http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2011/06/consumer-reports-survey-two-in-three-consumers-have-walked-out-of-a-store-because-of-poor-customer-service.html
The solution to most of those problems is have enough good quality employees. Of course, to attact those individuals, companies have to cease the ‘race to the bottom’, and having respect for the people hired. That means investing in your staff. Whether your accountant realizes it or not, your staff, not your inventory, is your most valuable asset! If you indicate that you do not repect your employees, it will reflect in your business. Customers will walk out, complain, take their business elsewhere. You will not be able to keep staff. Your business will suck. I call it voting with the pocketbook.
Pay your employees better. If you cannot afford more employees, you need to explain honesly to them where you stand financially and actively recruit your help to become “stakeholders’ in the day to day operations.Take the time to get to know all of your employees. Invite them to offer suggestions. Listen to them w/o being judgemental. Chances are they’ve got good ideas on how the business can be improved. Reward good performance, either monetarily or verbally in a way that demonstrates that you truly appreciate their efforts to make you look better.
Show your employees that you owner, manager etc.aren’t afraid to work. Let them see you cleaning cases, untangling chains, answering phones, cleaning jewelry, running the vaccum.Be able to jump in and lend a hand when necessarily without stepping on your employee’s toes. Don’t hide from your difficult customers.
Have constructive meetings where goals are clearly outlined, along with the means to accomplish them.Everyone should have goals, and a reasonable means of achieving and charting them. Provide training sessions to learn about new products, sales techniques.Don’t ream your employees out in public. In fact learn to criticize constructively.
Be what you wish to seem. Come in every day with a smile and a good additude yourself. If you are honest and with your employees, they will respect you and be loyal and your business will grow.
How am I doing?
http://www.beadbear.com
Showing posts with label customer service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label customer service. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Why Customer Service Means Respect
I recently made an online purchase. No big deal, done it before. However, what got my goat, was their attitude towards customer service. I placed the order and received the confirmation email. I didn't expect to receive the tracking number immediately, because I ordered over the weekend. Monday morning, I sent an email, requesting the UPS tracking number. Later in day received replay that request had been forwarded to shipping department. After two days, and no response, I called to request my tracking number. The person who answered the phone was polite enough. She indicated that the person who did the shipping was on the phone. Did I want to hold?
I assented. After ten minutes of listening to dreadful “on hold” music, I hung up. Upon calling back, and making the same request, I was tersely informed that the shipper was very busy. I indicated that I had been waiting for over two days for a reply to my question. She then got quite snippy with me, telling me that they were just “too busy”. I asked to speak with a manager. She then said she would take my name and number, and assured me the shipper would call as soon as possible. She also indicated that it had been shipped; so what was my problem? I reiterated that I wanted the tracking number. Period.
About three hours later, the shipper called and was obviously irritated that he had to deal with me. I had left with the person that took my phone number, along with my name, order number and phone number. Upon providing the same information, he indicated that he would have to take time to look it up, a major inconvenience for him as he was “so busy”.
At that point, I admit I became quite annoyed. He said it "just too much trouble, and took too much time, to notify customers of their tracking numbers". I gently pointed out that since he was using UPS online shipping, all he had to do was check the box to inform customer of their shipping details, which would automatically generate to email and send it to the customer. Some have to plan to receive deliveries. Further, as a business-owner who serviced online clients, I always sent my customers their detail information.
At that point, he informed me that he had been shipping for“almost a year”, and that “he knew what he was doing”. I told him that I would take that into consideration, the next time I needed that sort of product, his company offered and make another decision as to where I would shop in the future, because I was not happy with their customer service. No aplogy was forthcoming.He informed me that they had “the best customer service, and that I did not know what I was talking about”.It was more important to justify himself than appreciate his customer's needs!
Yes, red fire jumped out of my eyes. I have served my customers online for over ten years. I lose sleep thinking about how I can improve their online experience with me. Because I'm here and they're way over there, somewhere. I want them to feel like I am accessible, and considerate of their needs and wants. One of my main concerns as as online retail merchant is to provide as much assistance to my customers as I can. After all, they don't know me. They're making a selection on faith, trusting that I will not only provide them with a product exactly as described and seen (if not better), but also provide them with a pleasant experience, reinforcing their decision to trade with me, and by extension, their good judgment. To that end, I will confirm the order by email immediately, and thank them for their custom. When I ship their selection, I email the tracking number so that they know I take them seriously and have care for them.
I respect my customers. I know my customers are very busy. That's one of the reasons they shop online. They do not have time to call, sit on hold, or email repeatedly. Nor should they have to! I value their consideration. They are not simply marks, or suckers ripe for picking.
Customer service is all about respecting your clients. And, whether or not someone makes a purchase or not, I still consider them to be very important. Showing respect will also garner more business. The person you satisfy and positively reinforce, will trade with you again. They may not tell anyone else about their satisfaction. They may not even inform you that they're unhappy. You simply will never hear from them ever again. But I guarantee that if a customer is displeased, then all their friends will know about it. And you will have devalued your own product!
www.beadbear.com
I assented. After ten minutes of listening to dreadful “on hold” music, I hung up. Upon calling back, and making the same request, I was tersely informed that the shipper was very busy. I indicated that I had been waiting for over two days for a reply to my question. She then got quite snippy with me, telling me that they were just “too busy”. I asked to speak with a manager. She then said she would take my name and number, and assured me the shipper would call as soon as possible. She also indicated that it had been shipped; so what was my problem? I reiterated that I wanted the tracking number. Period.
About three hours later, the shipper called and was obviously irritated that he had to deal with me. I had left with the person that took my phone number, along with my name, order number and phone number. Upon providing the same information, he indicated that he would have to take time to look it up, a major inconvenience for him as he was “so busy”.
At that point, I admit I became quite annoyed. He said it "just too much trouble, and took too much time, to notify customers of their tracking numbers". I gently pointed out that since he was using UPS online shipping, all he had to do was check the box to inform customer of their shipping details, which would automatically generate to email and send it to the customer. Some have to plan to receive deliveries. Further, as a business-owner who serviced online clients, I always sent my customers their detail information.
At that point, he informed me that he had been shipping for“almost a year”, and that “he knew what he was doing”. I told him that I would take that into consideration, the next time I needed that sort of product, his company offered and make another decision as to where I would shop in the future, because I was not happy with their customer service. No aplogy was forthcoming.He informed me that they had “the best customer service, and that I did not know what I was talking about”.It was more important to justify himself than appreciate his customer's needs!
Yes, red fire jumped out of my eyes. I have served my customers online for over ten years. I lose sleep thinking about how I can improve their online experience with me. Because I'm here and they're way over there, somewhere. I want them to feel like I am accessible, and considerate of their needs and wants. One of my main concerns as as online retail merchant is to provide as much assistance to my customers as I can. After all, they don't know me. They're making a selection on faith, trusting that I will not only provide them with a product exactly as described and seen (if not better), but also provide them with a pleasant experience, reinforcing their decision to trade with me, and by extension, their good judgment. To that end, I will confirm the order by email immediately, and thank them for their custom. When I ship their selection, I email the tracking number so that they know I take them seriously and have care for them.
I respect my customers. I know my customers are very busy. That's one of the reasons they shop online. They do not have time to call, sit on hold, or email repeatedly. Nor should they have to! I value their consideration. They are not simply marks, or suckers ripe for picking.
Customer service is all about respecting your clients. And, whether or not someone makes a purchase or not, I still consider them to be very important. Showing respect will also garner more business. The person you satisfy and positively reinforce, will trade with you again. They may not tell anyone else about their satisfaction. They may not even inform you that they're unhappy. You simply will never hear from them ever again. But I guarantee that if a customer is displeased, then all their friends will know about it. And you will have devalued your own product!
www.beadbear.com
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