3 Misconceptions Businesses Make About Generation Z

On March 24, 2021   /   How to Communicate With Customers, How to Increase Customer Loyalty, Leadership, Virtual Customer Service   /   Leave a comment
3 Misconceptions Businesses Make About Generation Z

So, you think your brand understands how to impress Generation Z (Gen Z) to buy your product/service?  Compare your assumptions to the results of a Gen Z think tank survey:

  • When considering a purchase, quality is the top consideration for Gen Z with price a close second.  Accountability and trust tie for third place
  • Gen Z males said maintaining high quality on products will capture their loyalty while Gen Z females said great value for price will make them loyal to a brand 
  • Celebrity endorsements have the least effect on brand loyalty—even though Gen Zers have a fascination with pop culture

Members of Gen Z are those born between 1997 and 2015 putting them in the age range of 6-24 years old in 2021.

What matters to Gen Z is that they want businesses to know who they are and what they like/dislike.  To be clear, Gen Z is not a monolith, however, due diligence must be undertaken if you’re serious about including them in your client base.  Remember, Gen Z buying power in the U.S. is a whopping a $143 billion. That’s nearly 40 percent of all U.S. consumer shopping.  If that’s not impressive enough, 93% of parents say their Gen Z children influence their household spending and another 70% of parents ask their Gen Z kids for advice before making purchases.

Your company has a higher chance of attracting Gen Z to become loyal customers IF your core values align with their expectations.

Gen Zers are looking at your company’s mission, product quality, and service quality before committing to purchases. If you want their business and loyalty, review your corporate philosophy to determine if it conducive to the three points in this article.

Let’s all go out there and make it a great day.

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4 Powerful Ways to Kickstart Customer Service

On January 13, 2021   /   How to Increase Customer Loyalty, Increasing Profits, Leadership, Providing Exceptional Customer Experiences, Virtual Customer Service   /   Leave a comment
4 Powerful Ways to Kickstart Customer Service

Most customers will leave your brand if you don’t give legendary service.

It’s simple.  The quality of a company’s customer service will impact revenue. Offer gold standard experiences and revenue will increase. Deliver consistently poor service, revenues will not only decrease but there’s a good chance the company will go under.

Surprisingly, what matters most in service may not be what you think. Research shows more than anything, customers want to be seen, heard, respected, and have their problems resolved with laser precision and quickness.  They don’t like repeating themselves either! 

Dimensional Research, a market research company, revealed that 69% of consumers attributed their good experience to quick problem resolution, while 72% were irritated with having to explain their problem to multiple employees.

Follow these time-tested solutions in order to take your customer service from ordinary to legendary:

  1. A Powerful Support Team – Every employee is responsible for delivering gold standard service.  Managers are the glue that hold the company together.  They’re responsible for encouraging, training, and motivating all members of the team.
  2. Purpose and Values – Ensure all employees (a) are on board with the company’s vision to serve (b) have a sense of strength and solidarity for the company’s success.
  3. Recognition and Appreciation – Give the team positive feedback and recognition in order to build esteem and enhance a feeling of value and accomplishment.  This will build morale and create happy employees who will deliver exceptional service.
  4. Journey to High Performance – You want team members who are committed to being great, who think in terms of “we” rather than “you”, “I”, and “me”.  You want a team that will anticipate client needs and deliver ultimate luxe.

Strive for Michelin star ratings.  Give such personal and detailed attention as to make clients feel as though they’re the only customers on your books.  And above all…

Make it a great day!

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Ask 5 Questions: Then Pandemic-Proof Your Small Business

On December 30, 2020   /   All Star Customer Satisfaction, Getting Loyal Employees, Innovative Problem Resolutions, Leadership, Providing Exceptional Customer Experiences, Virtual Customer Service   /   Leave a comment
Ask 5 Questions: Then Pandemic-Proof Your Small Business

Customer service delivery has become more complex thanks to a global pandemic.  It is the customer who has leveraged control and has demanded a positive experience, not the company.  

Nearly overnight, the COVID-19 pandemic elevated the importance of delivering fast and accurate digital experiences to customers who found themselves cut off from conventional ways of doing business.

According to a global study by ESI ThoughtLab and ServiceNow, a measly 27% of companies have transitioned from recruiting underperforming in-house talent to high-efficiency automated systems in order to deliver top drawer customer experiences (CX).

So, what’s at stake?  Profitability.  As you answer the five questions listed below, consider whether your responses match what’s in your pandemic plan, company core values, mission statement, and corporate culture philosophy:

  1. Has your team developed skills to create a digital customer experience (CX)?
  2. Have you identified the touchpoint that matters to your customers?
  3. Has your team aligned its objectives & key results (OKRs) with CX?
  4. Has your company consolidated data into a single customer view?
  5. How much progress has your team made toward providing a personalized CX (creating personas specific client demographics)?

The largest returns from CX initiatives come from positioning the right people, processes, and technologies in the right departments to deliver a superior experience time after time.   According to ESI ThoughtLab and ServiceNow, almost 50% of global leaders reported a moderate to large ROI due to maintaining an efficient and  personalized CX platform, versus only 22% for others.

You may have already implemented the necessary safety measures to protect employees and clients from further complications of COVID-19 and future disasters; however, it is also important to know that protecting and growing your small business is about finding ways to anticipate the needs of your clients and to deliver superior service with laser precision.  Trailblazers constantly search for ways to implement state-of-the-art safety and delivery systems that will benefit both clients and employees as well as local and global supply chains.

Remember, clients are your “why”.  Show them that you are in this for them and with them.

Make it a great day.

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Three Words Your Clients Want to Hear: “Yes, Yes, Yes”

On November 19, 2020   /   All Star Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service, Effective Communication, How to Communicate With Customers, Virtual Customer Service   /   Leave a comment
Three Words Your Clients Want to Hear: “Yes, Yes, Yes”

While giving top-notch customer service is a priority for your company, it’s almost impossible to appease every customer request. So, how do you keep customers happy and loyal if you can’t always give them what they want?  

During this global pandemic, if you are not acting as a concierge to your clients—no matter your industry—you are missing golden opportunities to be a differentiator.    

We recommend creating a philosophical platform (instead of a policy) to build on and train your team how to say “yes” even when the answer is “no”.

Establish a culture of saying Yes – Starting with the C-Suite (the company executive offices), a culture of yes needs to be exemplified throughout the company so that all employees understand that saying yes is a core value to uphold.

  • When company leaders and managers are constantly telling employees no, that negativity will likely pass on to your clients
  • Come up with other ways to make customers happy when the product requested is out of season or out of stock.  For example, offer a quality substitute—even if you have to obtain it from a competitor.  Be creative and innovative
  • Celebrate employees in front of colleagues when they solve difficult problems
  • Encourage employees to ask questions and offer opinions; doing so shows you respect their input
  • When resolving difficult situations, use positive language…it is key to diffusing arguments

Provide world-class customer service – When dealing with high-end clients, you have to pull out all of the stops.  Prove that you are committed to delivering gold standard experiences on a consistent basis.

  • After resolving a difficult problem, send the customer a handwritten note of thanks along with a basket of fruit or some other gift that resonates with them
  • Take extra time on the phone to answer a question or resolve an issue.  Never brag about what you did or expect the customer to thank you because that’s part of the platinum service for which you are known
  • Go above and beyond the call of duty.  Your customers will come back to you over and over.  They will become your brand ambassadors
  • Whenever possible, say yes

Your team wants positive energy from you and the C Suite.  Show them how to implement the company’s core values.  It’s one of the best ways to successfully create a Yes Culture.

The next time you have an opportunity to turn a “no” into a “yes”, consider it as an opportunity to do something extraordinary for your client (without a hidden agenda).  They will be drawn to you and will always want to buy from you.  You are their “go to” for business and consultation.

Make it a great day.

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Virtual Customer Service

On October 14, 2020   /   Customer Service, Virtual Customer Service   /   Leave a comment
Virtual Customer Service

We are in a world where nearly everything has pivoted to accommodate a virtual lifestyle and workspace.  

Virtual customer service has been around for a number of years, however, since the introduction of COVID 19, businesses that provided “live” service, whether in person or over the telephone, now offers chatbots as its primary source of customer engagement.  A chatbot is a computer program that simulates and processes human conversation—either written or spoken—allowing humans to interact with digital devices as if they were communicating with a real person.

One of the challenges with which customers face, is the frustration of engaging with chatbots long wait times to engage with a live person to get answers to their questions.  Businesses must figure out how to solve that problem and learn how they might give consumers amazing experiences.

Some employers have set up a virtual call center (VCC).  A VCC is a customer service call center where agents from around the world answer support calls.  Some agents work from home and some are in other locations; nonetheless, they are connected via virtual call center software.

Virtual customer support platforms:

  • Live chat – For customers who need a quick resolution, live chat on the company’s website is an excellent solution.  Customers will be able to converse with a customer service representative.
  • Self-serve – This platform is excellent for customers who prefer to conduct research on their own rather than live chat with a customer support representative.
  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – IVR is a part of the telephonic system that a business uses to interact with callers through the dial pad, keypad, or voice requests. Callers may hear statements such as, “Press 1 for English”, “Press 2 for Spanish”.
  • Email – Most companies put all of the contact information on the “Contact Us” webpage.  A team is responsible for answering customer questions via email.  This platform gives consumers a way to explain complex issues in great detail and without human interaction.
  • Phone support – This is the most common and easiest way to provide support to consumers.  Most people have one and know how to use it.

To be an industry leader and to ensure your business thrives, you must decide the best way to accommodate customer interaction on a virtual platform.  

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