Posts Tagged ‘customer service’

Customers that phone you are such a pain, aren't they? Unless you happen to have a large call team, you can only speak to one person at a time, and then there's that annoying ringing when you're trying to get some work done. Why do they do it? Thankfully, more and more people like to deal in email (much quieter and less annoying), but how you deal with their incoming enquiries will have a big impact on their perception of you as a company, so how can you make sure you give a good impression? 1. Show your email address Obvious! I hear you cry, because otherwise how will they know where to send their email to. Yes, I know that, but have you noticed how many companies these days are opting for a contact for instead and don't show their email on their website? I've lost count of the number of companies I've contacted this ...

In the world today there are over 1 billion users of social media - that sounds quite a lot to me. Rather than just another statistic that one should make you, as a business owner, sit up and take notice. Just think about how that effects your market place. One billion people online, socialising, chatting, sharing news and information - how cool would it be if they were talking about your business? OK, sure, not all 1 billion would be talking specifically about you, but you get my meaning. But that's not to say social media is and should only be about selling. Yes, it should be part of your marketing strategy to build and enhance relationships with new and old customers alike. But it should also go further than that; it should also be used to enhance your customer service too. If you think about it, Facebook and Twitter are all about ...

This blog first appeared on our sister blog, Freelance Copywriter's Blog, but we wanted to share it with you here too - enjoy.   It is a well-known fact that customer service is the one area that will make your company stand out from the crowd. With limited budgets, it’s one way smaller companies can compete, and at times outdo the big boys. Let's face it, we all love to be made to feel special and great customer service is a prime example of that. Small details such as calling customers by name, retuning calls quickly and keeping customers informed can make a huge impact on your company’s reputation. But of course, high levels of customer service tend to come with high wage bills, not something every business wants to absorb. That’s why, according to a recent article in Business Matters, many companies (21% of those surveyed) are ...

This blog post first appeared on our other blog Freelance Copywriter's Blog, but we wanted to share it with you here too: A while ago, I wrote a post about how to keep your copywriting clients happy. As we all know, if you want to set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd, excelling in customer service is the way to go. Usually, the press is full of bad news stories. If someone has received truly awful service they spend hours telling everyone about it. But what about the occasions where good service is received? Surely, there must be some companies out there who are getting it right? Well, I’m about to redress the balance with a couple of examples I recently experienced. Printers, printers everywhere, but which one do I choose? Just before Christmas, my printer decided ...

After browsing through The Drum recently, I was absolutely astonished to come across this statistic: 71% of companies are still ignoring consumer complaints on Twitter I mean, come on, these are your customers. Just because they choose Twitter a their form of communication as opposed to a phone call, doesn't make their complain any less important. Plus, if it's out on Twitter, potentially thousands of people can also see their complaint. So doesn't make sense to do something about it rather than ignore it? According to the article, only 29% of those who tweeted a company with a complaint received a reply (Maritz Research) and the goes on to say: The American research looked at 1,298 consumers over the age of 18 who frequently tweet and have used the micro-blogging site to complain about a specific product, service, brand or company. 49% of respondents ...

Despite being written from a copywriter's point of view, this post applies to virtually all professions. In business, your clients are your bread and butter. Without them you'll just be sitting at your desk, twiddling your thumbs or playing Angry Birds. So, the way you deal with them is crucial if you want to keep them and attract others. Below are just a few tips on making sure they remain happy - even if things go wrong. 1. Listen to them The only way you can hope to fully understand the project you've been asked to work on is to listen, take notes and, of course, ask a mountain of questions. If you try to second guess what it is your client wants, you're going to get it wrong - big time. If the brief they provide is unclear, don't struggle on ...

If you run a business, marketing is a necessary evil. For larger organisations, their dedicated marketing department will take care of everything for them, leaving the boss to concentrate on the more important things such as lunches, golf days and seeing how many tickets to the major sporting events he can get his hands on. What happens when you work alone? Like many entrepreneurs you have to do everything. You have to be the Operations Director, Financial Director, Marketing Director, Office Junior and tea boy/girl. It is highly unlikely that you'll be an expert in all these areas, so how do you cope? Marketing madness Promoting your business can take on a number of forms, such as: Brochures Website Emails and newsletters Case studies Press releases Blogs and articles Direct marketing But do you really understand each of these fully? Your marketing materials are vital for the survival of ...

    Google has been a God send for shopaholics everywhere. No longer do you have to spend hours trudging around over-heated stores. Now, you can sit and relax in the comfort of your own home and shop to your heart’s content. But as an online business, are you making the most of these leads when they come to you? Considering how most people shop today, once they’ve fired off an email to you, they will want a reply ASAP. So how quickly do you respond?   According to a recent survey by Insidesales.com and Omniture, it would appear that you don’t respond very quickly at all: Average email response time: 19 hours, 31 minutes (the optimum response time should be within an hour) Average phone response time: 36 hours, ...

  Once upon a time, customers could only get in touch with you by telephone, letter or by visiting your premises. If they were unhappy, they’d probably moan about you to a friend or two and you’d be non the wiser. How times have changed. Now, if they’re unhappy they’ll tweet about it or post in on their Facebook page. Before you know it, the whole world will know they received bad service. That’s why, as a business, it’s vital you’re using social media. How social media can be used to your advantage If there’s one thing everyone loves, it’s to talk. By listening to social media channels, you ...

  Finding out what they really want There is one sure fire way of finding out what your customers are looking for – ask them. They can tell you if your products/services are providing what they’re looking for, whether your customer service is hitting the mark and how they would prefer to interact with you (email, social media, telephone etc.) So what’s the most effective way of conducting your research? Here are a few ideas you could try. 1. Ask them directly Talking to your customers – scary thought but quite effective. Whether it’s face to face, on the phone or using social media ask ...

  This is amazing. Your search engine optimisation strategy is working. Targeted traffic is flooding to your website and your professional copywriting is converting them because they are going straight to your contact form. Fantastic. So what happens next? Getting traffic that converts is one thing but does your customer service match their expectations or is it letting you down? There are a number of ways your customers will be able to get in touch with you so you must ensure the service they receive via their preferred method is first class. 1. Email Although your customers won’t expect an immediate response via email, they don’t to be left hanging around for weeks either. When you get an email send an acknowledgement so they know you are aware of their ...