When entering a store, most customers want to see an employee make a genuine effort to acknowledge and assist them. As a customer in a hurry, I might be just looking for one specific item and may need the assistance of the employee. However, if I am ignored and my time is wasted waiting for […]
Customer Service
How to Handle Adjustments: Part 2- Refusing an Adjustment
Adjustment requests from customers are more common in some fields than others, but, regardless of your line of work, understanding how to effectively grant or refuse a customer’s request for an adjustment is an invaluable skill to add to your list of employee know-how. But how should you go about delivering the bad news and […]
How to Handle Adjustments: Part 1- Granting an Adjustment
Adjustments are a fact of life for nearly every company, so, with rare exception, all good employees should know how to go about handling adjustments. Depending on your line of work, adjustments could be a frequent and routine task, or they could be a task with which you are quite unfamiliar. Manufacturers of physical goods, […]
Show Your Customers That You Appreciate Their Business
For most businesses, customer retention is a number one priority. Although you may offer the best prices and customer service support, how do you show your customers that you appreciate their business? Often times, the simplest things can mean the most to your customer. Here are 5 cheap (or free), creative ways to show every […]
Increase Customer Satisfaction by Controlling Your Voice
“Thanks For Calling” is one simple sentence that so many customer service representatives are instructed to offer as a greeting or as a closing. But simply telling your customer service representatives to say something is not enough. You must also tell them how to say something. It takes 5-10 seconds for your customer to form […]
Go Above and Beyond Your Competitors to Increase Customer Retention
How do you stand out among your competition? You may sell the exact same product or services, so what differentiates you from them? If your answer is “nothing,” then you have a major problem that is most likely affecting your sales. Are you complacent with your current standing among competitors? If there are two grocery […]
Integrate Automated Interactive Voice Systems Into Your Business Without Aggravating Customers
Although Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems were originally created to increase efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and save the business money, many customers have found that the IVR systems are mazes that are, in reality, time consuming and frustrating. Benefits of IVR Systems What exactly are the benefits of using an IVR system? Companies from small […]
Increase Customer Satisfaction by Empowering Your Customer Service Representatives
After sitting on hold for 15 minutes, a customer is finally connected with a customer service representative who listens carefully to their situation, is sympathetic, and attempts to reach a resolution. The customer service representative informs the customer that they understand and acknowledge that an error has been made on their part, yet they do […]
How to Turn a Mistake into a Loyal Customer
Imagine this: You’re a service provider, and you’ve made a mistake or encountered some unforeseen problem that has caused you to provide less than adequate service to a customer. Under normal circumstances, this could mean that you’ve lost that customer to a competitor forever. However, recovery is possible, and successfully recovering from a failure can […]
Increase Sales and Customer Retention With Up-Selling Techniques
How can you quickly boost your profits with little to no effort or costs? Well, consider McDonald’s success with their “supersize” options. By simply adding six words to each order (Would you like to supersize that?), McDonald’s convinced millions of customers to spend an extra $0.60 for an extra large drink and French fry. Adding […]
Should You Outsource Your Customer Service Center?
With a recent focus on superior customer service, it is no surprise that large corporations are looking for ways to promptly handle thousands of customer inquiries on a daily basis. Although they all have the option of developing customer care call centers in the United States, many have decided to outsource their customer service overseas. […]
Stay Off Of This Year’s Naughty List With Reasonable Customer Service Policies
With the arrival of the holiday season just around the corner, consumers are flocking to stores and surfing the web for the best deals. In light of this, Consumer Reports has compiled their first ever naughty and nice list. Based on research from their in house reporters and editors, the list looks at specific customer […]
Ensure Customer Satisfaction During Black Friday Chaos
This season’s Black Friday shopping forecast warns for earlier than ever opening times, limited quantities of items specifically made for that day, price matching guarantees, and unheard of deals. With many consumers facing a limited budget, retailers are looking for the hottest ticket items to draw customers in. Because many stores depend on the after […]
How to Handle an Upset Customer
As a business owner, you are well aware that despite your best efforts to deliver a quality product or service, you will have dissatisfied customers from time to time. Customer service representatives are often the victims of angry, frustrated customers that may use hurtful, offensive words to get their point across. A customer service representative […]
5 Things Never to Say to a Customer
Your employees serve as the forefront of your business and usually deal with customers on a daily basis. Whether a customer enters your business, calls a customer service representative, or initiates an e-mail inquiry, your employee is responsible for handling the issue in a courteous and effective manner. Within one minute of speaking to your […]