Gary Richter says you should roll out the red carpet for everyone, but particularly those who don’t expect it. “I tell my employees, if we roll out the red carpet for a billionaire, they won’t even notice. If we roll it out for millionaires, they expect it. If we roll it out for thousandaires, they appreciate it. And, if we roll out the red carpet for hundredaires, they’ll tell everyone they know.” 2. Take Time To Know Your Customers. The fast pace of modern living together with . More »

I interviewed Becky Rhone-Nowlan about Customer Service dynamics. The following is Part 2 of the interview: MagicBecky Messmer: May I take it from an on-line perspective? Mooie Infinity: Yes indeed. MagicBecky Messmer: I talk about this in my book, "Secrets of the Second Fortune." When you begin the process of creating your on-line business you look for a problem to solve right? Mooie Infinity: Right. MagicBecky Messmer: So you start researching and getting into your prospects head, thinking how they think, figuring out how they feel. Your next step . More »

Apparently customer service training extends beyond saying have a nice day. Funny really because in England you don't even here these simple words muttered to you. There is a definite lack of good quality customer service in the UK. In every single business you come across there seems to be a lack of interest in presenting a good image of customer service to potential clients. Perhaps it is an English thing. But when you do find that rare gem - a place that knows how to . More »

In part 1 we discussed the importance of Post-Sale Customer Support teams in retaining repeat customers, and why this is so important. Now let's look at some practical customer service management tips to help you get the job done. What Is the Role of Customer Support The customer support team needs to ensure customers are happy by representing the customer's interests inside the business at time when no one else is motivated to do so. The customer support team, along with the sales team, represents the customer's interests inside . More »

Customer service has never been worse than it is in today’s business environment. With companies trimming their budgets as much as possible, there isn’t the time or money to spend on customer service skills. If it can be automated, it gets automated no matter how inconvenient it is for the customer. How many times have you been ready for the now familiar message “please listen carefully for our options have changed” only to find yourself screaming at the phone after one too many option levels? . More »

Most business owners admit that customer service is an important function in their online business. However, more and more business owners are outsourcing customer support functions as a means of reducing overall costs and potential internal stress. In many cases these customer service representatives log complaints, but have virtually no authority to take any immediate action to help a customer deal with their immediate problems. They can let the customer know they have logged the complaint and a representative will be contacting them. The truth is some of . More »

Dell is one of the most highly rated PC companies and receives a lot of compliments for its products and customer service. On the internet, customers narrate a lot of pleasant experiences they had with Dell. One of such customers is Dave who praises the Dell customer support in one of his reviews in these words: “I have dealt with the customer service in the past for a laptop view panel replacement that was flawless.” Yet another reviewer, bapman007 narrates in his review that “I buy . More »

Customer Service Do you offer such great service that your customers offer to refer their circle of influence to you? Excerpts from E-myth Revisited by Michael Gerber The Entrepreneur asks how will my business look to the Customer. The Entrepreneurial Model does not start with a picture of the business to be created, but of the customer for whom the business is to be created for. To the Entrepreneur, the business is the product and the customer is the opportunity. If we do not know who we are for the customer, . More »

For all of the things that the Americans have got wrong (fast food, voting in George W. Bush, racial intolerance and scary religious sects) they have one thing that beats us British hands down. That is the level of customer service that you receive in every single client facing business in the United States. Whether it be in a restaurant, in a retail outlet or in an office situation the Americans always treat you well. It really puts the surly kid behind the counter in Tesco . More »

Have you read the articles in the papers about the status of our economy? I am not sure that we are really in a recession or even in a depression, as some pessimists seem to indicate. May that be decided by the historians in a few years when all the data is available and analyzed. Have you heard about the relatively low confidence readings by the public? You yourself might have asked yourself how to continue to pay for $4/gallon gas at the pump, ever increasing prices . More »