Have you enjoyed our recent blog posts? If you are looking for more customer service and small business tips, then head to these websites. To get help managing your phone calls, appointments, orders, and more, get in touch with Contact One Call Center at (800) 278-3347.
This post on FutureSimple.com shares five ways to provide great customer service, regardless of your title or role.
Find out what Zappos.com did for one customer who travelled to a friend’s wedding without his shoes!
Here are a few tips for handling angry or difficult customers on the phone.
Starting a business is a life-changing event that can either bolster or hinder your financial and professional success. Many would-be entrepreneurs have a great idea for a product or service, but become intimidated or uncertain of the details needed to launch their new venture. If you are considering starting your own business, then review these three tips below:
1. Ask Questions and Do Research
The Small Business Association (SBA) recommends that potential business owners ask these 20 questions before starting their business. The questions, including “Will I need a loan,” and “Who is my competition,” prompt potential entrepreneurs to think critically about their funding, marketing, potential customers, and more. These questions will give you a more realistic vision of whether your business may thrive.
2. Write A Business Plan
A business plan is a document that helps keep the business owner, investors, and executive employees on track for the first three to five years. Having a formal business plan can make it easier for a new business owner to receive funding and to share their vision with new hires. The plan outlines in depth how the company will be structured, managed, and funded and how it will market itself and grow revenue. For more information on drafting a business plan, visit these guidelines on the SBA website.
3. Take Care of The Details
Before your business is up and running you’ll need to determine your legal structure. There are a variety of ways to structure a business including LLC, corporation, and non-profit. New business owners will also need to register for state and federal taxes, and obtain a tax ID number plus any state or federal licenses and permits. To handle your finances, you’ll need to set up a merchant account with your local bank. If you plan to accept payments online, then you’ll want to partner with a PCI-compliant vendor who can securely process transactions.
When starting a new business, you can outsource your incoming calls, appointment setting, and even order fulfillment to a trusted call center. Contact One Call Center specializes in supporting small businesses and organizations with top-notch customer service. Learn more by calling (800) 278-3347.
Recruiting Employees for Great Customer Service: What to Look For
Recruiting Employees for Great Customer Service: What to Look For
Hiring customer service representatives means looking for personalities that will shine on the phone. If you are looking to recruit new hires for your customer service team, then consider the following four traits:
A Positive Attitude
Some people will always think the glass is half empty. In customer service, you want to lean toward candidates who have a more positive or optimistic attitude. During an interview or sample phone conversation, note the kind of language the person uses. Look for individuals who can easily re-frame problems in a more positive light.
Friendly and Engaging
Great customer service representatives don’t necessarily have to be outgoing. They do have to be generally friendly, nice, and engaging. These traits can help your customer service representative to be more empathetic and really connect with customers on the phone.
Creative and Bright
Creativity and out-of-the-box thinking are vital for success in this position. Customer service superstars have to multitask and think on their feet. They must find creative solutions to help people solve problems. Look for bright candidates who can succeed even with an unusual call or request that strays really far from the usual script.
Patient and Good Listener
When customers call upset or angry, you’ll need someone who is patient and calm and can focus on the problem at hand. The right candidates should be able to actively listen to customers and allow customers to vent if they are angry about a problem.
What does your organization look for when hiring customer service representatives? To get help managing your inbound calls, appointments, order taking, and more, get in touch with the experts at Contact One Call Center. Call us at (800) 278-3347 or visit our website to learn more about our call center and live chat services.
When you’re dealing with an angry customer, it can be challenge to remain calm. Sometimes when conversations get emotional or hurtful, our instinct is to respond with even more anger.
Don’t let anger harm your customer relationships. Instead, practice the three tips shared in this video for reducing and managing your anger in professional situations. The video walks through the difference between expressing yourself assertively versus aggressively. You can also learn how to use calming techniques to minimize your own anger. For example, pausing and counting to 10 before responding or taking deep breathes to let go of your anger.
Watch the full clip to learn how to respond to customers clearly and without any destructive emotion or hurtful language. For more customer service expertise, get in touch with Contact One Call Center by dialing (800) 278-3347.
When something goes wrong with a customer’s order or appointment, that customer can become angry. The customer has spent time and money to get their product or service from your company, and when things don’t work out, the customer may feel cheated.
Enter the call center representative. Many times receiving a phone call from a customer means dealing with an upset or difficult person. The best customer service agents realize that the customer simply has a problem and they are getting in touch looking for a solution. Here are three tips to deal with difficult customers and help them find the answers or solutions they are seeking.
1. Listen Carefully
Let the customer explain their problem, complaint, or question fully. Don’t interrupt and really hear what they are saying. Try to hone-in on the root of the problem so you can eventually offer a solution. Ask any necessary questions to get the information you need to help that customer out.
2. Clarify the Problem or Request
When the customer is done describing the problem or question, clarify what they said by repeating it back to them in your own words. Say something like, “Let me make sure I am hearing you correctly,” or “I want to be sure I understand you,” and then rephrase their request. This gives the caller an opportunity to provide more information or identify the outcome they are looking for.
3. Apologize and Empathize
Demonstrate empathy by offering a sincere apology for the customer’s negative experience. Let the apology come from you directly and not the company by using “I” instead of “we.”
4. Stay Calm When a customer is raising their voice, talking quickly, or talking over you it helps to remain calm. Do not escalate emotions by also raising your voice. Remind the customer calmly that you are there to listen and offer help.
If your organization has trouble responding to customer calls in a timely fashion, then enlist the services of a professional call center. Contact One can help your business offer top-notch customer service experiences with their Live chat services and call center services. Find out more by calling us at (800) 278-3347.
In 1972, Bhutan’s leader, Dragon King Jigme Singye Wangchuck coined the term “gross national happiness.” He was trying to come up with a way to measure the quality of life in Bhutan. The concept caught on and the Centre for Bhutan Studies actually came up with a survey that could measure the population’s happiness using metrics.
While GNH is no longer in use, it is interesting to think of happiness as a measure of success – especially for business owners. Bad customer service experiences make customers unhappy. Does your company help to increase the “gross national happiness” of your customers?
When thinking about customer service and happiness, the first company that comes to mind is Zappos.com. Zappos is one of the largest online retailers in the world and was purchased by Amazon in 2009 for 1.2 billion dollars. Zappos makes its mark by focusing on customer service and customer happiness. They famously offer free shipping with a 365 day return policy and their tagline is “Powered by Service.” CEO Tony Hsieh even wrote a memoir called “Delivering Happiness,” which every small business owner or entrepreneur should read.
While most customer service call centers measure success by how quickly a representative handles calls, at Zappos, the focus is more about connecting with the customer and leaving the customer with a positive impression of the Zappos brand. There are many examples of Zappos customer service workers going above and beyond such as overnighting shipments, sending customers flowers, and going to a rival store to buy a pair of out-of-stock shoes.
Many times a telephone customer service experience is your company’s one and only chance to make a good impression. Excellent customer service can result in increase lifetime customer value and positive word-of-mouth. That’s why it’s important to take a page out of Zappo’s book and always provide top-notch, customer-centric service for your business.
Contribute to “gross national happiness” by offering 24/7 answering services, live chat services, appointment setting and more. Contact One Call Center can help your business to keep customers happy! Find out how by calling (800) 278-3347 today.
An unstable economy showing sluggish growth can be disheartening for small business owners. While you may feel pessimistic about your outlook for growth in 2014, there are a few strategies you can use to strive in a down economy. Below we’ll discuss a few ways to thrive in the coming year:
Focus on Repeat Customers
Work on keeping existing customers loyal and don’t worry as much about acquiring new customers. According to a study by Bain and Co, it costs about seven times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing customer. Moreover, increasing customer retention by 5 percent overall may increase your profits by 25 to 95 percent! To retain more customers, be sure to offer excellent customer service and reward loyal return customers with discounts and special offers.
Address Fixed Costs
An unstable economic time is a great opportunity to analyze your fixed costs like rent, supplies, and subscriptions. Are there ways to cut down on any of these montly costs? Maybe you can sublet part of your unused office space to an independent contractor or suspend your water delivery service for a few months. These extra savings can help improve your bottom line.
Beat the Competition with Amazing Customer Service
When times are tough, consumers may tighten their purse strings and only spend money for goods and services that they perceive as valuable and necessary. Maintaining excellent customer service in a down economy can help differentiate your business from the competition and gain more market share. If customers have happy, inspiring interactions with your organization, they will come to you before the competition, even in a down economy.
What are your small business goals for weathering the 2014 economy? Contact One Call Center is here to help. We provide answering services, appointment scheduling, order taking, and live chat to keep your customers happy. Find out how we can partner with your organization by calling 1(800)-278-3347.
Customer Service Fixes: What To Do When You Do It Wrong
Customer Service Fixes: What To Do When You Do It Wrong
Customer service encompasses every area of your business, from the moment you pick up the phone, to appointment setting, through to the sales transaction. Smaller businesses and organization striving to grow cannot afford to make customer service mistakes.
Failure to provide excellent customer service can result in lost sales and even negative word of mouth spreading about your business. Below we’ll review three common customer service problems and provide solutions for fixing these problems and making amends with customers.
Problem 1 – Failure to Answer Calls Quickly
When you are pressed for time or have a small staff it can be difficult to answer the phone quickly or reply to customer messages. If this occurs and a customer becomes angry, let the customer vent about their concern and listen actively to their complaint. Then proceed to help them with their needs.
Problem 2 – Double-Booking Appointments
Have you had to cancel an appointment due to an over-booking mistake? Calling a customer right before their appointment time and telling them you need to cancel can be a really negative experience. Be sure to explain the problem, take responsibility, and apologize for the inconvenience. Offer a solution for a new appointment time and sweeten the deal with an extra reward such as a discount or free gift.
Problem 3 – Confusing Ecommerce or Order Process
If a customer has trouble placing an order and contacts you for help, then consider yourself lucky. At least you did not lose the sale entirely. To handle this problem, first identify the issue that was confusing during the purchasing or checkout process. Use this customer contact as a way to get vital feedback to improve your transactional process in the future.
To avoid these problems ongoing, consider working with an answering service that will answer customer calls and questions 24/7. Contact One Call Center can answer your phones, set appointments, and even take orders or answer order-related inquiries. Learn more about our services by calling 1(800)-278-3347.
At Contact One Call Center we know that top-notch customer service is vital to growing your business and keeping customers happy. Below is a great example of a business going above and beyond to make a customer happy and help solve their problem:
Lego’s Letter to A Seven Year Old Boy
Last Christmas, a seven year old boy saved up all of his holiday money to purchase a Ninjago kit, which is based on a popular cartoon. It came complete with a futuristic vehicle and Ninjago characters. The boy lost one of his characters when it fell out of his coat pocket and he composed an email to Lego’s customer service team thanking them for the awesome kit and asking for a replacement.
The customer service department at Lego wrote back with a personalized and imaginative email that referenced the characters in the show. Not only did Lego replace the lost figurine, the company also included a special set of weapons and a villain character. Lego’s caring and inspiring response was shared with millions of people online as word spread about this special case.
This is just one example of how a business can “wow” its customers by listening well and rewarding loyalty. Here are some of the benefits of this kind of customer service:
Improve Your Reputation
Since this example from Lego went viral online and was seen by many people, it helped improve and strengthen Lego’s brand with the greater public.
Increase Lifetime Customer Value
It is more valuable and more cost-effective to retain loyal customers than to go out and get brand new customers. Excellent customer service can help organizations to retain customers and increase their lifetime customer value.
Let Contact One Call Center create a culture of exemplary customer service for your business. We help retailers, non-profits, medical offices, law firms, and all types of organizations with answering services, scheduling, live chat, and order taking. Find out more about us by calling 1(800)-278-3347 or visiting us online.
Bad Customer Service Leads to Smashed Maserati: A Truly Bizarre Cautionary Tale
Bad Customer Service Leads to Smashed Maserati: A Truly Bizarre Cautionary Tale
Bad customer service is an extremely common occurrence. In fact, most of us have experienced it at some point. Many people who have bad customer service will complain about it to the manager. Others will say nothing about it and simply take their business elsewhere.
However, there have been quite a few cases reported where people have done something drastic because they were not happy with the customer service. Mr. Wang is an example of someone who overreacted to the bad customer service that he experienced. He was a Chinese Maserati owner. He was so angry that he drove the car to an automotive fair and used a sledge hammer to smash it into pieces.
Keep in mind that the car cost $420,000. Mr. Wang finished off by displaying a banner that decried the bad customer service he got from Maserati. The crowd was very shocked to see such an extreme reaction.
You may be thinking, “That sort of thing seldom happens.” While that is true, it is important to remember that bad customer service can still have negative consequences. When people experience negative customer service, they often tell their family members and friends not to use that particular business. This can cause a business to lose customers, which will ultimately ruin the business.
Many people think that it is ruin for people to complain about the type of service that they get from a business. However, people spend their hard-earned money on a product or service. They expect it to be excellent. If service is not up to par, then they have a right to say something about it.
You do not need to allow yourself to become a victim of customer backlash- talk to Contact One today. They will be able to help you with live answering service options for your business that can prevent customer frustration.
