Customer Service Resource Center

Business Customer Service – Satisfying Your Customers Without Breaking the Bank – by Malcolm Mills

BUSINESS, is selling to customers. Let’s face it. Even I’m selling you something I’m selling you on an idea. It’s free… but I’m selling. I know you’ll benefit from it because it’s information and we all need specific information to profit these days. And when you profit, I profit.

Think about this.

Whenever we think we’ve lost a customer, instantly we fear that our loss will be our archrival’s gain.

That happens a lot. But it’s not the worst scenario.

Bill, who owns his own consulting business, was never that fond of flying. Even being bumped up to first-class and being plied with liquor, lost its cache for him.

Then, September 11 came along, and flying got a lot worse. He had to arrive at the airport earlier, and this cut into his consulting time. He had to pack differently, leaving his favorite Swiss Army knife behind.

Airplanes and airports were more congested; his checked luggage was lost more often.

And the miles he earned were becoming meaningless because the last thing he wanted to do when he earned a vacation was seeing more airports, hotels, and rental cars, even if they were free.

Then, it happened, the proverbial straw that broke Bill’s back.

He was told he’d have to check his only bag because it wasn’t going to fit in the overhead compartment on the plane. He disagreed, voices grew louder, and an embarrassing episode followed.

Sure enough, his flight was late, making him late to his meeting. Had he been able to carry on his bag, he would have arrived out of breath, but under the wire.

On the flight home, he vowed not only to not use that carrier again. He decided to get off the road, to stop flying altogether.

This necessitated changing his business model. He’d have to do more phone work, and conduct his out of town selling though videoconferences, web talks, and other devices, but he figured when all was said and done, he’d cut costs and come out ahead.

More important, he’d spend more of his nights at home with his family, his waistline would be smaller, and his stress would abate.

What the airline never appreciated was the fact that it didn’t just shuttle Bill’s business to another carrier; it lost a customer for the entire industry.

When a customer defects to our rival, he may come back to us later, having seen, first hand, that the grass wasn’t greener. But when he washes his hands of an industry, friends and foes alike, lose.

This happens more than customer service models and surveys recognize, because few of us have the imagination to ask this question:

“Are you fed up with us, or with everyone?”

If it’s the latter, that’s a sad commentary on the perceived service level of the industry.

-By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out

With the evolution of the internet many things have changed in business. Not only do businesses now have the ability to speak to tens of thousands of potential customers via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc, but now customers have the ability to speak to you. The only potential downside to this is that now everyone is a critic with a voice that’s potentially heard by millions. With sites like Ripoff Report, Google Places, Yelp, and many other rating sites it’s impossible to hide your missteps. That’s exactly why a proper customer service plan, crisis management plan and, probably more importantly, an honest and friendly company culture come into play.

With tools like Twitter you can now become a fly on the wall and actively listen to everything being said about your company. This gives proactive businesses the ability to address customer service issues or concerns directly and most importantly swiftly. In an era of “Our service technician will be there next Tuesday between 12 and 5″ most people simply want their issues resolved quickly and directly – they want to know that they matter to you.

Your take away should simply be to engage your audience, customers, and potential customers (wherever they might be) – listen to what they have to say – and actively communicate with them to resolve their issues in a timely manner. Doing this effectively can not only reduce your customer service operational costs but also improve or protect your reputation and help you grow your business.

-By: Brett Relander

Yours in service,
Brett Relander

Tactical Marketing Labs
http://TacticalMarketingLabs.com

I was speaking to a large group about why customer service has taken the forefront as a primary business focus. I outlined the changes in the business landscape over the last ten years, and how the voice of the customer has gone from a whimper to a roar. Companies used to be able to get away with self-serving policies and practices, I explained, because customers had very few avenues for expressing their anger and frustration. This, of course, has undergone profound change. The internet and social media have given consumers a voice they have never before had, and consumers around the world are taking advantage of it.

One individual approached me after the keynote to tell me that, while he very much enjoyed the session, he still disagreed that the impact of customer service has changed much over time. The whole social media thing was mostly hype, he felt, and that the positive and negative examples I used were exceptions, not the norm. He made it clear that price and convenience in his business still trumped everything, and that customer service did not represent a significant competitive edge.

It was a sentiment I have heard and read a lot over the last year. Despite continuing, overwhelming evidence to the contrary, most organizations still perceive customer service delivery as a ‘nice to have’ in stead of a ‘need to have.’ One can only hope that they see the writing on the wall before it is too late.

There’s a great example recently of a company who I think will be effectively dodging a social media bullet. The story is of a ten-year-old boy with muscular dystrophy who’s wheelchair was broken by Air Canada, who’s initial lack of responsiveness by the airline caused an immediate social media reaction. Clearly, Air Canada had learned a lesson from United Airlines guitar-breaking episode, that cost United an estimated $130 million in bad will. Air Canada not only stepped up to the plate to get the wheelchair fixed, they threw in the trip to Disneyworld that the boy had always dreamed of. (See story)

Because of their fast response, the story will blow over, and will likely be a distant memory within a month. There are a lot of companies out there, however, still in denial about the raw power that consumers now have, who would not be faring as well.

Don’t be so quick to dismiss social media as a fad, or something that will just be blowing over. It’s not, and it is playing a big role in how we need to deal with our customers.

-By: Shaun Belding

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 http://www.beldingskills.com

To sign up for his free weekly newsletter, Winning at Work, follow this link http://www.beldingskills.com/winning-at-work.htm

In a recent email to my customers, I discussed the importance of customer retention through effective handling of the customer complaints. I identified that strong active listening skills are vitally important; indeed it’s often an area explored through role play on quality customer service training workshops and one I subscribe to in my own workshops.

Think very carefully about the people you are drawn toward? Do they talk over you, do they hold eye contact, do their eyes show interest and do they listen to what you have to say without interruption because they are genuinely interested in you as a person? Interesting isn’t it? I bet you have already identified this with someone you know, but have never put your finger on why it is you enjoy being around them so much. If you can master the art of listening (it must be genuine other wise you customer will no straight away) just think how powerful it would be to have it in your customer service tool kit.

What are the top tips for active listening skills?

Openness

It’s important to enter the dialogue with a positive mental attitude, which means focusing entirely on absorbing the important information. Leave out any pre-conceived notions.

No Judgments

Resist making judgments too early in the conversation; be an information miner and don’t jump to any conclusions. Your goal is resolution, not making the client think the same way as you.

The Body

Make sure your body language is neutral and open. A huge proportion of our communication is delivered through our posture and gesture. Eye contact is probably the most important factor, but there are others.

Feedback

Although you don’t want to interrupt the speaker, give them physical verbal signs that you are listening and understand what they are saying.

Language

Listen out for key words or phrases from your speaker. By mirroring their language, you will increase their feeling of being empathised with.

Clarification

Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or for key points to be summarised. However, don’t put it in your words, with a spin on it – keep it simple, as they have presented it to you.

If you can practice theses skills it will go a long way to helping you achieve brilliant customer service, you might even enjoy it along the way.

-By: Debra Stevens

Debra Stevens is a successful trainer and speaker with over 15 years experience of training people at all levels to improve their customer’s experience. She is the founder of Sold Out Trainers a highly successful experiential training company specialising in facilitating behavioural change in all aspects of dealings with people whether in customer service, sales, management or with colleagues and team mates. Debra has run her own successful small business for 14 years using the principals of Brilliant Customer service to create successful partnerships with companies such as Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Penguin Books, Carlsberg, Coke and The Royal Bank of Scotland. you can visit her web site at http://www.customerservicetraining1.co.uk

Have you ever gotten caught up in your own marketing material to the point that you begin believing that you’re indispensable to your clients? It’s happened to every business owner I know…even me.

A client leaves, a contract isn’t won, a negotiation goes south and the management team is left looking at each other wondering why? The internal discussion quickly shifts to recapping all of the great things that your company has to offer, all of the things you’ve been doing right and all of the services that you provide. Yet, they still left or didn’t buy…why? You’re focused in the wrong direction…you shouldn’t be focused on you…you have to be focused on THEM!

Clients don’t buy from companies, they buy from people. Quite often the reason for a client’s seemingly irrational behavior (our perception) stems from THEIR perception of our company and the people they’re working with at our company. Your client’s perception IS your reality!

When was the last time you tried to do business with your company? Have you, or someone you trust, tried calling your company and asking questions as a prospect? If you’re in retail you should be using mystery callers or shoppers. Have the mystery shopper through the ENTIRE sales process including returns or creating a customer service issue that needs to be resolved.

If you’re in a professional service business go through the intake procedure, see how long it takes to get the requested information, how is it presented and what’s the follow-up?

The result of these activities: finding out if doing business with you difficult. The more complicated, convoluted, difficult or any place where poor customer service is encountered, the more like the customer, client or prospect will go elsewhere. And if they go elsewhere they will gladly tell everyone they know why they left or why they didn’t do business with you.

Does your business deliver on the marketing promises you make? Does your brochure say one thing, your website another and your sales people something else? Clients and prospects are smart, educated and in search of a specific solution. If they begin to believe that you’re unable to deliver or that you are already demonstrating inconsistencies in the sales process…the more skittish they’ll be and the more unlikely they’ll be to trust their business to you.

According the the Better Business Bureau, the more a business can develop and reinforce trust with their customers the stronger the relationship and the longer the relationship.

When was the last time you surveyed your clients?

Another inexpensive way to get feedback is by using email, website and even postcards as a way to survey the customers. Look for three things in your surveys:

- What are we doing well? (this leads to testimonials you can use)

- What can we improve upon? (this leads to improvements and even cost savings)

- Are there products/services that you need that we should be offering?

The information in just these three basic topic areas, especially the third one, has led to the creation of entire new product lines and in fact spin off businesses. These are stories for another column.

Take some time, put yourself in your client’s shoes and see how you stack up against your current perceptions of yourself. I’m willing to bet there are differences that you can fix to make yourself stronger and more profitable.

Always remember, their perception IS your reality, make it good.

-By: Bob Holdsworth

Bob Holdsworth is the founder of The Holdsworth Group. He is a successful entrepreneur, a marketing and business growth coach who specializes in getting his clients and their businesses UN-stuck.

If you want to learn how to “Do business on your own terms!?, you want to talk to Bob.

He is also the author of several nationally published articles, a sought after speaker, a veteran paramedic, a very happily married husband, the dad of two awesome twin boys, a dangerous golfer, avid reader and is severely allergic to neckties.

For FREE access to Bob’s ’30 Day Business Success Series’ go to http://www.BobHoldsworth.com and log in. It’s a free 4-part video series that will help you make your business better.

Customer service excellence sometimes calls for doing things a little differently than normal. Bending rules to deliver can leave a very positive impression.

One of my favorite examples of this comes from a time when I was staying in a small hotel in Tokyo. My seminar would begin early the next morning, and the venue was an hour away.

I called the front desk before going to sleep to order coffee and sliced papaya for 6:30 a.m. The clerk said Room Service only opened at 7:30 a.m. Too late for comfort.

I thought coffee and papaya could be easily prepared by the first person into the kitchen and asked hopefully, “How about delivery at 7:00 a.m.?”

“Ah, 7:00 a.m.,” the receptionist sighed in careful English. “I can tell you now it is 99 percent difficult.”

“Thank you,” I replied. “Please give me the 1 percent.”

He laughed over the phone and said, “I understand.” And then he wished me goodnight.

At 7:00 a.m. the doorbell rang. Room Service appeared with hot coffee and sliced papaya. The 1 percent had delivered.

Key Learning Points

Everyone has rules to follow, schedules, systems and procedures. Close to those plans is a border where flexibility can be applied – even if it’s only 1 percent. One percent can make all the difference in regard to customer service excellence.

The next time your customer asks for something extra or something different, needs a little more care, compassion or effort, you can tell them it is “99 percent difficult” – or you can deliver the 1 percent.

Action Steps

Look carefully at the rules and procedures you follow every day. Now look again to see what can be changed or adapted when required for customer service excellence. Of course some rules should never be broken: safety, security, integrity, legal compliance and health. But when you can be flexible, perhaps you should to deliver customer service excellence. Some rules are meant to be bent.

-By: Ron Kaufman

Ron Kaufman is the world’s leading educator and motivator for upgrading customer service and uplifting service culture. He is author of the bestselling UP Your Service! books and founder of UP Your Service! College. To browse more articles and tips about Customer Service Excellence – visit http://www.UpYourService.com.

Telecommunication field has witnessed a drastic revolution and has managed to maintain its popularity among professionals including all age groups and genre. By the end of 2010, the number of telecommuters is believed to hit 15 million, by analyzing the corporate reality in the present scenario. Home oriented jobs are usually preferred by communicative, sales oriented, pressure fighter and creative workers. Even ladies, who are house wives, elderly skilled people, Internet embracing populace, yuppies etc., are more likely seen blending towards virtual customer service agent career.

Among the online job positions, the virtual customer service agent is in much demand. Ones success is measured by the way one sermon refusals and appraisals by the out bound and the inbound clients. Now-a-days various corporate sectors are outsourcing consumer service calls to those firms, which mainly hire US based online clients. End line customers and business chatters are dependent on the Internet assistance. The role of a virtual customer agent is to provide information to the callers and the e-mail senders on technical and cost related queries, products etc. The employee can even get connected with his/her clients via MSN, Yahoo Messenger, Skype, G talk and other live chat rooms. This can be considered to be the fastest mode of communication, as one gets instant response, instead of waiting patiently for responses.

If you are interested for the virtual customer service agent jobs then you need to have a high speed Internet connection and should decide a strategic spot to work from home. Usually people, who are into this job, work for 20 to 60 hours, depending on the agreement with the company. Such kind of job is usually contractual basis, so a person gets paid on hourly basis. Usually pay per hour is defined between 7 dollars to 16 dollars. You should always keep in mind that you are gratifying to a limited number of clients.

-By: Hemank Sharma

The author is an experienced Content writer and publisher on the topics related to virtual customer service agent and virtual customer agent.

There are so many things that you need to keep in mind when running a business to ensure that it will prosper. You need to make sure that you will offer your customers nothing but high quality product, you need to make sure that you’re targeting the right people, you need to think about your marketing campaign, etc. Another thing that you shouldn’t ignore is offering both your prospects and your customers with world class customer service. You just have to believe me when I say that this will bring huge difference to your business.

Buyers simply hate it when they can’t seem to contact anybody after making a purchase. Each time this happens, these people feel that they’re neglected and that the seller was only after their money. You don’t want these to happen to your clients, right? So, make sure that you’re always there for them before, during, and after the selling process.

Invest on getting people who can handle customer service concerns. Train them as to how they can properly respond to different scenarios that they might encounter in the future. It’s very important that they understand the concept “customers are always right”. Ensure that they are courteous all the time and that they’ll help you in bringing more value to your customers.

Yes, offering world class customer service is another expense that you will need to shoulder but let me guarantee you that this will help in attracting more clients and in retaining your old customers. As you know, this would mean more sales and revenue.

-By: Sean R Mize

By the way, do you want to learn more about using articles like this to drive traffic to your website and increase online conversions?

If so, I suggest you check this out: article marketing traffic.

We have all seen and probably encountered a signage solution that acts as a customer service advisor. Ever wanted answers on a product and no one could answer you – well no more!

I experienced something like this on a recent visit to Newark airport in New York, I checked in using their new self service check in, it even printed off luggage labels. When I encountered a problem I was “ported” to an expert who resolved the problem. Now these kiosks are moving to the forefront in customer service.

In the perfect world (and we know it isn’t perfect…) every store you go in would have an expert on hand, ready to answer any questions you may have on the product or service you require.

It is no longer an option to have an expert in every store as there are too many products and the stores are so many, this can be summed up by “too many choices with too few experts”.

Now this is a problem that technology is addressing with different hardware and software solutions coupled with the price drop of broadband internet, makes it possible for a team of experts to be in one location and then teleport them to the retail world.

One company has 2 members of staff that each service 10 locations, this increases customer service value and reduces personnel costs. This is called “Live-Assist”.

How Live-Assist works.

Imagine for a moment, you go into a store and walk up to kiosk, you select your language that you want serving in and you are routed to a live, on-screen expert. The expert can answer your questions, assist in design or personalising your selection and even close the sale!

When you get home and the product needs assembling, you can go online and get the expert to guide you through the assembly of the product. This changes the customer-retailer experience from a price driven decision to a service driven decision.

Live-assist technology helps the retailer to make more efficient use of their resources and at the same time improves the quality of the interaction.

-By: Dave Bradley

LCD Enclosure Global have launched a range of interactive kiosks that are used in digital signage to complement their range weatherproof LCD enclosure.