Archive for June, 2009
Author Ari Weinzweig offers low cost tips for giving great customer service in the June issue of Specialty Food Magazine. As Mr. Weinzweig points out, “great service is about getting the big and small things right—and in this economy, keeping customers happy has even greater significance”.
Read the full article to learn how you can help your staff give your customers the service they want and deserve. One of my favorite tips that he offers is to “be welcoming on the phone”. Too often, we answer the phone while we’re working on other projects. Possibly, we’re working on something that has been frustrating. Or maybe, we just finished dealing with a difficult situation. What we might not realize is that the caller can “hear” our distraction and moods.
Weinzweig suggests that we answer the phone as we would open the door to welcome a customer. “No one would say to a customer walking in the front door: Hurry up and get in here!” Nor should we answer the phone with that tone, but rather should welcome the caller into our business. Instead of just declaring our business name when answering the phone, we can say our name, and ask how we can of service. Instead of just transfering callers to someone they’ve asked to speak with, we can assure them that we’ll check back to make sure they’re not hanging “on hold”.
Sometimes, it’s the little things that leave the best impression on our customers. What other phone techniques have you tried to welcome your customers to your business?
June 30th, 2009
I just reread an article about skills that employees need to be successful in any work environment. This list is great! It outlines all of the qualities and traits that you, as an employer, might want in all your employees. Here’s what is included on the list. Read the full article for more details of each item.
- Carefulness
- Cooperation
- Creativity
- Discipline
- Drive
- Good Attitude
- Good Will
- Influence
- Optimism
- Order
- Safe Work Behaviors
- Savvy
- Sociability
- Stability
- Vigor
Our employees are one of our most critical resources for the success of our businesses. It’s important to let them know what we value. When our employees are clear about our expectations, they can help our business thrive.
June 22nd, 2009
It’s often difficult to stay upbeat when we’re worrying about the financial stability of our businesses. We can become obsessed with cutting costs and forget about all the creative things we’ve done in the past to build our businesses. But in order to be creative and flexible and open to new ideas, we have to feel creative and flexible and open to new ideas! While we may think that putting in 10 hour days is what is needed to get our businesses in shape, it is often that unrelenting focus on problems and how to “fix everything” that is our worst enemy.
Read “Learn to Glow” from Incentive Magazine to learn how to make the shift from problems to possibilities. According to the author, people who “glow” are able to motivate themselves (and their employees) to be energized and embrace innovation (a necessary ingredient to success in difficult times). “People who Glow have mastered three distinct areas of their life:
•They have built deeply trusting and cooperative relationships with others (a co-operative mindset).
•They have extended their networks beyond the obvious to encompass the unusual (jumping across worlds).
•They are on an inner quest that ignites their own energy and that of others (igniting latent energy).”
Read the full article for more ideas on how to turn on your “glow”. Look for new ways to ignite your own energy: exercise, meditation, or hobbies. Don’t deprive yourself of these important activities that help us be the best we can be. When we take care of ourselves, we are better positioned to take care of others and deal with difficult situations in new creative ways.
June 19th, 2009
Have you ever created a great gift basket design that isn’t selling as well as you expected? This is a good time to sit down with your staff and start asking questions!
Get your staff together (with some coffee and snacks) and take a serious look at the design. Come to the meeting with some facts and figures.
- Look at the overall design. Consider the colors and shape of the basket. Does it look elegant? fun? sophisticated? feminine? masculine? Is packed full with product or include just a few gourmet items? Did you use enhancements? Is there a theme? Does the send “send the message” that you had intended? (For example, if you designed a basket full of spa products, you probably want to send a message of “luxury”, “pampering”. Does the container, product, and enhancements that you used convey that message?)
- Look at the individual products. Are these your most popular items? What is the combination of cookies vs. snacks vs. chocolates, etc? What are the price points of each item? Are the individual boxes/packages large or small; simple in design or upscale? (For example, if you created a basket for a corporate setting, does it include products that can be shared by staff instead of all “single serve” items?)
- Look at the customers who have purchased this design: male? female? corporate? For what type of occasion was the basket purchased? Is the basket being purchased by the customers you thought would buy it?
Once you’ve answered some of these questions, you can brainstorm ideas for changes to the design that might better match the goal you had in mind when you originally created the basket.
How can you use these questions to create baskets that are sure to sell? What other questions should you be asking?
June 14th, 2009
Unfortunately, we all face situations in our businesses where a customer is dissatisfied or disappointed with the products or services received. While we strive to do our best, these circumstances require that we use our best communication skills to rectify the problem.
In an article in Incentive Magazine, author Kerry Patterson has six suggestions for resolving conflicts with customers or co-workers. Each suggestion offers a fresh look at how we can use our communication skills to effectively find solutions to what might otherwise seem like an insurmountable problem.
- Never let email replace talking face to face. While it may be convenient, email can cut you off from hearing the real concerns that a customer may have.
- Listen for hesitance. While a customer may be angry, he/she may not want to appear rude or may be cautious about giving their real opinions. Often times, what a customer is not saying is more important than what is actually said.
- Choose tentative language. While it’s important to express your position, try to couch your words in a tone that invites conversation. It’s important to be firm about your position, but avoid sounding harsh or defensive.
- Seek different views. Once you’ve expressed your ideas about resolving a problem, ask the other person for his/her thoughts.
- Play devil’s advocate. Although you might have a great resolution in mind, your solutions might not match the customer’s needs. Point out how your solutions might be better with feedback and suggestions from another point of view.
- Allow time. The unhappy customer might need some time to consider how your suggestions will help to correct the problem. This gives your customer to clarify what he/she really wants.
Read the full article to get the most of the author’s ideas. As Patterson says: “Your goal should be to come to a shared understanding, not to win”. Try out some of these ideas and discover how you can keep your customers satisfied.
June 7th, 2009
