|
|
Customer Service
"Customer Service" points up the good, the bad, and the ugly (but not in that order) on how to deal with customers.
I recently had a problem, and called my ISP (who shall remain unnamed) for help, because I could not connect to their service....
Engage Your Customer – Write About Benefits
You’re welcome to publish this article free of charge provided: - you include the byline - byline includes a functioning link to http://www.divinewrite.com - you don’t change the article in any way - you provide a courtesy copy once...
It's Just Common Sense!
Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Net word count is 835 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly ©...
Public Relations – Defining Your Organization from the Inside Out
What do your customers say about your company?
Would you let your major competitor control your sales strategy?
Public relations is an inevitable consequence of being in business. Whether you like it or not, your corporate image evolves...
Trade Credit: How to determine if you should offer net-30 terms to your customers
What is trade credit?
One of the major differences between consumer and commercial transactions is that most, if not all, consumer transactions are paid in cash or by credit card at the time of sale. Because of this, most consumer...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Customer Is King
I'm sure you've all heard the expression, "the customer is king". Some companies live by this rule - and those tend to do very well. Others say the words but, well, they're just words. These companies do not do as well. And other companies don't have a clue. These companies might be huge, but they tend to fall without warning. Many times the clueless companies turn out to be made of paper - one ill wind is all it takes to cave them in entirely.
I know you've run into those companies do not have a clue that this datum even exists. These are the web hosting firms that do not return support requests (and sometimes even requests for quotations), free hosts which shut off accounts that have more than a dozen page views and email providers who delete emails with minimal notice.
These are the grocery stores with incredibly long lines, yet there are registers closed and workers loafing. These are the consulting firms that charge for every single thing (rounded up to the hour, of course), yet never seem to be there when you need them. And these are those that only allow returns within a week, exchanges only, with receipt and a little begging thrown in.
Then there are those corporations which mouth the words, yet seem to have misunderstandings on what they mean. This is the huge company which creates licensing contracts which require an advanced degree in law and an ancient Latin dictionary to decipher. The massive, 184KB long privacy policy put out by another company comes to mind. This also includes the auto maker who refuses to acknowledge the placement of their gas tanks kills people, and the tire maker who will not admit their tires are unsafe.
And sometimes, very occasionally, you will run across a company which knows exactly what it means to say "the customer is king". This includes the most fantastic auto maker of them all - Saturn. These people know how to run a company. I've owned two Saturns, and both ran perfectly. The dealer fixed problems under warranty on several occasions even though the warranty had run out. When they took too long on a completion estimate for service, they did the work for free. And on every visit to the service department, they have given me soda and snacks for free and went to great pains to ensure that I was happy and satisfied. And you know what, I have bought two Saturns and I know that my next car will be one as well.
I hired a consulting company recently to do quite a bit of work for me. The project manager made it completely clear to me that if I was unhappy about anything he would personally go out of his way to fix, at his cost, what was wrong. He has come through on several occasions, including refunding our money on half a dozen occasions. The result: when I needed something done I called them first.
I've been a programmer, designer, analyst, manager, VP and
director for various companies over the past twenty years. I've always lived by this rule, and I've always demanded it from vendors and companies with which I do business.
You always treat customers well. Good, paying customers are like gold in the world, and you always treat them right. You don't need to "take it" from them, you simply treat them with respect. Treat your customers well.
When I managed a shop of 12 consultants we had a strict policy: the customer must be happy with our work. If the customer is unhappy, we would work for free or give the money back or come to some agreement to make him happy. Sometimes, of course, there were those customers who could never be happy with anything - those we simply didn't do business with at all. The customer must treat us with a measure of respect, after all, but we always felt we were in the drivers seat.
This applies to the job as well. In my organization, my "customers" are my users, the people who use the computers which we support. We practice "the customer is king" all of the time, every day of the week. If I get a call from a user on a weekend at 2 am, I make sure he gets the help he needs. When the CEO's laptop breaks, he gets a new one as fast as possible; and when the receptionist needs a new program installed it's done just as quickly.
I've written about this before, and one person wrote back, "In my experience, kowtowing to clients or customers, bending to their every whim no matter how ludicrous, and keeping a fake smile plastered on your face while you utter 'Thank you sir! May I have another?' is a sure-fire recipe for misery."
Ah, the poor fool simply does not understand. You don't "kowtow". You provide service and give respect to your customers.
But what about those abusive customers? The customer who is never satisfied or demands his money back or whatever?
These are the exceptions. Most people are good, honest and hard working. They want to do good, and they want a good product or service. Most people are perfectly willing to pay for value received, and most people do not make life difficult.
Those that do are exceptions to this rule. Most people are good, not evil. So treat the vast majority as good, and treat the exceptions appropriately. Remember, you don't have to accept money from anyone, but once you do they are customers.
If you are a consultant, give the best value that you can, then give a little more. If the customer is a complete jerk, then don't do business with him at all. You don't have to accept the money!
And that's what I've got to say about that.
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets at http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to read over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
|
|
|
|
|
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 ... |
www.customerservicegroup.com |
  |
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 ... |
www.customer-service.com |
  |
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 ... |
www.instituteofcustomerservice.com |
  |
International Customer Service Association |
Promotes the development and awareness of the customer service profession through networking, education and research. Activities, publications ... |
www.icsa.com |
  |
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. |
customer-service.careerbuilder.com |
  |
The New York Times Home Delivery - Subscribe |
Sign up now to save 50% on your first 12 weeks of Home Delivery. Learn more. As part of Home Delivery, you'll also get free access to TimesSelect premium ... |
homedelivery.nytimes.com |
  |
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 |
  |
Customer service representatives |
When working in call centers, customer service representatives are likely to be under ... Customer service representatives working outside of a call center ... |
www.bls.gov |
  |
Customer Service Training |
Customer Service Training, Seminars, Coaching, and free articles to improve repeat business, happiness, and professional image. |
www.proedgeskills.com |
  |
Customer Service |
(It may help the reader to notice the role of customer service in the overall ... Additional Resources in the Category of Customer Service and Satisfaction ... |
www.managementhelp.org |
  |
azcentral.com faq - azcentral.com Help - Arizona Republic Customer ... |
azcentral.com faq - Welcome to the azcentral.com help center where you can find answers to azcentral.com and Arizona Republic customer service questions. |
www.azcentral.com |
  |
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 ... |
www.cafepress.com |
  |
Customer Service Week - The Celebration Source |
Provides how-to information, gifts and decorations for successful Customer Service Week celebrations. |
www.csweek.com |
  |
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 |
  |
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 ... |
www.csia.com.au |
  |
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, ... |
https: |
  |
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 |
  |
magazine customer service |
https://secure.customersvc.com/ servlet/Show?WESPAGE=mo/home.html&MSRSMAG=MO - Similar pages |
|
  |
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 |
  |
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 |
  |
|