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Customer Service And The Human Experience
Historically, customer service was delivered over the phone or in person. Customers didn’t have many choices, and switching to competitors was cumbersome. Today, these methods are but two of the many possible touch points of entry for any given...
Customer service, everyone say's their's is great
Customer service, everyone say's their's is great while a large percentage fail miserably. By Vern Anderson Customer service is probably the most important part of any online business, but many are dropping the ball. This past week (not by design)...
Dealing With Business Slowdowns
When times are slow for your home-based business, chances are you won't have the luxury of waiting and seeing if things improve. You'll need to take steps quickly to get back on track.
These suggestions will help you get business back to...
“Getting Back to Basics: A Customer Service Tale”
One hot summer day my daughter and I ventured to our local craft store with one mission in mind – purchase velvet covered coloring panels called fuzzy boards. Little did we know this simple trip would turn into such an adventure.
The...
It's All About The Customers, Baby
If you want to ensure a steady stream of customers in your business, you must always remember why you're in business in the first place.
Sure you want to earn a decent income for yourself, but you also want to provide a useful service...
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Customers - How to Keep Them
Who was it that said - "The customer is always right"? Well
for those of you who can't get through the day without
knowing, it was H Gordon Selfridge, the founder of
Selfridges's department store in London.
The question I want answered is; did he ever work with
customers on day-to-day basis and if so, was he some kind of
saint?
Let's face it; customers can be a real pain in the neck. You
move heaven and earth for them, you respond to their every
whim, you give them time to pay and they still try to screw
your prices down.
Just when you've done all that, they leave you and start
buying from one of your competitors.
Wouldn't running a business be a whole lot better if we
didn't have customers? Well, as we know only too well, we do
need customers and lots of them. We want them to stay with
us and we want them to say nice things about us to other
people.
We also want them to pay us on time and accept the fact that
we might be a bit more expensive than others.
So how do we perform this miracle? It's dead easy really;
you only have to consider two factors: be reliable and be
likeable. First off, let's consider what we mean by being
reliable.
Reliability is about your product or service doing what you
say it will do. It comes in two parts, the first part being:
doing it right first time and doing it on time.
If you can't get this bit right then you're going to have
big problems. Customers will accept the occasional mistake,
but too many and you've had it, so let's look a bit closer
at reliability.
We've come a long way in recent years in terms of product
and core service reliability. Nowadays when people buy a
product or service they expect it to work. You don't buy a
computer, a washing machine or an automobile and worry that
it might not work. You know that it will. You also know that
if it didn't, it would be replaced without quibble.
The only thing is, that if you deliver this type of
reliability in your business then don't expect any brownie
points from your customers, they merely take it for granted.
Where you are more likely to slip up in the reliability
stakes (and this is the second part) is in what some people
still regard as minor issues:
*Failing to phone back when we said we would;
*Failing to deliver when we said we would;
*Failing to send information when we said we would;
*Failing to include something extra when we said we would.
The ironic thing is that some customers often regard these
failures as quite normal. However, these people won't stay
with you, they don't say nice things about you to other
people and they'll complain about your prices.
If you say you'll phone a customer back by 5pm then phone
before 4pm not the following day. If you say someone will
call between 9am and 12noon, then do everything you can to
ensure that
someone calls closer to nine than 12. Don't
think for a minute that calling at 11.55 impresses the
customer because it doesn't.
So let's just repeat it so there's no misunderstanding later
on: firstly your product or service has got to be reliable,
secondly, everything you say to the customer has to be
reliable.
However, I believe that more than anything you, your product
or service and your people have to be likeable.
Too many organisations forget that their customers are
humans and the thing about humans is that they don't always
make decisions logically. You may have a reliable product or
service, reliable delivery time and competitive prices. But
it's not enough.
Customers are driven by their emotions and it helps a heck
of a lot if they like you and feel good about your business
and your people.
"Our customers do like us," I hear you say, "except maybe
the difficult ones, the awkward people, the ones who are
never happy, the miserable devils - need I go on?
Have you ever heard the saying "you only get the customers
you deserve"?
Run your eye down the following list and see how many you
can tick off.
*We always have a genuine smile for every customer.
*We are warm and friendly to all customers.
*We listen carefully and make it obvious that we are
listening.
*We use the customers name and our name appropriately.
*We give the impression that we care.
*We empathise with problems or complaints and respond
quickly.
*We occasionally do something to pleasantly surprise the
customer.
*We always keep our promises.
*We give the impression that we are fun to deal with.
*We treat the customer the way they want to be treated, not
the way we want to be treated.
How well did you do? If you've got a lot of ticks then you
probably have lots of customers who like you.
Just a word to the managers and employers amongst you. Run
your eyes down that list again and replace the word
"customer" with the words "employee" or "staff colleague."
How many ticks did you get this time? Lots of ticks mean
your staff like you and it probably follows that your
customers do as well.
Have you noticed how being likeable costs so little? A lot
less than advertising or other promotional activity required
to replace lost customers.
Maybe the customer isn't always right, but if you want to
keep them, make sure they like you.
About the author:
Discover how you can generate more business without having to cold call! Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales without Selling" This book is packed with practical things that you can do to – get customers to come to you . Click here now http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
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Customer Service Group: Resources for improved customer service ... |
Newsletters, books, and free online resources for improved customer service, call center and help desk operations including tools for enhancing rep training ... |
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Customer Service Training Customer Service Skills Training Service |
Service Quality Institute is the leader in Customer Service Training with customer service training skills products and consulting with over 34 years ... |
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ICS: Institute of Customer Service |
The Institute of Customer Service is the professional body for customer service whose primary purpose is to lead customer service performance and ... |
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International Customer Service Association |
Promotes the development and awareness of the customer service profession through networking, education and research. Activities, publications ... |
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Customer Service Jobs on CareerBuilder.com |
Looking for customer service jobs? Start your job search at CareerBuilder, the leader in job search sites, and access hundreds of thousands of jobs today. |
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The New York Times Home Delivery - Subscribe |
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homedelivery.nytimes.com |
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Customer service - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
The modern concept of customer service has its roots in the craftsman economy ... Delivering customer service begins with understanding what customers want. ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
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Customer service representatives |
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www.bls.gov |
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Customer Service Training |
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Customer Service |
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azcentral.com faq - azcentral.com Help - Arizona Republic Customer ... |
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www.azcentral.com |
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CafePress.com : Help Desk : Customer Service |
Email Us Send us an email and we will respond to you within 24 hours. Call Us Toll Free 1-877-809-1659 Customer Service Hours ... |
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Customer Service Week - The Celebration Source |
Provides how-to information, gifts and decorations for successful Customer Service Week celebrations. |
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Nashville - Tennessean.com - Middle Tennessee Customer Services |
Customer service, advertising or news-related questions or problems (615) 259-8000. ... (615) 242-7253. Email Customer Service customer @tennessean.com. ... |
www.tennessean.com |
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Customer Service Institute of Australia - dedicated to Australian ... |
CSIA is a professional, membership-based body dedicated to improving the standards of customer service both at an individual level and at a corporate level ... |
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The Globe and Mail: Home Delivery Customer Care: Home |
The most authoritiative news in Canada featuring articles from The Globe and Mail, breaking news coverage, national news, international news, sports, ... |
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Customer Service from FLORIDA TODAY |
We're here to bring the finest customer service to your doorstep. ... Customer Service Hours Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET Saturday: ... |
www.floridatoday.com |
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magazine customer service |
https://secure.customersvc.com/ servlet/Show?WESPAGE=mo/home.html&MSRSMAG=MO - Similar pages |
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Customer Service – 8 Rules For Good Customer Service |
Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers ... |
sbinfocanada.about.com |
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Help | IndyStar.com |
Customer Service • Terms of Service • Send feedback about IndyStar.com • Subscribe Now • Jobs with us. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the ... |
www.indystar.com |
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