The customers we have today expect service that meets their expectations. They reward companies that provide it by remaining loyal, and they’ll take their business elsewhere if service doesn't meet expectations. A business’ customer service representatives are the face and voice of the company. Businesses today realize the value these frontline employees bring. Those that invest in their employees' success see the quick return on investment that customer service training provides.
According to a recent university study, the customer is more likely to get what they want when the employees like the customer. Customers can help by showing common courtesy, acknowledging when the employee is being helpful, complementing their service and offering to submit a positive review to the management.
From a customer point of view the definition of customer service is: "Customer Service is a function of how well the business is able to frequently and consistently exceed the expectations of its customers."
How well is your business doing when compared to that metric?
Can you see how these customer service definitions puts the organization first, and the customer second? This seems logical, of course, since it’s the organization doing most of the work in customer service, and not required of the customer.
The definition of Customer Relationship Management: The principles, practices, and guidelines that a company follows when interacting with its customers. From the organization's point of view, this entire relationship not only encompasses the direct interaction aspect, such as sales and service related processes, but also in the forecasting and analysis of customer trends and behaviors, which ultimately serve to enhance the customer's overall experience.
Customers expect a business to have what they want, when they want (or need) it and at the best possible price. They also want the business to show appreciation that they choose the business where they made their purchase. If they have a problem with the purchase the customer expects the business to help with or deal with that problem to their satisfaction no matter what (or who) caused the problem.
If the business is perceived by the customer to fail in any aspect of the transaction there is a distinct possibility the customer will use social media to take the business or brand to task. This can happen, in many cases, with no real interaction with the business post sale.
Unhappy customers will go out of their way to complain about companies who let them down.
SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is a great start to creating your very own customer service legends. We know that your satisfied customers will return again and again. Let us help you increase productivity, reduce operations cost and improve customer experience with our ITIL compliant solutions. No matter the size of your business we have your customer retention solutions.
SMART Service Desk
600 West Ray Road
Suite D-3
Chandler Arizona 85225
602-235-0975
info@smartservicedesk.com
http://smartservicedesk.com
How you connect with your customers is more about relationships rather than the way they stay in touch with your business. Or should it be the way your business stays in touch with them.
Many businesses think that customers make buying decisions with a rational approach, analyzing details like features and financials. Not true. Over 50% of an experience is based on emotions. Emotions shape the attitudes that drive decisions and behavior. And, they impact behavior far more than technical or functional factors.
All buyers, more or less, are influenced by their emotions. They may not realize it. How and why customers care about your products/services may be subconscious, but these unconscious feelings can have a very concrete impact on your business. Emotional connections can determine the strength and length of a customer relationship. Those emotions drive your customer’s passions, loyalty and their advocacy.
In a recent Gallup's article, "Customer Satisfaction Doesn't Count," they declare that "If you don't make an emotional connection with customers, then satisfaction is worthless." Their research proved that customers don't buy strictly for rational reasons, much more important is engaging them on an emotional level. And, businesses that optimize this connection outperform competitors by 26% in gross margin and up to 85% in sales growth.
People are more likely to spend money when they make an emotional connection. In a book on buying from an emotional viewpoint the book, Made to Stick, a study (pg. 165) shows this in action. They gave a group of people (Group A) a charity-request letter listing out a number of stats about the many problems that children in Africa face. Group B got a charity-request letter which focused on a single African girl’s situation. Group B, who made this emotional connection, donated twice as much. Apply that to customers making an emotional connection with a support staff member vs simply getting a bill in the mail. Which do you think would be more likely to remain a customer?
How do want and expect your customers to react to your sales letters and what are doing to improve them?
Some brands have a hard time finding the missing link between coming up with great customer service ideas in the corporate office and then conveying those ideas to the team who delivers the service. In the presentation, Kelly recommended that you have processes in place, accompanied with open communications, that will help you and your CSRs create a consistent customer experience.
Finding the missing link is important because having great customer service is also about making a connection between... your brand personality & your service.
SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is a great start to creating your very own customer service legends. We know that your satisfied customers will return again and again. Let us help you increase productivity, reduce operations cost and improve customer experience with our ITIL compliant solutions. No matter the size of your business we have your customer retention solutions.
SMART Service Desk
600 West Ray Road
Suite D-3
Chandler Arizona 85225
602-235-0975
info@smartservicedesk.com
http://smartservicedesk.com
We have all heard the old adage “When Less Is More.” Is it true? Can less ever be more?
Is this the thought process behind it “Do less, the customers probably won’t leave, and you’ll save some money along the way.”
Remember, you can’t distinguish your business by just not screwing up.
Performing competently is the bottom line cost of entry in business. Making a human connection is what brings customers back, and gets them to tell others to come along as well.
Second, if you never get beyond just not screwing up, you’re a sitting duck. If your competition does a better job they will earn your customers away from you.
You’re waiting – along with the market, which will cheer when this happens – for something truly better, more human, more enchanting to come along.
If you want to establish a competitive position for your business through service, you have to give your customers more than your competition does. Instead of trying to figure out what you can get away with not giving them, and hoping they don’t catch on. An approach which maybe works for a mobile provider or credit card issuer with high cost to exit — but only until the next disruptive competitor comes along.
The approach of giving customers more — more delight, and more efficiency — requires commitment. Thought. And honest to goodness effort. But it’s worth it, because customers can tell the difference.
Every business owner dreams of finding the magic bullet that will increase creativity, boost productivity, and improve morale. Surprisingly, one of the most effective solutions may be the most counter-intuitive: sometimes less effort, not more, yields optimal results.
If your business lacks motivation, the result is low performance. This is not surprising. As your motivation increases, your performance increases, to a point. This point is the sweet spot of optimal performance. Then, as you become more goal-obsessed, performance paradoxically decreases. Goals increase stress and cause you to fixate on the future rather than the present.
SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is a great start to creating your very own customer service legends. We know that your satisfied customers will return again and again. Let us help you increase productivity, reduce operations cost and improve customer experience with our ITIL compliant solutions. No matter the size of your business we have your customer retention solutions.
SMART Service Desk
600 West Ray Road
Suite D-3
Chandler Arizona 85225
602-235-0975
info@smartservicedesk.com
http://smartservicedesk.com
Happy 4th of July from your friends at SMART Service Desk
SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is a great start to creating your very own customer service legends. We know that your satisfied customers will return again and again. Let us help you increase productivity, reduce operations cost and improve customer experience with our ITIL compliant solutions. No matter the size of your business we have your customer retention solutions.
SMART Service Desk
600 West Ray Road
Suite D-3
Chandler Arizona 85225
602-235-0975
info@smartservicedesk.com
http://smartservicedesk.com
SMART Service Desk Service Management Solution can streamline the IT operations
by automating major areas of ITIL V3 Service Operations like Incidents, Service Requests,
Problems, and Service Desk Function. You can benefit from enhanced support
by streamlining ITIL 2011 Service Transition processes such as Change, Release,
Knowledge and Service Evaluation in an integrated environment.
SMART Service Asset Lifecycle Management, enables efficient control and management
of IT assets from business and financial perspectives, from their initial request,
to their procurement and all the way to their ultimate disposal. Comprehensive control
of service assets and resources is obtained by having integration between Asset
Management, Automatic IT inventory discovery (Hardware & Software), Configuration
Management, Service Request Fulfilment, Software License Management, Procurement
and Contract Management.
SMART Service Desk - IT Service Management Suite is offered as a Purchased On-Premise, Subscription On-Premise and Cloud Subscription.
Key Features Include:
Software enables implementation of Service Management office - SMO as per Microsoft Operation Framework - MOF 4.0.
Application Software Supports COBIT® IT Governance and Control Framework to help IT organizations manage IT environment and meet compliance objectives.
Capable of handling non-IT service requests from HR / Facilities.
Provides excellent out-of-the-box business processes, forms and views in order to jump-start deployments.
Provides a secure historical audit log of all actions.
News and System Outage broadcasts can be made.
Adding Fields to Screen at Run-time - Field can vary depending on type of Service offered.
Executive dashboard with drill down capability.
Real-time color coded management dashboards.
Custom surveys can be automatically sent to users after issues are resolved.
SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is a great start to creating your very own customer service legends. We know that your satisfied customers will return again and again. Let us help you increase productivity, reduce operations cost and improve customer experience with our ITIL compliant solutions. No matter the size of your business we have your customer retention solutions.
SMART Service Desk
600 West Ray Road
Suite D-3
Chandler Arizona 85225
602-235-0975
info@smartservicedesk.com
http://smartservicedesk.com
We all know that a loud shrill whistle will get people’s attention. Don’t you wish it was that easy to attract customers to your business?
With all of the noise in today’s social media, how do you break through and attract the right target audience? In order for any business to reach their marketing goals, it is important that you know your target audience inside and out. Conducting market research and doing the right analysis is essential to understanding and then attracting your target audience. The market research must be as in-depth as possible providing you with all the data you need to understand your target audience correctly.
Small businesses often effectively compete with large companies by targeting a very small or niche market.
It also helps to know who your competitors are targeting. Who are their customers? Once you have determined who your competitors are targeting, determine if it is possible to beat them in that marketplace or find a market segment that they are overlooking. By conducting this market research and analysis you are going to be able to break through the noise and attract the right target audience for your business.
The first step can be to understand where your competitor can be beaten. What can you do that is better, faster or less expensive than your rivals?
We all know that social media can be overwhelming for both businesses and consumers. To help you cut through the online noise and attract your ideal customer I’m going to do a multi-part series about creating social media posts. This first post in the series will start with the foundation.
You want to avoid the time suck of social media and your audience wants to receive information that’s relevant and valuable. Creating posts that appeal to your target audience starts with knowing your:
Mission
Values
Products and Services
Business Goals
Ideal Customer
You absolutely must know the last one because without a clear picture of who your ideal customer is you won’t have a focused message. Make it easy for the person you want walking through your business door or visiting your website to know how you can fill a need or solve a problem they have.
Combining all of those will help you create posts that show who you can help, what you help them achieve and how you do it.
SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is a great start to creating your very own customer service legends. We know that your satisfied customers will return again and again. Let us help you increase productivity, reduce operations cost and improve customer experience with our ITIL compliant solutions. No matter the size of your business we have your customer retention solutions.
SMART Service Desk
600 West Ray Road
Suite D-3
Chandler Arizona 85225
602-235-0975
info@smartservicedesk.com
http://smartservicedesk.com
It goes without saying that the Fourth of July weekend is a very busy one. In fact, it is second only to Christmas for activities and travel for the American families. Other business are also vying for your customers business.
With outdoor activities, sports, parades, community celebrations, fireworks, traveling, vacations and family get-togethers there is little time for people to think about shopping. Unless of course you are the one selling the party and barbecue supplies.
How busy will your customer service desk be for this upcoming holiday weekend? Will the extra time off allow folks to catch-up on problems they have been too busy to get to or will they be so busy that the holiday will stop them from calling or contacting your business?
Traditional newspapers are already full with 4th of July specials. Not just for the weekend supplies but everyone is trying to sell what they have from clothing to cars and beyond.
Late planning (or none at all) will mean anyone trying to plan a last-minute vacation will find prices on airfare and hotels extremely high.
Commemorating our country's independence need not require luxury digs in a remote location by the beach, however. A good old-fashioned barbecue with family and friends is a fun way to enjoy the holiday while keeping things reasonable priced.
You can turn a traditional backyard barbecue into an all-out block party with friends, family and neighbors. Assign each participating household a certain style of food or drink and keep the party moving between houses. Keep things festive by requesting hot dogs, burgers and beer as inexpensive, all-American celebration staples and test your creative skills with DIY decorations. You can make star-spangled ice buckets on the cheap that are sure to impress your neighbors.
Take your family or significant other on a picnic, either on top of a mountain, by a lake or at the park near your home. Prepare your own finger foods and side dishes like coleslaw and pigs in a blanket to resemble traditional 4th of July grub. Download a few printable games to pump up the fun, which may include Independence Day trivia and a scavenger hunt for kids.
So what has your business planned to tackle this holiday weekend?
SMART Service Desk IT Service Management Software is a great start to creating your very own customer service legends. We know that your satisfied customers will return again and again. Let us help you increase productivity, reduce operations cost and improve customer experience with our ITIL compliant solutions. No matter the size of your business we have your customer retention solutions.
SMART Service Desk
600 West Ray Road
Suite D-3
Chandler Arizona 85225
602-235-0975
info@smartservicedesk.com
http://smartservicedesk.com
