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Posts Tagged ‘customer service’
Saturday, April 16th, 2011
Neil Glassman has a great article at Social Times titled “10 Measures Of Social Media ROI For Your Brand.” I highly recommend you read this article.
Rather than write a synopsis of the article or reveal the 10 measures, I’m simply going to highlight three of them, which I consider to be uncommon uses of social media. That is, these are ways that social media can be leveraged and provide metrics for success, but which social media marketers often do not use or, if they do, do not do effectively.
These are three of 10 uncommon uses of social media. I recommend reading Neil’s article for the rest.
Tags: customer service, Reputation Management, roi, SEO, Social Media
Posted in Social Media | 7 Comments »
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Is Web TV any different than traditional TV? According to blip.tv founder Dina Kaplan, it is. And, actually, I agree.
The most interesting difference between traditional TV and Web TV is that the audience can influence the story line as it develops. Consider:
Fans that watch Web shows have the ability to write comments that provide immediate influence on the plot of a series. However, by the time a traditional television show reaches its audience, the next several shows have already been filmed.
This is something that Web TV and an online business have in common. You can use the comments on your blog, Twitter stream, LinkedIn and Facebook walls, and anywhere else online to get real-time feedback on your business, your service, and your products. You can then take that information and redirect if you have to.
Online marketers have always claimed to have more flexibility and freedom than traditional marketers. Now, Web TV producers are saying the same thing. See a common theme?
While your competition is struggling to figure out just how to incorporate online marketing into their overall business strategy, you could be implementing it successfully, interacting with your clients, and refocusing your business based on the feedback you get from them in real time.
Tags: customer service, online marketing, real time communication, Web TV
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 1 Comment »
Friday, March 18th, 2011
One of the most frightening things in the world for a small business owner is a negative review. But should you be afraid of them? I think there are several reasons not to be afraid of negative reviews, the first of which is that no one can please everyone all of the time. If someone had a negative experience with your company, try to find out why and look at it as an opportunity.
When you see a negative review of your company online, the best thing to do is try to resolve it. Here are 5 ways you can turn a negative review into a positive:
- Thank the person for their review. Be positive and let them know that you will try to fix the problem they pointed out. Be proactive and make good on your promises.
- Don’t respond to the negative review right away. Instead, walk away from your computer and don’t respond until you’ve had time to cool down and think of a reasonable response.
- Apologize for the bad experience. Offer some way to make it up to the reviewer.
- Offer to resolve the issue in private. If possible, send a private message to the reviewer and offer to resolve their issue in a positive manner over the phone. Offer a discount on a future service, present them with a coupon, or make a positive move to resolve the situation amicably.
- Leave your phone number. If you cannot private message the reviewer, leave a phone number on the review website with an invitation to call you and resolve the situation. Be positive and make every effort to ensure the reviewer will see that as a way to get the situation resolved in a peaceful, nonthreatening manner.
Online reviews are nothing to fear. If you perform good customer service on a regular basis, then you’ll encourage your customers to leave you positive reviews. Look at negative reviews as an opportunity, not an obstacle.
Tags: customer service, negative reviews, online reviews, positive reviews
Posted in Reputation Management | 1 Comment »
Thursday, March 10th, 2011
It’s official: the iPhone, the Android, SmartPhones, they are here to stay, and they are here in full force. Everyone is using the cell phone these days to log on, tune in, and plug up. So is that a great opportunity to promote your small business?
You bet it is. In fact, cell phone apps are poised to be some of the biggest innovations in the next few years. Small businesses are even getting in on the picture and it won’t be long before having your own iPhone app is going to be as important as having your own website. It may already be.
And apps are flexible products. You can use them for so much. You can incorporate a customer service component into just about any creative app that you can create. If your users find the app interesting and useful, they’ll use it and you’ll be top-of-mind all the time.
The key to a good app is to create one that is related to your business in some way and useful. For instance, an auto parts shop might create an app that lets users order parts in real time while on the go. Wouldn’t that be useful? Or a restaurant may let users order carry out. Maybe a bookstore would allow users to place books on hold, or even order and pay for them right through their phones.
There are all sorts of ways to get creative with iPhone apps. Now is the time to start thinking about how you can keep your customers tuned into your business through their iPhones.
Tags: apps, customer service, iPhone, iphone apps, small business
Posted in Mobile Marketing for Small Business | 11 Comments »
Saturday, February 19th, 2011
One of the most frustrating aspects of running an online business is losing a customer during the checkout process. This is often referred to as an abandoned shopping cart and is similar to an offline shopper heading to the checkout, then dumping their basket and leaving the store empty handed. In an offline environment it is relatively easy to analyze why that shopper had left empty handed. But what about the online environment?
Shoppers abandon the online process for a number of reasons. Sometimes they haven’t even abandoned the process, they may have just lost their Internet connection. Other situations include unsuitable payment options, expensive delivery fees, or self doubt. Trust can also be an issue – not so much trust in your business, but a lack of trust when it comes to revealing credit card information.
Ideally, your shopping cart process should request an e-mail contact early in the process. If it does, don’t ignore that information. It could be vital to winning back that customer, and perhaps completing the transaction. Combine your e-mail marketing and customer service skills and make contact with that lost customer. Don’t spam them and don’t add them to your e-mail marketing list. Rather, send a personal e-mail asking for feedback on the checkout process. Your aim should be two-fold – to gain feedback as to why they abandoned the shopping process, and to regain their business.
The first can be gained by simply asking a series of questions. The latter can be achieved by making an offer of some description. You may want to leave the offer to a follow up e-mail – hopefully addressing their issues. E-mail marketing isn’t always about promoting your business aggressively. Sometimes, it be used as a valuable customer service tool.
Tags: checkout process, customer service, shopping carts
Posted in E-mail Marketing for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Sunday, February 13th, 2011
Customer service is one of the most important issues when it comes to reputation management. Handling customers’ queries and problems quickly, quietly, and efficiently is a must in today’s online world. It takes only one disgruntled customer to have their say on a social media site and every other disgruntled customer will join them. Of course, not every customer will complain directly to you. Sometimes they will go straight to their Facebook or Twitter page.
This is where your customer service needs to lift a level and you need to become more proactive. Rather than getting involved in any online discussion with the customer, do a little research first; you may be surprised at what you find. There have been several reported news stories in recent months related to employees of one company pretending to be a customer of a competitor, and making disparaging remarks about that competitor.
A little research soon discovered that these individuals were not customers at all. This can make your approach much easier. For example, a simple response to a complaint could point out that you have not found any transactions related to that person so you might have to dig a little more for the details. In many cases, they will not respond at all leaving their complaint looking very weak. If they do respond, it will generally not be in answer to yours. Be nice – just restate your request for more information.
Don’t wait for customers to make complaints directly to you. Be proactive and keep your ear to the noise that is occurring on social media sites. You should also balance the need to respond with the overall effect that one comment could make. Does that person have 1,000 followers, or just 10? By making a big issue of the situation where there are only ten followers, you could escalate the issue and suddenly find they have several thousand followers, all watching the interaction.
If your customer service is up to scratch, you will able to identify what real problems are developing, and to be in a position to deal with them effectively. Your business’s reputation will depend on how well you manage this area of customer interaction.
Tags: customer service, Social Media
Posted in Reputation Management | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
There`s a lot of hype about the newest methods of internet marketing, mobile phone advertising and a whole slew of other techniques that are up to the moment and very effective. What many people don`t realize is that chasing after every new fad isn`t the answer. Traditional marketing is still very much alive and when you use this as the base for your publicity campaigns, you`ll be far more effective.
This isn`t to say that there is anything wrong with the newer marketing methods, in fact, I use them myself, as you know. But some of the original types of marketing are the most important. Offering quality and value for the money, providing quality customer service, these are things that will never fail.
While using the latest and greatest methods of marketing is going to help your business soar, remember that traditional marketing techniques are also very important. Without them, you will have an uphill struggle to success.
Why not make it easier on yourself by using traditional marketing techniques? You won`t be sorry.
Tags: business, customer service, marketing, traditional marketing
Posted in Traditional Marketing for Small Business | No Comments »
Sunday, August 31st, 2008
A quote from Peter Drucker:
(Source)
Where does marketing really begin? As management guru Peter Drucker stated it, “Marketing is the whole business seen from the customer’s point of view.†Put another way, every single interaction the customer has with your business can and should be seen as marketing.
If this is true, and I believe it is, then there is no beginning or end to marketing. Everything you do is marketing. Customer service. Shipping. Selling. Labeling boxes. Dumping the garbage. And …
OK, did I go overboard?
If marketing is your whole business as seen from the customer’s point of view then everything you do has an impact on that. You can’t minimize any aspect of your business without affecting the whole. That should put a new twist on what is important for your business, right?
Instead of thinking of marketing as communicating with your customers, you should also be thinking about it as your customer hiding behind a tree and watching you work, oblivious to their presence. Would you act that way if your customer was present? Would you throw that item in the garbage if your customer was present? Would you put that item on the half-off shelf if your customer know why you were doing it?
It is important to think about these issues because your customers could find out things about your business you don’t want them to know. There is always somebody watching. And it’s important in this day and age to stay competitive, which means beating your competition in every way possible – even at the Watch Me game.
Tags: customer service, marketing, small business
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing, Traditional Marketing for Small Business | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
One restaurant owner in Arizona drove to pick up a customer who had been involved in an automobile accident and was in danger of missing his reservation. Now that’s customer service! And it got such word of mouth buzz that the restaurant attracted press stories – and not just in its home town.
The story is the perfect illustration of how exceptional service can lead to word of mouth buzz. It’s uncommon and this type of service doesn’t happen every day, which is what makes it worth talking about. And if you perform that kind of service for your customers then you’ll be talked about too.
Never deny the power of word of mouth advertising. It’s cheap advertising, but by cheap I don’t mean non-valuable. The value is immeasurable. It’s inexpensive because you don’t have to shell out dollars and hope it works. It is costly, however, because exceptional service requires some level of risk that must be managed. Still, it’s worth every ounce of it. There is no substitute for word of mouth buzz, even for a small business.
Tags: customer service, small business, word of mouth buzz
Posted in SEO for Small Business, Viral Marketing | 1 Comment »
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