Customer Services POC – Just information about customerservices

How Shadow It Is Reshaping The Role Of The Cio

Posted on November 12, 2019 by blogger

It used to be that IT departments chose the technology and devices employees used. They purchased volume licenses of client software like Microsoft Office and large enterprise software programs that they installed on expensive hardware in data centers they managed. In the last 10 years, however, there has been a surge in free or low cost consumer services that allow people to accomplish many of the same things as traditional enterprise software. Employees also expect to be able to use the latest smart phones and tablets, and have all their information available on any device, from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

The traditional role of the CIO as the gatekeeper of technology is changing as a result. IT departments which used to be focused solely on building and running internal infrastructure are struggling to keep up in a world where employees can use thousands of cloud services. With cloud services, even though the responsibility for running the application and provisioning hardware is transferred to the provider, the CIO is still responsible for regulatory compliance and corporate governance for enterprise data stored in the cloud. As a result, CIOs have found themselves in the unpopular position of saying no to the cloud services employees feel they need to do their jobs.

However, when you block popular cloud services like Dropbox or Skype, people are motivated to find a way around you. At the same time as IT is struggling with new expectations of what its role should be in the company. The challenge for CIOs 5-10 years ago was providing the same IT services internally with fewer resources. They looked to outsourcing and offshoring to reduce cost and improve corporate margins. Now the expectation is that IT should be actively collaborating with other areas of the company to find creative ways to grow the business. To accomplish this, CIOs will need to embrace cloud services and proactively identify new ways to enable employees to be more productive and reach their customers in a new way.

This transformation will likely result in the IT organization shrinking in terms of headcount but increasing in its influence. CIOs will need to build stronger relationship with their C-level peers and the board. Today, the majority of CIOs (77%) see partnering with the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) as critical to success, but far fewer CMOs (57%) agree this alignment is important. The first step of this transformation includes understanding the scope of Shadow IT usage across the organization to assess how business units are embracing new technology.

There are thousands of cloud services available and the first step is understanding which ones are being used by employees. The average company uses 545 different cloud services, each with differing levels of risk. IT departments need to assess the risks of services objectively in order to understand which ones are enterprise-ready and therefore should be promoted and supported across the organization. This exercise not only reduces overall risk and improves compliance, it can also improve collaboration. The average organization uses 19 different file sharing services. It becomes very difficult to share documents for different projects when theyre split across Box, Dropbox, Hightail, and Egnyte. Standardizing on one or two services can accelerate collaboration and the company can benefit from volume licensing compared to individual teams buying the service on a corporate credit card.

Another way to look at this shift for IT is to look at how supply chains have evolved over the last 20 years. Vertically integration has given way to an ecosystem of just-in-time parts suppliers and low cost shipping worldwide. IT should think about its mandate the same way. There is an ecosystem of cloud that must be selected and work together to drive the business forward. By focusing on the business objectives and less on the actual day to day infrastructure maintenance, the CIO becomes a much more strategic part of the business and company itself benefits.

Accepting Payment Online 7 Steps to Improve your Customers Buying Experience

Posted on November 4, 2019 by blogger

Of course, the number one way you can improve your client’s online purchasing experience is to accept credit cards on your site, because most of your clients will prefer to use their debit or credit card, rather than send checks through the mail. Credit and debit card purchases are immediate and secure; paper checks are the least secure method of making a purchase from an online seller.

Accepting payments online will also make it far less likely that customers will forget about your site or its address, decide to buy from a competitor who accepts online payments, or put off making a buying decision.

Once you’re accepting credit cards online, there are several other ways that you can improve the buying experience, particularly for those who are new to the Internet and may be apprehensive about completing a transaction online.

#1 – Explain what will happen during checkout and keep the customer informed during the buying process.

Giving a brief description of the process, reassures the customer that they’re on the right track to a successful purchase and let them know when the transaction is complete. For many people, buying online is something they do with great hesitancy; anything you can do to lessen their concerns will be appreciated by your customers.

#2 – Let your customers know that their information is protected and their transaction is taking place on a secure server.

Ensure that your payment page can be clearly identified as a secure site. The components of a secure site include a web address that starts with https; that indicates that the payment page is located on a secure server, and the display of a padlock symbol or logo that can be clicked on to confirm that there is a valid secure certificate associated with the secure server.

It can also help if your secure page starts with the word “secure” as the first part of the web address.

#3 – Send automated Thank You Notes and Personal Receipts to your customers

The transaction isn’t necessarily over when your customer has paid their money and collected their goods. One of the ways you can follow up with your client is to send them an automated note thanking them for their business, as well as a means to contact you after the sale. This also allows you to mention other services and products that you sell, that your customer may be interested in at a later date. Many merchants don’t do this – going the extra mile sets you apart from the crowd.

Subsequent to the thank you note, give your clients another indication that you’ve received their order, by sending a personalized receipt once the order is complete. That way, they have an immediate record of what they’ve bought and can print it for their records.

#4 – Brand your Payment Pages

Having a branded payment page not only makes you look more professional, it will increase your conversion rate and reduce your abandonment rate. Customers will be more trusting and therefore more likely to complete a purchase online if your payment page has the look and feel of your web site. This is especially true of individuals buying online for the first time and those who are buying from you for the first time. Trust, comfort and confidence play a major role in the buying decision of all online customers.

Customer Service Comes First!

Posted on October 26, 2019 by blogger

Customers always appreciate businesses that go out of their way to make their customers feel special. If possible send them a card on their birthday or anniversary. Or send them a holiday card along with a special discount or sample. Customers love freebies and chances are they will leave your customers wanting more of your wonderful products. An added bonus to keeping in touch with your customers is that it keeps your business fresh in their minds. Taking extra steps in customer service will make your customer feel special.

If you deal with customers face to face always remember to dress professionally, greet them with a firm hand shake and most importantly SMILE! There is nothing more comforting than a warm friendly smile. When speaking with customers on the telephone make sure you are using a friendly, pleasant tone in your voice. Even if your only communication is through emails you can still come across as being friendly by the choice of words that you use such as a kind greeting or wishing them a wonderful day.

Always be easily accessible to your customers. There is nothing more frustrating than having a problem with an order only to reach a voicemail or receive an auto responder instead of an actual email from you. Make sure your customers can reach you right away should they need to contact you. Make it a habit to check and reply to your emails several times a day. And if you must use voicemail for your telephone be sure to check messages regularly and return phone calls promptly. Its also a good idea to post your contact information where your customers can easily find it. Knowing that you are easy to reach and when they should expect a reply is always comforting to customers.

In this day and age, where everything is automated, and you cannot speak to an actual customer service person on the phone unless you endure half an hour of easy listening tunes and a never ending series of press this and press that recordings, its a welcome relief for customers when they come across a business that puts customer service as their number one priority. When you go above and beyond to treat your customers the way they would like to be treated you will be rewarded with a very satisfied customer for life.

Create Your Identity, Promote Your Brand with Smart Name Badges

Posted on October 6, 2019 by blogger

Jonathan Winchester of Shopper Anonymous (www.shopperanonymous.co.uk), a mystery shopping organisation, conducted research in the UK, Australia and New Zealand that showed how name badges improve customer satisfaction. Based on 116,000 measured shopping experiences, results show that the overall rating for the customer service experience in organisations where the staff wore name badges is 12% higher than those companies where the staff didnt wear any name badges. Name badges are clearly an important and also create a customers first impression of the organisation.

Benefits of Name Badges

Name badges are not just for advertising your brand or customer service; they also promote confidence and trust in your employees or students. Here are some advantages of wearing a name badge:

Corporate name badges
oIdentification
-Easily identify the employees name, rank or designation especially if its a large organisation
-Ensure safety and security in the office premises
-Promote the sense of identity and belongingness in the organisation
-Easily address, interact or converse with other employees from other departments
-Add a professional impression in customers eyes
-Build confidence, respect and pride in employees
-Establish trust within the organisation and from the customers
-Save regular visitors from embarrassment if they forget a persons name
-Help distinguish staff from customers in businesses that dont wear uniforms
-Improve employee-to-employee working relationship by putting a name to the face, instead of addressing employees by the department they belong to
oBrand Promotion
-Serve as a promotional or advertising tool
-Help popularise the brand and company image to the public
-Can create a long lasting impression in the customers mindset
-Make a statement of what the brand is
-Professionally present the entire organisation or brand to the client
-Create an impression of providing a personal service because youre on a first-name basis
-Create trust in the customers eyes because you are presenting a sense of accountability for your actions

School name badges
oIdentification
-Build pride in the institution the student belongs to
-Carry out the schools philosophy and ideals
-Ensure security and safety of children in the school premises
-Create discipline and team spirit
oRecognition
-For academic and athletic achievements
-To acknowledge leadership qualities and responsibilities

Name badges have become an important part in an organisations identity. But to make the name badge effective, you should create a design thats not only impressive but also reflective of your organisations identity and ethos. Ideally, name badges should be smart, direct, appealing, readable and recognisable. When customising a name badge, you may include a persons name, the institutions name, logo, tag line, and colour. But you also have to consider its limited space; avoid too much content that it becomes incomprehensible. Make it short, informative and targeted. For its layout, avoid shiny surfaces or indecipherable font types that make them very difficult to read.

You can trust Smart Edge Badges to help you create the image you want to project to the public. They design impressive layouts that promote your organisations identity and culture.

Retail Point of Sale Software as a Service

Posted on September 22, 2019 by blogger

Many retailers, such as clothing or apparel, footwear, and sporting goods companies that have multiple locations require retail point of sale software systems. The type of system required in today’s up-to-the minute world is immediate. Real-time information can make the difference between a sale and a loss. Being able to get the right items at the right time and place are invaluable to such companies. However, especially in the current economic climate, one doesn’t want to have to pay through the nose for such services.

Finding a company that offers software as a service is the ultimate for retail point of sale system software. Affordable service with highly trained technical support is essential. A business needs to have all of its locations linked together with the ability to easily manage the operations of each store without wasting time. Being able to immediately know what is on hand, in transfer or on order is essential to such system software. The benefits of this instant information include increased sales. One can see that if a customer is interested in a particular item in a particular size he wants it now. If it is not in the current location but you can immediately know where it is and how long it will take to get it in, you are more likely to retain that customer at that retail point of sale.

Another benefit of retail point of sale software is reduced costs. If double ordering can be eliminated through instant knowledge of real-time inventory, this is an immediate cost reduction. Knowing what is selling and what is not selling on a day-to-day basis throughout all locations is invaluable. Being able to order ?on-the-fly’ items that are hot sellers will reduce costs and increase profits. Lack of information is often costly, so having everything you need and want to know at your fingertips can also greatly reduce costs. As sales are increased and costs are reduced, then profitability goes up.

Rather than paying through the nose for a high priced company with expensive hardware and long-term contracts, one can hire a reasonably priced company that has short-term contracts and a minimum of hardware required. Such a retail point of sale system software company can offer easy support as they manage your system and allow you to manage your business. Short-term contracts allow you to better manage your money without being tied into a system that you have never tried before. As you research the retail point of sale system service companies, you will also want to use companies that have an excellent track record with thousands of worldwide installations.

Making certain that your current system is compatible with the retail point of sale system that is available is extremely important to you. Whether you use Windows, Java or UNIX applications, you want to be able to interface with them. If you use a PC or a Mac, you will want your new real-time inventory system to work with the computer operating system that you know and understand. This is all possible, and once you have begun using your newly integrated retail point of sale system software, you will wonder how you ever got along without it.

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