Posts Tagged ‘Customer retention’

Customer service 101: People before profits

As the explosion in social media networks continues, word of mouth will have a more powerful effect than ever on whether your audience is hearing positive or negative things about your business.

That’s because the opinion of a friend or acquaintance is more trusted than any other type of communication or advertising and it can have a profound impact on how potential customers view your company – not to mention your bottom line. So it’s important that you not only provide quality products or services but that you also respond to queries or concerns with consistent and top-notch customer service.

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Entrepreneur.com suggests that you create a customer service policy early on in the life of your venture to ensure it becomes properly embedded in your company’s culture.

Here are some customer service basics to think about and move on right away:

· Put your customer service policy in writing: “It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Something as simple as ‘The customer is always right’ can lay the necessary groundwork.”

· Give employees clear instructions: “[Establish] systems [that] will help you outservice any competitor by giving more to customers and anticipating problems before they arise” and make sure your employees understand how good service relates to the success of your company.

· Measure and reward: Develop a measurement of what superior customer service is and reward your employees for following through.

Inc.com offers another smart and practical idea: react before the customer realizes anything is wrong:

“Let’s say a diner hasn’t touched his or her food. If the waiter asks specific questions (I noticed you haven’t touched your chicken. Did it taste okay?) and replaces the dish or removes it from the bill, it is ‘exponentially more beneficial,’” says customer service expert, Andy Fromm.

You’ll find seven more practical tips for basic customer service here.

Has a customer service experience left you exasperated? Write us!

Posted by Lynnette in Growing Your Biz on July 15th, 2010

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STAPLES BizTIPs 4business: How to make your customers feel great

By Small Business Expert Roger Pierce, BizLaunch

Have you ever been treated poorly by a company? Chances are you’re hesitant to do business with them again. Yet so many large and small businesses fail to change their ways to make their customers feel great. Here’s how to make your customers feel like they’re worth a million:

  • Smother them with attention. Small business owners often neglect their existing customers and spend all of their time chasing new ones. Create a plan or system to communicate frequently with your existing customers via newsletter, email or phone calls. Take the time to call them even when there’s no business on the table.
  • Talk about them. Brag about how well your customers are doing to others, hopefully as a result of your help. Feature your best customers in your marketing materials, your media releases and your website.
  • Remember the details. It’s the little things that add up to make your small business distinctive. Remember your customer’s birthday and call with best wishes, or help them to find a new employee using your database.
  • Do you what you say. Build trust and credibility by always following through on your promises, no matter how small. Forward that column you mentioned to your client immediately, ship the order within 24 hours or make that introduction to someone your client wants to meet.

You can learn more about this and other how-to topics at a free STAPLES BizLaunch Webinar. To find one near you, please visit http://www.staples.ca/bizlaunch today.

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ROGER PIERCE is passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve success. Co-founder of Canada’s largest small business training company, BizLaunch.ca, he’s launched eleven small businesses of his own and personally experienced what he calls “the good, the bad and the ugly” sides of entrepreneurship.

BizLaunch advises thousands of Canadian startups through its popular how-to seminars and webinars delivered with partners such as STAPLES.

Posted by Lynnette in STAPLES BizTIPs on March 12th, 2010

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How to win customers and influence loyalty: Part II of IV

By Donna Marrin

clip_image002As illustrated in Dale Carnegie’s Winning Friends and Influencing People, and Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need To Know, I Learned In Kindergarten, there is a basic formula for dealing with people that guarantees positive results: the degree of effort we invest in relationship-building with potential customers dictates the degree of loyalty they will return. One plus two equals three. The formula comprises one part basic psychology and one part common sense, yet relationship-building is one of the first areas to be neglected when we become consumed with the many other levels of multi-tasking required for running a business.

So many business owners forget the fact that making a sale is a bonus, not the ultimate reward—if you look at the big picture. Winning customer loyalty by ensuring they will want to deal exclusively with your business is a victory well worth capturing.

Consider your own experiences as a customer in the marketplace. What will convince you to choose one particular supplier over all the other similar suppliers out there? When a new competitor appears with a better offer, what action has your favored supplier taken to establish your loyalty? What past examples of customer service have driven you to sing praises about a particular business to your friends and associates?

Think back to those businesses that stand out positively in your mind. What did they do that made them shine?

The methods that these businesses used to attract and capture your interest are the same techniques that you can use to attract customers to your business services or products and engage their loyalty for the long haul.

Human nature is such that all people desire courteous, genuine customer service that works hard to accommodate their needs when and where they decide to spend their hard-earned money. Studies have shown that people are even willing to pay more for a product or service in return for white-glove treatment. Every human being has a need to feel special.

Be creative in your presentation to your customers. Try to think of ideas that your competitors haven’t considered. What unique approaches can you come up with that will make your customers feel truly good about spending their money on your services or products?

Visit tomorrow for Part III of this four-part series, where I’ll share the first of six valuable tips for winning customers and influencing loyalty.

 

Donna Marrin is a freelance Senior Writer/Editor specializing in corporate communications and advertising. She also founded and runs the Markham Village Writers. You can visit their website at www.markhamvillagewriters.com

Posted by Lynnette in Growing Your Biz on February 22nd, 2010

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