Archive for customer service
Why do clients really leave you? It may not be what you think…
Posted by: | CommentsBlog from Maribeth Kuzmeski of Red Zone Marketing
When a client is upset with you…when your spouse is angry at you…when your teenager is ranting about some way you’ve wronged her again… it very often is not what it appears to be. Yet, in our attempt to minimize conflict, we immediately react to the outburst and attempt to fix the problem they describe. But often, the outburst is just the surface wound, there is much more beneath the surface that needs to be tended to first if we ever expect to properly repair the problem.
People get upset. We are not perfect, and sometimes our emotions take hold. These are facts of life.
But what I have learned from analyzing specific negative interactions between financial advisors and their clients is that a lot of the time, if not most of the time, when a client gets irrationally upset, the problem isn’t really the problem they are reacting to. It’s the series of things that lead up to it.
Are Your Client Delight Efforts Misplaced?
Posted by: | CommentsI have spent many years speaking about the concept of creating an exceptional client experience. I even have the term, “Client Delight” trademarked because of the educational materials I have created around this topic. But recently, I read something in Harvard Business Review (July-Aug 2010) that made me change my thinking on this topic, quite drastically actually. The article, “Stop Trying To Delight Your Customers,” makes a case that to really win a client’s loyalty, you need to forget the bells and whistles and just solve their problems. In essence, solving their problems efficiently IS the experience. And it is where loyalty comes from. Doing an excellent job of delivering on a promise of standard, expected, and basic service, according to the article, is much better than trying to over-deliver.
The reason: firms rarely can pull off the over the top, unbelievable and unexpected client service that delights. And, most companies lose clients by underperforming on the basic service tenants. So where should we concentrate our efforts?
Here are some shocking statistics from the research:
The Customer Contact Council, a division of the Corporate Executive Board, conducted a study of more than 75,000 people who had interacted with service departments at companies. Here are some key findings:
Giving thanks
Posted by: | CommentsAfter a long hiatus, and a few busy weeks, I am back to blogging!
It’s amazing how time flies and we don’t realize that we haven’t seen our friends in a few weeks, haven’t gone to the gym in a while, or haven’t had a decent meal to eat because of our busy schedules.
One other thing we forget to do is to say “thank you” to our fellow colleagues or people who help us along the way.
I came across an interesting post and discussion on a Facebook page (PR in Canada) a while ago. It was in regards to saying “thank you” to a journalist for the coverage you receive for your client. I completely agree with this. Sometimes as communications people we are so busy when going through our media/call lists, that we forget to say thank you to the journalists/bloggers that helped make our clients happy.
On the other hand, let’s not forget the PR professionals who help journalists by bringing them the story, interview, etc.; which results in happier editors, publishers and readers. Everyone needs to remember that the work we do affects each other. Keep it polite and professional – always maintain that level of respect. Everyone is doing their job afterall.
Are You a Problem Solver or a Problem Blamer?
Posted by: | CommentsI fly a decent amount and have had a lot of good and a lot of bad experiences with the airlines. The biggest issue I have with the airlines, especially my carrier of choice, is not that they make mistakes. I don’t expect any business to be perfect. At issue is how they deal with problems. Too often, their first reaction is to put the problem back with me. The protocol seems to be to assume first that the customer is wrong (blame), and take responsibility much later, if ever. How do you react when there is a problem with your product or service?
When I had an issue checking in to a flight this week, I immediately heard, “You must have entered your frequent flyer number in wrong… You must not have checked in properly… I see here, you didn’t pay a change fee.” But actually a previous agent didn’t complete the transaction properly, and there was no ticket number associated with the reservation. It is like being guilty until proven innocent. It is such a backwards method to customer service.
7 Easy Ways to Retain Customers
Posted by: | CommentsGuest post by Michelle Strassburg (learn more about Michelle at the end of this post)
Winning new customers is often easier than keeping them. Not too dissimilar from other types of relationship business or personal you must work hard on the relationship to make sure the other party is content. When it comes to retaining customers, keeping the other party content will directly influence revenue and should therefore be considered as a key objective for the business. Here are 7 ways to retain new customers which I have picked up during the years. Hopefully it will point you in the right direction.
1. Make customer service a business priority
The first steps is the most important in my view because it directly links between the business objectives and the weight given to customer retention. Most types of businesses I know heavily depend on returning business to offset costs involved in winning new business which is eventually how the business will grow. By understanding how important retaining customers is the first step is making this process a key objective.
2. Make this priority transparent across all departments
There is little to be gained if one department acts according to this priority, but others do not share the same importance. To make customer retention work, all departments from customer support to billing and shipping should place customer needs first. A happy customer is likely a returning customer, simple.
3. Diversify your communication tools
The web has not only brought us fast search and easy online shopping, it has also brought us new communication tools. Some customer groups might be using Twitter, some might be using Skype and some still prefer to pick up the phone to hear a voice on the other side. In order to cater for those groups, the business will need to diversify its communication tools as a mean to retain customers.
The Marketing Mix Made Easy to Understand and Use
Posted by: | CommentsWhile creating your annual marketing plan, using a combination of elements (4 from the marketing mix) is the key to success.
The marketing mix contains four elements. The combination of the four elements is used to satisfy consumer needs and company goals, stimulate consumer interest, and generate sales.
1. Product/Service – what are you trying to sell?
2. Price – how much will it cost in contrast to competitors in the market?
3. Place and distribution – where will it be sold and how will it be delivered?
4. Promotion - how will you deliver the message to the market – advertising, public relations, direct marketing, or online marketing?
By arranging these four elements in a variety of ways, it will help you determine the highest return on investment. You might have to use a lower price, offer a coupon, and/or give a way a free-gift with the purchase in one market, while pricing the product/service a little higher and using nicer packaging in a sophisticated market.
The key to success is to try various element combinations, because it is unlikely using only one mix will generate the results you want.
A few tips on marketing:
How to deal with complaints
Posted by: | CommentsRecently I wrote about Ex-Virgin Blue employee Torsten Koerting who designed a board game using Virgin Blue branding that criticises his former employer’s decision-making process.
Quick Marketing Tips for Steady and Long Term Growth
Posted by: | CommentsWith today’s marketplace so cluttered, business owners have to differentiate themselves from the rest of the bunch. Continue reading to learn some of the fastest ways to market your business in a cluttered market.
Five Sure-Fire Ways to Irritate Your Prospects
Posted by: | CommentsI am a hot weather person—can’t tolerate cold, or even chilly, and love hot whether it’s dry or steamy. Yet every summer, when the outdoor temperature finally gets comfortable for me, I have to deal with the battle of the air conditioners.
Yesterday I walked to lunch in gorgeous weather for mid-summer—82 degrees, slight breeze—from my perspective it was perfect. The doorman greeted me, held the door wide open, and said, “Come in, out of the heat!” He was only being polite, making small talk, but it occurred to me that he had no idea whatsoever that I would not feel about the weather exactly as he did. To me, it was not hot. It was just right.
That is often true when we communicate with our prospective customers. We have a mindset that we know what they need or want, and sometimes we neglect to test our assumptions or, simply, to ask.
Here are some lessons from the restaurant scenario that are applicable to our relationships with our customers—the assumptions that make for bad business:
