This post focuses primarily on how to improve an e-newsletter bit by bit, but Christopher Penn’s lesson can be applied to anything you do in life. If you begin anything you do with the idea that it can be improved, criticism no longer becomes criticism – it becomes a guide that will help you get better and better. How can you apply this excellent lesson to your life, where you are right now?
Listen to customers, but really hear too
May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Ken Mueller makes a great point in this post about exaggeration. How many times do you say something like, “That was the best meal ever!” or, “That was the worst service I’ve ever had!” People talk this way offline – they also tend to talk this way online and on review sites like Yelp. If you’re interest lies in customer service, this can make your job kind of difficult. Ken has advice for you though. Check it out!
Customers Exaggerate, So Don’t Overreact
When Customer Service Goes Wrong
May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Let’s face it – sometimes customer service does not go as planned. Customers become unhappy. They complain. They want their problems to be fixed, and immediately, too. This is often labeled as one of the greatest fears for companies considering the idea of marketing via social media platforms. However, negative customer service experiences can actually lead to better, deeper relationships in the long run. Erin Verbeck explains how in this post.
How to overcome mistakes in your small business
Can Courtesy and CRM Co-Exist?
May 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
For many companies, CRM can have the effect of making customers seem more “generic,” if you will. We lose track of names and faces and instead talk about profit value and massive amounts of acronyms. Given this, how can a company incorporate CRM while also maintaining a “mom and pop” sense of knowing and loving the customers? Tristan Bishop explores this paradox in detail in a post that offers several great tips along the way.
For Good Customer Service, See Troubleshooting
May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In an ideal world, customer service would just be checking in on people, making sure all is well, and offering to take them out to dinner when you’re in town. As any business person knows, however, customer service is more a problem solving game than a make-nice game. In order to keep your customers happy, you have to know how to troubleshoot a multitude of problems. How can you do that? Rachel Miller has some excellent tips on how to evaluate the problem and then get it solved. What would you add to her tips?
The Role of Consistency in Professional Support – Part 2: Troubleshoot Skills
Delegation Versus Good Customer Service
May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Doug Rice brings up an interesting point in this customer service post. He recounts a story a friend told him. The friend had gotten all of their work done and they noticed a co-worker was severely bogged down, so the friend started helping out the co-worker. After all, the top priority is to get the job done for the customer. Right? Well, as it happens, the friend’s boss reprimanded them for doing someone else’s job. When does job delegation outweigh getting the job done? Thought provoking question, no?
