The Definition of Customer Service
Just the other day I was asked for the definition of customer service. In the context of our conversation I stated that it was the way the customer is treated by anyone in the company before, during and after the sale. Then, just for fun, I did a Google search on “The definition of customer service.” There were quite a few answers, as you could imagine. So, for even more fun, I tweeted the following: Writing an article and thought to “Tweet Source” some research: What’s your definition of customer service? #Custserv And here are a few of the answers worth consideration: Al Hopper (@AlHopper_) defined customer service as “the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services.” Support and assistance, managed well, is great value differentiator between you and your competitors. Retail Wire (@RetailWire) said it’s “not having to ask someone for help.” I like that. Short and sweet. Deliver the service before the customer asks for it. Dr. Meghan Norris (@DrMeghanNorris) suggested that “having the flexibility and power to adapt to, and meet, consumer wants and needs in the specific context.” For me, the key words are flexibility and power, suggesting that employees are empowered to ensure the customer is happy. Corporate Dynamics (@CorpDyn) chimed in by suggesting that customer service is “a selfless desire to fulfill the needs of your consumer and community.” The phrase “selfless desire” is interesting. Customer service is all about the customer. Lisa Catalano (@LMCatalano) said that customer service is about “recognizing and addressing needs, whether solving a problem or advising why it can’t be solved, with respect and sincerity, quickly.” Lisa is emphasizing that we must react quickly to customer’s needs and problems. Jack Dillon (@LeftyJack) chimed in with “being served to meet my expectations. Building a team that comes in loving to service, knowing to work together for the customer and the business.” If a company can always meet my expectations, they will most likely exceed my expectations. It’s hard to be consistent, but the companies who are, tend to be the ones that customers want to come back to over and over again. They like the predictable experience. Okay, here is a twist. Not to diminish the awesomeness of these definitions, but the reality of all of these definitions, mine included, don’t really count. I’ve written about this before, and it is worth sharing this comment again. Regardless of how good these definitions are (and they are good), in the end it’s the customer’s definition that counts. The customer defines what service means to him or her. The customer’s definition, in most cases, becomes the expectation, and it is up to the company – and the people in the company – to not just meet but exceed that expectation. • • • Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a customer service expert, hall-of-fame speaker and New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. He works with organizations to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. He is also the creator of The Customer Focus, a customer service training program that helps organizations develop a customer service culture and loyalty mindset. For more information contact (314) 692-2200...
read moreUse Twitter to Join Your Industry Influencers
Twitter has taken a beating in the stock market and media in recent months. There have been management ordeals and its growth curve is not keeping up with other social media. But despite the bout of negativism, Twitter is generally the preferred social media hangout for the individuals we now call “influencers.” These influencers range from biggest names in show business to the most important people in virtually every facet of business. If you want to establish yourself or your small business as an important voice in your sector or market, you need to have a presence on Twitter. There are dangers, however. If your tweets are neither informational nor engaging, you’re wasting your time. You will end up working hard to earn followers only to have them unfollow or “mute” you. Let’s look at some guidelines. Study supermarket checkout stand publications. I’m not telling you to tweet like a tabloid, but try to capture your readers’ attention in a short headline. This is why list headlines work so well; people immediately recognize the value they are communicating. Keep tweets around 100 characters. This length seems to be the “sweet spot” for retweeting, which is what you want your followers to do. You have 140 characters, but if you use them all, sometimes your followers won’t be able to add an original comment to your tweet, so they’ll just pass. Check your analytics. If you go to https://analytics.twitter.com/ while you’re logged onto Twitter, you’ll get some good analytics. If you click the “View all Tweet activity” link, you’ll see how well each tweet engaged your followers. Do more of the stuff that rates highly! Use hashtags in moderation…but use them. Don’t hashtag like you’re auditioning for one of those hilarious Jimmy Fallon routines. Watch the influencers in your industry and compile a list of your most relevant hashtags and then use them consistently. Don’t grab some trending hashtag just to get more exposure; the only exposure that counts are Twitter users who would be genuinely interested in what you do. #Beyonce (not!). By the way, don’t stuff the description of yourself with hashtags. Tacky. Create a professional banner for the top of your Twitter page. This can be a simple photo, but if that’s what you’re using make it a great photo and one that looks good when it’s stretched to run the width of your page. Your personal photo overlaps this so don’t put any type where your mug will cover it up. While we’re on the subject: Use a professional portrait photograph of yourself. It can be somewhat casual, but don’t use the picture that was snapped of you when you were going down the flume at the waterpark log ride. Make it a “head and shoulders” shot. Follow back. It’s generally a good rule to follow back people who follow you. Ignore all the “Buy 10,000 Twitter Followers for $19.95” – they cheapen your Twitter presence. But otherwise, follow people who follow you. Use graphics. Adding a graphic or photograph to your tweets will significantly increase engagement. Humans are visual creatures. Eye-catching art along with your words will give you an edge over the hundreds of other tweeters you’re competing with. Tweet important information at different times. If you have an important message you want your...
read moreHow to Use the Cloud to Boost Security, Productivity
A friend recently attended the taping of a TV game show – The Price is Right – and none of the audience members could take their phones into the studio. He and everyone in his group left their phones in their cars and they talked about how they almost felt naked for the three to four hours that they didn’t have their phones. That highlights our relationship with technology today – it’s become an extension of ourselves just like our clothing and it’s no different in your small business. This brings me to the question I want to pose: What will you do when your small business technology fails? The truth of the matter is that today our technology tends to be more critical than our labor force. If an employee is out sick for a few days, you probably have someone who can take over immediately or you can just let that person’s workload slide for a while. Can you imagine allowing any of the tech processes that drive your business slide for a few days? Best backup strategy Not long ago an on-site RAID storage or backup system with “hot-swappable” drives seemed like the ultimate solution. While RAID storage is good, cloud storage and software is usually even better. With RAID systems you still have tasks to do in house whenever there is a problem and you are also responsible for monitoring and maintaining the hardware. And with cloud-based SaaS (software as a service) you also get rid of the hassle of updating. It is said that the first step in any journey is the most difficult and for small business owners, taking the first step to move from legacy technological systems to cloud-based computing can be daunting. We tend to leave our legacy computing systems alone until we have trouble. Unfortunately, that’s when the costs tend to be their highest. If you wait until something goes down, it costs in productivity, lost opportunities and mistakes made when you’re operating “under the gun.” When things need to be replaced or fixed in emergencies, we pay more and make bad decisions. There are lots of great companies providing cloud services today. At the very least you should be backing up your system via the cloud. That solves a lot of problems immediately. First, it makes backing up automatic – and every survey shows that small business owners are either ignoring backups or backing up too infrequently. It also moves your backups off site, which is a savior should a disaster strike your facility. AT&T is one of the major players in providing cloud computing and cloud storage options. They can set up a “private cloud” for your business and in addition to general storage, you might use a private cloud for backup. Many large businesses have their IT departments build their own cloud; with services like those provided by AT&T, even smaller businesses can have their own dedicated cloud. Other options include cloud networking and cloud-based virtual desktop services. There’s another security advantage built into using third party services, such as the ones I’ve listed from AT&T – you offload your security responsibility. Trying to keep all your local machines safe from hostile hackers is a difficult, and expensive, job. Moving critical data to a well managed cloud environment...
read moreHow To Avoid This New Version of a Classic Scam
With the rise of DJs and electronic music, “remixes” have become extremely popular. They often involve taking a classic older hit song and changing it up electronically into a new work of art. Not to be outdone, scammers around the world are “remixing” classic scams and some of these remixes are proving to be very popular with an unsuspecting group of targets. The most recent one to resurface is the “overpayment scam.” You may recognize it in one of its original versions. A company or individual (sometimes foreign) contacts you and wants to make a purchase. But there is some problem with the currency transaction, so you are given a money order for more than the amount and then asked to send them back part of the overpayment and keep part of the overpayment for the bother you’ve gone through. Eventually the money order bounces and you’ve lost the money you “refunded.” An alternate version has you depositing the overpayment in some “escrow” account and then you lose whatever you’ve deposited there. Overpayment Scam 4.0 A new version of this scam targets photographers, but I think that many small businesses could be caught by the new twists. Freelance photographers are being solicited to take family or wedding pictures. Again, a check or money order for more than the actual fee is sent and the photographer is instructed to send the difference to an event planner or other third party. Photographers who fall for this will find that the checks they have sent that supposedly cover the “overpayment” clear before they discover that their original checks or money orders have bounced. There are a wide range of red flags that should tip you off on this scam. Some of the warning signs apply to many other scams as well. Let’s look at them. First, whenever someone wants to send you money for a sum that is greater than what you’re charging for your product or service, you’re in danger of being scammed. Think of it this way: Anyone doing this is essentially asking you to take the role of banker. The urban legend around prolific bank robber Willie Sutton has him explaining why he robbed banks by saying, “Because that’s where the money is.” Anyone running this scam is betting that you will be “where the money is,” because their money is certainly not underwriting the check or money order they send you. Don’t play the role of banker for anyone outside of a friendly game of Monopoly. Next, many of these scams paint too-good-to-be-true scenarios. In the photography version, the family is available to take photographs at virtually any time of the day that’s convenient for the photographer. Small business owners often find themselves bending over backwards to please their customers and clients. When someone shows up who is easy to accommodate, it’s a major relief and that makes it even more tempting to “bite.” We all know what they say about things that seem “too good to be true.” Don’t forget that wisdom. Communication control freaks You’ll also find that communication channels are usually limited to email in these scams. Photographers know that their real clients often prefer to talk on the phone so if you have any clients who seem unwilling or unable to make personal contact,...
read moreA Lesson in Entrepreneurism: Will a noticeable difference forever change flatware?
There are a lot of personal and professional qualities that come together to make a successful entrepreneur and I think Kyle Donovan, creator of the iFork and a related line of flatware, glasses and plates embodies many of those qualities. Sharing a little of his story can help shape your attitude, product or service and increase your chance to achieve outrageous success. Let me quickly outline the project that caught my attention. Kyle has developed a line of flatware that is about to be featured in 500 Wal-Mart stores. He has taken a product that humans have been using virtually unchanged for hundreds of years and given it a noticeable difference and distinct improvement. His iFork and related flatware sit on your table top without their “business parts” resting on the table. You see, our table tops – and tables in restaurants everywhere – aren’t the cleanest surfaces around. Kyle realized this when he was at an outdoor restaurant in Miami and watched a bird land on his table. His design solves this health and sanitation problem. Now that you have the basic picture, let’s quickly cover some points that will help us all become better entrepreneurs. Confidence. While Kyle’s iFork may sound simple and even easy to do, I think that grossly underestimates what he has done. First, it took a lot of nerve to mess with a product that is so well established and entrenched in our daily lives. It’s almost like saying, “Hey, I think I have a better design for the wheel!” Further, Kyle didn’t know very much about the plastic molding process, offshore production or marketing such a ubiquitous consumer product, so he had a lot to learn to bring his idea into production. A little naiveté. With that being said, being a little unaware of the hurdles that lie ahead can be helpful. “Sometimes if you don’t know all the challenges, you don’t know how hard something is actually going to be, you’re already on the journey,” Kyle explains adding that you learn as you go along and continue to make progress. You’re never going to have perfect knowledge; you have to forge ahead anyway. A work ethic. As Kyle discusses all the challenges he has faced as he has worked to bring the iFork to market, it is obvious that he’s a man who’s not afraid of putting in a huge amount of effort when that’s required to get the job done. He credits his cousin for this. As they grew up in a rough part of Brooklyn, he looked up to his older cousin, who rose to the challenges life doled out at an early age. Kyle remembers his first foray into entrepreneurism: picking up bottles off the street for their redemption value. An unwillingness to “settle.” When he was just 19 years old, Kyle was working in a photolab and studio, and doing very well. However, he found out that another employee was making 25 cents more an hour and it didn’t seem right to him. That was all the motivation it took for Kyle to take charge of his own destiny. He started his own photo lab and studio. “I had a one bedroom apartment and my darkroom was my bedroom. For my studio, I had a mattress on the...
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