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Is Bad Customer Service Killing Your Business?
It's time to beat the old bad customer service drum again. I
know, I'm sick of beating the drum, too, but as long as bad
customer service runs rampant through so many businesses I feel
it is my entrepreneurial duty to bring it to your attention. So
grab a...Continue
Foolproof Customer Service Strategies (that only a fool would try!)
Ever notice how customer service varies from store to store? You walk into some stores, and before you can say "Buzz off!" a salesperson asks "May I help you?"
"No thanks."
"May I help you?" asks another.
"No thanks."
"May I help you?" asks a...Continue
Show Your Customers You Care
I recently went to a major computer/electronics store to buy an expensive software package. I felt good that I was able to find the software at a substantial discount. But by the time I was through paying for my purchase I never wanted to come back to the...Continue
Customer Service - A Sweet Essence
Due to unusually heavy call volume, our customer service agents
are busy helping other customers. Your wait time is
approximately 15 minutes. Please continue to hold...Please
continue to hold...Please continue to hold...
First let us specifically...Continue
Internal Customer Service – The Key To Productivity & Growth
Customer service is the foundation on which businesses are created. Unless you understand your customers and treat them with respect, you will go out of business. That is a well-known fact....Continue
Writing The Book On Great Customer Service
Q: One of the big chain bookstores recently opened up near my small book store. Already I can see my business starting to decline. Is there anything I can do to compete with the bigger store or should I just accept the inevitable?
-- Peter Q....Continue
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Take Care of Yourself Before You Take Care of Your Customer
One of the most important questions people ask when they are focused on improving their quantity and quality of business is: “What is my competitive advantage? What makes me unique, memorable, special… what truly sets me apart from the rest?"
While there are no definitively right answers to that question, most people come to some conclusion that customer service is a critical component of your competitive advantage. For most businesses, the service they offer can vary from exceptional to not so hot, depending upon circumstances.
Why is that? Why does the same company, and even the same people within that company provide world class service some of the time, and marginal service (or worse) other times?
That answer can be found in asking a different question: “What makes you (or your staff) happy when serving your customers?” While these answers also vary, most people come up with some sort of variation of “I am happy when my customer is happy.”
Do we enjoy dealing with agitated or disgruntled people? Normally not. We derive our joy from delivering value, by making others feel good about their experience, and by exceeding people’s expectations.
What comes first then? The happy customer or the happy person serving the customer? This is not the chicken or the egg quandary. The happy person serving the customer NEEDS to come first, because it is a very unusual day when your customer comes into your business looking to cheer YOU up.
This all seems very obvious. At the same time that many people realize this truth, it is rare that people consciously take steps to make sure that their greatest customer service assets are being serviced too - w hether that person in on your staff, in another department, or if that person is YOU. It is critical that you continually improve the emotional, physical and mental support you are supplying to the people serving your customers.
One of my friends and colleagues, Paul Wesselemann, shared a story about his time working at an HIV/AIDS support network. He explained how it was absolutely unacceptable to come to work when you were feeling even a bit ill, as even the smallest cold could be extremely dangerous for someone with HIV. He was REQUIRED first and foremost to take care of himself, make sure he was 100% before he was allowed to offer help and support to others.
How committed are you to taking the same care of YOUR needs? Your task for the month is to identify and act upon a couple of ways to keep you in proper shape so you can take care of your always important customers.
BE FREE!
Eric Plantenberg
About the Author
Eric Plantenberg is a nationally known memory trainer. His new program, Winning The Name Game, teaches professionals how to train their memory to remember names more effectively and be able to recall them at the right moment. For more information on how to better remember hundreds of names and faces visit http://www.WinnngTheNameGame.com
Or email info@WinningTheNameGame.com
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