How to Not Lose Customers - Tips Every Business Owner Needs to Know

As a business owner, and as a discerning consumer myself, I've seen my fair share of do's and don'ts in the realm of customer service, and I know what makes for a bad, average, above average, and finally stellar customer experience. It's amazing what you start to notice after you have been a small business owner yourself for a few years, when you are on the receiving end of a customer service experience. You start to really notice the little nuances that you may not have noticed or even cared about before you went into business for yourself. It's not like I didn't know what bad and good customer service was before, it's just that I've become more in tuned to it now since it is the cornerstone of my bread butter as well.

Guest Problem Resolution 101 - Power of the Follow Up

A few years ago, I saw some statistics that showed the top reasons why customers stop using companies: 9% of customers leave because of competitors 14% of customers leave because of dissatisfaction with the product 67% of customers leave because of an attitude of indifference on the part of a company employee I recently had an experience with a telephone company that perfectly reinforced that last statistic. For the past four years, I've consistently used a particular long-distance phone company. Since I recently moved to a new residence, I attempted to transfer my cable service, utilities, phone, etc. Everything was smoothly transferred except for the phone service.

Another Bout With Wal-Mart

I then proceed to finding the best price online and place the order on Walmart.com which was around $80.00 cheaper than anywhere else I found the frame. During the process of ordering the frame I decide that I would also like to have one for my office desk and thought it a good idea to order the same frame. I received both order confirmations for the one going to Alaska to my husband and the one being shipped to me in North Carolina on 6/3. On 6/4 I receive the shipping confirmation that both frames have been shipped. The one coming to North Carolina to arrive between 6/6 and 6/10 and the one to my husband between 6/9 and 6/11. On 6/12 I check with my husband to see if he has received a package, he has not.

Meeting Customers' Needs

Philip Wexler said "If the goal of every business is to make money, then the function of every business - and of every person in every business - is the acquisition and maintenance of customers". Therefore we can conclude that every company is successful in business depending on how well it serves its customers, and as such those customers should always be at the forefront of everything the business does. Unfortunately it can sometimes be the case that everyone assumes it's everyone else's responsibility to attend to the needs of the customer. The managers assume it's the job of the front line employees, and the employees assume it's the job of the managers who come up with the policies and ways of working in the first place.

Turn That NO Into a YES Sale

The inception of the Offshore Business Process Outsourcing and Call Center Industry produced a sales-driven throng cluster of professionals from different age-groups of employees. Customer Service Representatives and telemarketers require great skills, attitude and energy to carry on tasks at night. Call it a tough job because it demands having strong sales skills. Of course, we all know that right mind-set and liveliness are the key essentials while taking calls but indisputably so does sales skills. Whether you're dealing with a cranky and irate prospect or a calm yet prying customer, the main perspective stay the same. Here are four attributes you could develop: 1.

Building Up Your Base Through Loyal Customers

Every company is going to need them. You're going to have your best and most loyal customers. Recognizing who they are in order to get them to keep coming back is important, but it's also important to know why they're so loyal to begin with. You need to get your customer base to keep growing. If loyal customers are going to be the strongest base, figure out the best way to make that base as big as possible. Something I've always found particularly important about a business is the kind of environment they set up. Good deals are always appreciated, sure, but I have to actually like the place I'm shopping at or like the person I'm doing business with for me to really care about coming back.

Superior Customer Service - 5 Great Ideas

Ask any store manager and I'll bet he or she will tell you that they work hard to insure that their store provides good customer service. That's as it should be. But here's the problem: In today's competitive arena good customer service is simply not enough. It is not a point of differentiation because everybody expects it and rightfully so. It would be contrary to common sense to think that any merchant would not want to provide it. Here are five ideas to elevate good to great: Make sure your entire staff knows what you expect and what you want. I know, this seems like an elementary point, but you'll be surprised the number of stores that I work with in which the staff had no clear understanding of what was expected of them in the customer interface process.

Customer Relationships Produce Results

You could have the best product on the market at the lowest price however without customers your business is dead in the water. Building good customer relationships take time and a bit of effort but it is well worth it in the end. According to Corie Wallace, Sales and Marketing strategist, building a relationship with a customer is one of the most important functions of becoming not only successful in sales but also in building a loyal customer base. Good customer relationships impact your bottom line and turn red ink into black by creating a swarm of returning customers. Building Customer relationships is one of the techniques that Wallace has used to increase one companies sales by 40% over the previous year.

Customers and the Moment of Truth

Sounds kind of scary, huh? We know the "moment of truth" as being that defining moment, that critical point upon which everything that follows depends. We've all had moments of truth in relationships, in jobs, in projects, in the execution of business strategies... but did you know that every customer who enters your organization goes through a series of moments of truth? It's true, you know. Any time a customer comes in contact with a part of your company that they later use to judge the quality of your organization, it's a moment of truth. And, if you want to really manage customer satisfaction within your company, you should know what those moments of truth (MOTs) are for all parts of your company's processes.

Start a Conversation With Your Customers

The secret to making people sit up and take notice of you and your company is to identify and address the problems they are facing. This is really the only way that you'll get their attention and any resulting action on their part. Sure, people may take a second glance at your flashy brochure or your great looking website, but they won't "stop to have a conversation" if you haven't shown them that you understand their needs and wants, and have a solution to offer. The first stage in trying to form a relationship is usually to approach someone and offer a simple smile or hello - establish some contact. It's the same with a marketing relationship - you want to give people an opportunity to "get to know" you.