|
May31
|
This week at Know More Media authors get to be "King For a Week" - in recognition of Larry King, the "King" of interviews. I had the honor of interviewing Tom Vander Well, a speaker on the topic of customer service as well as a partner and Vice-President of C Wenger Group, a consulting firm in Des Moines, Iowa. His clients include big name companies like Principal Financial Group, John Deere Credit, Target, ShopNBC, and Cabela's.
What I enjoy about Tom's blog, QAQNA, is that he provides valuable  content, great customer service tips, and introduces me to other great bloggers through his "Coffee Time Links".
This is the first in a two-part interview....So, without further ado...
|
|
May30
|
Tell me a compelling story - then I'll give you a call...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Here's a little news blurb that I got from M & C Tech: WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- Though it`s long been thought that customer service by means of online text chat is too expensive and inefficient to deploy,...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
The artist side of me went to the Fabric Store to find some felt to use for my greeting cards. I stepped into the store and inhaled all those fabulous colors and textures. I stood in the front of the...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
You can hide behind the mask of a smile when you're in front of the customer, but on the phone most customers can instantly detect how you're feeling from the moment you say that first word.
Continue Reading
|
|
|
So, my friends and I went to visit Raul again over at Hometown Buffet. Actually, I had no idea he was going to be working on a busy Memorial Day night, but I was pleasantly greeted by him and was...
Continue Reading
|
|
May29
|
Today was Memorial Day and to most of us in the U.S., it's another day off from work. People are out at the beaches and having barbeques...For me, it was a day spent thinking about all those men and women...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
The rainmakers are the ones who are making the money for the company - they deserve to be paid what they're worth - in fact, they should probably be paid more than the CEO's!
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I have a friend who works at home and takes care of her four boys(!). I don't know how she does it, but I have much respect for her and all the mom's who can juggle all of that and...
Continue Reading
|
|
May28
|
Since many of our universities haven't started offering "Customer Service" classes - yet - I highly recommend that students, especially students who work in customer service as a part-time gig, take a psychology class. Yes, take a psychology class. If...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
What would you do if someone calls you wanting to return a product but has absolutely no proof that they had purchased the item from you? This is the dilemma that The Customer Service Fanatic faced. The customer is screaming...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it."- Upton Sinclair I read the above quote and I'm trying to understand what it means...Any thoughts? Well, it brings to mind something...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
As a work-at-home blogger and entrepreneur, work can sometimes become overwhelming. There's articles to write, magazines to read, online marketing to take care of, etc. etc. I sit here at my computer and I start to get that feeling again....that...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I frequent my local Barnes and Noble about two-three times a week to write and browse the latest news in business, fashion, and get some dose of other human energy. In all the times I've been there, I've only been...
Continue Reading
|
|
May27
|
The other day while I was at the bookstore, I browsed through The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt. My instinct told me to pick it up and the book opened up to this...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Mike Sansone of Converstations has a very compelling post that made me reflect on the power that technology has in helping us stay connected to our customer. Go ahead, read his post... Imagine just how one simple little act made...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I write this headline and I have to laugh a little...because isn't that an oxymoron? No offense to individuals who work for government :) I just came across this article that states that government agencies are making moves to improve...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
My local Jamba Juice has a "Customer of the Week" board that posts pictures of their favorite or frequent customers. I asked the cashier how someone gets to become "Customer of the Week" and the reply was: "You have to...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I know that many of you have heard of or read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. If you have, this will be a review of Habit 4: Think Win/Win. In my real estate training,...
Continue Reading
|
|
May26
|
Excuse me if I become a little cynical with this post... I'm a little irked after reading Boyd's post regarding his trip with Air Canada. You see, Boyd has a medical condition which requires him to eat certain types of...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I came across this article that asks: "How comfortable are you with giving your personal details to call centre staff in foreign countries?" Simon Moores, the writer of the article, answers with "I have little enough confidence in our own...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I guess not all businesses in small towns give great service. After reading Tom Vander Well's post about getting great service in a small town, I am forced to retract my previous post and statement: "There's definitely a big difference...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Before I buy a product online, I always look to see if the company offers some type of money-back guarantee. A service guarantee tells me that the company is willing to stand behind its product and can be trustworthy (for...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
In the magazine, Business 2.0, G. Pascal Zachary interviews Dick Kovacevick, the CEO of Wells Fargo Bank. According to Dick, there is no such thing as an unprofitable customer - just one you haven't figure out how to make money...
Continue Reading
|
|
May24
|
I called a company today to take care of some business - only to be taken through a long list of menu options. I was listening for an option that fit my need, but after option number five, the A.D.D....
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I can't remember what website I was on the other day, but there was a message that caught my attention: "Due to the overwhelming amount of inquiries, we are unable to respond to all emails" That was it. My question...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I had a very pleasant dinner at Hometown Buffet tonight. Yes, Hometown Buffet! In all the years I've eaten at that restaurant I've never experienced such great service. First, for those of you who are not familiar with the Hometown...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I recently discovered Dave Lorenzo's Career Intensity Blog and I highly recommend it to those of you working in the customer service field. Dave's book and blog is devoted to anybody in business, but I think it would be especially...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I was in Target yesterday and as the cashier was ringing me up, I asked him how his day was going. "Oh, it's a pretty slow day today," he answered. "Is that a good thing or bad thing?" I asked. ...
Continue Reading
|
|
May23
|
Many customer service reps are not paid what their worth. So, how do you compensate them for their time if you can't afford to pay them a higher wage? You offer them words of encouragement and praise. People thrive off...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Every action that you and your employees take should be done with the customer at the forefront of their minds. It should be automatic. These actions directly or indirectly affect customer satisfaction.
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Last night I had dinner at a little Italian restaurant up the street from where I live. The food is absolutely yummy. It was a slow Monday night with only a couple tables occupied. The sun was setting, the candles...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
To me, making eye contact is a sign of strength in a person. I can tell when a person isn't genuine about the service they provide. I just look into their eyes... (Ha! No, this is not going to turn...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
"There is no substitute for excellent customer service." This is what I read today from Jay Conners of Mortgage Sales and Marketing blog. It's a very compelling sentence and something we should keep in mind when we think about trying...
Continue Reading
|
|
May22
|
Yes, we've all had our share of customers from hell. There was a time when I thought I had an invisible sign on my head that said "Abuse Me" because it seemed that every customer I helped felt the need...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Hat tip to the guys at the Discount Tire Store who gave the author of Genuine Blog "Service With a Smile": "To the guys at Discount Tire Store, I will definitely return to your store and make all of my...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
The Brand Builder Blog has a great post called "Customer Love: 10 Steps to building a kickass Customer Service Department". A highly recommended read... Here's a condensed version of the ten steps: Step 1: Make the decision to make Customer...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I believe in karma and follow that famous mantra "What goes around, comes around". This just doesn't apply to individual people - this applies to companies as well. When I think of companies that are going through "troubles", for example,...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
It was a very eventful weekend for me, thus the lack of posts! It was a weekend full of being of service to others, which is my bread and butter :) It began with the meticulous, stressful, but a very...
Continue Reading
|
|
May19
|
This past week I broke down and started watching TV again. I had stopped watching because I wanted to focus more on my writing and was simply sick of all the stupid - for lack of a better word -...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Do you have any programs put in place to gather feedback from you customers? If you don't, how do you know how your company is doing in terms of satisfying your customers? Or do you not even care about having...
Continue Reading
|
|
May17
|
Every company that does business online should provide a customer guarantee. Here's a company that gets it right: "REWCI.COM CUSTOMER SATISFACTION GUARANTEE"When you purchase your panasonic fan from REWCI.COMWe guarantee it to be free from defectsFor 3 years from the...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Matt Krantz of USAToday gets this question: Should you avoid buying a stock if you get terrible customer service while buying their products as a consumer? Matt advises that you shouldn't necessarily write off a company and not invest in...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Customer service is the most important aspect of any business. I'll say that again... Customer service is THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of any business. Did you hear me? You can have the fanciest CRM and spend billions of dollars on...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I read the news headlines and the big topic today is a study by the University of Michigan that says that customer service for the airline industry is at a five-year low. After reading a couple articles, like this one...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
So, yesterday I started listing the characteristics of "The New Salesperson". Today I will continue that list... Keeps track of a customer's desired results and challenges - a good salesperson knows what the customer expects from the company, notates what...
Continue Reading
|
|
May16
|
Jim Berkowitz of CRM Mastery E-Journal shares with us his definition of CRM: "CRM is an ongoing process of managing customer relationships using a synergistic blend of people (their behavior), business processes and technology that, if well managed, will allow...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
If only more companies paid attention to what bloggers had to say about them... This thought comes after reading an article by Shel Holtz titled "Customer Service On Edge" where he tells us how he posted a complaint about a...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I called my phone company to pay my phone bill over the phone... After the customer service rep processed my transaction, I found an opportunity to ask her about her job. "Can I ask you a couple questions?" I asked....
Continue Reading
|
|
|
As a salesperson you may not think that suggestive selling is part of customer service, but it is. As a manager one of my challenges was coaching my associates to suggestive sell items to increase their sales. Who doesn't want...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Customers are more sophisticated nowadays. At the touch of a button they can shop and compare prices on any given item available on the internet. From there they can decide if they want to buy it online or go to...
Continue Reading
|
|
May15
|
If you're like me, you probably receive dozens of newsletters and emails a day from businesses. At one time I had over 500 emails in my inbox, which was pretty overwhelming! Some of these businesses that I had signed up...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
What they found doesn't seem to surprise me. Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to how companies treat their customers who seek information online!
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I once went to Carl's Jr. to get a milkshake, but instead of just a plain ole' milkshake, I had a craving for a chocolate and vanilla mix. I asked the person who took my order if they could make...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Once or twice a week I go to the Barnes and Noble down the street to write and check out customer service books to review. Today I came across this book called Hug Your Customers : The Proven Way to Personalize...
Continue Reading
|
|
May14
|
Kathy Sierra of Creating Passionate Users shares with us some of the pitfalls of listening to all your users (customers) and how to go about filtering the negative feedback. I would think that it would be good to listen to...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I'm sure there are many managers or business owners out there that are wondering how they can instill passion into the employees that work for them. How do you get people to fall in love with their job and exude...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
In business today you have the fast-talking business owners and salespeople who can't think further than tomorrow and what sales need to be made today. They're ready to make the "quick buck" and end up leaving the customers in their...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
For the first time ever I checked the CustomersAreAlways page rankings on Sitemeter to see what the top five pages of this blog are and what topics are the most popular… Which Came First, The Customer or The Service? ...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
“People don’t remember exactly what you did, or what you said… but they will always remember how you made them feel.” –Author Unknown I found the above quote via the Career Intensity blog where Dave Lorenzo offers his advice on developing people...
Continue Reading
|
|
May13
|
I read an interesting post over at the Aldo Coffee blog via Converstations. It’s amazing the things you learn as a blogger….Today I learned all about cannolis and what to do if one of your customers wants to return one...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I came across this article by Bea Fields via Wedding Planning where she outlines for us the Top Ten Strategies for Delivering 5-Star Customer Service. They are: 1. Treat your customers like royalty. 2. Provide valet parking. 3. Make a...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I just read Dan Tudor's post about a phone call he made to a Las Vegas hotel...Here's a blurb: "You have a really unique last name, is it Hawaiian?" I asked. "Yes", she replied in a very tired and put-out...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
This is the question posed in an article in Business Week. With all these new companies popping up, the energy seems to be high in Silicon Valley again. Heck, the energy is high all over the world. There are literally...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates." --Earvin "Magic" Johnson, basketball legend NBA basketball playoffs are in full swing and this is generally when you get to see the...
Continue Reading
|
|
May12
|
If there’s one type of customer I could have, I would want the customer who blogs. It didn’t really hit me until today the power that a blogger has within the context of the business world. Yes, I’ve written about...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Hiring exceptional people is the first step to providing phenomenal customer service. It’s a challenging task trying to find the right fit for your company, but there are many people out there who can help you. For example… Robert...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
In one of Donald Trump’s books he advises us to keep a dossier on people. I agree that it’s important to become personal with your customers and get to know them in such a way that enhances the business relationship. ...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I recently signed up for Time Warner Cable and Internet services and found out that I could pay my bill online. Now, as many times as I’ve done payment transactions online, you would think that paying this bill wouldn’t be...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Many of us go into business for ourselves to have that freedom from the 9 to 5 grind, but I hope that we also go into business because we’ve found an opportunity to help people that aren’t currently being served...
Continue Reading
|
|
May10
|
Most successful business people started off as humble people with a dream and a $100 in their pocket....and if you are where I was back in the day, you may have started with negative $30K to your name! But I...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Everywhere you click there are ads flashing at you, ads popping up like jack-in-the-box's on crack, and ads that sneak down the computer screen.
Continue Reading
|
|
|
McDonald's is making plans to renovate their restaurants which may cause a huff for franchisees because they may be required to pay the 300-400K cost to do the makeover. McDonald's is McDonald's. I understand the need for change and to modernize...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
If you could pick one, which would you prefer: an airline that boasts that it has one of the most "on-time" flight schedules or the airline that provides exceptional customer service? Well, I found out via The Airline Hub that...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
In this week's issue of Business Week, there's a little blurb stating that 27% of undergraduates say "contributing to society" is a top career goal. I feel a sense of relief that today's youth is still thinking about how they can...
Continue Reading
|
|
May 9
|
All you have to do is care and you'll have no trouble providing exceptional customer service. It really is as simple as that!
Continue Reading
|
|
|
There's an interesting post at Service Untitled that digests the topic of Music on Hold. Now, I don't know about you, but I never really gave much thought to the music that businesses play as you're waiting to get help....
Continue Reading
|
|
May 8
|
Ms. Zensufi tells a very delightful story which I must (absolutely must!) share with you. Pay attention, car salespeople, managers, and owners, this is definitely a story one should read :) Click here for Ms. Zensufi's version, or read my...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I promised a review of Southwest Airline's blog, so here goes... So, today I clicked back over to Southwest for the first time since they officially launched their blog and read a couple posts.... I like the fact that they have different...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
An article at Workforce Management says that Cheescake Factory spends $2,000 on average per new hourly trainee. From managers to dishwashers, everyone is included in these intensive training programs. This was taken from the article: "One way the company measures...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
In my blog travels today, I came across Trendwatching.com via Customer World. TrendWatching has published a very insightful and highly informative article (and very colorful, I might add) on this latest trend dubbed "Customer-Made". This is their definition: CUSTOMER-MADE: “The...
Continue Reading
|
|
May 7
|
In the comic section of the Sunday newspaper, there is a cartoon called "Baby Blues" by Rick Kirkmann and Jerry Scott.... In today's cartoon the little boy notices something on his elbow and screams at the top of his lungs,...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I came across this article that asks "What is Good Customer Service?" and offers an explanation of why we continue to receive poor customer service: "The almighty dollar all too readily takes precedence and these employers just can't bring themselves...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Today I was dreading the daily visit to my "Customer Service" folder in my Bloglines account. Must I have to sort through pages and pages of awful customer service stories? Ah, but the diamond in the rough appears! (hear my...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
In the many years that I worked in customer service, I can probably count on one hand the times I've had to deal with an irate customer, thank Goodness. As one of the interview questions for a customer service position,...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
These posts serve as a reminder to us of one the basic principles of customer service: be accessible to your customers and for the love of all that is good, return phone calls and answer emails!
Continue Reading
|
|
May 6
|
I just came across an article at Online Recruitment that states that 37% of UK consumers have admitted to shouting at telephone agents over the telephone. Consequently, absenteeism and turnover of telephone agents has increased almost 50% compared to last...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I missed Easton Ellsworth's Blog Tipping Day earlier this week, so if you'll allow me to be fashionably late... I just came across this first site. Subsequently, this blog was asking for comments, so here goes... Blog: Hotels! A Management's...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
It's amazing to me how customer service reps act when you ask them a question or, God forbid, need help with the product that they sold to you. I'm reminded of a time I went in to Michael's to purchase...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Tom Vander Wells of QAQnA was a guest blogger at Simplenomics (both very good blogs, by the way) where he provides us with "5 Steps To Improving Your Customer Service Reps": Simplify. It’s important to give people a manageable ”...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
As a business owner or executive of a business, it's important to get a feel for the "power core" of your business. In the book Chief Customer Officer: Getting Past Lip Service to Passionate Action, Jeanne Bliss takes you step-by-step...
Continue Reading
|
|
May 5
|
I'm reminded of this song by Chaka Khan whenever I read another bad customer service story (and there's plenty of them out there!) Negativity definitely breeds negativity - that's what I've learned recently. I often wonder why there seems to...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
What people really want is...good customer service... Even in the online world, people want to know that there's a human working there behind the scenes. For those of you that deal with web hosting companies, you may have experienced an...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I grew up in a small town in Central California where you could go into the local grocery store and everybody that worked there knew you and called you by name. They would ask you how you're family was doing,...
Continue Reading
|
|
May 4
|
This may soon be the headline that's splashed all across newspapers and internet sites across the world when ipod and Mac users finally anty up and demand better customer service. Sure, there are a few good stories out there, but...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I came across this new study called Customers Say What Companies Don’t Want to Hear via the CRM Mastery E-Journal. Mangen Research Associates along with consulting firm High-Yield Methods gathered 1,500 sets of feedback of which 50% came from outside...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I briefly worked for a man who always preached "customer service", but the moment you spent more than five minutes with a customer helping them choose items to purchase, there he was interrupting the process with "Is everything alright here?" ...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
"Websites do not eliminate the need for customer service; they should enable you to give better customer service." The above quote comes from the book Low-Budget Online Marketing for Small Business by Holly Berkley. Holly tells us in this book...
Continue Reading
|
|
May 3
|
How many times have you heard that as a customer? A little annoying isn't it? I can admit that in the past that I too, have brought out that ugly weapon and have used it on customers. In retrospect, I...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
There's much to say about Hewlett Packard these days. The company has recently been included in the Service & Support Professionals Association's Hall of Fame. HP also was awarded the Best Practices Awards in Self-Service and Growing the Business. In...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
There's a blog that I'm addicted to: Darren Rowse's "ProBlogger Blog Tips". I read this blog every other day and come away with that much more knowledge about making money with blogging. I wish there was more time to read...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
It's an idea to learn early on in your retail career and it saves alot of headache and stress :)
Continue Reading
|
|
|
Wan Lin lives in Malaysia and is new to customer service - recently changed positions from being a consultant. Wan shares some customer service tips and expresses that "Customer service..... something that I am still learning hard...." Oh, yes, customer service...
Continue Reading
|
|
May 2
|
We are constantly of service to everyone we encounter in our lives. If you work in customer service, you may understand what I mean. When we come home from work, our "services" do not stop there. There are mouths to...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
My fellow Know More Media writer, Steve Browne, of Lone Wolf Tracks believes that service has three "faces"
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I know many women who go on first dates with a guy and wind up not progressing to a second date. I ask them why and their answers are mainly, "All he did was talk about himself." I can certainly...
Continue Reading
|
|
|
As a customer service representative do you get angry when a customer asks you a question that can be answered at the F.A.Q. of the company website? Did you know that many customers are not even aware of the F.A.Q....
Continue Reading
|
|
|
I'm starting a series called "A Definition of Customer Service" where business owners give us their definition of customer service and share their secrets to customer service success. The first definition comes from our very own Dan Smith here at Know More Media. ...
Continue Reading
|
