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Published 11th Feb 2009 Posted by admin |
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Identify the keys to good customer service is the secret ingredient for a successful company. Here’s why. Let’s say there are two grocery stores on both sides of the street. Both carry the same items or inventories. Both stores are clean. However, one store seems to enjoy more patronage. More smiling customers go through the door to another shop. What the other company to thrive? The other store knows the keys to good customer service, making their profits jump from just two digits. Upon entering this store, are welcomed with a warm smile and friendly greeting from the shop owner and his staff. When they see that the points to reach the top of the platform, was quick to help. When you wonder if an item, to accompany him to the house special. These small things make a business succeed. From a business owner, the application of the keys to good customer service will lead to more “ka-ka-Ching Ching” for your business! With an economic recession, most companies are looking for ways to attract more customers and increase profits. Profitable to devise strategies of advertising and promotion, but only lead to loss of income and a higher deficit. Customers are the biggest variable in the equation. Businesses profit through repeat customers by providing excellent customer service should be the priority. When you have satisfied customers, there is no need for the advertising of luxury, as the number of satisfied customers who are guaranteed to come back for more. Here are some keys to good customer service to keep their customers happy: 1. Be polite. This is something that was largely rejected today. A small act of courtesy to the customers feel more valued and important. Make them feel that they are sincere in extending a hand. A sadness can lead people, while a smile can bring more people in. Address your customer with “Lady” or “Lord.” Addressing a customer at a time to make him feel that he has your undivided attention. 2. Be resourceful. Customers become angry when you tell them that you can not grant your request because it “is the standard for enterprise policy.” Customers do not want to hear that excuse. If you want more happy customers, think creatively. There are ways to go about your business ironclad policies. Make a policy to expand the service beyond the procedures to meet the needs of a client. 3. Be quick. Never place any requests for his client on hold, especially when it is obviously urgent. Quick and accurate service can lead to remission. Therefore, the autonomy of their staff so they can make quick decisions and respond promptly to client needs. 4. Under promise and more. Refrain from making false promises. Never promise what you can not fulfill. It’s even better that under promises and more. This is the best way to wow your customers! 5. Extend your service. Even if it is not part of your standard procedures for the client to do something that shows genuine interest in your needs. For example, you can take a customer to his seat, or open the door to the largest customers. People like the idea of obtaining more value for your money. For business to thrive, using these keys to good customer service should be at the forefront of its mission and vision. This should be clear to all that the staff members. Deliver this message loud and clear it a point to measure their performance in terms of number of customers satisfied and happy. By providing a quality service, to establish a reputation for your business to attract more people to enjoy their service. Only apply these keys to good customer service … and a successful business is yours for the long term. |
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Published 11th Feb 2009 Posted by admin |
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Historically, customer service is delivered over the phone or in person. Customers do not have many options, and switching to competitors was cumbersome. Today, these methods are just two of many possible entry points of contact for all interactions. With all the options the Internet brings, competition is literally a click away. If, as has been reported, 65% of its business comes from existing customers, and then to stay in business, it’s better to focus on winning the satisfaction and customer loyalty. With continued attention on customer service, customer retention, and lifetime customer value, it is no surprise that contact center operations continue to increase in importance as the main hub of a customer experience. The contact center is still the most common way that customers get in touch with businesses. In fact, Gartner reports 92% of all contacts through the center. While attention has focused on technology and the benefits of providing multiple channels of customer contact, little consideration has been directed to handling the human part of the equation of training and customer service representatives to beyond the field of telephone communications. With the explosion of electronic commerce, the need to reinforce keeping the human element in the equation is paramount. Indeed, now more than ever before in history, focused on client service is a necessity. Twenty five years from now customers will still be human beings, being driven by the desires and needs. Virtual environments do not create virtual customers. Except for the simplest transactions, some customers still need to be connected and powered by a living person. Amazon.com has learned this. Employing hundreds of customer service representatives using phone lines to help customers with questions that can not be processed online. With the ability to handle simple transactions available by using sophisticated, self-service technology, customer calls, faxes and / or e-mails are more complex, more complicated, sometimes even increased, raising stress levels. At the same time, research has identified Customer Service and Technical Representative as one of the ten most stressful jobs in America today, with the stress at work costs employers an estimated $ 300 billion annually in absenteeism, lower productivity, increased health insurance costs and other medical expenses (up to $ 200 + billion just ten years ago.) A recent NIOSH study reported that 50% of employees view job stress as a major problem in their lives – double from a decade ago. Lines of demarcation have blurred and change is rampant today in the center. Why? Because of our cell phones, voice mail, faxback, PDA’s, e-mail. We are now more available and accessible than ever. The lines are not clear as to our jobs or projects begin and end, we follow you home again and again. In the current competitive market there is little difference between products and services. What makes the difference – what distinguishes one company from another – is its relationship with the client. Who has the awesome responsibility for representing themselves, their companies, perhaps your industry in general? Representatives from the front line. A company’s ability to provide human connections – back and forth live communication – continues to be critical. The fact is that the voice is more natural and powerful human interface, real-time or otherwise. That will not change in the short term. For the customer, people are inseparable from the services they provide. In fact, the person on the other end of the phone company. No wonder, then, that companies with better people management, invest heavily in training and retraining, reinforcing the human element. However, customers still leave. The latest statistics on why are: * 45% due to poor service * 20% due to the lack of attention. This means that 65% of customers leave because something is your first line or not, doing. * 15% for a better product * 15% for a cheaper product and * 5% other This is good and bad news. Is bad news because this is high percentage. Moreover, it is good news because there is anything I can do about it-which is on the human side. It is agreed that people, process and state of the art technology companies are doing the work. To me, people are more important. After all, it’s the people who really make the difference. Never lose sight of the fact that we are human beings, not only “human made”. The fact is 70% to 90% of what happens with customers is driven by human nature, have nothing to do with technology. The technology is designed to enable human endeavors, not to turn it off. Extraordinary, or lack of service, separating the good from the big companies. As more and more organizations are turning to the contact center as a strategic player in the competitive landscape, which is on the verge of re-inventing step up the plate and become the heart of a company’s operations against customer. Empathic responsiveness I think a call as an ABC process. “A” represents the customer presenting their question, request, complaint or problem. ‘C’ is the final resolution. Most of the time ‘B’ is omitted or left out because of numbers, calls in queue, or simply because you know the answer before the customer is even finished speaking. ‘B’ is where the agent acknowledges what they hear, either upset, anger, frustration or fear. Or a simple “thank you for taking the time to call and bring this to our attention.” After all, if a customer calls to complain, you have the opportunity / challenge to turn around them. If they do not call and just complain about other people, you have no chance. Masquerading as’ B ‘take longer? Not at all. Allows you to move the customer to a more productive interaction and close the call. I have heard many customers repeat their opening paragraph (A) again and again, while the agent is trying to make the decision (C). Red Alert! Red Alert! Acknowledge what is behind the words and you will move quickly to “C.” I think you can not go from A to C without passing through B. If all customers want only the facts (and some do), they could ascertain the information online. Most customers (people) want the human interaction that someone will listen, someone to care. A simple “I’m so sorry that your experience was. My name is Rosanne and I will do my best to help you right here and now.” Self Research shows that customers prefer to deal with companies that are the most consistently accessible. When customers experience a level of service email and chat, for instance, that equals or exceeds voice support, then and only then, be glad that migrate channels to resolve their problems and questions. To increase customer satisfaction, be sure to: 1) Telephone: Having a “zero” option in your system Purchasing Process One of the most influential in the world, the U.S. Constitution begins with “We the people …” Yes, “we the people” are what makes the difference. |
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Published 11th Feb 2009 Posted by admin |
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Companies that allow their staff to undergo a course on customer service have an advantage over those who do not bother to provide proper training to its customer service staff. As businesses grow, the training of frontline staff is a critical area that can determine the amount of a thriving business. Through training of staff under an ongoing customer service, management is concerned not only for staff but also for customers. Customer service is a critical area in many businesses, because it can make or break the day to day business transactions. There have been numerous cases in which key business relationships improperly dissolved only by less than one customer service. Good customer service will always be in demand and a necessity for companies in all sectors. As exposing the virtues of developing a customer service oriented company through staff training, it is equally important to determine the combination of training which produce the best results for firms in particular. Some contents of the course for customer service are too superficial for certain applications, while some are in a sense, too much for other companies. However, basic skills and knowledge necessary to develop competition in customer service should be contained in the training program or course. There are several things that one should expect the choice of a training course. Course Content The following points should always be present in a course on customer service: Focusing on the customer. The course should always put emphasis on putting the customer first. This is the core of customer service. Improving communication skills. Staff members who interact with customers to demonstrate the impressive ability to communicate. Key aspects of business communication should be addressed, namely the e-mail correspondence, telephone and face to face interaction communication. Handling difficult customers and genuine complaints. The complaints indicate that something is not the expectation or satisfaction of the customer and must be handled with care and efficiency. Appropriate, timely and professional resolution of a question submitted by a customer, unruly or otherwise, save the company from having to make difficult and costly damage control should the matter then grow and remain unresolved. Excellence in customer relationship management. The ability to build and manage relationships with valuable customers is the cornerstone of excellence in customer service. Customer relations go beyond superficial interaction and put the customer at the center of the successes achieved by the company. Other Essentials Course Apart from the essential content of the courses mentioned above, other important aspects to consider in selecting a training program for customer service including the quality of the course materials, simulation activities, pre and post training assessment, monitoring and training, if a customer service aptitude certification. A course in customer service is a valuable investment in human resources towards achieving business excellence. When these elements and components of the course are present in the course of customer service is considered, the company’s management can be assured that the training will have the desired results for a better customer experience overall. |
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Published 11th Feb 2009 Posted by admin |
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The topic of empowering your customers to become an extension of your marketing is not new. The transformation of people into a substitute for sales is the dream of every service organization. The difference today is that the landscape has changed to the point where good customer service is no longer the minimum before the game. Over the next year, customer service will fuse with marketing to become an entrance off the campaign to listen and engage with customers to rewrite the rules. And, most importantly, lessons learned in the field will be included in the marketing department to develop and implement more intelligent, experienced, and the real world initiatives across all forms of marketing, public relations, sales and advertising . Over the past year, the media has intrigued and inspired companies to participate in the communities where their brands and products, as well as those of competitors are actively discussed by the same people who want to reach, better known as the new factor of influence. Participation is no longer an option that the media is not a spectator sport. If you believe or not, these talks are taking place with or without you, so ignoring them will only be removed from the conversation and also removes the company from the radar screens of their customers. Marketing executives from companies with experience working with PR, Advertising, and Marcom teams to explore options and strategies on how to participate in online discussions. This represents a change in the output market, because it creates a direct channel between companies and customers, and ultimately the people. Starts to look a lot less like marketing and much more, such as customer service. Last year we introduced the customer service in the equation of the mass media. Like all companies, PR is really the responsibility of the entire organization. But it is much bigger than boxing in a PR paradigm. I believe customer service is the new marketing and communities are at least the opportunity to engage in customer service. Media is based on conversations between people and peers, regardless of the technology that facilitates, and each day takes place across blogs, networks, forums, Macromedia, and avenues. And each day, with each new community and social tool that is introduced, brands, products and services are actively discussed, supported, and disassembled. Some companies are listening, although many are not even paying attention. Services such as satisfaction, ThisNext, or even several communities, such as Ning, Yahoo and Google Groups and Facebook are playing host to conversations between the customers regarding products and services, while not invite marketing, which seeking information, advice and direction. Participation is Marketing Social Media represents a new way to reach customers and connect with them directly. Adds an output channel which complements the entry of customer service and traditional PR, direct marketing and advertising, placement firms and their customers on equal terms to discuss things as peers. The most important thing is that the process goes beyond simply answering questions to build a community of enthusiasts and evangelists. For the most part, the only way that companies know that customers have questions, comments or concerns if you contact customer service, make the news, form a group of public, or if patterns purchase value of the stock, and sales trends suddenly shift. You can bet that for every inbound customer inquiry, that a significant percentage of current and potential customers actively discussing the same topic in the open, just for guidance, information, recognition, and / or information. And usually, these debates transpire without the participation, leaving people to resolve problems and issues on their own. Why leave the door open for your competition to jump in the conversation and direct customers in their direction? Companies should participate or who place themselves on the long road to inevitable obsolescence. It’s like the old adage, out of sight, out of mind. Or simply sit or die. Today, participation is marketing. Conversations are a form of marketing. However, marketing should be clarified that I do not mean the traditional marketing that typically “speaks” to people through “messages”. In the media, this is dialogue, two-way discussions that bring people to discover and share information. Join the conversation is not as simple as jumping in however. Companies must listen first to analyze precisely how, where and when to participate. Social media forces companies to look outward to proactively find the conversations that are important to business and relationships. And it’s not just the responsibility of public relations will require the involvement of multiple disciplines throughout the organization in order to provide meaningful support of truth and information. Once again, we’re not talking about proposals to sell or courier. If you stop thinking about it, talking about the fusion of marketing, public relations, community relations, and customer service in a new social consciousness. Defining the strategy and the role This is the formalization of outgoing communications and community participation, creation of a dedicated team to ensure that customers and influential are not overlooked, but participate. Already we are seeing companies that are either out of dividing responsibilities between the teams or devote full time to the duties listen, participate, respond and comment via all forms of media. However, this is not limited to a few businesses. This is a feature that will become standard in businesses worldwide, from small business organizations, and the probable magnitude of a person to the teams. This is more than giving priority to better customer service more of the bloggers. We should aim our fire hoses at only have the public’s attention. We must focus on customers who take the time to contribute to and participate in social networks that are simply searching for information – even if it is delivered in the form of a tantrum. Moreover, we can not simply rely on the service entrance. We must examine the input to find related conversations among those who decide to take the conversation outside the traditional service process. In addition to PR and Marcom, these new features are the combination of a variety of disciplines including marketing, communications, customer service and product management and go by various titles: * Community Advocate * Administrator of the Commonwealth (although, I do hear back on this title because the communities can not be administered.) * Community Ambassador * Social Media or Community Specialist * Community Relations * Community Builders Many of us have been involved in community relations from the item online through Web 1.0-based discussion groups, user forums and other online communities such as DejaNews, Yahoo and Google. As experts and did not try to BS the people seeking advice and answers. This is an important note because, in order that none of this work, you really have to know not only their products, services, reputation, strengths and weaknesses, and benefits, but also how they compete in the market and its position against competitors. The landscape of the media is huge and growing, and may require several internal people to listen and participate every day through the blog, blogs, forums, groups, social networks, Macromedia, etc Note that, contrary to the media that the festival of love taking place in the blogosphere, not everyone can jump in and solve problems. Companies need to create a game plan that officially assigns people and will help customers. Shhhhh. I’m listening Listen actively to make community participation. But let me point out something very important here. It is not just about community relations reactive. Companies can and should learn to listen and talk with customers to create content that addresses the specific needs and desires of customers and distribute within their communities. This allows you to translate lessons learned at a discussion for the good of the masses. Leaving customers and community relations is one of the most important campaigns any company can integrate into your immediate and future initiatives. Not only helps PR and customer service, build relationships, create fans and ultimately instills customer loyalty. |
