RSS Feed

‘Customer Service’ Category

  1. Engaged, content & shouting from the rooftops

    February 14, 2011 by Lesley

    Today is Valentines Day and partnerships are being created, celebrated and strengthened by acts of love, gifts, messages and more.

    I have been thinking about the values we put on relationships.  A marriage for example  brings happiness and stability to individuals, to families and to communities. But marriage, like anything else needs good care and maintenance if it is to last.

    In many places today some 40% or more of all marriages end in divorce. Is this because marriage is out of date? Could it be perhaps that marriages fail because the arrangement itself is faulty?

    A marriage deserves priority and only by sharing can people grow together.  A person who is primarily concerned with what he or she is getting from the marriage will never be truly happy, even if that individual remarries several times. In all honesty I think a marriage works only when each partner focuses more on giving than receiving.  As we grow our needs change,  to be able to adapt and to understand what our partner needs, feels or wants, is fundamental to a sustainable relationship.

    Why should relationships in business be any different?

    A person who feels they aren’t valued or important may move on, have an affair or file for divorce. They will probably confide in their closest friends and tell others of their bad experience.

    Online and social media give us the opportunity to learn what our customers prefer and want, and we are able to have conversations with them. By talking to them and asking questions we are taking an interest in them. They feel valued, important and involved.

    Rather than blasting marketing messages at them, and acting in a ‘controlling’ way, find out what they want and prefer to read and see. Work at the relationship, invest time in understanding your audience.

    A bit like a square peg in a round hole, old school marketing techniques don’t fit in a social space. Try not to see the likes of Twitter and Facebook as just another marketing tool, but as a way of getting to know your audience, serving your customers and developing customer loyalty.

    Share this on :


    Category B2C, Customer Service, Small Business, Social Media, Social Networking, new media | Tags: | 6 Comments

  2. Do you Predict or React

    August 12, 2010 by Lesley

    If like me, you are a fan of the TV show Mary Queen of Shops, starring Mary Portas, you may have noticed a recurring trend amongst the shop keepers and shop owners she reaches to out to help.

    They do and sell what they want, rather than what their customers want.

    This trait is typical not only of small shops, but businesses of all sizes and from all sectors.

    We talk about ‘listening’ and ‘monitoring’ and understanding our customer. But how many of us do this?

    The question on everyone’s lips is ‘how can we win more business’ and what can we do to increase sales.

    The answer my friends, is right under your nose.

    Let’s take a look at the local high street green grocer. He sells fruit and vegetables, and has often to compete with the supermarkets.

    The trade he receives is not necessarily ‘loyal’ trade, people may go there when they have an immediate need and it isn’t convenient to shop elswhere and get to the supermarket.

    Tap into this! Ask people what they would like to see on your shelves. Offer what they want, not what you like. Make it an experience to visit your shop. Understand your products, but more importantly, understand your customer.

    Stop looking for new customers until you have managed to satisfy the ones you still have.

    Ask them to fill in a questionnaire, or tick boxes on a sheet to tell you what they like to buy. Create an online community so you maintain regular contact with them. With over 500 million active users a Facebook page can be an excellent way of doing this.

    Once you know your leading lines, then you can start to be a little bolder.

    Seasonal products with less demand can be turned into leading lines for a short period if you help your customers discover these by giving out recipes and suggestions.

    Have a tasting session or create a competition. Become innovative.

    Your customers arent you.

    Don’t predict what they may want to buy, react to feedback and opinions and give you.

    Your customers shouldn’t need to ‘fit’ your products, your products should ‘fit’ your customer.

    Share this on :


    Category B2C, Customer Service, Small Business | Tags: ,, | 7 Comments

  3. Growing Up with Social Media

    July 29, 2010 by Lesley

    If you are a small business and already engaging with Social Media, perhaps with Twitter and  Facebook, you have established an online presence. But, have you considered developing and maturing your strategy further?

    mulimediaMulitimedia

    As well as being a great way to show case your products or services, multimedia use can also help humanise your business more. You can illustrate your company culture by including photos and video of company events, even staff events. Video is a great tool for showing ‘how to’ for example and can sometimes be far more effective than the written word and have more impact. Multimedia can make your company seem more friendly, it can show you care about your staff as well as being a great way to help the consumer.

    integrate online and offline communication

    Integrate Online & Offline Communications

    If you do some form of offline advertising then include details of your Facebook Page or your blog url. This way you are inviting customers to check out your community, which will help build trust. Consumers may join your community and get a feel for the type of company you are, which will help convert sales in the future.


    spread your message

    Spread your Message

    Do you say the same things on Twitter as you do on Facebook? Adapt your messages and keep them suitable to each social media platform. Not only will this attract interaction from a broader audience, it avoids sending out duplicate information to your community. I have seen the same message posted on Twitter and on Facebook over and over again, and if users are registered on both platforms they are simply getting duplicate messages. Work out what will work where.


    Local Online Directories

    Local – Online Directories & beyond

    Local businesses can keep visible by including themselves in local business directories. finding these directories can be difficult. Check some local companies, even some of your competitors and see where they are listed to give you an idea of where you need to be. Dont forget to use Google maps using Google Places help for small businesses. This may be the first contact a customer has with you, so ensure all your information is up to date and update regularly to include any new products or services. You would be amazed at the number of companies who move premises, change their fax or phone number and forget to update their listings.

    Register and claim your business on such platforms as Fourquare - great if your business is public facing. You can reward regular customers with deals, special offers, even ‘freebies’. The buzz around Foursquare is increasing by the day and consumers love the competition element which acts as a magnet for cutomers to visit you again and again.Location based applications encourage the user to leave a tip ( what things are available at a venue for example, or what facilities are there), others encourage you to rate the venue or leave a comment. Create a conversation around your business.


    Competitions, Contests & Special Offers

    The true value of a Social Media is to build a community around you. You can use your community to drive sales, assist your marketing efforts and crowdsource. You can create some buzz by introducing some kind of competition or offer an exclusive discount. This will encourage competition between members of your community. Try to include customer participation in a competition through writing articles for example, this can help the message go viral. Reward members of your community with discounts or exlusive deals. This demonstrates you care about them, value them and by rewarding them you show you are a great company to buy from and engage with.

    What ways have you used to develop your community? What would work for you as a consumer? Please leave your comments below, I’d love to hear your story.

    Share this on :


    Category B2B, B2C, Customer Service, Small Business, Social Media, new media | Tags: ,,,, | 33 Comments

  4. Listen

    July 25, 2010 by Lesley

    My friend Ash Mashhadi was on the TV last week. He starred in an episode of The Hotel Inspector.

    It made me think of a couple of things:

    Firstly, how powerful and versatile Twitter is. I follow @Dan_Martin on Twitter and one day picked up on a live chat he was having with a bunch of people, included was Ash Mashhadi. I was interested in what they were saying so I followed to Ash’s bio, then to his site and eventually I sent him a Tweet asking if we could talk on the phone, which we did.

    Ash is doing great things for Plymouth and the kind of stuff I want to do here in my home town. He is a huge help and source of inspiration for me, and now an extremely valued friend and peer. I have now made other friends thanks to my relationship with Ash.

    My network’s grown bigger, my knowledge has increased and my circle of friends extended. Relationships, collaborations, friendships, advice, information -  they all come out of Twitter

    Secondly, part of the programme included looking at some online comments and opinions, which had been left by customers of this particular hotel but which the Hotel Astor’s owner Joseph Louie had neither read or wanted to accept.Not listening to our customers is the worst #fail. How can we know what to supply and how best to supply it if we don’t hear what they say?

    We all have the power to comment, review and recommend. I wonder how many of us don’t when we could? If we experience something great we should share, and if we experience something bad we should warn and share. Our opinions matter. A great example of how Social Media could help save a business – listen to what customers want, need and say.

    You can learn more about ‘listening’ here.

    If your Social Media strategy lacks results, then perhaps you aren’t listening at all? If all you produce is ‘purple’ yet your customers want ‘blue’, it won’t be long before some other company starts to produce ‘blue’ and steals your customers away.

    We constantly strive to perfect and improve. This is also true of customer experiences. As consumers we don’t have to settle for second best because there are always companies out there willing to provide us with what we want.

    If you aren’t one of them, how long do you think you can remain in business?

    Do you listen at all? How often and where?

    Image courtesy of striatic

    Share this on :


    Category B2B, B2C, Customer Service, Small Business, Social Media | Tags: , | 22 Comments

  5. Community Matters

    July 22, 2010 by Lesley

    Whilst at a clients yesterday, I was asked about the vunerability of social media enagement. My client asked what would happen if they made a mistake, messed up in some way and provided a service a customer wasn’t happy with. His fear was that this mistake would be visible to anyone and everyone and that his reputation would be damaged as a result.

    The fact that his reputation is of high importance shows he is proud of his business, the fact he is worried about making a mistake means he knows he is not infalliable.

    To make a mistake, but then be able own up to it and do what ever is within your means to put it right is the correct way to proceed. Trying to bury a mistake or pass the blame will only mean the problem is escalated.

    When you think of old style marketing, it conjours up a very macho affair. Promoting strengths and avoiding weaknesses. The type of behaviour we consumers have come to dislike and mistrust. Telling it ‘how it is’ will bring more loyalty and win more influence, than hiding behind some facade.

    Community management is key. If businesses enter the social media arena with a single goal of winning new business only they will come unstuck fast. The ability to respond not just to positive sentiment and actions, but to negative ones too means that issues can be resolved in real time, quickly, and will incite confidence in others. Mistakes are made ‘because we are only human’ and we are all capable of making them. How we react and address them is the key issue here.

    We talk about listening to what our customers and prospects have to say in order to understand their needs. Great for sales and business growth – find out what they want and make this available. But when an error or mistake occurs lots of businesses are left struggling with how to deal with it.

    Years ago when I was a Customer Service manager, the training I delivered  focussed on the customer and not on the size of the problem. I worked in ‘home shopping’ and so a dress sent in a size 10 instead of a size 12 was just as important as an expensive TV getting delivered damaged or faulty. Small issues can become huge headaches if not dealt with quickly and efficiently.

    So as part of your social media engagement people, please make sure you have a proceedure in place for when things go wrong. Demonstrating the ability to respond, deal with and resolve a problem or mistake is worth a lot! As strangers recommend to strangers across the web via comments, opinions and feedback who would you rather deal with? A company that can react and respond and resolve, or one who has no history of needing to demonstrate customer service requirement in this way?

    By humanising our businesses through social media it is ok to be ‘human’ and to make a mistake or to mess up in some way, but ONLY if we have a plan in place to deal with it and the people in place to carry it out.

    Think human, think community, think reputation.

    Do you have any examples to share or instances you can remember of good or bad community management? Have you a procedure in place to tackle negative issues? Tell me what you think.

    Share this on :


    Category B2B, B2C, Customer Service, Small Business, Social Media | Tags: , | 28 Comments