Secrets Of Wow! Customer Service

by Eric Garner

This article shows you how to give your customers a service that will knock them dead in their tracks.

Your aim in giving your customers exceptional service is to make them say "Wow!" as soon as you leave them. You can do that if you make the following 7 tips part of your normal pattern of service.

1. Give Your Customers Plenty of Strokes. People love to be stroked. Just like domestic pets, we like it when we are fussed at, smiled at, and given gentle touches. Strokes can include any greeting, the use of people's names, and good wishes of the "Have-a-nice-day" kind. But the best stroke you can give others is your undivided attention.

2. Surprise Them With The Unexpected. British Airways airline discovered that passenger goodwill increases when staff do unexpected extras such as spontaneous conversations or invitations to visit the flight deck. These have to remain extras and not the norm if they are to retain their surprise value.

3. Attend To The Little Things. Paying attention to the little things which don't significantly affect the main service is a way of saying: "If we look after the little things, just think what we'll do with the big ones." Such detail includes sparkling washrooms that you could eat your meals from and customer notices that don't talk down to people.

4. Anticipate Customers' Needs. In a survey of airport check-in staff, customers rated the best staff as those who anticipated their needs. These were staff who would routinely glance down the queue and anticipate the different needs customers had, from the grandmother needing help with her luggage to the business executive wanting a quick service.

5. Always Say "Yes". Great customer carers never turn down a request for help. Even if they can't do it themselves, they'll know someone who can and put you onto them. They always use positive language. Even if the answer is "No, we're closed", it's expressed as "Yes, we can do that first thing tomorrow for you."

6. Treat Them The Same By Treating Them Differently. We hate to see others get better customer service than we do, for example in a restaurant. It makes us feel second-class and devalued. Equally, we don't want to be treated the same as everyone else if that means a standard, soulless response, as you sometimes get in a fast-food restaurant. The secret is to treat everyone the same by treating them differently.

7. Use Tact With Tact. Tact means using adroitness in handling other people's feelings. In awkward or embarrassing moments, tact saves everyone's blushes. It's something your customers will notice but that you should aim to go unnoticed.

Practice these 7 responses until they are as familiar to you as breathing, and you are guaranteed to have customers queuing up for your attention.

Author Information:

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Article Source: Article99.com

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Are You Providing Outstanding Customer Service?

Author: Rita Ballard

Your customers are your business. Without them, life would be very difficult. The best way to keep your customers, and get new ones, is to provide outstanding customer service.

Any contact with a customer provides fertile ground for giving great customer service. On the phone, try smiling when you talk; the smile can be heard on the other end. When meeting a customer in person, shake hands, touch a shoulder or an elbow lightly, and smile with your heart. In written correspondence, use words and phrases that portray a picture of openness and friendliness.

Providing memorable customer service is a great way to keep your name in front of your customers, create an interest to prospects, and be remembered by those who are recipients of your customer service.

Here are some of the ways that I’ve provided excellent customer service:

v Promptly return phone calls.

v Go the extra mile; give a little extra, for free.

v Send small, inexpensive (but not cheap or tacky) gifts to new clients.

v Keep in constant contact.

v Remember customers on major holidays with a card or postcard.

v Ask, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”, and mean it.

v Chat with your customers about their interests.

v Offer to link back to their websites, or place an article of theirs on your site.

v Refer them to others who need what they offer.

v Always say, “Thank you!”

v Call or email just to say hi.

v Tell them how much you enjoy working with them – often.

v Provide freebies occasionally – articles, pens, notepads, etc.

v Remember birthdays.

v Be creative and unique.

v Show them easier, more efficient, or faster ways to do things.

I know that whether or not I hear back from a customer, they will appreciate and remember me. They are more likely to tell others about my business because I have honored who they are and what they need. Creating wonderful business partnerships not only generates more business, but also gives you a widening circle of valuable friendships.

Outstanding customer services is as much about you as it is about your customer. It shows what kind of a business person you are and demonstrates what is important to you. Customer service is a function of the heart, a simple matter of expressing your feelings and sense of gratitude for your customers. How you do this can enhance or hurt your business. Acknowledge those who have chosen to work with you and you will be advertising your business in the best possible light. Ignore your customers and you run the risk of limiting repeat business with them. Simply treat your customers the way you like to be treated.

Author Information:

Rita Ballard has been a virtual assistant since 2003. Her business, Healer’s Helper, provides administrative support to the healing professions: traditional healthcare, behavioral health, alternative and holistic health. Rita can be reached by emailing to Info@healershelper.com or by calling toll free – 877-716-4880, or locally, 360-736-2000. Please visit her website at HealersHelper.com

Article Source: Article99.com

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Improve Customer Service for Your Business

by Jim Sirbasku

Today's organizations are faced with the challenge of attracting and retaining customers. The answer is customer service! This article will provide you with things you can do to improve customer service so that you can ensure customer satisfaction. Whether you're an executive, a manager or a team leader, the following information will be beneficial to you.

Keeping customers satisfied is essential to building a successful, growing business. While many companies work hard to increase sales, they may overlook the little things that keep customers happy and buying more. It is easier to accelerate your business by cultivating the customers you already have rather than constantly working to attract new customers. To take it to another level, when a company meets customer expectations, it is ensuring customer satisfaction. However, in this competitive marketplace when customers receive value or benefits beyond what they had expected, the company and the representative has delighted the customer. A truly delighted customer will be more loyal to your company and products than even a satisfied customer.

Building a team of qualified representatives that can cultivate positive customer relationships is no small task. You can start to improve customer service in your organization by selecting employees with critical skills. This helps to establish and maintain the kind of customer oriented culture your industry demands. You should also remember that fostering outstanding customer service is every employee's responsibility. Regardless of their position, every employee interacts with external or internal customers or both, and the impression they leave can make or break not only that sale but future sales as well.

Some people hired into customer service positions lack the personality and the fundamental attributes essential to becoming top performers. In fact, many of those individuals hired for a given position may not even be suited for customer service. Others may have people skills, but are performing below expectations because they are in the wrong industry or do not fit well within their team. These factors reduce the number of customer service professionals from whom leaders can expect superior performance.

Customer service assessments will help you select employees with the ability and temperament to enhance the reputation of your organization. Perhaps even more importantly, the assessments will help your organization establish and maintain the kind of customer-oriented culture your industry demands. Many customer service assessments are available in five versions - four that are specific to the areas of healthcare, finance, retail and hospitality, and one general edition that is suitable for any industry.

Customer service assessments measure six behavioral tendencies and two proficiencies associated with excellent customer service. The behavioral characteristics (conformity, flexibility, empathy, focus, trust and tact) and the proficiencies (vocabulary and mathematics) will help you identify candidates with superior customer service skills and give you the information needed to coach and train existing employees for greater success. When you hire employees using assessments, you will populate your organization with people who will increase customer satisfaction, reduce complaints, build customer loyalty, increase sales and make significant gains in profitability.

Jim Sirbasku is co-founder and CEO of Profiles International, a leading provider of human resource management solutions and employment assessments for businesses worldwide. For more information about using assessments to improve customer service, visit our website.

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

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Making Sure Your New Business is Fully Accessible

by Adam Singleton

It’s a well known fact that the failure rate for new businesses is alarmingly high. That’s why it makes sense that if you are setting up a new business you make sure you do all you can to keep your customers happy.

A common reason for people becoming dissatisfied with any business is the inability to get in touch with someone when they need help or advice, whether it concerns an order, a possible future project or perhaps some after sales advice.

It’s clear that all new businesses need to make sure they have the right methods of contact in place so that people can get in touch easily when they need to. After all, if you have a high profile client that brings a lot of business – and revenue – your way, you will want to be there during office hours to assist them in any way you can. If they continually get a ringing phone or an answer phone they may well give up and go elsewhere.

This is where the problems can begin for small businesses in particular, especially if you are the only member of staff present. What happens if you need to visit a supplier or simply pop out to post some urgent mail? Not every small business has the funds to employ someone as a secretary to handle phone calls during office hours.

Luckily there are plenty of solutions that can help you maintain a professional image at all times. It’s always a good idea to record a competent and professional answer phone message that gives alternative ways to get in touch, should you miss a call for any reason. You can also have a business mobile to carry with you at all times.

Call forwarding is perhaps one of the most useful features you can take advantage of, especially if your business is very heavily internet and computer based and you use an online phone service to receive most of your calls. This means you won’t be tied to your computer all day, as it is a simple matter of redirecting your number to an alternative mobile or landline number.

If you decide to take advantage of this extremely useful feature, make sure you are still the voice of professionalism when you answer your phone. Remember that this feature allows you to be mobile or even at home if necessary – but your caller won’t know that. As far as they are concerned you are in your office or workshop, and you are prepared to answer a call and be as helpful as possible.

Technology can be a huge boon for any business, and having your calls forwarded to a more convenient location or number can make all the difference between making a sale or losing it.

Article Source: Amazines.com

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Web based help desk software helps you increase your customers’ satisfaction

by Rick Martin

Everyday you get heaps of inquiries from your clients and sometimes it is difficult to answer them all in appropriate time. Moreover, sometimes you discover that you have answered the same client twice or that you have completely forgotten to answer a client that has written to you weeks ago. Does this picture look familiar? Then you need to organize your customer support service. Web based help desk software is an optimizing tool that will help you keep track of your customers’ inquiries, by assigning each of them a unique number and saving it in a database that you can consult any time. This way, you will always be able to tell to which inquiries you have provided feedback and to which you have not. Help desk support will therefore increase the efficiency of your customer support center.

It is understandable that when a customer has a problem, he or she wants it solved as soon as possible, so it would be better to deal with it immediately, if it is possible. The most important thing is to let the client know that you are working hard to help him or her. Help desk software helps you stay close to your clients. Perhaps some clients do not have any complaints to make, but they want to know more information about a certain product or service. In this case, web based help desk software helps you to answer them quickly and provide them the information that they need. What the customers must feel is that you are there for them and you truly desire to do everything you can to solve the problem.

Help desk software enables you to manage the inquiries of customers and provides other services such as e-mail notification, correspondence tracking, ticket monitoring, searchable database and reports analyzer. To keep away from multiple answers to the same inquiry, only one of the operators will claim ownership over a ticket issued at a customer’s demand. Consequently, that inquiry will become his or her responsibility.

The operator then sends an answer to the customer. Web based help desk software can show you at any moment the situation of the received inquiries: the name of the client, date and subject of the inquiry, the operator responsible and the status of the inquiry (if it has been dealt with or not). This way the entire customer support activity will become more efficient.

Make your work easier now. Try our affordable and easy-to-use web based help desk software. Dealing with your customers’ requests has never been easier. Your customers will be satisfied when they see that their requests meet prompt solutions and you will be satisfied to see that the clients trust your company. Apart from help desk software, you need of course a professional and experienced staff that can deal efficiently with the clients’ issues.

Paying attention to the clients’ needs, allotting patience to find the proper solution and showing empathy are the ingredients required for a successful client support activity. Show your clients that they are important to you. When you sell products and services, you must be prepared to face some complaints from some clients. All the companies have (or should have) a customer support service that takes care of the clients’ issues.

To make sure that all customer issues meet their solution quickly and efficiently, you need web based help desk software, an organizing tool that increases the competence of your customer support. We provide superior and low-priced help desk software that will help you improve your business.

Article Source: SubmitYourNewArticle.com

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Perception vs. Reality Is Killing Your Referrals

by Daryl Logullo

You've worked with a client for some time. You perceive they are happy with your work. And naturally, you're expecting them to refer business to you and send you new client referrals. Yet the reality is that this person may have certain reservations that he or she has never directly voiced to you (or perhaps subtly hinted about.)

This undertone of Perception vs. Reality is sabotaging your chance to get more referrals and referred business from them. Let me explain.

Positioning, or perception of you, is how the client imagines you versus other choices - namely, your competitors. The fact that their may be a limited supply of your competitors readily available to your client, means the client has limited choices. This can be good for you as short-term retention tool, but it can also sabotage your long-term consistent referral efforts.

For example, let's take a niche such as physicians. Doctors are a busy group. They run hectic practices and hire administrators to oversee their operations. Let's say you are a marketing consultant that helps a doctor increase his or her referred patients. Your expertise is referral marketing.

A doctor may know other professionals, true. But they probably don't know very many who are honed at practice management and referral generation. This reduces their supply of marketing consultant "relationships." While this is an advantage to you as the consultant (limited supply of competitors) it can seriously hurt your relationship. Why?

Human nature being what it is, means worry, concerns and angst will eventually creep in, silently reminding the physician, "You could be getting more referred patients, and there must be someone else you can work with who is good at referral strategies."

The problem is relational-disconnect begins to form. This hurts opportunities for word-of-mouth introductions.

For whatever reason during the time you have worked together, the doctor's perception has now become that you are not as talented as he or she once believed. They may start to imagine and perceive even more: That you are preoccupied. That you've become too busy. That you really aren't as responsive as you once were. And those perceptions - false as they may be to you - continue to grow and grow into accepted reality of the doctor.

The truth is that, we as people, in our distracted, hectic lives, won't always stop to "fact-check" ourselves and our misguided perceptions - to see if they are indeed real. Much like the Doctor, in my example.

To improve you referrals, word-of-mouth marketing and referred business, make sure people you are working with have opportunities to check their perceptions of you versus the reality of the situation. One of the easiest ways of encouraging this is via honest open communication that encourages complaints and objections.

Try saying, "Mr. Client, I've enjoyed our relationship. I'd like you to refer others to me. But before we discuss that, I'd like you to be perfectly candid with me: What have I been doing that has bothered you?"

The comments you hear will go a long way to helping you open genuine communication. They will also impact your chances to get more referrals.

Daryl Logullo is the Founder of Strategic Impact!

and Marketing-Referrals-Tools.com. He concentrates

on referral building strategies for today's professional. Get a FREE Sample Client Referral Letter ($199 value), instantly delivered to you at

Marketing-Referrals-Tools.com

Article Source: BylamoArticles.com

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4 Tried and True Techniques To Create Loyal, Life-Long Customers

by Allyn

Let's be honest... everybody knows that people are in business to make money. Yeah, customer's know you've got our eyes set on making a profit, but they still want to believe that you are in business for more than just their money. Do your customers know that you really care about them? Here are 4 "tried and true" techniques to show them you care.

1. Be Personal

I recently walked into a well-known store and spoke with a salesperson who really seemed to have it going on. I felt pretty good about the interaction, until I walked away and heard him reciting the same spiel he had just used with me moments earlier.

Customers are looking for personal one-on-one recognition. In this automated world, they are used to feeling like just a number, and crave to have real interaction. Take the time to discover their lifestyle before you try to sell them a one-size-fits-all product. Think about the ways the product will benefit THEM.

You'll find that there are pockets of people with similar interests and needs. Hey, that's the perfect opportunity to customize your sales campaign to the needs of different market niches.

2. Look Out For The Customer

Sure, you've sat and listened to boring sales speaches that went on and on about every feature, aspect and guarantee a product had to offer. Yeah, BORING! Customers don't give a hoot about the specific details and credentials of you and your product nearly as much as they want to know how it will benefit them.

Make sure your advertisements on the Web, sales letters, and other promotions point out the advantages to the customer. Keep the focus on them. How will the modern features make life easier? How will your credentials make you better equipped to help them?

3. Stay in Contact

There are a lot of customers who don't buy on the first visit. Sure, there are a fair number of impulsive shoppers, but not everyone shells out the bucks the first time the idea pops into their head to make a purchase. Wise shoppers take a little time to consider it first.

What happens in the meantime? Well, that depends on you. Do you follow up regularly with customers? Give them a little additional information each time, and build a relationship of trust. Before long, you'll have a loyal customer spreading the word about your business.

Internet marketers need to devise ways of getting email addresses to use for follow-up strategies. Free newsletters and complimentary reports are perfect for opening the door for future communications.

4. Be "Question Friendly"

Nothing says, "I really care," like taking the time to thoroughly answer a question - no matter how small. Think of it this way... a customer who is asking questions is considering the possibility of making a purchase. Hey, it might not be today or tomorrow, but someday you'll reap the benefits of the time you spend answering their questions.

Is it easy for your customers to ask a question? Now, I'm not talking about calling an automated answering service that you spend 25 minutes pushing buttons and end up back at the main menu. Can they ask questions, and get personal answers?

Always provide a phone number where a person can be reached, or an email address that someone will personally answer. You can save a lot of time by posting a frequently asked question page, where they can find answers without the effort of making contact.

Assuring customers of their importance is one of the greatest ways to make loyal, life-long customers.

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn is the owner of AllynCutts.com and works personally with clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing strategies that focus on measurable results.

Article Source: NeoArticle.com

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The IT Consultant: Considering the Costs of Downtime

By Joshua Feinberg

There’s nothing more stressful for IT consultants than getting the dreaded emergency call from a client whose office is "crippled" because of a major systems outage.

If you’ve been an IT consultant a while you know the harsh realities of small business technology adoption. Your clients demand perfection, but don’t have much of a technology budget to invest in fault-tolerance.

Clients Should Understand the Costs of Downtime

As their IT consultant, it’s crucial to get your clients to understand the critical importance of protecting against unplanned downtime. The following is a two-pronged approach:

1) Help your clients figure out their cost of downtime.

2) Encourage your clients to invest accordingly in spare PC hardware.

The Cost of Downtime

If your clients have more than a handful of PCs, in time they’ll develop a service history and learn what kinds of hardware items break fairly regularly.

They’ll also learn from you, their IT consultant, how to convince their PC vendor to supply replacement parts under warranty coverage, as well as how to estimate the time for getting the replacement part to their office and installed into the appropriate PC.

Valuing System Downtime

For a quick, back-of-the-napkin calculation of what system downtime might be costing your clients, consider that the hourly cost of system downtime equals:

Projected annual revenue / (Business days per year x Hours in a business day)

Use This Tool on Your Website

If you’re a little handy with JavaScript, this calculator could be a really nifty marketing tool to place on the home page of your IT consultant website. Just be sure to give credit where credit’s due and link back to our end user site, http://www.SmallBizTechTalk.com .

After all is said and done, a major cost to consider is employee downtime, as well as time spent by your clients’ internal gurus chasing down the warranty replacement part, perhaps during an inopportune time.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of computer consultants around the World get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too get more steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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Computer Service Repair Business and Providing Customer Service During All Aspects of a Sale

by Joshua Feinberg

Customer service is a crucial part of the computer service repair business, because computer service repair is about working with customers to solve problems. All aspects of computer repair should be focused on the customer and his problem. There are three phases of customer service, and very often the first and last are ignored. The most important phases are customer service before the repair, during the computer service repair and after the service.

Pre-Sale Customer Service

As a computer service repair employee scheduling an appointment, you need to be mindful of the customer because your contact will be his first impression of the company. A customer who feels taken care-of will feel comfortable and be less anxious about the outcome of the service.

Responding To The Customer During The Sale

A computer service repair technician should arrive at a job prepared to solve customer problems. As a computer service repair technician, you will be expected to listen carefully to concerns and provide valuable responses. You need to report delays and speak in terms your customers will understand and not in excessively technical jargon that will leave them bewildered.

After The Sale

Following up with customers after a sale is critical to good customer service. Just because a computer service repair is done doesn’t mean the relationship is over. Your customers should feel comfortable calling you with follow-up questions and concerns, and you should be prepared to return to fix problems that may not have been previously repaired. Think about writing hand-written thank-you notes as part of the customer service campaign.

Every aspect of the computer service repair business is centered on customer service. Getting feedback from customers can help you make changes and improvements so you can help ensure referrals and calls for repeat business.

Copyright MMI-MMVII, Small Business Computer Consulting .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg gets small business computer consulting firms steady high-paying clients. Get free access now to 1 hour of Joshua’s field-tested proven Small Business Computer Consulting secrets at http://www.SmallBusinessComputerConsulting.com/blog/

Article Source: ArticleRich.com

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Home Business And Customer Service: Is It Necessary?

by Joel Teo

Having a home business does not mean that customer service is not important. Quite the opposite is true, because your home business does not have a huge customer base, so it is important to keep your customers satisfied so they tell their friends and become repeat customers. Just because you never see your customers face to face does not make them any less important to the success of your home business.

Good customer service in a home business makes sure that customer concerns and complaints are handled professionally and appropriately. The motto that the customer is always right is just as true in a home business as it is anywhere else. Customers are what makes your home business a success, and it is important that your customer are satisfied, and that there is an available way to resolve problems and make the customer happy. Having a customer service program in place will ensure that customers have a good experience when dealing with your home business.

Satisfied customers give a business the best advertising there is, word of mouth. This type of advertising can not be bought, it can only be given by satisfied customers. If you do not have good customer service in your home business, the success of the home business is doubtful. Happy customers form the basis for repeat customers, and these customers are happy to tell everyone they know about your home business. Neglecting customer service because you think it unnecessary for a home business is a big mistake that can cost your home business success in the end.

Customer service is a necessary part of running a successful home business, and if you do not put a customer service program in place then it could cost your home business potential customers, profits, and success. Even though you never see your customers face to face, they form a very important base for your home business, and it is important that your home business assures customers of their importance to your organization.

By assuring quality customer service and giving customers the resources necessary to solve any problems or complaints, your home business will be more successful and profitable. Treat customers like the valuable resource that they are, because without satisfied customers there is no reason for your home business to stay open. Customers are the reason that your home business makes a profit, and a good customer service program for your home business will reflect this philosophy.

Joel Teo writes on various financial topics including Las Vegas Real Estate. Learn about Las Vegas Real Estate Investment at http://www.RealEstateInvestment101.info

Article Source: BylamoArticles

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10 Tips On Improving Customer Service
by Court Tuttle

Customer service is one of the most important parts of maintaining a successful business. Whether a person is starting an off-line or online business, customer service must be carefully created and implemented. Stores that customers can actually visit regulate customer service affairs quite easily, but regulating customer service with online customers is quite another story.

This type of customer service is much more difficult to regulate with online businesses. If the profitability of an online company seems to be decreasing, then the quality of customer service must be changed and improved. There are many different ways to makes these necessary changes, but some sort of action must take place.

The first important factor to consider is the treatment of brand new customers or visitors to the web site. When new customers first encounter a web site, they are very cautious about joining the company or even purchasing the advertised products. They have many different concerns and worries that often detract them from dedicating themselves to the site.

Since the Internet is still a fairly new form of technology, people, especially in the older generations, hesitate with online shopping and business. They question the validity of the web site, question whether or not they will get the product they really ordered, and wonder if they will be able to create a trusting relationship with the online business. New customers have many concerns and hesitations about online business, but these fears can be dispelled by following a few simple techniques and methods that implement successful customer service.

The goal of any commercial web site should be to make the customer feel like they are right there in the store, holding the actual product. This sort of reality provides them with a sense of security that helps the customers build trust in the online company. Vivid pictures of your products, impressive product videos, interactive 3-D screens, and informational product details are a few examples of ways that will help enhance the reality of a person's online store.

Another simple method is to have as much information about the company as possible displayed on the web site. This information should include a customer service physical address, email address, and phone number for people to call in case they have questions, comments, or concerns. The customer service phone number should connect clients with actual service representatives rather than a computerized operating system.

Customer service can also be improved by increasing the accountability of the company. The phrase "the customer is always right" is not just a suggestion, but an actual rule that will greatly benefit the online business if consistently followed. Admitting mistakes and even overlooking the mistakes of customers will leave a positive impression on all those people who hear about it.

These special considerations will help people feel comfortable and taken care of every time they visit the web site. They will also receive a sense of security that will ensure the client's continued loyalty to the company.

Court teaches people how to find an internet business opportunity and helps people get the best internet marketing services.

Article Source: BylamoArticles.com

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Benefits of Using Customer Phone Surveys

by Terry Fitzroy

Most companies spend huge amounts of their budgets to attract new customers to their business, while neglecting and then losing existing customers. Although new customers are always nice, it's not new customers that bring in continuous revenues, its existing customers. Are you investing enough in keeping the customer base you have? Do you understand the benefits of using customer phone surveys to keep customers?

If you want customer loyalty, you need to give the customer what they want. You can spend a great deal of money advertising, and just as much guessing about what it is your existing customers want. Why not invest in customer phone surveys? They'll provide you what you need to know to keep customers happy.

In fact, when it comes to learning about your customer, there is nothing else that is as effective as customer phone surveys. For years these surveys have been giving customers a chance to voice their concerns and also to give praise. The information your company gathers during customer phone surveys can help you to establish what it is your existing customers want, which means you can work to keeping them as your customers and that same information can help you attract new customers.

One of the benefits of using customer phone surveys is that you get most of the benefits of face-to-face interviews without the cost of that type of survey. Mailing surveys or having someone on staff asking customers direct survey questions can be costly and sometimes customers are shy about being completely honest when it's face-to-face.

Customer phone surveys give the customer a sense of anonymity, which lends itself to customers being more open with their answers to questions.

If you ever wondered if measurement was actually important just look at the successful business that's growing by leaps and bounds all because they understood the benefits of using customer phone surveys to keep their existing customers happy.

You can't keep your current customers happy if you don't know what your customer is thinking. In fact, you can't fix problems unless you know they exist.

Consider this: it will cost your company as much as 10 times more to acquire a new customer over keeping a customer you already have. For every customer that does make a complaint to you there are 30 that will not. They simply won't return and they'll also pass their dissatisfaction on to 10 friends.

Asking your customer about what they think of your business and how they think you can improve shows just how serious you are about making improvements and keeping customers. Your existing customers will recognize this and reward you with loyalty, they'll tell friends and family about you and your customer service, which will increase the number of new customers that come to your business.

Did you know that customer satisfaction is actually a forecaster of future financial success? There are direct links between loyal customers and successful businesses. Now that you know the benefits of using customer phone surveys, don't you think it's time to give it a try?

Terry Fitzroy is an expert at writing for customer response surveys, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction surveys.

Article Source: BylamoArticles.com

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How to Respond to Angry Customers
By John Mehrmann

Ten powerful steps to diffuse angry customers, address the issues and sustain customer loyalty.

1. Assume that the Customer has a Right to be Angry

Nobody makes mistakes on purpose, but they do happen. If you are working in a call center, behind a counter or in any capacity that directly interfaces with customers then you are going to encounter an irate customer at some time. The most common response is to evaluate the merit of the complaint while your are listening to it. Try to curb that common response and replace it with the assumption that the customer has a right to be angry, even before you know the details.

Perhaps the customer feels betrayed because the product or services did not meet expectations. The customer may be angry because he or she made incorrect assumptions that led to improper expectations. The customer may be angry because of previous experiences, previous contacts with your company or simply because the problem occurred at a very inconvenient time in the customer schedule. Regardless of the circumstances, acknowledge the customer has the privilege to be irate. Listen carefully to how the anger is expressed so you can find the root cause of the emotion.

2. Listen to Emotion without Emotion

Listen to the inflections and emphasis that the customer places on specific topics to identify the emotional catalyst. Listen to the emotion as well as the words. This will help you to identify the specific item or items that need primary attention. Resolving a technical issue may be only partially effective if it does not also address the customer emotional concerns. It may not be possible to completely resolve the emotional distress, but it is appropriate to acknowledge it.

Imagine that a customer experienced a technical malfunction when downloading digital images of a special event, wedding or family vacation. The technical issue may be related to hardware or software, but the emotional distress is related to the risk of losing precious memories. While it is necessary to correct the technical issue, it is also appropriate to acknowledge the risks that create the emotional response. Try to preserve the precious memories or at least explain why they can not be retrieved, but do not ignore the emotional catalyst.

Do not respond with emotion. Remember that the customer anger is not directed at you personally, even if the customer language is directed at you. If the customer language is attacking and borderline abusive, it is because the customer is looking for acknowledgement and response to the emotional distress as well as the technical or administrative issues. It may be necessary to repeatedly acknowledge the customer emotion to diffuse the situation and reassure the customer that you are attentive to the importance of the emotional distress as well as the technical issue.

3. Be Patient

Customer conversations come in waves. When the customer is at the peak of expressing anger, sorrow or distress, be patient and listen. It is not effective to interrupt the customer when he or she is venting combustible sentiments. It is like pouring gasoline on a raging fire. Rather, wait for the waves of emotion to recede and then use that opportunity to interject with reassuring comments.

Sometime the customer anger will erupt and return like another set of waves. When that happens, be patient and wait for the customer to run out of gas before you approach the fire again. Reiterate your compassion, acknowledge the customer right to be angry and the catalyst for the emotional distress. Takes quiet deep breaths and wait patiently for your turn to speak.

4. Speak Softly

If you encounter a loud and abusive customer, respond by speaking softly and with a very steady tone. If you try to shout over the customer or interrupt, then the customer will concentrate on the verbal battle for attention and will not pay attention to the importance of your message. If you want your message to be heard, wait for a pause in the customer tirade. Silence is your golden cue that it is time to speak your important message in a soft voice. Eventually the customer will have to lower his or her voice to hear what you are saying.

Even though it may seem that the customer does not care about what you have to say at first, remember that the customer approached you for resolution. The customer may have built up a considerable amount of emotion before reaching you, but ultimately the customer does want your advice and assistance to resolve the problem. Once the customer remembers why he or she contacted you, the customer will be receptive to your soft spoken conversation.

5. Reiterate

Make sure that you are addressing the technical, administrative and emotional aspects of the customer concerns. After you have listened carefully to the customer, reiterate the priorities that you believe that you heard from the customer perspective. This will assure that you are focused on the appropriate issues and reassure the customer that you are concentrating on the proper priorities.

Use a soft, firm and inquisitive voice. Ask the customer to confirm that you have restated the facts and priorities accurately, then write them down.

6. Own the Problem

It does not matter who created the problem or what transpired before the customer got to you. Tell the customer that you own the problem and will apply your personal effort to achieve results.

Sometimes it may be tempting to distance yourself from the problem by stating that you are not responsible for it, that another department will need to handle it, or that you are just a messenger. Put that temptation in a can and put a lid on it. Expressing that you do not have ownership of the problem or the potential resolution gives the customer a feeling of being adrift and powerless. if the customer senses that he or she is communicating with someone who is powerless, it will create yet another reason to be frustrated and angry.

Even if you do need to work with other departments, get manager approval or coordinate some other type of response, inform the customer that you will personally take the matter into your own hands and follow-up on the issues. The customer does not know your company, your policies or your procedures. The customer will never be able to navigate the requirements, restrictions or resolution with the same knowledge and experience as you. Reassure the customer that you will use your knowledge and experience to coordinate the best possible resolution, even if you need to get the assistance of other parties to achieve it.

7. Place the Customer First, Problem Second

In most cases there are two conflicting issues that occur simultaneously when dealing with irate customers. There first issue is the customer emotional distress. The second is the technical or administrative issue that caused the emotional distress. While it may seem logical to focus first on the technical or administrative issue that cause the emotional distress, it is important to acknowledge the customer anger first and the technical issue second.

Resolving the technical issue may or may not fully resolve the root cause of the customer distress. Acknowledge the customer concerns first and try to calm down the customer enough to help you concentrate on the technical or administrative problems. Sometimes the technical problem may require much more attention because it may impact other customers. Acknowledge the individual customer emotion first, resolve the specific customer technical issue second and reserve addressing any bigger issues as independent activity.

8. Triage

Once you have an opportunity to focus on technical and administrative issues, triage the root cause of the problems to determine what went wrong. Analyze the problem and provide corrective measures or detailed information in an effort to avoid duplicating the problem with other customers. It may be necessary to obtain some additional information from your customer to accurately analyze the root cause of the problem.

9. Correct the Issue

Correct the issue for the specific customer and also look for long term corrective measures. It may not be feasible to give your customer a guarantee that the correction will resolve all problems permanently, but it may be appropriate to reassure the customer that you will be available to assist in the event that another different problem should occur again. Demonstrate your confidence that this specific problem is resolved and is not expected to reoccur. Demonstrate your attention to the specific customer by reiterating original concerns and actions that you took to correct the issue.

10. Follow Up

When possible, follow-up with the customer after sufficient time has elapsed to demonstrate that the corrective action has been effective. A phone call or a personalized postcard demonstrates individual attention and acknowledgement. Demonstrating compassion and attentiveness thirty days after a problem has been resolved is a powerful message to show that you really do care about the individual customer. This follow-up after the anger has subsided and the corrective action has been demonstrated as effective may be enough to retain loyal customers and earn a few new ones.

______________________________________________________

Words of Wisdom

"You can't teach someone to care."

- Art Sakaguchi

"The crisis of yesterday is the joke of tomorrow."

- H G Wells

"Speak when you are angry and you'll give the best speech that you will ever regret."

- Lawrence J Peter

______________________________________________________

John Mehrmann is a freelance author and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital.

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

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A Comparative Study in Customer Service
by V Velasco

Last year, I experienced the misfortune of having two laptop computers break down on me within a single week. One laptop was less than eight months old; the other had failed five times in less than two years. As you can imagine, I was extremely displeased. It’s always painful to see a loved one die.

I’m not hear to bitch about flaky computers, though. (Believe me, I’ve done plenty of that!) No, I’m here to talk about the very different experiences that I had with the customer service representatives that handled each case. These laptops came from different manufacturers, and the quality of service that I received seemed to reflect very different customer service policies on the parts of these companies. In a moment, you’ll see what I mean.

Case Study #1: What were they thinking?

So I called up one of the manufacturers to explain that my laptop refused to power up. I also pointed out that this very same computer had failed four times before—each time, manifesting the same problem.

Without preamble, the technical support rep said, “Tell me your e-mail address.”

I was puzzled by this question and taken aback by his bluntness. I asked, “Excuse me, but why do you need this information? That’s rather private.”

“I’m going to send you a troubleshooting guide,” he said.

“Wait a minute,” I interjected. “My computer is down, and you plan to fix this by sending me something via e-mail? Did it occur to you that I might not have any e-mail access? Besides, I know what the problem is, since it’s happened repeatedly in the past.”

Right off the bat, this fellow committed three clear mistakes. First, he failed to show proper respect in dealing with the customer. A properly trained rep would have asked for one’s e-mail address in more deferential terms. “Do you mind if I ask for your e-mail address?” would have been vastly more polite.

Second, he failed to immediately let the customer know why he was asking for an e-mail address. People are naturally reluctant to share such details, as a matter of privacy (and as a safeguard against spam!). That’s why it’s very important to immediately let the customer know why you’re asking for this information. “Do you mind if I ask for your e-mail address? I’d like to send you a troubleshooting guide,” would have been a perfect way to ask.

Most importantly though, this rep clearly wasn’t paying close attention to the customer’s problem. It should have occurred to the rep that the customer might not have e-mail access—after all, his computer was down! Once again, this problem could have been avoided by asking a simple question, namely, “Do you still have some means of e-mail access?”

I suspect that these problems occurred because the customer service rep had been minimally trained and was following a fixed script. I say that because my subsequent questions seemed to catch him off guard, and so he responded with the same (rather non-sensical) answer.

“Can you put me in touch with a manager?” I asked. Instead of answering, he replied, “Well, if you send your laptop to us, we will fix it for a fee.”

This scenario played itself over and over again. “This computer has failed me far too many times, and is obviously unreliable. Can you tell me which phone number I should call to provide customer feedback?” I said. His reply: “If you send it to us, we will fix it for a fee.” (I rolled my eyes skyward.)

“That’s not what I’m asking,” I said with deliberate tones. “Can you tell me how I can contact your company to provide feedback on this product?” “If you send it to us, we will fix it for…” By then I had lost it. “THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M ASKING!!!!” I yelled back in frustration.

Sadly, this was not an isolated incident. Indeed, I had similar experiences with this company’s technical support reps before. This leads me to believe that the problem lies in part with the corporate culture of that company.

Now, some would point out that technical support calls are often outsourced to external call centers—agencies that are not directly under the computer manufacturer’s control. That is a valid point; however, I think it’s safe to say that the manufacturer should have some input into the call center’s training and practices—after all, these people are representing them to the public at large. At the very least, they should be selecting a call center that does coach its representatives on how to deal politely and intelligently with Joe Q. Computeruser. Anything less would be foolish.

Case Study #2: Not great, but undeniably better

My experience with the second company wasn’t stellar; in fact, it was downright frustrating. Nevertheless, the technical support reps who handled my case exhibited a great deal of class, and they were clearly sensitive to my frustrations. Here’s what I mean.

The power adapter on my laptop had failed and its battery power was starting to run low. My computer was still under warranty, so the technical support rep assured me that they would ship me a new adapter soon.

I took that opportunity to express concern about the fact that this was the second time my laptop had failed in just eight months. (Its hard drive crashed just two months earlier.) Obviously, there was nothing that this rep could do about that, but I could sense the sympathy in his voice. At the end of my call, he asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you? I’d really like to help.”

Now that was a class act.

Sadly, things did turn for the worse. I was assured that the power adapter would be shipped on Friday, so when that day came around, I called to ask for a tracking number. After some confusion on their end, I got the following response from another rep:

Rep: “I’m sorry sir, but the part isn’t in stock.”

Me: “It’s not? Then why I was promised that it would ship today?”

Rep: “I’m sorry, sir. Our ordering system doesn’t tell us if our warehouse has parts in stock.”

Me: “It doesn’t? Almost all the vendors that I deal with have that capability.”

Rep: “Yes, and it would be really nice if our system did that too, but right now, it doesn’t. I’m sorry.”

Me: “Well, why was I promised that the part would be shipped today? Wouldn’t it have been better to tell me that you still need to verify if the part is in stock?”

Rep: “Yes, that would have been better, sir.” I could feel the regret in his voice.

Me: “And if it turns out that a part isn’t in stock, shouldn’t you tell the customer? As things stand, I might have to spend thousands of dollars on a new laptop tomorrow morning. I wasn’t notified of this problem when it occurred, and now it’s too late to make alternate arrangements.”

Rep: “I feel very bad about that, sir. I really do.” And so forth, and so on.

We discussed the matter further, but suffice to say that this fellow didn’t try to make excuses. He recognized the problem, and acknowledged that their system had failed. Like the other rep that I spoke to earlier, he was consummately respectful, and made his desire to help very clear.

So this is a situation where the technical support reps spoke to the customer respectfully, didn’t stick to some cookie-cutter script, and knew enough to express empathy in a crisis. Those attitudes can go a long way toward defusing a volatile situation. Despite my frustration at the company’s screw-up, I couldn’t help but appreciate their efforts.

(Sadly, the story did not end there. I spoke to someone from their customer service department a few days later, with the intent of providing constructive feedback. Unfortunately, while the aforementioned technical support reps had been empathetic and responsive, this customer service rep answered my every comment with “That’s not our policy!” or words to that effect. That’s a whole ‘nuther case study though, of which I’ll write about soon.)

In summary, these case studies show how the proper training of call center staff can make a huge difference in customer relations. A cookie-cutter, heavily scripted approach to troubleshooting can be disastrous—especially when the service reps are not trained in basic relations etiquette and customer empathy. In contrast, some basic people skills can go a long way toward defusing an ugly situation.

About the author: Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D. is a senior electrical and software engineer at a small biotechnology firm that provides ELISPOT analysers, ELISPOT technology and cryopreserved PBMCs .

Article Source: Article99.com

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