Articles tagged: "Customer Retention"

To be (customer-focused) or not to be… What a question.

by Ray Miller


This is about understanding why customer focus is strategically important, what it means to be truly customer-focused and how to create or improve customer focus in your organization. This article presents a simple business case for the strategic importance of  creating greater customer focus.  Many excerpts are taken from the book, That’s Customer Focus! We hope you find in interesting and helpful.

Most of you will probably recognize this soliloquy from Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Posted in All, Customer PerspectiveComments (0)

President Obama offers useful customer service lesson

by Kevin Stirtz


When discussing a recent national security issue, President Obama offered a useful lesson for anyone who works with customers.

He focused his efforts on finding solutions rather than blame. And he took responsibility for moving toward a solution. Although the mistakes that happened were not his direct fault, he made it clear, national security was his responsibility.

We should all

Posted in All, Solution FocusComments (0)

Never let your customer repeat themselves

by Kevin Stirtz


Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Never let your customer repeat themselves.

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Customers understand that often you have to hand them over to other people to help them get what they want. That’s okay, But, as you do this, don’t let the customer repeat themselves.

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Do you know companies like this?

by Kevin Stirtz


customer-reduction-plan

Logically we know when customers complain, they’re giving us useful information. But emotionally we don’t like to hear it. Especially since some customers tend to be a little rough about how they deliver their feedback. And employees get tired of being beat up by customers, all the while knowing nothing will be done to prevent future complaints of the same kind.

But Frank’s boss (above) got it

Posted in All, EngagementComments (0)

Better customer service means respecting their opinion

by Kevin Stirtz


Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Respect your customer’s opinion

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

Our customers come to us for our knowledge. They want our help in accomplishing something. But some employees take this to mean the customer’s opinion does not matter. They go directly into “arrogant expert mode” and act like the customer has no useful information to contribute.

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Customer Service Example: Meet your customers where they are

by Kevin Stirtz


Yesterday I emailed the company that makes the thermostat used in our house. It’ s big company, a major player in this business.  Still I did not expect a fast response. I guess I never do (unless the company I’m emailing is called Zappos).

I was surprised to get a reply email from the company in less than 24 hours. (Consumer appliance manufacturers are not known for being exceptionally speedy with their email customer service.) So I was pleased. But my good feeling only lasted several seconds because the email they sent me said this:

Posted in All, TechnologyComments (0)

Customer Retention Tip: Let your employees be real

by Kevin Stirtz


Too many managers think they can plan and script and train employees how to handle every customer situation. It’s even worse with offshore call centers. As a customer you can tell when these people are forced to use scripts. It can be a painful process to participate in.  And it’s a massively ineffective way to give customers the experience they want. It does not work.

What if you met a new friend and everything they said was

Posted in All, AttitudeComments (2)

Customer Loyalty Value Calculator

by Kevin Stirtz


Customer Loyalty Drives Revenue, Profits and Sustainability

This is a cornerstone of Amazing Service. Everything I write and talk about flows from this. But not everyone buys it. Most people say they do. But we have all experienced examples of companies that really don’t get this.

In their book Human Sigma, Fleming and Asplund cite a stunning example of this. A consumer bank had discovered a highly loyal segment of their customers. When they presented this information to the CEO his response was:

Posted in All, LoyaltyComments (0)

Customer loyalty requires honesty from the start

by Kevin Stirtz


Many companies are focused on their customers. They LOVE their customers. Just ask them. They’ll tell you how wonderfully customer centric they are.  But there’s a problem.

As they tell people how much they love their customers, they also spend a lot of money lying to them.

Jim Logan writes an article at B2BRainmaker.com that illustrates this well. In it he talks about offer’s he’s gotten from various companies and how they sound or look good on the surface. But closer inspection shows they are misleading at best and outright lies at worst.

A well-known example Jim cites is

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Is there such a thing as too much customer service?

by Kevin Stirtz


In my world customer service is a high priority. It’s easy to argue that it’s never been more important. Especially in this difficult economy, more and more businesses are finding if they improve customer service they can increase customer retention.

But it’s possible to go too far.

A recent article at ManagementToday.com points to a study done that suggests too much customer service can hurt profits. And I agree. Too much of anything can be a bad thing and that includes customer service.

That’s why we want to remember the cardinal rule of Amazing Service:

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Customer Retention Tip: Ask your customers what they want

by Kevin Stirtz


Customer Retention Tip:

Ask your customers what they want.

This is different than what they expect. What customers expect is usually less (often a lot less) than what they want. But you need to know what they want.

What do they want in general? What are they trying to accomplish (or avoid)? Why did they choose you instead of your competition? What are their priorities and preferences?

Posted in All, LoyaltyComments (0)

Engage Your Customers by Having Fun

by Kevin Stirtz


Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service:

Engage your customers by having fun

And here are some additional thoughts on this topic…

We’re hearing more and more about customer engagement as a way to increase customer retention. That’s good. Because if we engage our customers better then we’ll develop stronger relationships with them. We’ll know more about how we can help them. They’ll be more likely to trust us and know we’re in business to help them. It can create a win-win situation.

Posted in All, EngagementComments (0)

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Service Recovery

5 Steps to Avoid “Doing a Toyota.”

When a company makes a mistake, it can be the brightest moment in their history.

Toyota had that opportunity. But they missed their moment. Big time.

How a company reacts, removes the pain, and repairs the emotional connection shows the true colors of that organization more than almost any situation they might encounter.

Technology

Peachtree knows that customer service is cool

Customer service is the new marketing because now companies can no longer control what people are saying about them. Everyday, customers and prospects are ranting and raving about your company on social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Companies that don’t get customer service and don’t react to what customers are talking about are doomed to fail.

Feedback

Focus on customer service in 2010 (finally?)

This may be it. This may be the year that it finally happens. 2010 may just be the year that companies start to focus on their customers and serving them well.

Now, I am cautiously optimistic about this focus on customer service, but let me tell you why I feel this way.

1. Brands are using a focus on customers as a competitive differentiator in their advertisements.

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Train the Trainer – Amazing Service Toolkit

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Our new Trainer's Toolkit enables you to conduct a professional customer service seminar in your organization at a fraction of the cost of hiring a professional trainer. Click here to learn more.

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