April 2010

Lowes still knows customer service

April 30, 2010

Recently we had a new water softener and heater installed.  And though I enjoy the good feeling I get from improving our home, I loathe the process. I feel this way because too many retailers and contractors have made it a horrible experience for customers.  From “bait and switch” advertisements to aggressive up-selling to the [...]

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Details keep your customers coming back

April 29, 2010

One of the best ways to keep your customers coming back is by offering them details. The more specific you can be, the more most people will appreciate your efforts. When you offer customers details, you’re telling them you are willing to be thorough and complete as you help them. And you’re telling them you [...]

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The link between customer service and customer loyalty

April 28, 2010

It seems natural customer loyalty would follow good service. If you get what you want and you are treated right, why would you not return to a business? But sometimes it’s useful to have more than an intuitive argument. So I have done a bit of research and I have found two statistics that tell [...]

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Enough about me, let’s talk about me.

April 26, 2010

Several times a year I get a CD from a well-known PR consultant. She is a very aggressive and consistent promoter of her business. She has done a good job making herself well-known in her niche. But, when I listen to her CD I often resist her message. Not because of its quality. She has [...]

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Understand what your customers want from you

April 23, 2010

Every business exists to help people accomplish something. If we fail at that then our business will not be sustainable. But to help our customers really get what they want, we need to know what that is. We do that by having conversations with them. Ask questions and listen to the answers. Get in the [...]

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Here’s how to have real customer loyalty

April 22, 2010

Just about every company wants more loyal customers. Many think the way to increase loyalty is with bribes. Not real bribes of course – bribes are bonus points, frequent flier miles, and any other program that pays customers to continue doing business with a company. These programs seem to work because people use them. But there’s [...]

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Use faith and frustration to improve

April 21, 2010

The biggest reason we don’t accomplish what we want in our businesses (and, in our personal lives) is we’re not always willing to change when we should. It’s easy for us to keep doing what we’re doing. It’s habit. It’s comfortable. It’s known. Our brains are hardwired this way for some very good reasons. But [...]

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How about 25% off your next order?

April 15, 2010

I admit I’m rather a demanding consumer. I’m pretty sure I get it from my mom. She’s one of the world’s all time greatest when it comes to being a demanding customer. And I think it’s good there are people like us around. No one else can offer businesses the quality of advice that their [...]

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Lessons from the “Southside Mafia”

April 13, 2010

When I was growing up, we had a different kind of athletic club than what exist today. They were often named for a city, like the “The Minneapolis Athletic Club” and they were usually downtown. But living in the south suburbs of Minneapolis, we were lucky. We had our own suburban equivalent called the “Decathlon [...]

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Here’s what real customers say about customer service.

April 12, 2010

Every company is (or should be) concerned about how they serve their customers. But many company leaders and managers have no idea what their customers want from them. They don’t know what customer consider good or bad) customer service. And it can be hard to really, truly know what your customers want. Until now. Below [...]

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Here’s the most important secret to success

April 9, 2010

Over the past few years I’ve been lucky. I have been reminded of the most important thing we can all do to be more successful in our businesses, our careers and our personal lives. Treat everyone well. It’s a simple lesson but easily forgotten. Or maybe, for some, it was never learned. I admit to [...]

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How do your customers see your business?

April 6, 2010

I have to admit, I don’t read a lot of blogs. There are less than 20 I read on a regular basis. But one blog I watch regularly is written by Guy Kawasaki. I like Guy’s blog partly because you never know what he’s going to write about. For example, earlier this year, Guy wrote [...]

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Forget revenue. Focus on serving your customers well.

April 5, 2010

Earlier this year I was talking with a business owner about his company’s business planning. He had spent a fair amount of time looking ahead and thinking about the revenue he wanted his company to produce this year. Planning like this is good when it helps us focus on the things that make our business [...]

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Why customer service matters in SEO and Internet marketing

April 2, 2010

My work focuses a little on getting new customers and a lot on getting them to come back. I believe the best marketing comes from running your business so well, people have a great experience so they come back and they tell others. Recently, I received an email from my friends at the Village Hat [...]

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Customer service jobs still growing. Is social media the cause?

April 1, 2010

Last month I wrote about an article that suggests social media is driving growth in customer service jobs.  While I haven’t decided if this is true, it does seem the customer service sector is seeing strong growth. Based on data from Indeed.com, there are 29% more customer service jobs available today than one month ago. [...]

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Here is what real service looks like (and why it matters)

April 1, 2010

There I was, standing in the Burnsville Post Office, staring at a pile of work. I had 21 books to mail that each required 5 stamps. (Yes, that’s 105 stamps total.) It was 5:36 pm and the deadline for pickup that day was 5:45. The clock was ticking so loud I could barely think straight. [...]

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