BizCoachDeb's BizBuzz -

Posts Tagged ‘customer service’

I’ve been struck at recent mixers where there is an odd snobbishness surrounding the use of business cards. “Why do people even have these, we’re in the tech age.” Sure we are kids, but nothing beats handing a card to someone that sums up everything, most importantly, how to contact someone you’ve just met, or even refer them to a colleague with ease later on.

I will often claim that being a female means I’m equipped with a mind like a steel trap, but the fact of the matter is even the sharpest of us can’t remember everything, especially if cocktails are involved. And what if my  Blackberry got run over by a scooter, the precious new data all but destroyed? Besides, don’t cards speak volumes about the person and their business? Of course they do, and you can learn a lot about their company culture, ideas, and innovations in that little space. Other great side effects from having your cards handy:   The rest of the story...

• It’s a more reassuring sign you’re actually taking your business seriously

In a time when many are bemoaning a slacking economy, the promise of free food will undoubtedly cause people to run scurrying to any place making such an offer.

Denny’s tried this tack after the Super Bowl, and IHOP did it on “Fat Tuesday”, using a charity bent, so it’s no surprise the sandwich giants are giving it a similar shot. Subway launched their “Five Dollar Footlong” campaign, (not free, but certainly cheap) adding a clever jingle that goes along with it. Denny’s and IHOP took a little heat over the long lines and shortages (and an alleged Nicky Hilton skirmish), but the campaigns went relatively smoothly. Why not get on the cheap/free food bandwagon, right? Everybody’s talking about it and it’s free press…well kind of.

Enter Quizno’s: the Denver-based company decided they would hitch themselves to the “giveaway/charity” variety campaign, providing coupons online for a free sandwich, calling it the Million Sub Giveaway. In addition to the coupons, they have a nomination process for people helping in the community, winners getting a year’s worth of subs – it’s noble, right? Unfortunately, they didn’t work the particulars out with their franchisees, and the backlash is only just beginning.  (This is a situation when the language “at participating locations” really comes into play.)   The rest of the story...

Not a brag, but in the last  3 weeks, I’ve partnered with 4 new clients, each of which had an eerily similar bad service issue with their previous vendor. What was it? Lack of communication. These are the things I heard:

“We’d send an email and not hear a word for a week or more.”

“When I call, I always get voicemail, never a person and it takes forever for them to call me back.”

I’ll make this short and sweet: your clients and customers expect that you will call them back, answer emails, and do so in a timely fashion. Part of your service to the customer is communication. If this is an area that comes up short for you,  consider doing any or all of the following:   The rest of the story...

Customer service might be making a comeback! Okay, maybe I’m being optimistic, but I am excited to report on a recent experience. Ordinarily when a business drops the ball, we’re not really surprised any more, and it appears to be the general sentiment with American consumers, especially in certain industries. Being the coach I am, I find it irresistible to rank and rate my experiences (secretly observing things, of course) when I’m out spending money: let’s face it, if it’s messed up, it’s an opportunity for me to approach them later on with help. Customer service is the “new marketing“, and knowing that, businesses have a unique opportunity to “right the wrongs” and still come away with a happy customer. In this situation, you might be as surprised as I was how well it goes from bad to good, really good.   The rest of the story...

What has happened to customer service in America? It’s so rare customers get exceptional service, they actually are quite surprised whenever it happens. In a waning economy, with consumers finding more and more reasons to hold onto their dollars, you’d think businesses would wake up and realize now, more than ever, they need to work to keep their customers, plus, work at keeping them happy. Well, one company has, and no one was more surprised than me, as I experienced it firsthand.

Recently, I caught up with always-on-the-move, @Frank Eliason, Director of Digital Care; his unit is called, aptly, Comcast Cares. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he and his team of 7 address service issues for customers across the U.S. He provided a revealing look at how Comcast is using Twitter to reach their customer base and shares five ways your business can use it to break the mold on customer service. As Frank puts it, “Being a customer advocate makes it an easy choice to use Twitter. It’s so instant.” The team he’s assembled view customer care the same way, putting the customer first and sometimes going against the company grain. “It’s more important to take care of the customer than to tow the company line.”   The rest of the story...