Cheap To Keep (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

You've heard it all before when it comes to stats about customer retention. Acquiring a customer costs five to 10 times more than retaining one. Repeat customers spend, on average, 67 percent more. After 10 purchases a customer has referred as many as seven other people.

Got A Consumer Problem? (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Millions of people, just like you, end up with a consumer problem that they just can't seem to get resolved. No matter what they do. Even though you are in the right, even though you are being treated improperly. You may needle and wheedle them, bellow and battle, but your problem still ends up unresolved. Sound familiar? If so, here's a proven, effective FREE technique you can use that can help you get immediate corrective action for those ongoing unresolved frustrating, sometimes nightmarish consumer problems such as billing errors, disputes, complaints, defective products and other consumer rights issues.

Quality vs. Quantity (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

There is a battle in Call Centers. The teams are Quality vs. Quantity; two performance factors that don't seem to get along.

One Critical Question to Ask Yourself Every Day (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

What happened to the old saying, the customer is always right? I'll bet every one of you reading this article has a "customer service nightmare" story to tell. My most recent nightmare experience took place recently when my business partner and I went in to a wireless phone store to purchase two new pda wireless phones. We told the young man who greeted us that we had only one question: is this phone compatible with the database software we intend to purchase? "I don't know," he said, "Most customers do the research on this before they come in." We politely requested that if he didn't know, he find the answer. He told us we could call the company ourselves, that he didn't have time to be put on hold with them. As you can imagine, we left without spending what we felt was a significant sum of money. And of course we've told at least 10 other people about the disappointing service at that particular store.

Customer Service Is More Than Just Being Nice To People (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Many organizations tackle to the issue of customer service by exhorting their employees to speak with a smile. Be polite. Never lose your cool. But isn't that a little like closing the barn door after the horses have gotten out? Good customer service should be about a good customer experience with your product. This begins with the relationship your company cultivates with a customer.

Oil Change Customer from Hell or Hoax; You Decide (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Evacuation, "E-Vac" Oil System for Oil Changing

How do most mobile oil change companies remove the used motor oil from the crank case? Well they "Evacuate it" or in the industry we call it "E-VAC" and this means we suck it out of the dip stick tube with a thin tube which is pushed into the crankcase. Many wonder will this get all the oil out? The answer is not all the oil. In many cases there will be some oil left, not much, but 100% is difficult even using the oil plug on the bottom of the pan.

Sorry, No Customer Service After 4:00 P.M. (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

A few months ago, I wrote about ingenious styles of customer service that every business should know about, mostly because their employees were inflicting them on their customers.

Clients... and 38 ways to communicate with them (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

As Alan Weiss (guru to the savvy consultant) says:

"It is actually difficult to contact clients too much. It is easy to fail to contact them frequently enough. If there is anyone anywhere who has ever sent you a check for your services and with whom you haven't communicated in the past 6 months, then you will never reach your growth potential. The secret is simple: Establish an ongoing dialogue with clients. In the worst case, a monologue will do."

Turning Customer Mistakes Into Raving Fans (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

When you make a mistake with a customer, should you write them off as lost -- never to return again?

4 Things Your Clients Want From Your Company (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Sure, all clients are different. They have different kinds of strengths, weaknesses, cultures and goals. Even what blocks their efficiency and growth (blind spots) is different. Davis, Kingsley & Company has conducted hundreds of interviews and there are four strong themes that always emerge.

We Got It Wrong: Never Under Promise & Over Deliver (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

You know how it is, you believe something for so long, everyone agrees with you, all the books tell you it's true and then suddenly you have a blinding revelation - we've all been duped! You know like my gorilla mates were? (If you're not sure about my gorilla mates then you really need to read the book - we've got a great offer on at the moment!)

Stellar Customer Service in 10 Simple Steps (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

If you're like me, you've had plenty of experience with BAD customer service. Just think about the last time you had a bad experience with a product or a service.

Handling Customer Complaints (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Even the best business will receive an occasional customer complaint. Knowing how to resolve these complaints will help you gain loyal customers who will then refer others to your business. Here are some important tips.

Finding Out Why a Potential Customer is Calling On You (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Our challenge as the business owner/sales person answering the telephone, is to build rapport with the caller, quickly and easily.

Dont Work with Jerks: How to Recognize a Difficult Client Early (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Five minutes into the call I knew this client was going to make my life miserable. The problem was, I already said "Yes."

Customer Service - Winning Customer Experiences (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Winning Customer Experiences

Much research has been done on what the makes a winning customer experience. What is it that makes customers come back to your business instead of going to someone else's? If your repeat business is low, what is it that you are doing to drive your customers away? There is a consistent theme that emerges across the research - winning customer experiences are built on consistency. Michael Gerber in his book "The E-Myth Revisited" calls this orchestration. "Orchestration is the glue that holds you fast to your customers' perceptions".

Accountants / Lawyers Do Yourself a Favor - What do Your Customers Want? (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

In my day to day practice in strategic human resource management I often come across customers looking for a 'good' accountant or 'good lawyer'. As an accountant myself the common thread for a 'good acountant or lawyer' seems to be 'I want someone who can explain things in plain english without the jargon'. This simplicity of service and communications can grow your business and ensure that you never need to look for more work! And the sad fact is that there are many practioners that just don't deliver.

Leverage Customer Capital First (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

If you're still dreaming about raising outside capital for your business before you have any paying customers, I've got a nice big bucket of ice water to throw on you. Wake up! The cold reality is that investors aren't interested in your business idea unless you can demonstrate that you've got customers who are actually willing to buy. Before you try raising outside capital, you should focus on building your Customer Capital.

The Drawback of Hacking Off a Blogger Through Weak Process Gaps and Pathetic Customer Service (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

With all of the recent data theft in the financial sector, it is important to make sure that we don't go crazy trying to protect ourselves from risk. Risk management does have a value but this value lies mostly on the front end. Reactionary risk management almost always produces a point at where the value of protecting oneself or one's customers overshadows the product or service that you are offering. The majority of companies always go beyond this point, some thinking they can even sell it to the customer as a security measure and build their brand with it.

How Do You Create Customer Loyalty? (July 23 2007)         - claim this article

Another sad fact of life is that these days, very few customers are loyal. Most of their loyalties lie with their bank accounts, and you can't blame people for watching their shrinking dollars. If you have regular clients, offer them an extra incentive now and again. Thank them for visiting and remember their names. Give them an additional discount for regular business or a promotional item to remember you & your business.