10 Commandments for Great Customer Service

Customer service is an integral part of our job and should not be seen as an extension of it. A company’s most vital asset is its customers. Without them, we would not and could not exist in business. When you satisfy our customers, they not only help us grow by continuing to do business with you, but recommend you to friends and associates.

The practice of customer service should be as present on the show floor as it is in any other sales environment.

The Ten Commandments of Customer Service

1.    Know who is boss. You are in business to service customer needs, and you can only do that if you know what it is your customers want. When you truly listen to your customers, they let you know what they want and how you can provide good service. Never forget that the customer pays our salary and makes your job possible.

2.    Be a good listener. Take the time to identify customer needs by asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying. Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language, and most importantly, how they feel. Beware of making assumptions - thinking you intuitively know what the customer wants. Do you know what three things are most important to your customer?

Effective listening and undivided attention are particularly important on the show floor where there is a great danger of preoccupation - looking around to see to whom else we could be selling to.

3.    Identify and anticipate needs. Customers don't buy products or services. They buy good feelings and solutions to problems. Most customer needs are emotional rather than logical. The more you know your customers, the better you become at anticipating their needs. Communicate regularly so that you are aware of problems or upcoming needs.

4.    Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity. It creates good feeling and trust. Think about ways to generate good feelings about doing business with you. Customers are very sensitive and know whether or not you really care about them. Thank them every time you get a chance.

On the show floor be sure that your body language conveys sincerity. Your words and actions should be congruent.

5.    Help customers understand your systems. Your organization may have the world's best systems for getting things done, but if customers don't understand them, they can get confused, impatient and angry. Take time to explain how your systems work and how they simplify transactions. Be careful that your systems don't reduce the human element of your organization.

6.    Appreciate the power of "Yes". Always look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them that you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make doing business with you easy. Always do what you say you are going to do.

7.    Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. It's easy and customers like it. The customer may not always be right, but the customer must always win. Deal with problems immediately and let customers know what you have done. Make it simple for customers to complain. Value their complaints. As much as we dislike it, it gives us an opportunity to improve. Even if customers are having a bad day, go out of your way to make them feel comfortable.

8.    Give more than expected. Since the future of all companies lies in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself above the competition. Consider the following:

·         What can you give customers that they cannot get elsewhere?

·         What can you do to follow-up and thank people even when they don't buy?

·         What can you give customers who got in totally unexpected?

9.    Get regular feedback. Encourage and welcome suggestions about how you could improve. There are several ways in which you can find out what customers think and feel about your services.

·         Listen carefully to what they say.

·         Check back regularly to see how things are going.

·         Provide a method that invites constructive criticism, comments and suggestions.

10. Treat employees well. Employees are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation. Thank them and find ways to let them know how important they are. Treat your employees with respect and chances are they will have a higher regard for customers. Appreciation stems from the top. Treating customers and employees well is equally important.

The Post-Customer Service Age - Interesting, Engaging & Intelligent

The True Story of Cinderella

We've all heard the story of Cinderella hundreds of times since childhood. But the story we've heard is not the real, true story of Cinderella. I'm going to share the true story of Cinderella with you and tell you where the traditional story is wrong.

The story we know describes Cinderella's stepsisters as the "ugly stepsisters," but they weren't ugly at all. In fact, they were as pretty as Cinderella. The story also tells us that the stepsisters were rude, selfish and without poise. But this isn't true. The stepsisters were actually very nice and extremely well-mannered. They were every bit as nice as Cinderella.

At the ball, Prince Charming's first impression of Cinderalla wasn't love at first sight. She walked in with her sisters (another fact left out of the traditional fairy tale), and the prince found all of them equally attractive. All three looked beautiful, and each greeted the Prince in a very courteous way. So, what led the Prince to choose Cinderella, and to quickly forget he had even met the sisters?

The stepsisters were very polite to the prince. But so were about 50 other would-be princesses who attended the ball that night. Being nice to the prince was no way to get noticed, since most everyone was doing it. Cinderella was nice and poised also, but what made her seem so special to the prince was that she was interesting, engaging and intelligent.

The lesson of the true story of Cinderella is that being nice is not enough. Lots of people are nice. If you want to stand out in a crowd, you need to go beyond nice and be interesting, engaging and intelligent.

Just like we've all heard an incorrect story of Cinderella, we've all heard an inaccurate story about customer service and how companies are able to win undying loyalty from their customers. This faulty story tells us that we can win customers just by providing exceptional customer service, because so many of our competitors provide bad customer service. But this isn't true. Sure, there are companies who provide bad customer service (just like there were a few rude, crude guests at Prince Charming's ball), but you can't win a disproportionate share of your customer's business just by giving good service. Enough of your competitors are providing good, basic customer service that it has become a commodity. It's expected.

Good customer service is like being pretty and nice at Prince Charming's ball. It will get you into the ball, but it won't help you win the prince. In this competitive age, much more is needed.

So, what is this "much more" that is needed? What is it that goes beyond customer service and creates true loyalty from customers?

 

Our post-customer service age rewards companies that engage customers in a way that creates a unique relationship with that customer. These companies provide good customer service, of course, but they do more. They aren't just nice, they are interesting, engaging and intelligent. They create unique "We" relationships with their customers.

Effective Customer Interaction - 'Dealing with Difficult Customers'

The economy is not the bullet-speed train it was bit time ago, but it is chugging along. For most of us, business is good. However, things could change overnight if we lose focus on our most important ingredient of our business mix: customers.

Customer satisfaction drives us to continue to provide goods and services. It is what pays the bills so we can have a place to come to work so we can provide more goods and services so we can pay the bills so we can... well, enough said. Unfortunately, there are times when we lose our focus on the customer.

This "Downward Spiral" begins with a massive change in the organization followed by cost cutting and resource stretching. This leads to a demoralized work force which causes an internal focus. This internal focus automatically creates a disconnection from customers which leads to a lack of a capacity to grow. Finally, the lack of growth just leads to more cost-cutting and the cycle begins again and continues until the company dies or someone from management catches the trend and takes steps to correct the process.

The simple solution is to just not get caught in the spiral, right? We know business is not that easy. There are times when it seems that you just can’t please the customer. No matter how hard you try, it is very difficult to please a particular client.

The following are five simple, time-proven techniques to help you with your "problem" customers. For some it may be just a reminder. For others though, it may mean changing your thought process for dealing with these types of customers.

1.) Customer complaining and sounding confused: Set up lines of communication with your client. Make sure they know exactly who to contact when a question or problem arises. It’s bad enough when a client experiences a problem. It is a disaster when the problem occurs and he or she has no one to talk to about it. Report frequently to the customer what you have done or are doing to help with the problem. They want to know how their money is being spent, and they want to assess the value you are providing. Frequent communication is equated with great service.

2.) For the inattentive clients who say one thing but claim to have meant something entirely different: Play back their words to them by repeating what they said in your own words. Ask them "Did I understand you correctly?" This will prompt the client to confirm what he or she just said. This will ensure that you understood the client’s wishes and make a later denial less likely.

3.) You’ve already sold the product or provided the service and now the customer claims it is not what they thought it would be: Psychologically speaking, when we ask for customer’s ideas about the best course of action, we usually cause them to become more lenient and forgiving. We cause them to soften from the often firm positions they feel forced to defend. It makes it all right for them to compromise. The question "What do you feel is the best solution?" often causes disgruntled people to become much more pliable and easy to work with.

4.) The customer’s attitude toward the transaction is really getting to you: Know your aim. Focusing on the finish line--- the work you wish to accomplish, the experience you want to acquire, etc.--- will help to decrease the extent to which your client’s behavior will aggravate you. Remember that it’s not you. If you find yourself dealing with someone who tends to be agitated, impatient, or demanding all the time, stay upbeat about yourself. Chances are that his or her unpleasant behavior is being triggered by something unrelated to you. This doesn’t have to ruin your day. Keep in mind that although being upset with other people’s behavior is understandable, every reaction you have is your choice. Work with difficult people or avoid them as you see fit, but along the way, practice choosing to be content.

5.) You know you are right, but are tempted to give away the product or service to avoid strife: Aside from state and federal regulations, you choose the way you conduct your business. However, you are entitled to get paid for your goods and services and make a profit. If you know you are right, you should get paid and not give any discounts. Being mistreated will upset you, but being mistreated and underpaid will really tee you off and is simply unfair. You have to know when to just walk before the process even gets to the invoice stage. At some point, it is no longer worth playing the game. If the dissonance between you and a client is so great that it interferes with you achieving your aim, consider terminating the agreement.

We all have to deal with problem customers from time to time. It should not kill your business though. Simple common courtesy usually works to smooth over turbulent times. The structure of well-mannered conversation will help keep both you and your customer from straying into unpleasant territory. For almost any problem, you can discuss possible solutions by practicing these action guidelines:

Suggest options
Ask for customer’s ideas
Agree on the best cause of action
When you methodically apply these steps you will usually get very positive results.

Finally, laugh when you can. Have a sense of humor about your work, and look for ways to share it with people who test your patience. Helping them to realize that you are going to survive this collaboration may lay groundwork for better rapport. We all take our business serious, as we should. It provides for our families and the families of our employees and in some case, future generations. However, if we can take a moment to look at the overall picture and observe that the battle between you and the disgruntled client will not even matter in five years, and in some cases before the day is over, we can relax.

Voxtron Middle East Newsletter - July 2012

Middle East Call Center Conference and Exhibition – Event Highlights

The just concluded event proved to be a great experience for the exhibitors as well as the visitors. We were excited to see the positive response of the visitors which included regional professionals, subject matter specialists and decision-makers, who were keen to explore the new solution platforms and latest developments in Customer Interactions solutions arena. The gathering and active participation of them further strengthens our belief that there is strong demand for small to medium sized multimedia contact centers, which are still growing very strongly, despite the downturn along with mobility solutions to address people working from home and not traveling. During the event, Voxtron has demonstrated its latest version of its contact center solution called Voxtron Communication Center (VCC) 8.

Voxtron releases new version of Voxtron Communication Center (VCC)

Voxtron is happy to announce the release of VCC 8 with a host of dynamic improvements that allow existing customers to increase efficiency. Most of the new features and improvements in VCC 8 are the result of suggestions and feedback from users, all of which allow VCC to evolve and continue to meet their changing needs. What is new in this version? Multiple queues – This feature of VCC allows configuring separate hold music, wait time and other call handling parameters for each queue. Agents can login to multiple queues and the overflow mechanism makes sure that the agents are better utilized. Overflow could be configured with multiple parameters like longest waiting, contacts per queue etc. Agent performance can also be measured per queue and each queue is capable of handling multimedia contacts, Voice, Fax, Email, Chat, Social Media requests and Objects! Object Routing – Voxtron has added one more innovative routing into its VCC platform – Objects! Objects could be a scanned document, customer appointment tickets, support tickets, tweets, face book posts from a web or non-web based application and the data related to the content of the received data would be send to a specific queue and displayed on Voxtron Client. This method of routing could be added to back office applications, CRM etc. to track the movement of customer requests and measure the  performance of agents. SIP Phone – Physical phones are no more needed, Voxtron SIP Phone is embedded into the Voxtron Client or can also be used as a stand-alone soft phone. It also provides a one touch voice-mail access, Outlook integration of contacts. Existing Voxtron customers with current and valid support contract, are entitled to the 8.0 upgrade at no additional cost. Reach us for more details

Voxtron to participate at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto

Voxtron will be showcasing its latest Contact Center Solution (VCC8) on Microsoft Lync platform at the WPC event being held form July 8-12 in in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This will mark our first participation as an exhibitor, and, as a Gold Certified Partner. You may visit us at booth number 554. The  Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference is premier event for Microsoft Partner Community: www.digitalwpc.com/WPC2012/

4 Reasons Why Sage CRM Isn’t Your Typical CRM Solution

If you are looking into a CRM solution for your company, the research alone can be quite a headache. Sage CRM is not only one of the top contenders in CRM world, it’s also one of the most dynamic.  Going beyond the basic features, these are the top 4 ways Sage CRM beats your typical CRM solution.

Work The Way YOU Want

A lot of CRM solutions offer enticing features but with major drawbacks, often CRM requires you to switch your business model to fit their system. As a business owner, the last thing you want to hear is somebody telling you what to do. Sage CRM is completely customizable to fit to your business needs. Drop-down options, Screen lay outs and workflow setting are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to laying out how you want Sage CRM to work for you. When you have your first demonstration of Sage CRM, let your mind wander. Tell your Sage Partner how you operate and what you want Sage CRM to do.

See What You Are Paying For

Before you purchase Sage CRM, you will know exactly what you are paying for. There are no hidden fees, no nickel and diming.

Unfortunately, some CRM solutions such as Salesforce.com rely on getting your company up and running at a reasonable cost, then charging outrageous fees for data storage once you exceed your allotted amount. This will leave you in a difficult and expensive situation that will cost you even more if you decide to switch and need to pull your data off their server. After all the trouble of implementing a new, failed solution you will be back at square one. Sage CRM lets the other guys fool around with hidden fees in favor of satisfying, successful customer implementations.

Step Up Your Marketing

The E-Marketing feature in Sage CRM gives you the power to take control of your marketing efforts. Ditch the third-party websites you’ve been importing and exporting data from and starting doing everything inside CRM. The E-Marketing feature is included in the out of the box version of Sage CRM and allows you to keep all of your campaign data inside the system. You can create or import email templates and track recipient analytics against customer records. If Jon Smith opens your new product announcement five times, pick up the phone and give him a call to close the sale. Sage CRM makes it simple to track your ROI on all marketing efforts.

Get The Features You Want

Sage CRM may not have every feature you need out of the box but that doesn’t mean you can’t get what you want. If you’ve asked about it, chances are hundreds of others have too.  Sage CRM has a rich community of third party developers that have created Add-ons for every business need. Unlike other CRM solutions, Sage encourages third party developers to create features Sage CRM users want. Ask you Sage Partner if you don’t see something you must have, chances are it’s ready to be installed.

Are you a new or seasoned Sage CRM user? What have you discovered about Sage CRM that beats out the other CRM solutions?