10 Reasons Your Website Needs to Focus More on Customer Service

Customer service is a major factor in a customer’s overall satisfaction with a company. Consumers want to be assured that the company will back its product or service and be there to assist them when they have a problem or question. Since so much business is being conducted online nowadays, there’s an even greater need to know that the companies we do business with won’t be giving us the cold shoulder when we call with a problem. Here are ten reasons why websites need to focus more on customer service:

1. Competition – In e-commerce, and in all business, there is often little that sets one company apart from the competition. Pricing and product quality being essentially equal, consumer choice will come down to customer service.
2. Consumer Confidence – When a consumer makes an online purchase, he surrenders the convenience of having a local merchant to deal with. He needs to know that there will be someone there for him when he has a problem since he won’t typically have anyone nearby to handle it.
3. Social Networking – Word gets around fast these days, and that includes bad reviews about a company’s service. Nothing can shut down an otherwise successful venture like a bad reputation; and on the internet, a reputation can be established, and taken away, literally overnight.
4. Volume – The amount of commerce conducted online is at an all-time high and continues to grow. The more transactions that a website handles, the more likely there will be mishaps – incorrect billing, wrong items delivered, product defects, lost orders, etc. The need for a strong customer support team increases with the volume of business a company does.
5. High Expectations – Because of the wide open market that the internet provides, competition is stiff in virtually every service or business. Consequently, consumer expectations are high. There is zero tolerance in today’s business market for poor customer service.
6. Low Perceptions – Conversely, with so many businesses outsourcing their customer service resources overseas, public perception of the average customer service rep is at an all-time low. Being a company known for great customer service can be the defining factor for why consumers choose you over everyone else.
7. Availability – Customers now have so many avenues by which to contact a business – email, phone, online chat, Skype, and even social media – there’s no excuse for inaction or delay on the part of customer service personnel.
8. Cost-Savings – Forward-thinking businesses learned early on that by providing online tech support via  FAQ’s, downloads, operator manuals and help forums, not only did their customer satisfaction index improve, so did their bottom line.
9. Customer Loyalty – Repeat business is essential to the success of a company. There are only so many people that you can sell to one time. What brings people back, what sets a company apart more than anything else, is customer service.
10. Representation – As click-and-mortar entities replace the brick-and-mortar legacy businesses, the face of the company becomes those individuals with whom the customer interacts. In most cases, that’s the customer service rep. The customer service representative is just that – a representative of who you are as a company. That’s no place to skimp if you want to succeed.re

via the smart folks at longhornleads.com

I couldn't have said this better! Word spreads fast in social media and customer service promotes your business best. Join us for the Cusomer Servic chat on Twitter #custserv Tuesday at 9p ET/6p PT

12 Most Stupendous Ways to ROCK Customer Service

by Ted Coiné 

I wrote my first book, Five-Star Customer Service, with one simple premise in mind: you don’t have to charge Ritz-Carlton prices to give Ritz-Carlton service! After all, a sincere smile costs you nothing, but that alone can build you an empire – just ask Chick Fil-A how that type of warmth is working for them as they compete for customers with McWendy King.

No matter what business you’re in, you can make Five-Star Customer Service your calling card as well. Begin with some of the “12 Quick Tips” I share with each of my Five-Star audiences.

Everyone else out there is making the same sloppy mistakes, treating their customers poorly – and setting expectations low. Follow these suggestions and lock your customers in for life.

Remember, Spoiled = Loyal. Spoil your customers with your outstanding customer service.

1. Make your company a H.I.T.

Hire for attitude. Inspire through pride. Train in skills.

In. That. Order.

Remember: you can teach job-skills to anyone with half a brain, as long as their mind is open to learning. Attitude is key. When hiring, start there or suffer the consequences.

2. “It’s not my fault, but it is my problem” – Disney

Don’t take complaints personally. …But do solve them. The buck stops with you, no matter where you land on the org chart.

3. You are always on a job interview

Who’s to say that your client’s dorky intern won’t be your biggest customer three years from now, or your next boss? Give the same unrivaled level of customer service to everyone you meet, all week long.

4. If it works for Stew…

This one is written in stone outside Stew Leonard’s, “The World’s Largest Dairy Store.” If it works for Stew… I’d at least give it a try if I were you.

Rule #1 – The customer is always right
Rule #2 – If the customer is ever wrong, reread Rule #1

Of course customers make mistakes: they’re people, too! But you’ve got to stop thinking like that, or you’ll never provide Five-Star Customer Service. If the customer wants it, your only desire should be to provide it.

5.You are never fully dressed without a smile

Down? Cranky? That’s for amateurs; your competition. Can’t smile? Call in sick.

6. Replies to “thank you”

2-star answer: “No problem.”
3-star answer: “You’re welcome.”
5-star answer: “My pleasure.”

Be the 5-star “My Pleasure” Guy… or Gal. People will love doing business with you.

7. Don’t fuss at your customer

Compare:

(A) “We aren’t really supposed to do that, but I’ll make an exception this once, as a courtesy.”
(B) “I’d be more than happy to help you with that. What else can I do for you? Really; what else?”

8. “My job is to make your job easier”

This should be the mantra of every member of your company – and no one should take it more seriously than the top brass. Leap tall buildings to make your workers’ jobs easier. Encourage them to make your customers’ jobs easier. Then buy your own island.

9. Act as if your customer’s business were your own

Always start a sale by asking yourself, “If I were in my customer’s shoes, would I really benefit from this?” Keep that attitude throughout your relationship. Serve your customer ahead of yourself; your customer will take care of you, so you won’t have to.

10. Give conservative estimates of time and money required for any project

Your clients expect projects to get off schedule and run over budget; it makes them tense, and they’ll resent you for it before you even start your work. Stun them by completing projects early and coming in under-budget. Earn residual sales and referrals.

11. President/CEO: call your clients “just to check in”

A sincere and unexpected “How are we doing?” call from #1 will blow your clients away – and that moment-of-truth experience will lock them in for life. Watch your referrals multiply, and enjoy the share of your clients’ wallets you gain as a result.

12. C.A.R.E.

Communicate. Appreciate. Respect. Encourage.

Demonstrate through your every action that you C.A.R.E., a stupendous movement started by Al Smith. And you can start by practicing The 15/5 Rule, which I spell out in my recent post on the C.A.R.E. site. I hope you check it out!

…And if customer service is your thing, I can’t recommend the #custserv twitter chat group enough. The conversation is active and awesome all week long. Every Tuesday at 9 pm Eastern (that’s New York time), dive into one of the most active, fastest chats ever! It is chock-full of authors and CEOs mixing it up with front-line CSRs and small business professionals. It’s as egalitarian as it is stupendously educational… and the friendships you build will last a lifetime!

Ted Coiné

http://www.tedcoine.com/

Ted Coiné is the business heretic at the helm of the Catalyst blog. Author and speaker, futurist, and happily-former CEO, Ted is currently writing his third book, Catalyst, about how business will be done in this exciting new century. Follow him on Twitter and join the conversation on #leadbiz.

via 12most.com

 

Should customer service become a caste system, segmented by dollars spent? Interesting #custserv answers

This thread began as a discussion in the Twitter Tuesday night customer service chat. We really didn't have enouogh time or space to discuss, so we brought it to Google+. I've copied and pasted the text here because the opinions are a worthwhile read. Please join us every Tuesday on Twitter, 9p ET / 6p PT for our lively chat. Search for #custserv. 

For more discussions, visit the archives Twitter Customer Service #custserv Chats 

Ok, So now you have more than 140 characters. Should customer service representatives spend the same amount of time with every customer, regardless of size?

Caty Kobe - Touché, sir!

+Marsha Collier's original tweet was: "Should customer service should become a caste system, segmented by $$ spent? #CustServ" 

I do not believe that customer service should become a caste system (whether it currently is or isn't is still up for debate), as every customer that is willing to spend money with your organization deserves the same high level of treatment and service. The time spent with a customer should be dictated by the issue they're experiencing, and not by how much money they've spent with an organization. There's a few reasons why I believe this: 

1) Every customer has the ability to be a promoter or detractor and, in my experience, the level of service they receive almost always directly correlates with whether or not they'll recommend a company to a friend. Recommending friends typically leads to more revenue.

2) High levels of service often open the doors for an upsell and/or continuing business, which also brings in revenue.

3) At SugarCon earlier this year, one of the presenters offered an interesting statistic. I can't remember the exact details, but it was something to the effect of within 10 years, only a small percentage of companies will be able to differentiate based on products/services alone. That means, customer service will likely become the differentiating factor between organizations as markets become more and more saturated. Assuming you already offer stellar customer service, you'll likely find yourself at the top of the heap bringing in, well, revenue.

Should companies spend the same amount of time with every customer? Absolutely not, because not every issue requires the same amount of attention. Organizations should spend the amount of time that's required to effectively resolve the customer's issue regardless of how much money the customer originally spent.

**Please note that I approach customer service from a small(er) business perspective that's predominantly B2C. I'm sure people with enterprise and/ or B2B experience may have different thoughts.

Marcio Saito - There always at least two sides to a discussion :o)

Angle 1: The mission of Customer Service is to complete/ensure the delivery of value to customers. It can only be successful if it is fully committed to that goal. If Customer Service is routinely spending time enough to solve customer problems that makes the business non-viable, the root of the problem is elsewhere. Of course, everything has a limit. There are situations where Customer Service better "fire the customer" (as discussed in a recent #custserv chat)

Angle 2: Generally, businesses try to allocate resources so that it maximizes return. So it is natural that a company will spend more resources to address issues affecting a large portion of the business. So, spend more resources on bigger deals. Just be aware, as Caty mentions, that it is becoming difficult to measure the "lifetime value" of a customer relationship as peer-influence is amplified. That "small" customer might be the person who brings you the deal of your life.

In the most common scenario where Customer Service interventions are exceptions rather than the rule (i.e. post-sale issues are relatively rare), I would advocate Angle 1: Focus on making the customer happy without looking at the meter. You are not trying to save a transaction, you are keeping the company promise.

I think looking at customer service time based on size of the deal makes more sense in cases where post-transaction interventions are common, part of the usual transaction workflow in the business model. 

Roy Atkinson - The time spent with each customer should be appropriate to the issue or question they have. It doesn't need to be the same for all--in fact it shouldn't be. The issue or question should drive the interaction. What should be the same is amount of attention the customer receives, the willingness to assist, and the determination to have the interaction (transaction takes the "people factor" out) end with a more loyal and happier customer than when it began.

Now, in the real world, we tend to want to please our biggest customers more, and so spend more time and resources doing it. A financial argument can be made for this: I can spend more making Mr Bigcustomer happy because I'll see more profit based on buying patterns. 

But: If we direct full attention and attentiveness to the customer and her/his issue, whether they be Mr Bigcustomer or Ms Icanbarelyaffordit, each can become a more loyal customer, and is more likely to recommend us.

When I feel the effects of good service, it rarely has to do with how much I've spent, this time or in the past. It has everything to with the attention I and my issue (if there was one) or question received.

The interaction should not waste my time or the service employee's time. It should be as personal as possible--and part of being personal is understanding my issue, my question, my needs.

Anyone who has heard me speak on customer service knows "Roy's Famous Four:"

1. Listening
2. Empathy
3. Clarity
4. Consistency

None of these is related to money spent or to a time limit.

Marsha Collier - All the response have been so elegant. I'll try to keep mine short.

As a businessperson, you bet I'll spend more time with the guy who pays me big bucks each month. Simply, a larger customer needs more time because his decisions are generally more complex. 

My smallest customers get top service too. When you have a customer with a $20 a sale, it's much easier to make them happier with a discount, bonus offer or refund. It's also quicker.

The more people pay, the more they want. As a consumer? You bet that I want to be first on the plane since I've flown close to a million miles on an airline. You bet I want the best table in the restaurant I visit regularly. It's human nature, yes?

Roy Atkinson has his famous four - mine cuts it to three:

1. Listen
2. Empathize
3. Act

I do this for all my customers, whatever their size. It's just the smaller customer's needs are more easily met.

Hmmm, that wasn't so brief was it?   

Alan Berkson - Part of this was based on a comment in #custserv about a caste system in customer service. It started with this tweet by +Marsha Collier: 

@MarshaCollier: @catykobe Should customer service should become a caste system, segmented by $$ spent? #custserv

to which I responded:

@berkson0: @MarshaCollier [caste system] it isn't already? #custserv

+Caty Kobe responded:

@catykobe: @MarshaCollier Nope. Every customer is equally important regardless of how much they spend. #CustServ

and I responded:

@berkson0: Is that practical? RT @catykobe: @MarshaCollier Nope. Every customer is equally important regardless of how much they spend. #CustServ

We do currently have a caste system for customer service. You get better service when you buy a Lexus than when you buy a Corolla. There are many opportunites to buy upgraded customer service. Is that a bad thing? Maybe not. 

One of the key factors here to consider is why can't we give every customer equal attention? The answer, from my perspective, (with notably few exceptions) is:

1. Too often customer service is not baked into the cost of the product/service. Corporate customers are used to paying extra for support. Consumers are not. For many consumer products, customer service is an afterthought and an expense

2. Consumer expectations are too high. There is a failure on the vendor side to set AND ADHERE TO expectations. Consistency is all important.

Join in the convo? What do you think?

We’re Pleased to Announce: The Most Influential in Customer Service from MindTouch

The Customer Service community is a vibrant gathering of people focused on driving forward-thinking, customer-centric conversations in business today. These community members are dedicated to recognizing excellence in customer support and service, and pushing forward new ideas and ways to not only deliver excellent customer service, but also measure its impact both in traditional and social business terms.

Engaging and exceptional customer service is something that MindTouch is deeply committed to, not only via our awesome service team, but through our products as well.  Over the last couple of years, we’ve drawn from these leaders to inform on our product strategy, and it clearly shows, given the amazing response to our social knowledge base by our customers and peers.

With that type of influence and thought leadership, we thought it was suitable to frame our next “Most Influentials” list on this very important group. 

What does it mean to be influential?

To us, it’s not just about how many followers you have on Twitter (one-dimensional) but your strength and influence you have in all corners of the Internet (multi-dimensional). For example, how passionate your followers are about the topics you share (do they re-post, share, comment?), how well you leverage new technology, your ideas and best practices that push the envelope and how you drive conversation to benefit the industry as a whole.

With that in mind, we compiled our rankings from a variety of multi-dimensional metrics to measure influence. Our formula consisted of a weighted average across a range of metrics including Alexa, Twitter, Klout, PeerIndex, socialmention (passion and strength), Twitalyzer and HowSociable. In addition to calculating out the Most Influentials using our own special algorithm, we asked for YOUR votes to name the Top 5 Most Influential in a recent poll. The outcome were astounding. With over 1,000 votes – we took the wisdom of the crowd and applied those results to our final list. Thank you to all those who voted and contributed to our final ranking!

The following infograph illustrates how much influence the individual has in relation to the other thought leaders. We published a few of the scores we considered for this ranking; Twitter followers, Klout and PeerIndex. These thought leaders were first scored for influence then compared to one another to create the top 25 ranking.

And the results…drum roll please…

Congratulations to all those included on the list! You have proven that honest-to-goodness passion and smarts can lead to thought-leadership and influence within the customer service space. Thank you for influencing people and businesses, alike.

Follow the top 25 on Twitter with one click

Honorable mentions

Jeffrey J Kingman, Mark Fodor, Shaun Belding, Jeanne Bliss, Lynn Hunsaker, Gary Sherman, Janet Jozefak, Pratibha Rai, Aaron Silvers

via mindtouch.com

I'm posting this as a tribute to everyone on this list. You do great work and the time for online customer service is just beginning!

9 Uncomplicated Tips for Professional and Business Success in Social Media #SmallBiz #Custserv

It's time to get down to the business of social media. This week I'll be speaking again at the eBay Radio conference in Las Vegas (OK, it's more like a party - but I digress) and the most savvy online sellers are already excited to jump on the social media train.

2010 eBay Radio Conference

Like anything new, Social Media has attracted gurus, experts, mavens and scammers, each with a different story to tell. I've been studying Social Media and community for over a decade and I've learned a few important truths.

1. The internet is still a community
   Yes, SEO is important, updating your webspace is too, but keep in mind that the town square of years gone by has moved to the internet. Conversations are barely held in person or over the phone - they happen online. This is a community, where you need to respect your friends (your audience).
2. It is not a soapbox - don't sell, share
   As fascinating as your sales message or opinions are to you, constantly barraging folks with your importance doesn't cause your friends to interact. They don't make people want to converse with you or do business with you. They want to know the person behind the tweets (or the blog or the page) is a real person, with a real life.
3. Be a person
   Every name on the web has a person (or persons) behind it. Share a little of your personal day. If there is more than one person at your business handling the tweeting for your Twitter account, have them sign their tweets with a caret and their initials, like ^mc.
4. Time those tweets
   If you tweet at the same time every day, you're no doubt hitting the same audience over and over. We are creatures of habit and log onto Twitter around the same times every day. Set your calendar to vary the times you tweet - you will hit a different audience.
5. Answer back & retweet
   If you're not interested in what other people are saying, why should they feel engaged in your comments? Read, comment, inquire. Be a part of the community.Share valauble information you see in your online streams to build credibility with your followers. Save your promotional tweets for one in five - one in six is even better.
6. Quality still wins over quantity
   Is it really important that you have a gazillion followers? I think not. There's really no way to effectively follow tens of thousands of people. Go to wefollow and categorize yourself and your business. Find people who are interested in your message and/or your product. Follow them. If they like what the see on your Tweetstream, more will follow.
7. Follow back those of like mind. Do you care about a new MLM program? If that's what you are intesterted in, follow them - but don't clutter up your stream with unusable verbage. If you don't care about the latest get-rich-quick program, pass when those citizens follow you. You have a market. Know it and follow back. 
8. Commit to the community
   Fill out your Twitter profile with links to your site or your Google online profile. Let people know who you are. Isn't it more interesting to know about the person you're following? Is a faceless profile even the least bit interesting?
9. Visit your Facebook stream at least twice a day
   Check the posts of your friends on your Facebook home. Again, comment or "like" what they have to say. It's all about the interaction. Don't post your sales message to other peoples walls. Friend and join fan pages of people and businesses you like and respect. Communities only survive when there are active participants.

Followers and friends stay with you only if they like, respect and trust what they discover.

How do you keep the human side of Customer Service in a fast-paced world? We'll have an answer at @FedEx #custserv

Next week I get to visit the FedEx Center is Dallas to discuss the topic with Sheila Harrell, Vice President Customer Service Operations.

It's bound to be a lively discussion since Ms. Harrell was the winner of the 2008 Customer Service Executive of the Year award. It was presented by The Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA), which provides organizations with education, certification and recognition in the field of customer service.

I'm looking forward to signing my book, The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide and meeting the customer service crew at Federal Express. It's going to be an eye opening experience - for all of us!

 

OUT NOW! The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide: Make your online customers happy— and create new ones

 

After writing over 30 successful books on ecommerce, I learned there is nothing 'common" about the customer. Customers are the soul of business. Social media gives an unparalleled vehicle for connecting and engaging with an unlimited number of prospective buyers. Yet this vehicle is different than other, more impersonal forms. With social media, reps become part of their customers' lives. They handle complaints immediately. They grow their brands by involving themselves in communities.

My experience in retail, then ecommerce and eBay for the past 14 years shows me that 21st century marketing, based on community is the most efficient way to grow your customer base. As co-founder of Twitter's highly successful #custserv chat, I have seen companies who do it right - and those who don't.

The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide gives you the keys to authentic and engaged service to customers through social media. Using a blend of traditional and social media customer service case studies, and instructions on how to execute quality customer service, this book enables you to access the opportunities that social media presents as a means of serving customers.
* Authentically use social media to connect with customers to boost your bottom line
* Attract new customers through your online presence
* Achieve higher Merchandise Sales with quality customer service

Social media gives you a new and growing realm to distinguish your business. Create a productive presence in this interactive space with The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide.

 

 

Buy the Book BONUSES!These offers are good from Friday, January 7th, until 11:59 pm PT on Saturday, January 15th … or until we run out …all good things must come to an end.

Buy ONE book and receive:
The Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide Autographed Bookmark or Name Plate for your book. Limited to first 200 requests.

Buy TEN books and receive:
Access to a private, 60-minute Q&A webinar where I’ll be going into even more detail on the concepts in the book and give you specific “how-to’s” on building relationships with your customers. You have a chance to ask questions and get specific feedback and coaching on how to apply the book to your business and brand.

Buy 200 Books and receive:
I'll fly out for an In-person, half-day session* with your Customer Service Staff, Employees or Management - your call. This is an incredible opportunity to leverage everything I have learned through my online customer service journey with you. I'll help you set up Social Media Policies for your employees and more so you'll be ready with a robust strategy for pleasing and attracting customers.
*Travel expenses (flight, hotel, meals) are not included

To cash in on these offers:
1. Email me a copy of your purchase receipt to: onlinecustserv@gmail.com.
2. In the email subject line, please write One, Ten or 200 Book Offer.
3. In the email body, please include your address and specify the name I should use for your autographed name plate.

via theultimateonlinecustomerserviceguide.blogspot.com

 

It Costs 6 to 7 Times More to Acquire a New Customer Than to Retain Existing: Infographic frm @flowtown #custserv

via flowtown.com

Have you ever wondered how much an existing customer was worth? Well, in most cases its a lot. In fact, it is 6 to 7 times more costly to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer. The following graphic details the the most interesting findings of several recent studies focused on customer acquisition, retention and attrition rates. It should help to put things in perspective for marketers and business owners.

Read more: http://www.flowtown.com/blog/the-value-of-an-existing-customer#ixzz12k1JvufP