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How I Waited Upon 120 People for Breakfast One Morning

As a waiter you should always be ready for the unexpected and be ready to adapt to any situation. The restaurant can be slow one moment and all of a sudden a bunch of people can come in and the restaurant is packed.

One of my most memorable shifts occurred to me back in the summer of 1990 when I was working in Jasper Alberta. Jasper is nestled in the beautiful Canadian Rockies and has a population of about 3,000 people but during the summer the number swells to 25,000 tourists per day that fill up the local hotels and inns. Jasper becomes a mecca for the service employee who wants to make some good money during the tourist season.

During this summer I was working breakfast at one hotel and dinner at another restaurant so I was making some good cash. Where I worked for breakfast each morning we would get what I like to call the bus people in early enabling them to grab the bus by 8AM and continue on their tour. This meant we were slammed hard right at the beginning.

There was 3 of us that worked the breakfast each morning but on this morning there was one that asked for the day off which left two of us to handle two bus loads at 7AM. That was about 90 people. Our supervisor had just quit too. It was going to be busy for sure but with a fully loaded breakfast buffet most people headed that way as it was included in the price. Some would order off the menu but not many.

That morning I arrived to work the usual time at 6:15 to set up the buffet , put the creamers and assorted jams on the table , and start making the coffee. Time was speeding by and soon I realized the other waiter was not there yet. I checked the time and it was 6:45. The chef came out and asked if I was the only one to show up. At that moment I looked at the locked entrance door where I noticed the hungry wolves licking their chops ready to attack the buffet and anything else that resembled food. The way I was feeling at this moment I probably looked a little like roast beef on a plate.

Summoning up courage I said to the chef just watch the buffet and I will take care of the rest. Having prepared up to 6 pots of coffee and a couple more of boiling water for tea I opened the doors to the throng of people awaiting.

As they hurried in to grab a seat I gave everyone a couple of minutes to enter, then made my big announcement. Using my experience in public speaking and holding two coffee pots I said , ” I am the only one on this morning so I am coming around with coffee and here is our buffet so help yourself. If you need anything off the menu I will get it for you. Be patient and you will all be served and seen to within a couple of minutes.”

All I asked of them is anyone who orders off the menu and needs to settle up their bill line up at the cash about 7:50 just before it is their departure time and pay me before leaving. This way I can give the best service possible to everyone leading up to that time.

Well it worked like a charm. I got everything everyone wanted and the kitchen helper kept the buffet replenished. Not one complaint at all , in fact the front desk did not even know of the missing waiter.

Once the crowd left and caught their busses , every table was heaped with dishes that I was unable to clear while serving. Buffet plates , coffee cups , juice glasses , and plates ordered from the kitchen all stacked on the tables. I began with a huge tray to start clearing tables but then suddenly there was more people coming that were not on any schedule and just were coming for breakfast. As they came in I cleared a table for them to sit on and wiped it down. Until 11AM when we closed for breakfast I served another 30 people.

The kitchen helper gave me a hand to clear some of the tables during this time and thank heavens we were not open for lunch. The Food and Beverage Manager came and asked why I didn’t call him. He had no idea. The one thing when you are a waiter is if you are busy you are usually too busy to call anyone!

At the end of the day I survived and I guess I made a good impression because when I went to visit two years after that summer the dishwasher did not remember my name but did recall that infamous morning when I served the entire breakfast myself to 120 people.

His motivational speakingengagements are both funny and informative. Find out more about Steve Nicolle at his website which is at http://www.stevetalks.ca

Enthusiasm, Energy and Success Are Critical Keys For Providing Excellent Customer Servi

There are basically 5 different reasons why nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm.

First, no great success is ever attained in life without the surmounting of obstacles. In every life there are challenges. Some people view challenges as problems, others view them as opportunities. This marks one big difference between those people who give up and those who move up. You need to understand the positive role obstacles can play in your development. Challenges will push you. They stretch you. They make you develop your potential. Because you cannot leap a hurdle without energy, you need to value energy. You need to understand and embody the power of enthusiasm.

Secondly, without the motivation that comes with enthusiasm, you will never dig deep enough to discover and develop all the talents you have that can lead you to the greatest accomplishments of which you are ultimately capable. Developing your talents is itself sometimes an arduous task. Without enthusiasm for what you are doing and what you are becoming, it could be at times an exhausting and dispiriting task. It takes energy. You will often need to push yourself to find that you are capable to find what you’re capable of doing, and what you are capable of being.

There is a third reason why nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm. Great success requires great risk. It does not come cheap. You need to be willing to try things you have never tried before. Maybe even things nobody else has ever tried before.

The fourth reason why enthusiasm, or strong emotional commitment, is typically necessary for greatness is that, without it, you can easily be tempted to settle for nothing more than a basic, minimal competence in what you do, at best.

No great success was ever attained alone. No one in this life ever accomplishes anything worthwhile flying completely solo, from start to finish. Satisfying success is always in some way, and most times in many ways, a social product, which results when people work together. Whatever your dream is, whatever your goals are, you cannot do it alone.

It is important to clearly understand how this comes into play with providing excellent customer service. It is not your perception of how good the service is that counts. It actually has to do with the perceptions of the customer. The customer is the one who matters.

Excellent customer service exceeds customer needs (real or perceived) in a consistent and dependable manner. Note the phrase real or perceived. This is very important in understanding excellent customer service. It is not your perception of how good the service is that counts. It is the perception of each customer that matters. These perceptions include how customers react to your attitude, your concern for their problems, and the way you handle their questions or service requirements.

When you provide service over the telephone, you may speak with the same customer many times. Even though you have never met this person face-to-face, you probably have an idea of what he or she is like. You may even have a mental image of what a particular customer looks like. Customers are no different. Likewise, they also have an image of you. As a valued employee, you have the ability to influence the perceptions of many customers. It is important to remember that you are in a direct position to win or lose company business!

Pj Germain
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Customer-Supplier Relationships For Lean Six Sigma

A Case Study

A case in point is the sending out of mailings to customers about new products by a certain company. Now, the mail house entrusted with sending out the mail had been cleaning up the mail file of the customer-company for years, without them knowing about it.

During one such mail out, a new employee handling it used the initial address file to send out the mail, which resulted in thirty percent of the mail being returned because of the addresses being insufficient. A query from the customer’s side brought to light the file cleaning, which resulted in the inadvertent mistake, which caused mail to be returned. When asked what they would like the customer to do, the suppliers gave a clear-cut response for a fresh address file to be prepared in a way that would help eradicate the problem. Had this been done earlier, it could have saved the wasted time and money for both.

In another case, a printer informed the customer after a long time about the additional charges that he had been applying for converting the three color red, green, blue pieces, which he had been getting, into the 4 color CMYK version.

Customer-Supplier Links

In both the cases, the company was also a supplier. It supplied electronic files, containing the artwork to the printing company, and the addresses to the mailer. This resulted in the printer and the mailer assuming the customer’s role. These roles are reversed when the mailing is sent out or printed material is supplied. Therefore, in most instances of such customer-supplier situations, one being unaware of the requirement of the other, they maintain whatever is supplied as standard, even when the change would not require much cost or effort - resulting in loss to both.

In a customer-supplier situation, if you are aware that the product you get will be sub-standard if the raw material is poor, and your supplier relies on you to supply the input/raw material, and check for flaws in the raw material, then it is important to find out the exact requirements of your supplier. Your focus should be to identify everything that would help minimize the chance of error, the time of supply and the cost of your job. If required, make suitable changes in your processes, which would speed up product delivery with minimum risks.

Use A Checklist

A checklist is necessary to know input requirements. In your role as supplier, make sure you have such a checklist. In case you do not have it, determine the input requirements from your customers and create one, keeping the objectives of benefiting your customers, along with the reduction in risks and time required for meeting their needs, and helping them save money. Take your supplier’s suggestions on ways to help him do a better job for you, and guide your customers to give feedback on the product, so that it can be designed to suit their requirements.

Mastering the art of switching roles in your dealings with your customers and suppliers allows you to lead and follow according to situational demands. Even though it requires time and effort, it will result in greater profits by generating more business and contributing to savings.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Effective Customer Communication

Organizations are open dynamic systems for transforming resource inputs into saleable outputs (goods & services). They are created to provide useful products and services that satisfy the needs of customers and provide value to stakeholders. But the interests of various stakeholders (whether employees, customers, suppliers, or stakeholders) are not always aligned. This places conflicting pressures and demand on managers.

To maintain organizational viability, managers seek to navigate competitive environmental forces and work to achieve goals in the areas of productivity, satisfaction, and revitalization. One of the realities of life in organizations is that today’s effective practices are not likely to suffice tomorrow. Whether pulled by the success of growth or jolted by crisis and downturn, managers must periodically transform the system to adapt to environmental realities. In the process of transformation, managers can target changes in the key internal resources such as tasks, technology, organization, people, and culture. Maintaining a dynamic balance among these resources is what human resources management is all about. Particularly, in order to analyze the changes that occur to an organization’s strategy, structure, and culture, due to consumer demand, the human resource management communication framework becomes the dominant tool.

Effective communication is essential for transmitting directives, building co-operation and team spirit, optimizing performance and satisfaction, and avoiding and solving problems. Formal communication channels flow in downward, upward, and horizontal directions. Informal networks, essential for any contemporary business unit, are extremely useful as the need to tap into current feelings and reactions of employees, apart of customers, is evident. Thus, messages need to be encoded carefully so that they clearly communicate intentions, feelings, and expectations. Then these should be sent through the most appropriate channels, and feedback should be solicited from the receiver to be sure that the message was decoded as intended.

Such barriers as frames of reference, value judgments, selective listening, filtering and distrust complicate the internal and external communication systems of companies. They can be overcome by sending clear, complete, and specific messages. Demonstrating expertise, clarifying intentions, being reliable and dynamic can enhance credibility, exhibiting warmth and friendliness, and building a positive image. Soliciting and providing specific feedback can also enhance communication effectiveness.

One of the most important consumer satisfaction elements is the ability to ask questions and being able to receive appropriately answers from company executives. Gaining information, uncovering motives, giving incentives, obtaining participation, checking understanding, initiating the thinking process, inducing agreements, and refocusing attention, are all essential components of an effective consumer communication plan. Thus, employees’ active listening skills assist a company to build rapport with customers and help them obtain the relevant information they need.

Moreover, body language is useful both in reading the emotions and attitudes of customers and in reinforcing an employee’s verbal messages. Understanding vocal qualities can enhance the reading of other people’s messages by a company’s employees and help them to project their own, more effectively.

Concluding, due to the growing complexity and turbulence of the business environment and the related growth in research knowledge about customer behavior patterns, managers of the 21st century have to take four themes as paramount; the necessity of managing the challenges of change; functioning within a global environment; being sensitive to the diversity among people; and behaving with ethical integrity.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Consumer Information, Finance, and Business

800 Numbers Bring Leads - If It Doesn’t Cost Anything, They’ll Call

How do I find you, how do I find out where you are, and how fast can I talk to you? These questions are ones we all wish a consumer would ask and then pursue aggressively to find our business. The problem is that the consumer is often fleeting in their pursuit if it is not easy, thorough, and cost effective.

Think about how you look for a business or vendor when you have a broad choice.

If your two choices are to look through a phone book or look something up online, which one will you choose? You choose online, if you’re like me, since you can’t remember where the hardcover phone books are, if you still have them, and not to mention they’re out of date when they’re printed. When you do eventually find those phone books, they’re not particularly helpful with outdated listings. So the real question is, how fast can I get that information reliably?

Following this train of thought, it seems that the best option is to do a search online. But, once you get online, where do you go? Most people have identified one or two search engines or sites and frequent them regularly, but when those options run out or yield information that is not convenient for them to use, without 800 numbers, they will most likely find somewhere else to look.

If you do a search by business type or title, often you will come up with several businesses to choose from. Sometimes selecting the right business will depend on their advertising, who else uses them, or these days, what kind of positive feedback is received. That is if you believe the feedback posted.

Is it honest, is it part of a larger marketing plan, and how recent is it?

The business could have taken a nose dive in service years ago, but we wouldn’t know it by reading the feedback. Most of the time, though, we choose the option that won’t take money out of our own pockets. If there is a choice between contacting a business via a toll free number or incurring a cost, most will decide to use the 800 number every time.

The frustrating part of the search can often be the process of being forced to look through several different sites using the same key word in your search, trying to find the same information. There are occasions when we will see the same listing again and again on different sites, but since the number listed is a long-distance call, we will not dial that number. No matter how reputable a business might be, many of us are loathe to call long distance on a chance.

The safer and more cost-effective bet is to call toll free.

The more the toll free numbers appear in our searches, the more apt we are to contact those businesses, and anything that makes consumers contact a business will certainly create opportunities to sell our services or our products. Better still, if there is an 800 number directory, that surely would make life easier and allow us the opportunity to shop around easier and give businesses a better chance that we will contact them.

And as everyone knows, any increased traffic to a business is welcome. It gives more opportunities to convert that call into a paying customer. In the long run, it seems a small price to pay to have a toll free number listed on an 800 number directory to bring in more business.

Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: http://www.internettollfree.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.

New Way of Outsourcing Calls

It is a common story- project gets outsourced, vendor fumbles project, project moves back onshore. The biggest threat facing outsourcing is lack of communication and control between outsourcer and client. Not any more, says James Stinson owner of Global Sky Inc, due to a new service called seat leasing.

Seat leasing presents a way in which clients can take their projects offshore, manage it personally (or assign their own management) in an offshore environment without the incurring the cost of overhead or risking quality issues with an unproven vendor.

Seat leasing clients basically “lease” seats on an hourly basis. Costs are around $4 per hour for call center projects and $3 per hour for back office projects like data entry.

Why outsource if you’ve still got to manage it yourself? “Lots of reasons”, says James Stinson, owner of Global Sky Inc., a call center based in Manila, Philippines. “The biggest reason of course is cost savings. Typical salary of an offshore agent is about $2 -3 per hour. So add that to our workstation rental and you’re paying a TOTAL of $6 - 7 an hour. Compare that with other full service providers in the US or even offshore providers. You won’t find that kind of pricing anywhere.”

Global Sky does offer full service for clients that still don’t want to manage it themselves, or feel they will eventually transition to the seat leasing model.

Think about how your business might be able to benefit from the seat leasing model. If you are based in high cost center like US or UK and you have no choice but to work understaffed, or even worse, do the work yourself- this might be an affordable alternative.

If your business is done over the internet and geography is not the chief concern, you might even consider relocating to the Philippines to operate your business. Entrepreneurs around the world are taking this option and moving to where the opportunities are.

The Philippines offers pristine beaches and little known hot spots for diving and surfing around the country. Despite its bad press as a potential terrorist threat on the CIA web site, James, now living in the Philippines 2 years, contends it has to be one of the safest and most beautiful countries in the world to live.

If you’ve been waiting to outsource a project - Global Sky might just be the solution you’re looking for. Before you ring them up however, James cautions “We are looking for long term clients. We invest our resources in long term clients, where we get our best returns. The clients we do work with are grateful we conserve our resources for them.”

James Stinson is Owner and Founder of Global Sky Inc. For more information about seat leasing visit http://www.global-sky.com or email sales@global-sky.com

Generating Customer Loyalty

Becoming and staying customer-intimate requires more than building client knowledge and having expertise in re-engineering our customers business processes. We must offer more than just service. We need to maintain a broad product line that can be configured to the specific needs of a customer. It is important to know that an average product tailored to a customers very specific need is often better than the more advanced, but inflexible, product. Many times organizations are not obsessed by the leading edge; rather they embrace solid, tested products that can be tailored to fit their needs like a glove. It is important for us to produce unmatched value for our customers who do not necessarily want the very latest product - just the best result and help in obtaining it.

1. It is necessary to understand the importance of empowerment and the critical role of individual initiative. It can be summed up in a one-word motto = THINK. It is important for us to be disciplined in order to live out this motto everyday in our interactions with customers.

2. Client by client, we need to set targets for penetration, development, and growth. We need to use specific, detailed, and integrated customer data.

3. A challenge is to assemble, integrate, and retain talented people who can stay at the forefront of new paradigms and techniques that affect our customers business. Good ideas today are a dime a dozen. Brilliant concepts and practices are disseminated with stunning speed. Competitive benchmarking and best-practice studies have become standard elements in most organizations. But what is still in short supply, is the ability to effect change, to get things implemented, to make things happen. That is the value provided by being a customer- intimate company. Proof of our value is found only in results. The most cherished reward is a prize from a customer recognizing that our company has played an instrumental part in their success.

Stories abound in various companies about employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for their customers. An example is a story about the Four Seasons Hotel doorman who found the briefcase of a guest who had already checked out. Assuming that it contained important papers, the doorman rushed to the airport, caught the next air shuttle, and delivered the briefcase to the forgetful fellow. Heroic? Well, yes. More important, though, the story adds to the mythology that typifies the way the hotel runs. The doorman is now an icon, not just an isolated character in a crazy story. The message to employees: Four Seasons Hotel customers deserve nothing less than service that dazzles, that awes. The point is that this mythology supports a strong culture, one that tells employees: Do whatever it takes to please the customer!

Ways of Showing Customers Our Loyalty:

1. Be a Communicator
Establish an ongoing customer information system that acknowledges the need to obtain and distribute information. Explain services available to them in language they can understand.

2. Be Reliable
Take full responsibility for customer satisfaction and for the quality of the product or service provided. Be consistent and dependable.

3. Be Responsive
Show your willingness and ability to provide prompt service.

4. Be Credible
Be trustworthy. Fulfill on promises and meet every requirement. Keep confidential all critical information shared.

5. Be Accessible
Provide ease for contacting. Be available and flexible when changes are necessary.

6. Be Competent
Know and understand the customers requirements and expectations. Ask questions.

7. Be Courteous
Show respect and friendliness at all times. Be appreciative - thank them for their business, for thorough instructions about a project, for a properly prepared disk, etc. Use various means to communicate your appreciation - a verbal acknowledgment, a card or note, a small token of
thanks, etc.

8. Be Proactive
As an advocate for the customer, act as a partner and walk in their shoes. Identify potential problems and be innovative in creating options and solutions.

9. Be Professional
Appearance of physical facilities and personnel is critical as customer perceptions are easily influenced.

10. Be Committed
Our customers are our business! Be committed to their success. Treat customers like assets. Do everything possible to retain them and increase their lifetime value.

Pj Germain
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A Little Pride Goes A Long Way

In todays competitive world, the small things sometimes measure the fine line between success and failure:

1. The caring smile of each employee.

2. The extra effort to meet a deadline.

3. One final check of a job before it goes to the customer.

4. The moment you take to add one last touch to your best effort.

And where do these small things come from? They cannot always be taught or programmed. In fact, they come from only one place inside each of us. The place where pride lives. Quality gives us that vital competitive edge, and pride is the spark that ignites the passion for quality in each of us. Pride moves mountains. It creates great machines. It makes important things happen. Proud men and women, winning over incredible obstacles by virtue of their self-confidence, drive and dedication, built our nation.

But there is more to it than that; because pride works in countless ways and sometimes small invisible ways. It creates little miracles as well as large. And it lights up small rooms just as brightly as great halls. Pride works hard, but it works from the inside out. Pride comes from who we are and how we look at ourselves. The world respects those who respect themselves - and who show it in the way they get things done everyday. They are the winners. Pride also comes from what we achieve. Are the things we accomplish valuable to others as well as to ourselves? Do they make a difference? Pride works wonders, but it does not work half way. If you think 99.9% is good enough, think again. A 99.9% effort could mean:

…Two unsafe landings every day at the busiest airport in the world.

…Five hundred wrong surgical procedures performed every week.

…And, in drugstores throughout the country, more than 20,000 prescriptions filled incorrectly each year.

It is clear that where life and death are concerned, 99.9% is not good enough. But that is just as true in every part of our lives, too. If you take pride in what you do, believe there is simply no room for less than 100% effort.

Pride works. But it does not come easy. We have to look for it constantly, realizing that few things are worth doing unless they are done well and right. It is crucial that we keep challenging ourselves: Go one step further. Reach one inch higher. Hold on one moment longer. Probe one bit deeper. Try just a little harder. Pride works. But only if you make it work. Because when all is said and done, it really does come down to you! Your company’s success depends on your effort! Quality is the responsibility of everyone and your pride will help give you your best in order to get the job done right - the first time and every time!

TEAMWORK = Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.
The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives.
It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.

Teamwork demands that all departments provide service to the internal customer who is on the front line serving the external customer. That means you are responsible for serving other team members and they are responsible for serving you. As a team member, you must remember that the key word to describe your relationship with others is interdependence. Others are dependent on you and you are dependent on others. We need each other to ultimately serve our external customers and to meet their specific needs.

Together
Everyone
Accomplishes
More

Pj Germain
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Customer Loyalty - Our Choice to Create

What does it means for us to be loyal to our customers? First of all it seems to be easier to take for granted customers loyalty to us and bemoan what we think is a lack of loyalty to us. Each repeat order from a customer can be a sign of their loyalty. Customers who change jobs and continue to use us are also signs of loyalty. Customers who use another vendor for a project because of price are not lacking loyalty; rather we have not provided enough value to justify our increased price. The point is this:

1. It is not that there are customers out there who are loyal and lacking loyalty, rather our company provides a certain level of value to each customer.

2. When that level of value is high, customers are loyal.

3. When we fail to exceed the level of value that customers can receive elsewhere, we cannot be assured of their loyalty.

In other words, it is up to us to determine how loyal customers are!

This leads us into questioning what is it that we can do to make customers more loyal? This should be an unsettling question, and one that we have all of the time. The minute we go on autopilot and assume that what we are doing is valuable to customers is when we begin to operate out of routine habit and fail to be a company that is truly interacting with our customer. What is valuable to the customer is not necessarily based on our unique understanding of their business. Therefore, continually winning the loyalty of customers, through providing an extraordinary level of value, is based upon some of the following things:

1. What have you done to learn about the customers business? It does not matter which role you are in, the more you know about their business, the better job you can do for them. Realize that their business is constantly changing. Realize that we have a wealth of information in our company about that customer. What are you doing to seek out and learn about customers? Even the literature or materials you are printing for them reveal much about their company.

2. What are you doing to behave in a manner that is loyal to the customer? This includes expressions of gratitude, corrections of errors, patience and understanding in times of change or trial at their end, and a willingness to change what we have always done for them in order to meet new requirements and expectations. The actions flow from a commitment.

3. If we are loyal, it seems that we will constantly be looking for what more there is to do, what needs to change and how can we improve? We need to be thinking about our customer’s business, their problems, and what we can do to help with those, rather than simply viewing life in terms of minimizing the hassles of through-putting customers orders. In short, taking responsibility for the customers business, especially in terms of their ease of doing business with us and the successful results they achieve from the print and graphic projects that they are completing with us.

Loyalty to customers is a place to come from in the daily quest for excellence. Loyalty to customers is in the background of our companys mission statement. Customer loyalty goes well beyond simply customer retention. Customer retention is simply maintaining what we have in a relationship. Customer loyalty seeks to take where we are in a relationship to a new level of value and benefit for both organizations. Simply surviving the next order or straightening out the current problem is insufficient. Loyalty calls for us to go beyond this in terms of knowing our customer and thinking and working to help their business run better.

The most meaningful way to differentiate
our company from others is to do
an outstanding job with information.
How we gather, manage, and use information
will determine whether we win or lose!

A loyal customer is the true measure of our success. We want to be establishing long-term relationships with our customers. In keeping customers loyal, the strategies and principles listed below are important things to be considered and followed:

1. We want to surround ourselves with the same breed. We function best when employees share the same vision and enjoy working together. The result is a business with a distinct personality and a well-defined corporate culture. Another result is that our customers receive consistent treatment from everyone.

2. We want to do business with people who are compatible to us. This keeps the relationship on track for the life of the account.

3. We need to get up to speed quickly. Once we get an order, we need to hit the ground running. Knowledge of our customers business helps us move from the position of vendor into the role of strategic advisor and trusted counselor.

4. We want to avoid the mistake of taking an account for granted. It is important to view a customer as a business that needs to thrive and one that we would like to be able to contribute to their growth and development.

5. We need to know when to change direction. With the business world always in a spin cycle - our customers expect us to adapt, continue to evolve and grow with the times.

6. We need to avoid distractions. In the heat of the race, it is easy to lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish which is to create highly effective communication for our customers!

7. We need to go the full distance. If we do not deliver what our customers are looking for, someone else will gladly step in and take our place.

8. We need to run the race to win. In the end, the business that keeps loyal customers is the one that refuses to settle for anything less than the best - the best employees, the best ideals, and the best work that can be done on every project.

Pj Germain
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Staying In Top Condition to Serve Customers with Excellence

Here is some information to help you stay proactive - to be in control of yourself and your emotions.

1. Have a safety valve for your emotions. If you suppress your anger and emotions all the time, you are likely to blow up at the wrong time at the wrong person. Express your anger, frustrations, and emotions to your safety valve - friends and family you trust.

2. Get plenty of rest. Do not deprive yourself of sleep. If you are overly tired, you are more likely to say and do irrational things. Know how much sleep you need each night. Most people need between six and eight hours of sleep each night.

3. Learn how to relax. Relaxing requires practice. Learn to relax your body and your mind. Put worry thoughts out of your mind. Replace them with pleasant thoughts. Only about two percent of what we worry about ever comes to pass. Heed the words of Mark Twain: I have experienced many terrible things in my life, a few of which have actually happened.

4. Exercise. It is one of the greatest tension relievers. Continuous exercise that is at least 15 to 20 minutes in duration, at least three times a week, is so valuable. Something as simple as a brisk thirty-minute daily walk can help you cope with lifes tensions.

5. Prioritize your work and do only one thing at a time. People have a tendency to get very stressful when their minds are cluttered and they perceive they have too much to do in too short a period of time. If this happens to you, you may indirectly voice your frustrations in your tone of voice. If you prioritize, you will learn to work on only one thing at a time and keep your work in perspective. It is also very important to remember that so called customer interruptions are not aggravations - they are part of your job!

6. Keep a sense of humor. Laughter is another great tension reliever. See the humor in lifes situations. Learn to laugh at yourself a little. Do not take yourself or your situations too seriously. Spend time with friends who like to laugh and joke. It will help to keep difficult situations in perspective.

7. Develop hobbies. Have outlets that get your mind off work. They help you to be a well-rounded individual. Hobbies help you to relax and to focus on other aspects of your life.

8. Eat right. If you eat junk food and load up on caffeine throughout the day, you are likely to experience emotional highs and lows throughout the day. The sugar high and caffeine can make you hyper. Then when the high wears off, you may feel tired. Also, different types of foods affect people in different ways. For instance, some foods make people feed sluggish or stuffy. Listen to the signals of your body. Give it fuel that keeps it energized and emotionally sharp.

9. Give yourself quiet time each day. Have a hermit spot where you can go to be completely alone, even if it is for only ten minutes a day. You need time to yourself - to melt your tensions away.

10. Create a mental focus. Create specific goals to focus on and strive for. People who know what they want in life feel more in control of their lives. Thus, they are usually less stressful.

Great Customer Service -
The essence of excellent customer service is going beyond the expected. Anticipating a customers needs so thoroughly that you fulfill the desire before it has even been expressed. Understanding what the customer expects, then exceeding those expectations. Take the initiative. Be memorable. Bring a sense of mission and artfulness to all your interactions. The customer that leaves feeling just satisfied has not been truly served - for satisfaction is only the starting point.

Pj Germain
Cystic Fibrosis Resources
Dating and Relationship Tips
Dementia Resources

Why Provide Good Customer Service

Have you heard people say that if not for customers, work will be a lot smoother? They ask questions for which the answers are so obvious. Or they can find the answers if they will just read the instructions that are provided with the product. They just have to call and ask all kinds of questions and sometimes you are not even the person who is supposed to handle such questions. Are you looking for good reasons that will help you feel better about this?

First thing is if there are no customers, then there is no business. If there is no business then you do not have a job. It does not even matter if yours is not a customer-facing job. Customers are needed. Question now is how you can look at the situation differently so that providing good service to the customers is something that you can be happy doing.

Basic reason, of course, is that you get paid to do the job and providing good customer service is part and parcel of the job. It does help to remind yourself that the organization promptly pays you and it is only fair to deliver your responsibility.

Next reason is that good customer service is the best pre-sales effort for the next purchase by the customer. People go all the way out to run promotions and write great copy to entice customers to buy their products. Nothing though can beat good customer service. There are customers who will repeatedly buy from the same company because they are happy with the service provided.

Good customer service is not about falling over yourself providing everything the customer asks for, but it is providing the customer what they rightfully should get for having bought a product from your company.

There is also a completely personal angle that you can look at where service is concerned. Most people nowadays are conscious of their social responsibilities and like to donate or make contributions to worthy causes. Why not make good customer service as such a contribution? In this case, you also get paid for it. In the words of N. Eldon Tanner, “Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth”. The moment you can start thinking that service is something that you want to do, then every customer request will be much easier to respond to.

Is it going to be easy? Not all the time. There will be difficult situations but there will also be customers who will be very appreciative of the service that you provide. For those difficult situations, say to yourself that this is why you are paid a salary and just do it. The moment you stop fighting it, handling the situation gets less difficult.

Now, how do you handle difficult situations so that they do not upset you? The best way to handle this is to calmly listen to the customer. Many a time service representatives have a solution even before the problem has been described. Stop to listen first. Then ask clarification questions if necessary before providing the resolution.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”. It will do well to remember these words. If you can listen with a sincere desire to help and be happy to help the customer, you will feel good providing service. Some people even enjoy it. In addition, your whole attitude and listening with care will come through and even the customer’s demeanour will change.

Good customer service is not about having a good customer service week once a year. It is about providing good service every day. As you start work daily, if you can accept that your purpose for being there is to respond to customer needs with concern and a desire to help, it will be a lot easier to get through work. You can even start enjoying it.

Remember at a minimum you are getting paid to respond to customer requests. You are also helping to drive more sales from customers because of the excellent service you help provide. Besides this, from a purely personal perspective, you get an opportunity to be of service even without getting out of your normal routine.

Start having a different outlook to providing good customer service. It will make a great difference to how you support your customers and importantly to how good you feel deep inside you.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of besuccessfulnews.com, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

How to Stay in Your Customer’s Mind

Imagine the following scenario: six months ago you paid someone to come and do your gardening. You’d like to use them again but you can’t remember their name and have lost their business card. You end up going to another gardener, which means that the first gardener has probably lost a customer for life.

How easy would it have been for that gardener to stay in touch with you by sending you a newsletter with gardening tips and product recommendations? If you’re running your own business, you can’t afford not to have a newsletter. Sure, it seems that every business sends out one nowadays but that is no reason to avoid using this invaluable marketing tool. It’s an excellent way to build ongoing customer relationships, establish trust and build credibility.

The most cost effective way to send out a newsletter is by email. That way you avoid printing and mailing costs, and it’s so much more immediate.

Here are 5 tips to using email newsletters as a way of staying in touch with your customer base:

1. Use the 80% 20% Rule

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is talking only about themselves in their newsletters. Think about the newsletters that you delete and the ones that you make the effort to read. Usually the most interesting ones contain solid information and tips that benefit you in some way. Think about what would really interest and help your readers and write articles on those topics accordingly. 80% of your newsletter content should directly benefit your reader. Only allow 20% of your content to promote your business.

2. Choose a schedule and stick to it

Consistency is the key when sending out newsletters. Whether you decide on a monthly or fortnightly newsletter, make a commitment to yourself to keep to this schedule. If your newsletter is good, your customers will start to look forward to hearing from you and you don’t want to disappoint them, do you?

3. Pick a quality newsletter provider

A service like Aweber will provide you with the best in service at a very reasonable price. As part of signing up, you get free templates to use. Customize these with your logo and photo to add that personal touch. Aweber also manages people wanting to unsubscribe from your list automatically, which is a great time saver.

4. Plan your content

Instead of inwardly groaning when suddenly it’s time to send out your newsletter again, why not brainstorm and work on some article ideas in advance? Think of your newsletter as an ongoing, fun project and it will be.

5. Put your sign-up box on your website

Make it easy for people to sign up for your newsletter by putting a sign-up box prominently on your website. Also invite people to sign up by putting a sentence at the end of your email signature, saying something like ‘Sign up for my newsletter with the latest articles, news, tips and stories at ‘

The time and effort that you put into your newsletter will pay off dividends by increasing repeat business, and bringing in new business.

Kevin is the publisher and editor of besuccessfulnews.com, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

How To Deal With A Difficult Customer

Providing good customer service to a difficult customer or client can feel like walking a diplomatic tightrope. But if you handle a customer’s complaint the right way, you can turn the situation around and even turn that person into a loyal customer. Here are some tips to help you when faced with a difficult customer.

Don’t Take It Personally

How you handle the first contact with a dissatisfied customer is critical to diffusing the situation. If a customer or client approaches you with an adversarial attitude, voice raised, he isn’t seeing you as an individual at that moment - only as a representative of your company. Try to remain objective, and don’t take it personally. If your first reaction is to become defensive, you’re already well on your way to losing control of the situation. Let him do most of the talking initially, and just listen.

Try Honestly To See Things From Your Customer’s Point Of View

Show respect for your customer’s opinions. Whether he’s justified or not in being upset, it’s important to put yourself in your customer’s shoes for a moment. Use phrases like, “I can certainly understand why you’d feel that way.” Draw on your own experiences as a dissatisfied customer. You may have been more diplomatic in the way you asked to have your complaint resolved, but you did expect to be treated with respect and taken seriously. If you can do this for your difficult customer, in most cases he’ll begin to calm down at this point.

Call Attention To A Customer’s Mistake Indirectly

It’s seldom a good idea to directly tell anyone that they’re wrong. Such a direct accusation causes embarrassment, builds resentment and hardens someone’s attitude, and makes it less likely that the person you’re talking to will want to listen to what you have to say.

If you think that your customer or client has made a mistake, begin by using phrases like, “Well, I thought otherwise but I might be wrong. Let’s look at this together.” Being willing to admit that you could be wrong will make it easier for your customer to admit that he might be wrong, too. Even if you know for a certainty that he’s wrong, begin by using diplomacy so that your customer can ’save face’ if he’s proven wrong. If he feels humiliated, you’ve probably lost any chance for future business with him.

If You’re Wrong, Admit It

If you or someone at your company has made a mistake, admit it and apologize, sincerely and in no uncertain terms. If you’ve missed a deadline, mixed up an order or delivered a product or service below your usual standards, there really is no acceptable excuse to a customer who was depending on you.

If you agree that your client has a right to be upset, you’ve effectively removed any grounds for argument and you can begin to negotiate a resolution. When a customer complains, sometimes what they’re really saying is, “How are you going to make this right?” In effect, they’re giving you another chance. The customer you’ve truly lost is the one who doesn’t complain, but simply never returns.

Decide If You Really Need The Business

The only way to win an argument is to avoid it. But there will times when, despite your best efforts, you will have to decide if the difficult customer’s business is worth the time and emotional strain it costs you. Fortunately, these situations are the exception.

Handling difficult customers can be challenging, but it’s well worth mastering the negotiation skills required to win their loyalty. When they’re satisfied with the way you handle their complaints, they can also be among your biggest sources of referrals. And since customers are the lifeblood of any business, the more you can rely on regular customers and referrals then the less time and money you’ll have to spend to get new business.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of besuccessfulnews.com, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

How To Understand Your Customers

Today, the businesses located in most of the places throughout the world have either turned global in their operations, or are influenced decisively by globalization. In this globalized economy, many advances have been made in technology, due to which businesses have turned extremely sharp toothed. This is to tackle the threat they face from the tough and ever changing landscape of competition. Competition favors customers. This is something that no one can deny. Competition also forces businesses to have a customer focus in all their processes and operations.

Competitiveness In The Business Environment
Due to avenues of information and communication like the internet and mobile phones, customers have access to business information at their fingertips. The internet has been accused of stimulating competition to a very high degree. But the rules of survival for any business, whether or not it has an online presence on the World Wide Web, are the same: satisfy your customers so that they will return. Satisfy your customers so that they will refer more and more people and businesses to become your new customers.

It is not enough now for businesses to focus solely on the quality of their products. Quality should be a major focal point for companies, but they should also concentrate their efforts on customer relations. Businesses should learn how to interact with customers well so that they have a loyal customer following. They can use personalized and intelligent ways to interact with them productively. Customer service is a very important business operation. Without customer service, businesses just cannot survive. Customer service is the key to overcoming competition.

Cost of Customer Acquisition
One should understand that the cost to acquire new customers is much higher than the costs that are incurred to retain customers. Online businesses are no different. Customers can now switch loyalties through a mere click of their mouse and e-businesses know this fact. They need to understand how to interact with their customers and understand their needs.

Customer Satisfaction
The ways for businesses to satisfy their customers are not difficult. The first step is to understand what the customers need and what their preferences are. This can be a tough call for some but it is crucial for any business to operate successfully and profitably. Understanding customer needs will help businesses to tailor their product or service offerings to address exactly those needs and fulfill them.

In order to identify and understand customer needs better, businesses should ask the classical questions, which are asked by anyone who wishes to get information: why, what, how, when and where.

First, businesses need to know why the customers intend to buy what they are buying. Secondly, they should understand what exactly prompts or augments their needs so that they decide to buy what they are buying. Third, it is important to understand how typical customers go about fulfilling their needs. Lastly, businesses should know and understand when and where the customers go to buy things or services that fulfill their needs.

Software Solutions
There are many software packages that are being sold by companies to help businesses understand their customers better. This software is robust and reliable for most business needs. One would do well to consider going in for these solutions.

David Gass is President of Business Credit Services, Inc. His company publishes a free weekly e-newsletter on Small Business Consulting at their web site http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com.

Isn’t That What Customer Service is All About?

Last week I went to a local pharmacy to have a prescription filled. As I approached the prescription counter I noticed a sign beside the cash register that said, ” Let’s Talk.” Considering it an invitation I said in a friendly, cheery voice, ” OK let’s talk.” and proceeded to say ” How are you today?” The woman waiting on me was not amused. She looked at me in frigid, non-responsive silence and finally said cooly, ” Can I help you?”

It didn’t take a degree in nuclear physics to figure out that she was totally ignoring my humble attempt to be friendly so I too immediately responded to her icy tone with one of my own. I gave her the information regarding my prescription and was told curtly that I was at the wrong counter. I was at the “PRESCRIPTION OUT” counter when I should be at the
” PRESCRIPTION IN ” counter. How silly of me to make such a mistake. Maybe that’s why she was so unfriendly to me. I had committed a huge unforgivable sin in Pharmacy Land.

As I approached the proper counter I once again saw the sign, ” Let’s Talk.” and decided to give the place a second chance. I looked at the lady waiting on me and said once again in an upbeat and friendly tone, ” The other woman who waited on me wasn’t really in the mood to talk so I came down here. So “Let’s talk.”

Again stone cold, icy silence followed by ” Can I help you?” If you can’t beat them, join them so I too became cool, abrupt, assertive and said, ” Mike Moore/ Doctor Quinn/ asthma medication/ repeat required please. She checked the computer and found that I did have 4 repeats left. I told her that I would be in at 10:00 a.m. the next day to pick it up and I left. I know I shouldn’t have responded in kind but I was ticked off at the way a paying customer was being treated.

I wanted to hand the woman my card and tell her that I spoke to companies and organizations on customer relations and would be more that happy to conduct a seminar for their employees on the topic. But I didn’t.

I’m not saying that dealing with the public is easy. It isn’t. In fact it can be very stressful but you can neutralize the stress with a simple smile and a bit of humor. All these people needed to do when I responded to their invitation to talk was smile and say in a friendly tone, “OK. Let’s talk. What can I do for you?”

Simple, easy, effective and it leaves your customer wanting to return to do business with you. Isn’t that what customer service is all about?

Mike Moore is a speaker/humorist who speaks on ” Humor and Stress” Humor in the Workplace” and “Customer Relations”
http://motivationalplus.com/cgi/a/t.cgi?motplusarticles

How to Make Your Business Thrive in the 21st Century

The following story is related to my particular business field, but you will see how it relates to all businesses. After location, marketing, and a business plan, our customer service is what keeps repeat business coming back for more. If you don’t value your repeat business, your competition will.

If you have a strong customer service staff, good ethical standards, and a mission statement based upon helping the community, you will see your competition send customers to you. They don’t do it on purpose, but by grooming an adversarial relationship, these businesses send abused customers seeking refuge, where they are treated fairly.

Recently, I had a prospective family visit us for an
initial interview. They were interested in martial arts classes, but looked at Yoga on the premises as a bonus. This family had been abused by their sensei (karate teacher), and they were seeking some gentle guidance. They were still studying with their current sensei, but not sure if they wanted to stay for anymore abuse.

One of the things they found at our center is a mission statement that all of my family and staff live by. They were so impressed, that one of their children went back to ask if their current martial arts school had one. Upon asking this question, the sensei told this student to do 1000 push ups.

Needless to say, that family joined our center shortly
afterward. The above-described business doesn’t see the true worth of good paying repeat business. In fact, this type of business is working hard to make “service minded” competitors look good.

Now, what does this have to do with your business? This has everything to do with all of our businesses and your job security. How often do you see customers mistreated by banks, restaurants, and department stores? This occurs far too often, and the attitude starts at the top of every organization.

When you send your customers to your competitors, you might as well advertise for them too. Some customer service departments have the same atmosphere as a collection agency. The customers are visualized as the enemy and treated like prisoners without a choice.

If this sounds like your customer service department, you may find yourself out of business. For decision makers, the action is clear: Clean up your customer service or be prepared for extinction. For employees who don’t have a say in the decisions, be prepared to “jump ship,” if you see customers making a mass exodus out the door.

“The writing is on the wall,” when we forget who is really in charge. Your real “boss” is the customer. That’s who pays your salary, gets you a bonus, sends you on vacation, and helps you get your kids through college. To thrive in any economy, we must promote a helpful product or service. Otherwise, you might as well give up promoting, advertising, and marketing, all together. Customer service exists to “close the back door,” not by force, but by listening to suggestions and establishing a common bond with your existing customers.

Feedback: Listening to What You Don’t Want to Hear

1. First, accept the fact that you are not perfect and that nobody else is perfect, either. This seems self-evident, but a surprising

number of people expect themselves to get everything right the first time, often without instruction.

2. Drop your defensiveness. Feedback feels like criticism to many people.

When you are tempted to explain why you behaved as you did, and why you could not possibly have done anything differently, stop yourself. Take a deep breath and listen carefully. Think about what is being said to you; try not to think about how you need to respond. Being able to do this takes courage and practice.

3. Make sure you understand what you are being told. Ask questions about specifics. Ask for details and examples, and listen to them.

4. Restate in your own words your understanding of the issues that are being discussed, and clarify the issues before you respond to them. Clarify whether the person offering the feedback is requesting that you take some action in response to the feedback.

Showing that you are listening and understanding is often enough.

5. Decide whether a response is really necessary. If it is, take time to think about how to respond, even if it means asking to discuss the situation at a later time.

6. Recognize that even criticism usually contains useful information.

7. Treat criticism as feedback offered in an unskilled manner, and respond to it as if it is offered as a gift. This takes practice - do the best you can.

8. Always thank the person offering you feedback.

9. If you suspect that someone has information about you or your behavior and is not offering to share it with you, ask for that person’s feedback. Be certain to accept the comments non-defensively and with appreciation, even if you are unhappy with what is
being said. The more often you do this, the more you will learn about yourself.

10. Once more, say thank you and mean it!

Excerpted from lesson 11, “The Integrity Course.”
Copyright 2006 Laurie Weiss, Ph.D.

Learn more in “The Integrity Course,” an online, multimedia course to help you say what you think without getting fired or losing your friends.
www.TheIntegrityCourse.com
Laurie Weiss, Ph.D., is an internationally-known executive coach,psychotherapist, and author. Email:feedback@laurieweiss.com

Good Customer Service - Would You Like Fries with That?

We all like to be treated with good customer service — respect and kindness — when receiving services or purchasing products, but how many of us are conscious of our own attitude and body language when the roles are reversed and we are the service provider? Good customer service is crucial to the success of most businesses, regardless of the profession. It can increase profits, establish a respected reputation, build customer relationships and establish loyalty.

It doesn’t matter what position you hold in a business because any employee can benefit from practicing good customer service. When you show your employer that you value the quality of services or products it provides, you become a valuable asset - making you eligible for promotion and/or a raise.

Thank goodness that acquiring good customer service skills is a really simple task. All it takes is a little dedication and a genuine desire to treat your customers the best that they deserve.

To get started, think about how you greet your customers. Do you avoid saying hello or even acknowledging them? It is very important to make eye contact and greet a customer to show that you are available to provide them service if its needed.

Properly greeting customers also shows that you are confident; however, you need to be confident for a reason. You should have a good understanding of the product and/or services you provide so that if a customer has a question or needs assistance, you are able to deliver a satisfactory response.

It is also vital to be aware of your body language. What does your body language say about you? Slouched shoulders and a frown convey a lack of confidence and unhappiness or you could just be having a bad day. However, try to leave negativity at home and away from the workplace.

Smile often, if appropriate, or model the emotion that is suitable to the situation. For example, if a customer is venting about an issue, do not smile constantly. Instead, nod and maintain eye contact to show that you empathize with their concern. Also use a tone of voice that conveys friendliness and sensitivity - the right tone shows customers that you care about their needs.

Lastly, think about how you end a customer interaction. Did you resolve any issues or questions a customer presented? Never end an interaction without making sure that the customer is satisfied with the service you provided. Avoid this scenario by asking, “Is there anything else I can do for you today?” or “Did I answer your question?”

The importance of good customer service cannot be emphasized enough. You can build and maintain customer loyalty and grow your business incredibly with the power of a smile and listening ear.

Cathy Warschaw, Director of the Warschaw Learning Institute provides an online multicultural dental front office course, HIPAA, telephone training and eBooks on team building, managerial, customer service, and marketing at www.WarschawLearningInstitute.com

Complaining Customers and Your Lawn Care Business.

Let’s face it. You can’t please everyone.
As a lawn business owner you want to keep your customers happy so they keep using your service.

When customers are dissatisfied they will fall into one of three types of complaining customers:

Passive
Aggressive
Constructive

Let’s take a look at each one.

Passive Complainers-
These are the worst kind as far as I’m concerned. They will complain to friends, family and anyone that will listen. They complain to everyone within listening range that is, except the one person who can do something about it, you.
Since you don’t know there is a problem how are you supposed to do anything about it??
The only thing this type of customer does is keep you from making the situation better and providing the type of service they really want. (or at least claim they want)

Aggressive Complainers-
These complainers are difficult to please and are sometimes more concerned with displaying their emotions than in actually caring if you do something to address their problem or complaint.
They may shout, jump to conclusions, make unreasonable demands, and even make threats. Let them vent. Sometimes they just want to get it out.
Aggressive complainers should be handled by you staying calm and cool. If you can’t do this, it’s better to let someone else talk to them, or talk to them at a time once you’ve calmed down and aren’t so mad yourself. (Even if it’s only 15 or 2 minutes later)

Constructive Complainers-
People who are constructive complainers can actually help your business.
They will address problems or concerns in a calm, rational and often helpful manner.
Constructive complainers often allow you to see and understand what the problem is so you can make corrections that will be satisfactory to all involved.
For me I am most likely to go out of my way to help solve the problem for this type of complainer. To be honest I hate to even call them a complainer. I think of them more like a constructive criticism advisor. This type of customer can really help you make your business better.

No matter what type of complainer you have on your hands, do your best to deal with and handle complaints with the utmost care. Try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and see things from their angle if possible. Being an empathetic listener is key to help you help your customer achieve the results they are after.
If you deal with complaints in a timely manner and handle them effectively both parties should feel like they have achieved a win-win solution.

If you would like to find out more about starting and running your own sucessful lawn care businessbe sure to check out our articles and videos at http://www.lawncare-businss.com and http://www.lawnprosoftware.com

Six Sigma And The Customer

The customer centric focus of Six Sigma methodologies cannot be sidelined for any reason whatsoever. Although the end results of Six Sigma implementation (such as improvement of bottom line profitability and lean management) are quite significant, the ultimate value addition comes in the form of the return of satisfied customers. In the business world, constant pressure for innovation stems from increasing changes in customer demands and global technological challenges. Companies that get to the top and stay there are there in the first place because of their commitment to change through Six Sigma initiatives.

Six Sigma And The Customer

Six Sigma, a quality management tool founded on statistical approaches and devised by Motorola, helps improve customer satisfaction through significant changes to cost and product utility. The entire approach is innovative; with the implementation of Six Sigma, instead of attempting to fight with mechanics, the focus shifts automatically to strategies and integration of efforts.

Some companies are taking initiatives to take the Six Sigma methodology to customers, outside company walls and actively involving them in an effort to integrate them into the process. This approach is proving to be a resounding success by placing these corporations ahead of competition.

Engaging The Customer

Today’s customers are wary that they get nudged into buying products by customer savvy marketers in the clutter that we call “the market”. Six Sigma works to make things clear to the customers by sharpening the cutting edge (value) that customers are looking for in a product.

The customer is engaged strategically at a stage when plans are being drawn up. By listening to customers and involving them in the process, the company can gain an in -depth understanding of why they are moving in the direction that they are moving, locally as well as globally. This approach also helps in building trust and loyalty.

Companies like Motorola, who implement Six Sigma, go beyond product development and profits in their commitment to customers. In addition to their regular help line, they have established another line dedicated to this purpose. Customers can use this line of communication for more detailed questions relating to either product or service, and track the status of their original question. This is a classic example of individual level quality demands being met through Six Sigma implementation.

Looking Ahead

Another strategic approach has been taken by GE Commercial Finance, and is a true revolutionary step in the commercial lending business. The ACFC initiative (At the Customer, For the Customer,) clearly showed what the customers needed and why, with over 30% of them answering, they needed Six Sigma. Effective communication with customers has made GE a favorite among consumers. GE has successfully implemented the initiative and in addition, is now sharing its Six Sigma experiences with smaller customers who can’t afford to implement Six Sigma in their own companies.

With the “belts” working from the front, companies can get into a win-win situation with their customers because of the feedback they receive. If this approach directly benefits the customers, it benefits the companies too. However old or large the company is, it gets to interact with its customers one-on-one. The positive result of this is seen in further building of a company’s customer base and increased profitability. The goal of matching people with projects, made possible with Six Sigma, brings about a win-win situation for all.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

5 Steps To Making Your Customer Happy

Customers are demanding quality products and services again after the turnaround from the recession of the 1980s. They can no more be seduced into buying just anything through discounts and slick marketing methods. The goal in customer satisfaction lies in making customers feel that their needs have been met. Experience with Vilfredo Pareto’s 80/20 rule tells us that 80% of the value of business results from only 20% of targeted efforts. This implies that keeping your current customers happy is 8-10 times cheaper/easier than gaining new customers. Get more return on your efforts by focusing on repeat customers. Here are 5 steps you can take to keep your customers happy:

1. Put Your Customer First And Identify The Best One: Customer focus is a must to begin with and no matter what you do, you are at the service of your customer. Customer service begins with your employees following this rule. Gathering customer information like birthdays, their preferences, habits, spending profiles, etc. and acting upon it paves the way for healthy interactions with them in addition to collecting feedback about your products and services. Some companies are actually using six sigma to help achieve this systematically.

2. Keep Updating Customer Data By Staying Close To Them: Customer profiles keep changing with changes to their financial and social conditions. A change in contact details or purchase preferences comes in handy in the management of customer relationships. For example, a card sent when a customer purchases their first home is certain to please the customer. This also helps adjust products and services according to customers’ expectations.

3. Categorize Customers: You can group customers broadly by their demands, specific requirements and nature. You can start doing this by asking basic questions. As expectations vary, one single product may not satisfy everyone. Different products and services may have to be developed to meet different customer needs. Many companies have used six sigma to help achieve this.

4. Pay Attention To The Little Details: Ironing out little shortcomings is a mark of perfection and catches attention of niche customers. This little extra is the thing that makes you stand out in the crowd. Customers love to identify themselves with companies that do this.

5. Communicate Positively: Communicating to target customers need not be just about your services/products. You can communicate positively midway through the service for a tip/correction or take/give a suggestion that pleases the customer. This is also perceived as an attempt to develop personalized communication and service.

If keeping customers happy is the mantra for sustaining and growing your business, this end goal is perhaps the basic purpose of six sigma methodology which many companies have effectively used to increase customer satisfaction.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution’s Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

The Secret To Building Customer Relationships

It’s tempting to concentrate on making new sales or pursuing bigger accounts. But attention to your existing customers, no matter how small they are, is equally essential to keeping your business thriving. The secret to repeat business is following up in a way that has a positive effect on the customer.

Effective follow-up begins immediately after the sale, when you call the customer to say “thank you” and find out if he or she is pleased with your product or service. Beyond this, there are several effective ways to follow up that ensure your business is always in the customer’s mind.

1. Let customers know what you are doing for them. This can be in the form of a newsletter mailed to existing customers, or it can be more informal, such as a phone call. Whichever method you use, the key is to dramatically point out to customers what excellent service you are giving them. If you never mention all the things you are doing for them, customers may not notice. You are not being cocky when you talk to customers about all the work you have done to please them. Just make a phone call and let them know they don’t have to worry because you handled the paperwork, called the attorney or double checked on the shipment - one less thing they have to do.

2. Write old customers personal, hand-written notes frequently. “I was just sitting at my desk and your name popped into my head. Are you still having a great time flying all over the country? Let me know if you need another set of luggage. I can stop by with our latest models any time.” Or, if you run into an old customer at an event, follow up with a note: “It was great seeing you at the CDC Christmas party. I’ll call you early in the new year to schedule a lunch.”

3. Keep it personal. Voice mail and e-mail make it easy to communicate, but the personal touch is lost. Don’t count these as a legitimate follow-up. If you’re having trouble getting through, leave a voice mail message that you want to talk to the person directly or will stop by his or her office at a designated time.

4. Remember special occasions. Send the regular customers birthday cards, anniversary cards, holiday cards - you name it. Gifts are excellent follow-up tools, too. You don’t have to spend a fortune to show you care; use your creativity to come up with interesting gift ideas that tie into your business, the customer’s business or his or her recent purchase.

5. Pass on information. If you read an article, see a new book, or hear about an organization that a customer might be interested in, drop a note or make a quick call to let them know.

6. Consider follow-up calls as business development calls. When you talk to or visit old clients or customers, you’ll often find they have referrals to give you, which can lead to new business.

With all that your existing customers can do for you, there’s simply no reason not to stay in regular contact with them. Use your imagination, and you’ll think of plenty of other ideas that can help you develop a lasting relationship.

Jeff Casmer is an internet marketing consultant with career sales over $25,000,000. His “Top Ranked” Earn Money at Home Directory gives you all the information you need to start and prosper with your own Internet Home Based Business.

5 Guaranteed Ways To Retain Your Online Customers & Keep Them Away From Your Competition

Whatever the product or service you offer on your website; there are probably hundreds of thousands or millions other websites which a potential online customer can go to. It takes a lot of hard work to get the visitors to your website in the first instance; now that some prospects have visited your website, you have a very high chance of converting them into your online customers. It is very important for you not to lose them to your competitor.

How can you retain your leads and prospects, and ensure that they buy from you and not from your competition?

Accountability is The Key to Exemplary Customer Service

In their book, Accountability: Freedom and Responsibility without Control, authors Rob Lebow and Randy Spitzer take us on a journey of discovery as they look at a new way to manage our organizations and ourselves. Their fictional character, Kip (Stan Kiplinger) says this: “Accountability is the issue! If you can’t find a way to get people to be accountable, you’re going to find it hard to make anything else work, let alone your business.”

How true it is. At the risk of oversimplification, I have recently been pondering the issue of accountability, and how the lack of it seems to be at the heart of so many of our societal woes. In fact, some time ago, I read an interesting study that had been done in a California prison. When inmates were asked why they were in prison, there were many replies, such as:

Boost Productivity and Customers’ Satisfaction with Superior Call Center Software

Whether the business is credit card collections or customer service for a sales company, good call center software should involve total telephone system management. Systems, whether purchased pre-packaged or developed strictly for that business, should include a number of features to ensure customer satisfaction is key.

Smart call centers make sure all their programs work in tandem to ensure customers are helped quickly and efficiently. Even when calls are transferred from one employee to another, the programs help by making sure that customers’ data pops up on the screen for the new employee to peruse and address any concerns or questions. When the programs are chosen carefully, the end result is expedient service, which of course makes customers happy, but also can improve employee morale and productivity.

Let’s face it, working in a call center is a very difficult task. Even if most customers are happy to hear from the call center or are happy to call into it, the volume, amount of questions and the inevitable unhappy customer can make the job stressful and tiring. When good software enables employees to work at their peak potential, however, the chances for getting the job done and done right are increased. Even some of the most difficult calls can be turned into positive experiences if employees have the necessary information at their disposal.

For the phone system, software should at the least do the following:

* Enable clients to connect quickly to departments or employees they need.

* If a routing system is required, make sure it’s clear and concise and offers clients an ability to reach an operator if necessary.

* Provides a way to handle routine situations quickly and efficiently without having to wait on hold for a person. Bill payments, for example, can be handled in most cases completely by the call in system. If this is the case, offer a feature to store customers’ information so repeat calls can go even quicker.

The computer software that works in conjunction with a phone system should enable employees to:

* Quickly look up a customers’ information. If possible, have it queued with the caller ID for the telephone number or other identifying mechanism. There are few things more frustrating for a customer to have to do then punch a bunch of numbers into a telephone system to only be asked for them again and again as the call progresses.

* Make sure information is transferred along with the call if the situation warrants passing on up the line. Here it’s particularly important for the computer screens to work in conjunction with the phone system. Going through the same story over and over again can turn even the most passive of callers into a growling bear.

Whether a call center’s software for telephone management is custom designed or pre-packaged, it should have an emphasis on customer service. Systems that work well and efficiently, enable employees to handle calls quickly and generally to customers’ liking. Systems that don’t work together can create a nightmare, upset customers and bring down morale.

More Resources

Call center software.

http://www.callcentersoftware1.com

Customer Support.

http://www.customersupport2.com

Using Attractions To Enhance Your Business Space

It’s a competitive market in the twenty-first century and in several instances people offer pretty much the same product or service. Knowing this, attractions are a way to set yourself apart from the competition. Give the customer something to do while they wait or entertain them during the process of serving them. The key is to stand out with quality service and attentive staff, alongside the attraction, which is there to enhance the experience for the customer. Sometimes it will even enhance the employees’ experience.

Internet access is a great way to keep customers occupied while you provide them a service. Samples of this include Internet cafes and Internet coffee shops. The Internet is an essential part of daily life, whether it be browsing the net for entertainment or business, or shooting a quick email to a friend. These are reasons for someone to stop by a place with Internet access, which will stimulate growth within your business.

Many consumers have young children, which they take with them on their daily errands. It is hard for young children to stand in line and wait for their parents without stimulation. A toy bin with toys is a good way to keep a child occupied. It can be as simple as building blocks or dolls. This makes it easier for the parent to do business with you.

Video games are great because they are loved by people of many ages. You can even turn a profit from arcade games. Gambling establishments have figured out that while kids may not be able to join their parents at the gambling table, they can peruse large arcades paid for by their parents’ gambling.

Television can entertain both empoyees and customers. Sports stations and news stations are informative. People can obtain information from these mediums while waiting or even while being served as in the case of restaurants, bars, boutiques, and barber shops.

Many have flyers in the waiting room to inform the consumer about more products or services. Their benefits and what they do.

Music can add atmosphere to a business, especially a restaurant where it can provide a festive atmosphere. Positive and uplifting messages in the lyrics tend to do well regardless of the genre.

Merely having a place to sit down and relax is an invaluable asset that hotels use to their benefit.

Give these attractions a shot and see which works best for you or your customers. You’ll be able to tell by the smiles on their faces as they come back for years to come.

David Gass is President of Business Credit Services, Inc. His company publishes a free weekly e-newsletter on Small Business Consulting at their web site http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com.

How To Hire A Suitable Public Relationship Firm

Public relations (PR) agencies represent about half the total public relations budget of most companies. It is important that you hire a public relations firm that understands your financial prudence and has a working knowledge of your business. A public relations firm on the same wavelength as your business needs, with independent thought processes, goes a long way in establishing a positive image for your company. The hiring process essentially involves preparing for the search, short-listing the aspirants, presentation by the firms, and starting the relationship.

Preparing for the Search

Assembling the Team: Assign staff members for handling administration, scheduling, and communication with the agencies. Employ a review team, consisting of staff members, who work closely with the agency, such as, key brand manager, HR-VP, or finance officer. They, along with one or two internal clients, will review the selected firms and choose any of them depending on a required program.

Articulating Communication Objectives: Be clear about the work you want the PR agency to do in order to achieve your goal. This will also help you in evaluating the candidates. You will be clear about those objectives that can be achieved by your staff and those to be handled by the agency.

Credentials: A PR agency should be a true partner and not a vendor. It should help you achieve your objectives in terms of strategic counseling, tactical execution, partnership development, or building a relationship with third party endorsers. Request details about any similar exercise the agency may have been involved in earlier. This will yield a lot of important information about the agency and help your hiring decision.

State your objectives: Identify the audience you want to reach and the locations of your operation. Estimate the duration of assignment, funds budgeted for the agency, and company support for the agency. Do allow leeway for the agency to use their capabilities.

Administrative Issues: Learn about the agency’s account management processes, so that you understand how they do billing for various costs.

Short listing
The agency search should be confined to three to five firms. To identify the firms you may use industry directories. An Internet search is also very effective. Correspond with the firms identified about your requirements and ask for their credentials. It may be necessary to give them details of their competitors, if they so want.

Presentations by the Firms
For maximum utility, the presentation by the PR firm should be in the nature of informal discussions, so that you get an idea of the capabilities of the firm. You will meet people who will play a major role in handling your account. You will get a feel of the more subjective aspects of the agency from the presentation. Once the final decision has been taken, you should communicate the strengths and weaknesses so that these can be worked upon when handling your account.

Starting the Relationship
The contract should be finalized and confidentiality clauses included as required. Background information and documents will have to be handed over. While the agency team is being constituted, the company must arrange a smooth handing over by the earlier agency. This is followed by a meeting with the new account team that leads on to the commencement of the relationship.

Sound planning and careful preparatory work will ensure that the process of hiring a PR firm by your company proceeds without a glitch. It will also form the basis of an enduring and satisfying relationship.

David Gass is President of Business Credit Services, Inc. His company publishes a free weekly e-newsletter on Small Business Consulting at their web site http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com.