We’re Retuning to Work!

On June 30, 2021   /   All Star Customer Satisfaction, Customer Service, How to Increase Employee Loyalty, Pandemic Resolutions, Uncategorized   /   Leave a comment
We’re Retuning to Work!

At last !  The world is slowly reopening and employees are returning to work.  Everyone is excited about being out and about…especially business owners.  In all of the commotion, there’s a high probability that abundant changes are needed in the workplace.  In this blog, we’re offering ideas about how to enhance employee morale, strengthen customer service, and increase sales.   

Change your perspective

View “new normal” challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement.  Avoid approaching problems with a defeatist attitude.  Visualize how positive outcomes will help your firm thrive.  Then share your ideas with clients via social media and other communication outlets.

Get back to basics

Revisit soft skills basics such as effective communication, empathy, and positive attitudes.  Now is not the time to allow customer service to fall by the wayside; in fact, it’s time to double down on delivering an experience that is unique only to your brand.  Empathize with customers and maintain a positive mindset.

Communication is key.  Be upfront and honest with clients about what they should expect from the level of service you’ll deliver.  Keep them in the loop about policy changes.

Set realistic attainable expectations from your team.  Highlight  expectations in weekly staff huddles.  

If a project cost is going to run over due to price increases in raw materials, share this information with clients immediately.  Give as much information as possible to ensure an understanding that they’re not being overcharged.  

Let your customer know you appreciate their patience by writing personalized “thank you” notes, applying a customized postage stamp, and dropping it in the mail.

Products and Policies

Due to shifts in the marketplace, consider whether you should update your company’s policy or services.  Whether it’s a reduced staffing model or limited supplies, these “constraints” may require a change in how you conduct business.  Doing so may increase employee efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Let us know in the comments how your business is pivoting in the face of such challenges. 

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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Internal Communication Has Critical Impact on Business

On September 5, 2018   /   Internal Communication, Team Building   /   Leave a comment
Internal Communication Has Critical Impact on Business

Photo Provided by Pixaby

What’s one of the best ways to foster creativity and growth in the workplace?  Dismantling silos and building internal bridges.

Members of various corporate C-Suites are beginning to recognize that silos are a major factor that prevent companies from hitting growth and profit targets.  Not only that, they understand that silos are partially responsible for key employees not reaching their full potential and losing them to competitors.  

The term ‘silo’ has been used in the corporate arena for the last 30 years.  It is borrowed from what we know as farm silos which store grain for farmers.   When you look at farm silos, they have no windows, they have limited points of entrance, and in older silos, the grain cannot be easily extracted.  How ironic.  The instrument that is used to store a product to sell at a later date for profit is the same instrument that obstructs the full life and fervor of the farm.  The same is true when applied to companies.

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