February 2019 – Customer Services POC

Why Do Companies Make Customer Service So Complicated

Posted on February 22, 2019 by blogger

By: Vic Pichette owner of Eye on Success, a customer service consulting agency located in Rhode Island.

I like to take a few minutes to talk about some of my recent customer service issues that I’ve been involved with. I hope that someone who works with customers reads this and understands that this is not acceptable.

I am a huge fan of bold flavored coffee, and I really like this one national coffee chains coffee. The problem is their customer service is absolutely horrific. I have called the company several times and tried to find out if there was somebody I could talk to about helping resolve some of their customer service issues, but so far no one is interested. Let me tell you what I am talking about.

On two occasions during the same week I pulled up to this locations drive through. There was one car in front of me and one car parked outside. There were approximately 4 people inside working. The car in front of me ordered his drink, and I proceeded to order my medium regular coffee cream only. Let me make another note about this company. If you say the word medium coffee and not the ridiculous word that they use, they will correct you, which I find really disturbing that the actually take the time to correct you.

The car front of me moved up the line to the window, and we both waited approximately 7 minutes for him to get his coffee. If thats not long enough, when I got to the window my coffee wasn’t ready. I had to wait another minute or two to get my coffee. They ended up giving me and the person in front of me our coffees for free because it took so long.

I have no idea why it took so long, I have no idea what the person in front of me ordered, but it took almost nine minutes to get a coffee. This has actually happened to me on two different occasions during the same week.

So there is one simple and basic question that I as a customer need answered. Please tell me what was going on inside that coffee shop that could possibly take this long? Was it because they were brewing a new pot of coffee? Was it because they were really busy inside? What was the reason that it took that long that they had to give us free coffees?

Let’s take a look at the possible reasons and see if we can come up with a solution. If it was because they were brewing a new pot of coffee, they should’ve said to me and the customer front of me this very simple line. “Im sorry it’s going to take a few minutes were in the middle of brewing a new pot of coffee, would you like to wait or would you like something else?” How difficult would it be to say this? Instead they made us wait almost nine minutes for coffee, and then end up giving us our order for free.

On several other occasions when I went inside to get a coffee and I have been the only person in line, it can take you anywhere between four and six minutes to get your coffee.

While I’m on my high horse, let me tell you about one of my biggest pet peeves.
This applies to all companies that deal with customers directly. If you have customers in a line waiting and you have an employee whose cleaning, training, or doing something other than helping the customer, that employee immediately needs to drop what they’re doing and assist in getting the customers through the line quickly. Banks are famous for this. I guarantee if you do this, your customers will appreciate it big time. And once the rush is over, you can get back to doing what you doing. This is a very simple concept, but hardly ever done.

Getting back to my coffee shop experience. I am honestly concerned about this company survivability long term if they do not start taking customer service seriously, especially when their biggest competitor is extremely concerned about getting the customers out quickly. I believe that this is or will affect their bottom line. Quite frankly if I’m complaining, then many others are complaining about the same problems.

I tried contacting the regional manager, and told her that I would be very happy to do a free video shop so that they can see and hear everything that I see and hear when I purchase products. To date, I’ve gotten no reply.

How To Build Strong & Lasting Customer Relationships

Posted on February 14, 2019 by blogger

Can you imagine the following scenario? Your customer profile consists of people who solely value your products and services, who dont make decisions based solely on price, and who dont try the competition occasionally. Seems like a dream, doesnt it? Well, this can be your reality with some hard work, value positioning and building of strong customer relationships. When a salesperson (you) is valued as an asset to the customer, he becomes ingrained within the customers organization, making it virtually impossible for others (the competition) to get any business.

So what is the best way to make yourself valuable and build customer relationships? Here are some excerpts from an article from small business sales training web site, SalesprenurEDGE, providing some insight on how strong customer relationships are formed.

Getting Started Developing A Foundation

It is important to realize that a solid customer relationship is not developed overnight; it takes time and effort. When establishing a new relationship with a customer, it is important to pay attention to the little details that make a big difference. As a rule of thumb, everything you do should make it easy for the customer to do business with you. Here are some examples:

1. Respect the customers time, show up on time and stay within the time allotted for your meeting / discussion. 2. Learn as much as you can about the customer and start thinking of ways you can help make their job easier. When working with a customer, in the back of your mind think of ways to make the customer a hero within his or her organization.

The reason that building a foundation is important is in the customers mind there is some level of risk involved in making a purchase decision. This is not a personal reflection on you, but a natural part of the buying process. If there is nothing that removes some of the risk from the mind of the customer, he will not make a purchase. Simply do the right thing by your customer and treat him the same way you would like to be treated if you were in his shoes. Over time, you will reap the rewards of building a strong foundation.

Strengthening The Customer Relationship

The strength of a customer relationship occurs during and after a sale has been made, as well as when leading up to future purchase decisions. In fact, the strength of a customer relationship can be measured by how many times you have cycled through the sales process with a customer. The key to making this an ongoing process is, again, being able to continually add value to the customer. Be aware that a common pitfall here is that you may think you are adding value, but if your customer doesnt perceive value, then you have not provided value. Here are some are some examples of what you can do provide value and strengthen your relationship with the customer.

1. Understand the customers needs. 2. Admit mistakes. 3. Pick up the phone.

Small business phone service still accomplishing far better

Posted on February 6, 2019 by blogger

To a person who is thinking of placing a business that is both realistic and lasting, she or he does not have to look far as telecommunications is right now sought after more than ever before. In spite of the surge and also swift development of the internet as a cutting edge medium of communication, still people and businesses work with the telephone to make contact or perhaps transactions.

And so, entrepreneurs who intend to make their mark in the telecommunications industry should evaluate going into the small business phone service business. This is simply because it appears that the telephone won’t be going the way of the dinosaur just yet. Although a lot more people are now wired to the internet even in a backward city in the most third world country, still the telephone has its own practical use and much of people, especially those who’ve not been sold out to the internet, are still making it their preferred tool of communication.

The nice thing about putting up a small business phone service is that todays telephone system has become more complex when compared to fifty years ago. Telephone systems in this modern day are utilizing digital lines, a vital progress from the analogue phones that persisted several years ago. In truth, almost all of the online connections all throughout the world like those in the developing nations are still influenced by the telephone lines for its connection to the global network or maybe the worldwide web. No need to explain that the telephone remains vital seeing that a telephone and internet can also work together in bettering not just the line of communications among peoples on this planet but in the sending and receiving of all types of electronic data, voice and video transmissions.

Being an owner of a small business phone service, you have to make confident that the sizeable telephone company that you are doing business with will produce you with the very best services so you can even serve your clients in the best possible strategy. In addition, if a telephone company supplies you as part of the package more features that will make utilizing the phone so convenient to both the caller and receiver, then by all means add it into your phone lines. There are numerous of big named telephone companies functioning in the usa that simply focus on great cities and towns. If you are intending on having your small business phone services in a small town that substantial telephone companies cannot reach, then it really should be a chance for you.