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93% of customers surveyed
indicated that satisfaction with any form of
service is a key factor to maintaining healthy
brand/customer relationships. - Creative
Strategies |
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A typical consumer switched
businesses they dealt with twice in the past three
years due to "bad service." - Coldwell Banker
study |
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Repeat customers spend 33% more
than new customers - About.com |
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| Customer Service
and Your Brand |
Q & A with
HostedSupport.com
|
It takes more time for a small or
medium-size business to build a brand than a large
company that has a lot of money to spend on marketing
campaigns, and the sad fact is that one bad experience
with customer service can kill everything a small
business has done to build its brand. On the other hand,
great customer service and support can do more for a
brand than almost anything else. Recently, we sat down
with Steve Hartert, director of marketing at
HostedSupport.com, to talk about how a brand is affected
by customer service and what small businesses can do to
create great customer experiences through stellar
customer service.
Q. What role does customer service play in
building a brand?
A. Your brand hinges on
customer service. Generally, smaller businesses are
competing against much larger businesses and the only
thing that differentiates you from the big guys is
customer service. You have the ability to be personal
and give and more focused interaction, and bad customer
support can sink a business very quickly. You probably
can't compete on price, but customers will pay a little
more if they feel like they are important and get an
experience with you they can't get at the bigger stores.
Q. Can you think of an example that illustrates
how great customer service can give a small business an
advantage?
A. I know a gentleman that runs
an office supply store that's very small. He's
completing against the Office Maxes of the world, and
people ask him all the time how he competes. Recently,
he got a call from the president of a company who needed
some office supplies over the weekend so he called this
owner and asked for the supplies. The owner drove out to
his house to take him the order, and it wasn't even a
very big order. This is what differentiates him from the
bigger guys and this is how he competes. He can't really
compete on price but people realize that he can give
them a different level of service and that is what he's
able to do. He's carved out a really nice niche for
himself. Read
on... |
| Top 10 Customer
Service Mistakes |
From
AllBusiness.com
|
Good customer service is a valuable
asset, especially in today's high-tech-oriented,
increasingly impersonal business world. Therefore, if
you are aware of common customer service mistakes and go
out of your way to avoid them, you may strengthen your
position in a competitive market.
1. Untrained staff. It does not matter whether
you have two or 200 employees, you must train everyone
in the art of customer service. Customers or clients
will not tolerate rudeness, incorrect information, or
apathy on the part of your staff. Not training the staff
- which should include everyone - is a major mistake
made by too many businesses.
2. Trying to win the argument. It is worth
remembering that it takes five times more effort (and
cost) to gain one new customer as it takes to maintain
one current customer. Therefore, by winning an argument
and losing a steady customer, you are costing your
business a valuable customer.
3. Inaccessibility. If you want to see repeat
business, you need to be accessible to your customers.
If it is difficult to contact the customer service
department or speak to a manager, customers may not
return. Many businesses, especially on the Internet, try
to maintain a distance from their customers. This rarely
works. Read
on... |
| Creative Customer
Service - How Far Will You Go to Wow a
Customer? |
By Mary Sandro
© ProEdge
Skills, Inc. |
A large part of customer service
success is creating a seamless experience. Customer
needs are anticipated; systems are in place; employees
are trained. The company runs like a well-oiled machine.
But what happens when the unexpected happens? Customers
have an "unusual" request or they simply don't know the
rules of the system? The unexpected, I suggest, provides
the opportunity to stretch the system, improve the
system, or even forget the system and Wow a customer.
I arrived late at a hotel in Cambridge, MA the night
before an 8 am training, dressed for the cold weather in
brown boots and heavy trousers. When I got to my room I
unpacked my lovely, gray suit only to discover that I
had left my black heels at home. I looked down at my
feet and had to admit the brown boots were not even an
option.
I went to the concierge for help. It was after 10 pm.
Nothing was open. All of the shops in the area opened at
9 am, no help again. I was desperate. I pressed the
concierge, "There's nothing that can be done?" Silence.
I put on my best pathetic gaze and repeated,
"Nothing...?" Read
on... | |
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| Company Name: |
| DiscoMusic.com |
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| Location: |
| Gaithersburg, MD |
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| Owner / Publisher: |
| Bernard Lopez |
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| Tips
from Bernard: |
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Listen carefully to customer feedback.
The few who took time to write or get in touch obviously
felt strongly about whatever it was so listen and
prepare to make changes. |
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A professional image is paramount so
don't skimp on website design, proofread/spellcheck
everything, fix any broken links/missing images and
invest in a well- crafted logo. |
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Invest time in finding quality link
partners for your website as it will help in your search
standings and provide alternate sources of info for your
customers/visitors. |
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Is there anything you would
like us to include in our next newsletter? As a
dedicated partner for your organization, let us know how
we can help you out.
Click here to send us a
note. | |
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