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Are you a customer centric organization?
Most companies think they are. After all, don't companies hire nice people, and provide them some training? Don't these same companies intend to do their best by supplying good products, installing toll-free numbers, and generally fixing problems...
Can A Point Of Sale System Really Enhance My Customer's Visit?
You may assume that your guest's experience at your restaurant
may be enhanced by a point of sale system. Maybe you had not
even though of it. However, the fact is that a good point of
sale system can benefit the experience of your guests.
...
Common Sense Customer Service!
The key to growth in any business; whether it be the largest corporation on the planet or someone working a home business from their laptop on the dining room table; is exceptional Customer Service. Customer Service can’t just be ”good” or ”OK”; it...
Customer Service - A Lost Art?
Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that question, take a moment and think about the last few times you have gone shopping or out to dinner. Okay, now that you have really thought about it, is your answer any different? Why is...
Customer Service - Not the Guru Way, but Three Simple Steps!*
You can spend a fortune on having someone come and tell you how
to deliver customer service or you can do much more, for much,
much less.
It's just that having a tub-thumping guru on hand to do some
extraordinary things (though mainly...
How To Simplify Your Real Estate Buying/Selling Experience
Today’s real estate consumer has a lot to consider during the sale or purchase of a home. Be it waiting for the right buyer/seller, mortgage rates, or the moving truck, the experience can take a bit of patience on the part of the consumer. ...
How to Walk the Floor and Talk to Customers
This may seem a strange topic to introduce. Yet, it is the most under-used skill by many retail managers, but one of the most important roles in their supervision. 1. You Are the Maitre of Your Business Your role is take that of a maitre...
If You Can’t See It, They Won’t Do It
Recently, while developing a customer service program, I asked my client to provide me with detailed descriptions of behaviors he wanted his team members to engage in. He called me back a short time later and told me that his department heads...
Putting The Serve Back Into Customer Service
Good service is easy to spot and hard-to-find. Mediocre service occasionally stands out but only because it's the cream-of-the-crap. Last week I had the opportunity to speak at the Lumbermen's Merchandising Corp. annual sales meeting in Dallas....
Tapping The Potential Of Your Customers
Business owners of long standing know the cardinal rule “take care of your existing customers first”. Today especially we see business owners looking constantly for the new customer. Hey, did you forget the customers you have. All of us want our...
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Keeping Customers Loyal
It's a well-known fact that it costs many times more to acquire
a new customer than to keep doing business with your existing
ones. For this reason, the best way to become profitable is to
have loyal customers who keep coming back again and again. It's
all about relationship building.
The new customer-supplier supply chain has been altered
dramatically over the last few years. The "new economy" has had
a great impact on the way we view the predictable ways of this
once status quo-ish aspect of American business called customer
service. So what can you do?
Customers Aren't as Loyal as They Used to Be
It used to be that customers would find one service that met
their needs and stay with it for absolutely years. Now, though,
customers are fickle, and can all-too-easily be tempted away by
a competitor's offer if they feel that it sounds cheaper or
better than yours. So-called 'loyalty management' has become
more of a science than it ever used to be, and it's one that you
need to make use of if you don't want to be constantly failing
to retain your customers.
Offer Discounts for Repeat Business
You will see some businesses who give people a 'first-time'
discount, as a hook to get people to try their services. This is
entirely the wrong way to do it. What you should be trying to do
is reward loyalty by giving people a discount each time they use
your services. Over time, this makes it so that moving to the
competition looks like a ridiculous proposition for them -- why
would they when they get a 20% discount from you every time?
Keep Mailing Lists
You should have at least two mailing lists: one for your
prospects (people who might buy from you), and one for your
customers (people who have bought from you). You should lavish
attention on both lists, but especially on the existing customer
one -- and really lay it on thick for anyone who's bought from
you more than once.
You need to be in contact with your regular customers as much as
you can, always understanding their needs and when they might
need you again. Don't worry about this costing masses in direct
mail, as you can always do it by email. The secret is this:
contact, contact, contact. Send your regulars Christmas cards,
invite them to
meet with you for lunch -- anything you can think
of. A good tip is to always use the techniques that your
competitors are neglecting.
If your service is one that the customer will need at regular
intervals or a certain time of year, make sure you keep track of
this in your customer database and send something out then.
There's nothing worse than losing out on a customer's business
just because they didn't have your phone number to hand and had
a little extra time to see an offer from a competitor.
Another good thing to send to your mailing list is a newsletter,
either by email or post. Take a few hours each month to write
something with useful information about your industry that your
customers are likely to keep and find useful, and put your logo
on the top so that they can be reminded of you when they see it.
As a bonus, you can keep this material archived on your website
too, so it can be found by people searching for related words in
search engines.
Be Crazy About Feedback
You need to phone up as many customers as you can to get their
feedback after they deal with you. Make sure they were satisfied
with what you provided, offer to fix anything that they're not
happy with, and ask them if they can think of any way you could
improve. Customers will appreciate this -- and they'll like it
even more if you actually implement their suggestions.
Provide a Personal Service
Go the extra mile to make your customer feel like they're your
friend, and not just a tracking number in your database. Tailor
everything you do to their needs, and make everything easy for
them -- don't leave them to do legwork that you could be doing.
After all, they're the customer.
Finally, cheesy as it might sound, customers really appreciate a
little thank you note when you've received their payment. For an
extra personal touch, you could handwrite it.
About the author:
Original Source: Articles-Galore.com
Information supplied and written by Lee Asher of CyberTech SoftShop
Suppliers of the DeadEasy
Ebook Maker and Publishing Wizard.
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