Author: blogger

Improving Quality of Service with Retail Point of Sale Systems

Posted on by blogger

As a business, you want the maximum return on your business investments. When thinking about implementing new technology to work with your retail point of sale system, the costs of start-up and training need to be low and the benefits high to make it a sound business decision. You want to be confident that the increased business will more than compensate for the initial outlay. Some suppliers seem to have forgotten this as they charge exorbitant prices for on-site servers and require expensive long-term commitments. They even charge extra fees for training and technical support. However, it is good to know that there are some retail point of sale system suppliers who have the medium to large business in mind. For businesses with anywhere from three to fifty locations, there are many options that will improve quality of service and profitability.

With the ability to manage your data on their servers at a secure location, costs associated with on-site servers and administrative overhead are eliminated. Upfront capital costs become monthly pay-as-you-go subscriptions that fit neatly into your business budget. Integrating your existing retail point of sale equipment, such as bar-code scanners and credit card swipes allows you to realize additional savings. The maintenance and upgrades for your retail point of sale software system are managed at the supplier’s state of the art data center. This ensures that each upgrade or new release will work seamlessly with your current equipment.

Your retail point of sale information can be accessed in real-time so that you can determine accurate stock on hand, in receiving or on order. Imagine the benefits of accurate, up-to-the minute information. Your sales will increase and your costs will be reduced. By having the information about merchandise at your fingertips, you will be able to better serve your customers. If an item is out of stock at one location, you will be able to determine immediately where a duplicate item is located and how quickly you can have it to your customer. A happy customer is a return customer, which leads to increased sales. Costs are reduced as the possibility for duplicate orders is eliminated. With each location knowing what the other is ordering and so forth, costs can be reduced.

Having retail point of sale software that you can connect to from anywhere the Internet goes allows you incredible freedom. You can access information directly whether you are at a trade show or from any of your locations. If a problem arises while you are at home or even on vacation, you will be able to get accurate real-time information and make informed decisions. You won’t have to worry about not having the retail point of sale information that you need because it will all be yours at the click of a mouse or even on your iphone.

Sophisticated retail point of sale system software that is reasonably priced and easy to use is not just wishful thinking. Suppliers have jumped on the bandwagon to supply businesses with the tools they need and want to make their companies grow. In less time than you might think possible you can be receiving real-time reports on your merchandise that will help improve your bottom line.

point of sale software, retail point of sale, pos retail

Building Real Customer Relationships with Custom Social Network Sites

Posted on by blogger

Many decry the loss of community, suggesting we’ve all lost touch with each other in a world of cell phones, video games, and other electronically based distractions; in reality, though, community is more important now than ever. People still seek the security and understanding inherent in close communities. What has changed is the appearance: instead of reaching out over the fence or sitting around a table, we reach out over continents and time zones. Our “neighbors” may be a world away, but the concept of community is still strong as evidenced by the rise of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Instead of being connected by geography, millions are linked by interests, profession, and other defining factors.

Social Networks Are Less Confining Than Ever

The social networking site phenomenon also extends to businesses and marketing, specifically how businesses can build their brand without selling. These sites, which have been used with tremendous success, are based on a small business model. Small businesses typically cannot afford expensive television ads and aggressive marketing campaigns. Instead, they rely on word of mouth, repeat customers, customer referrals, and the like. Custom social networking sites do much the same thing for businesses of any size and have become one of the most effective brand marketing tools in the industry.

Why Custom Social Networking?

The goal of custom SNS is to build relationships. While it is true that the ultimate goal of any business is to sell a product or service, the objective of unique social networks is to establish a relationship between customers and the brand, and even between customer and customer. In other words, the goal here is not to sell. Through a custom social network, a company appeals to the sense of community that may tie their target audience together. By taking their interests to heart and by providing a resource through which consumers may communicate, a relationship – and trust – is founded. A by-product of that trust is sales. But again, the key to efficacy is focusing on community, not selling.

Existing social networks have been used by companies, especially nonprofits, to reach out to targeted consumer bases. A nonprofit, for instance, may have a profile on a popular SNS in order to encourage volunteers, raise support for a particular cause, or raise funds. The difference is that custom SNS are built by an organization specifically for the purpose of allowing their targeted audiences to communicate. These SNS are designed for a particular organization based on key factors, such as profession, age, or shared interests. Developing a successful unique social network is predicated upon knowing your audience, being willing to know them further, and motivating them to share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

What do custom social networking sites allow consumers to do? It, of course, depends on the site, but they should allow individuals to post text, images, audio, video, join existing communities on the site, and create their own. They should be designed around the organization’s particular niche, and above all, should be audience-based. To do this, various options are available, including wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, polls, ratings, forums, widgets, chat, message boards, friendly interface, and much more. To develop the most user-friendly, interactive, and effective SNS, it is crucial that consumers have access to the tools they want and need. They need to both be able to take from the site and to give back to it. This is the essence of community.

The advantages of developing a custom social networking site are myriad but the key benefit is that businesses can reach out the community in a way that allows the community to reach back. A relationship is developed, and the trust that we normally see with neighborhood mom and pops can be built by Fortune 500 companies or small start-ups.

The concept of community is fundamentally unchanged. We still search for connections – though those connections may be thousands of miles away. Building a brand through custom social networks benefits both the organization and the consumer because all are given a place and a voice. A faceless company can no longer expect to thrive in today’s business atmosphere; by creating a unique SNS, you give your organization – and your consumers – a face.

Customer Service Role-plays, designing a Customer Service Training Module

Posted on by blogger

Using customer service role-plays in a training module is very effective both for new staff and for existing customer service staff. New staff get an opportunity to practice your typical interactions and scenarios in an environment where they can try again to perfect their approach and skills. Existing staff can move back from running on automatic, to heighten awareness and refresh their core customer service skills. They gain great benefit from sharing tips and techniques for handling problem calls or challenging callers.

It is important to structure your training module to gain maximum benefit from the customer service role-plays. Each role-play should generate potential learning points for the person playing the part of the Customer, for the other team member playing the role of your member of staff and for other members of the group who are observing. However, the learning will only take place if –

1.They are all open to finding the learning points

2.They have a good de-brief at the end of the module.

Beginning the Customer Service Training Module

In any training module, introducing the activity by identifying clear objectives is critical. If you state your objectives clearly, the group will be focussed on the learning goals, and you will have a much higher percentage chance of success. In each customer service role-play, identify an area of focus for the group, perhaps the beginning of the call on one, positive confident language on another or how a particular issue is handled on another.

If you need ideas for focus areas, go on to YouTube and search for customer service role-plays. There are some very good examples there, with guidelines for different sections of call.

Identify Clear Goals for each Role-play

Introduce the scenario to the group, with details of the Customer, their emotional state, their situation and their query. Identifying clear goals for each interaction is essential to success. Ask the group what a SUCCESSFUL outcome would be for the Company, and for the Customer. It is important that the outcome goals cover both the task to be achieved on the call, the query resolved or information given, and the emotional state we want the Customer to be in at the end of the call.

Ask the group to prepare for the customer service role-play, to work through each phase of the call from the greeting to successful close. This is a talk through, where they simply tell us how they will carry out the call, what they will say at each phase and how they will say it.

Running the Customer Service Role-plays

It is often tempting to use really difficult situations or challenging Customer types for role-play practice. This is not a good place to begin, even with very experienced staff. If the group have not used role-play as a training medium before, it is important to begin with easy queries to heighten awareness to core skills and best practice.

Choose queries that the group receive frequently for the first few customer service role-plays, those that they should be able to handle really well. Ask the group to focus on both skills and the timing of the call as they move from one phase to another. Have them record the calls, and play them back. The idea on these easy calls is to analyse the good skills and techniques that are essential on any call, and to identify what could have been done better.

When your team have had a few training sessions and are using the core customer service skills and techniques effectively, you can introduce the more difficult topics or challenging customer types. Again, role-play straight through, record and play back. When playing back, stop the tape at critical points, perhaps where the call went out of control, or where the CSR saved a tricky situation. Allow the group to identify strengths and to workshop improvements.

De-briefing the Customer Service Role-play

New Innovative Ideas to Attract More Customers

Posted on by blogger

Creating customers is the main goal of any business because they are the one who makes the business itself. Sometimes, providing time, money and effort in improving your products and services is important, but what counts a lot are the customers. They determine your success whether you are just a small business owner. Therefore, many companies are providing excellent customer service to ensure their continued patronage.

Keeping the old ones is very vital because they spend more of their money buying your products. Because they are more likely t refer you to their family, officemates and friends. The loyalty of the customers to the company is developed. But as a company expands and grow into larger one, new customers are coming in.

New customers are another challenge for entrepreneurs. Some are just “window shoppers” who are just looking around and trying to figure what is new with your product. Some are “doubters” who tend to look that they want to buy but having second thoughts. The goal of the company now is to lure them into the fold and make them their patrons.

There are so many tested tips to attract more buyers. Many corporations had adopted the procedures and were successful. But as time changes, innovative methods in attracting more clients are now being used. Here are some of those:

1.To increase the potential of gaining more clients, join social networks. To publicize your product, think of signing up in any social network sites. This is where people go to connect to one another. Promoting your product in these sites would probably generate more sales since people are here to chat and talk about what is in.

2.Follow up letters and e-mails would help. Usually, customers would ask inquiries about your product; take time in answering those questions by replying to them. Give them all the details of your product. Your response would be a clear sign that you are interested making a deal with them.

3.Offer your clients with some freebies. Consumers dont purchase the product unless they have tried it themselves. By putting the product in clients hands, this gives them a first-hand experience and sees the results for themselves. You may be giving a lot of free samples, but in return, you would have more sales more than you have spent.

4. Try direct response marketing. This one works like as if you are just getting to know a certain person. You call your clients and befriend them. Your new acquaintances would earn you new customers. Then slowly introduce your product to them provide them an irresistible offer plus a gift to make them buy your product

5. Do direct selling. The salesperson comes in direct contact with the client. These include demonstrations, free delivery, and satisfaction guarantees. The client doesnt need to go out anymore in order to get something, therefore minimizing the hassle in purchasing.

The traditional way of customers going to the mall to buy is slowly fading away. The trend today is bringing the product to customers right in to their doorsteps. The Internet has also revolutionized the system by simply directing their needs in just press of their keypad.
That is why an entrepreneur, in order for him to gain more profits, should switch now to modern methods of attracting more clients into his company.

Double Bottomline Entrepreneurship

Posted on by blogger

Today, I spoke with Dr. Ken Gibson, Founder of LearningRx, and listened to quite a fascinating story of an entrepreneur. Ken was an Optometrist, with a strong interest in business, and at some point, provided business consulting to over 300 Optometrists, before developing the methodology for training people to learn that is now at the heart of LearningRx.

LearningRx provides cognitive skills training that improve the brain’s ability to process information. The LearningRx training programs go beyond the symptoms of academic struggles to attack the root problem – the limitations to the student’s ability to learn. The training enhances underlying cognitive skills required to learn effectively – auditory processing, attention skills, comprehension, visual processing, memory, and problem solving. Once strengthened, these skills enhance the student’s capacity to learn.

Ken stresses, It’s training, not teaching or tutoring. It’s like giving a lecture on Piano versus training someone to play the Piano …

The best competing reading & learning program called Lindamood provides 2.3 years worth of improvement in 142 sessions. Ken’s program provides 4.8 years worth of improvement in 72 sessions.

In 1989, Ken started licensing this methodology to doctor’s offices and such, but soon realized that he needed a franchise infrastructure to reach more people. In 2002, he opened a Colorado Springs center, which within 4 months of existence threw up $225,000, with about 70 students participating over 3-6 month average duration.

Ken believes, engineers, not necessarily teachers, make his best trainers. Many engineers work at his centers, wanting to make a difference. Ken doesn’t allow any trainer to work for more than 15-18 hours a week, or 3 hours at a stretch. The process is intense, hence the precaution.

The first franchisee opened in 2004. Today, LearningRx has 32 centers around the country, with about 50 average active students bringing in anywhere between $250k-$500k / year. The number will surely go up, as the franchises mature! All franchisees have been recruited by Word-of-Mouth. Customer recruitment has been through a mix of newspaper and radio ads, although now moving largely toward direct marketing.

Our VCs invest money in so many incremental businesses … Ken Gibson’s bootstrapped jewel is one that makes a difference in many lives, and in my opinion, is worth scaling!

Copyright © 2026 Customer Services POC . All rights reserved. |