US Mail Customer Service Dwindles and Now They Threaten Us With Increased Stamp Prices?

The United States Post Office is severely upsetting customers and therefore diminishing its value to our great nation. Almost to the point of people choosing to go completely digital and simply calling for the shutting down of the USPS; sounds too harsh you say?

Internal and External Customers

External customers are the company’s clients. They are people who purchase the products the company produces. They are of a great importance to the organization. There are also internal customers. They play an important role in the organization’s success as well. Internal customers are the staff that the company hires.

Who's Answering Your Email?

Websites, e-mail and digital voice mail are changing the game in business. Some companies are taking the lead with great digital service like Computers.com and Amazon.com. Others are falling far behind. A friend of mine had a complaint about the service at a local hotel. He visited the hotel’s website and wrote to the 'feedback' e-mail address provided. One week later he got this reply:

9 WOW Ways to WOW Customers

This week is National Customer Service Week. As we celebrate the people who pay our bills, I want to give a few low-cost and no-cost ideas to WOW Customers so that they come back again and again and tell everyone they know.

Computer Service Contracts - Moving From Customer to Client

Computer service contracts are the butter of a computer services business. Your ultimate goal is to get as many people as you can on a computer service contract.

Positive, Proactive Communication

Whether you are in education, marketing, retail, logistics, government service, entertainment or insurance, communicating positively and proactively with your clients makes sense.

How To Lose a Customer for Life

Occasionally things do go sour. When it happens to you, fix the problem fast. Make it your speed, generosity and concern that gets remembered. Not the trouble, or the tofu.

Preserve the Loyalty You Deserve

When the service you provide jeopardizes your customer's relationship with their customers, you need to respond with twice the speed and twice the recovery effort. After all, now your upset customer has upset customers! Of course there will be costs and consequences and perhaps some aggravation, but leap to it right away. Be the supplier who takes immediate action to set the wrong things right.

Are You Referable?

Being technically competent is not enough to build a growing business. You may be a terrific lawyer, doctor, accountant, broker, supplier, programmer, manufacturer or car mechanic, but if you don't keep your promises in every way, you just won't be referred.

Take the Extra Step, Enjoy the Extra Business

Coffee company ‘********’ and Singapore bank ‘***’ are both very big in their markets. They are major players with many customers, huge budgets and profits (for now). But big bureaucracies can quickly become impersonal and remote. Staff can become more interested in doing things easily for themselves and pleasing their bosses, than serving their customers with a smile. Meanwhile, smaller players who want more market share, greater customer loyalty and positive word of mouth can teach their staff to be pleasant, helpful, motivated and appreciative toward those who really count – the customers.

In the Spirit of Service

To offer the spirit of service, look beyond your customer's request to identify their true concerns. What you can offer may be different, and more effective, than what they have requested. Listen for unspoken needs, not just spoken words.

Find and Do Your Own Thing

What is 'your thing'? Is it the personal note you attach to outgoing documents? Is it the enthusiastic tone in your voice on the phone? Is it your pride in teaching customers or colleagues something new? Is it as simple as the colorful clothes you wear, the magazine and newspaper articles you share with others, or your passion for indoor plants that makes the whole office come alive?

Overcoming the Nasty Pirate

Put positive emotion and a personal touch in your service recovery efforts. Customers will remember and cherish you forever.

Information as a Competitive Advantage – Part 2: Creation of Customer Value

Information which: contributes to the understanding of the customer profile, the market segmentation and the focused provisioning of products and services on selected Customer groups

Negative Feedback

In the business world sometimes you would need to provide negative feedback. It is not very pleasant. In this article I will discuss negative feedbacks in more details.