Category Archive: …Customer Service

Browse the latest news on all aspects of customer service here. We’ve pulled together some of the best sources for what’s happening in customer service — the best advice, suggestions and help for improving customer service.

Jul 03

If It Wasn’t For The Customers I’d Really Like This Job – A Solution For Difficult Customers

Categories:

...Customer Service, Customer Service

by rbacal

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You’re young, dedicated to customer service, and have a job where you encounter a lot of irate, difficult and demanding customers. They drive you crazy. They eat into your time.

They may even “come home with you” after a long day, as you go over and over what you SHOULD have said. You revisit the insults and verbal attacks that sometimes come from angry customers.

There’s A Solution

If It Wasn’t For The Customers I’d Really LIke This Job, will teach you the uncommon skills of dealing with those irate and difficult customers. Not will you save time by learning the skills in the book, but we’ll also teach you some self-control and stress management skills.

Learn to:

  • Stop ranting customers cold, and get them to listen so you can help
  • Defuse in the proper sequence to save time, while staying professional
  • Apply some basic self-talk strategies to help keep your own emotions in check.
  • Involve a colleague or supervisor properly so it isn’t “passing the buck”.
  • Apply the CARP defusing model
  • ….and tons more

This isn’t a theoretical book. It’s almost 200 pages of skills, and “what to say” guides for the many situations you may face:

  • How to respond to insults (you’re so stupid, you’re discriminating against me)
  • How to deal with manipulative customers trying to squeeze you  for more.
  • How to say no in a way that doesn’t create more problems
  • How to get customers to be quiet when on the phone and you need to be heard
  • How to deal with customers who get in your face, or space
  • …and more

Get it NOW

It’s time. Don’t be a victim. Don’t make the most common mistakes that make difficult customer encounters worse. Go to our If It Wasn’t For The Customers, I’d Really Like This Job page, and return the enjoyment to your customer service job.

 

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Jun 22

What Companies Know About Customer Service That Customer Service Advocates Don’t

Categories:

...Customer Service, Customer Service, Dude, Who Stole My Internet

by rbacal

Various studies have come up with similar findings. Despite the lip service paid to using the Internet, and in particular, social media, to provide customer support, the reality is that companies aren’t stepping up to improve the quality of service.

Various research studies have found that somewhere between 70% and 90% of requests and comments for and about companies go unanswered on Facebook on Twitter.

Why? Do companies know something customer service advocates don’t? Are they just scared of social media? That’s the topic of this article.

Nothing To Do With Fear and Ignorance

Customer service advocates have suggested that the reason why companies aren’t doing customer service on Twitter and Facebook effectively is because senior are frightened of giving up power, or, they “just don’t get” social media. While there’s no way to rule out this possibility, it’s unlikely. There are other good reasons.

Improving Customer Service Doesn’t  Pay

First, some advocates suggest, based on a tiny sampling of often overblown reports, that there are numerous examples of companies saving large amounts of money, and creating sales via better customer service. Unfortunately, most of those reports are self-serving, and consist of press releases from the companies themselves, or the companies they hire. While there are probably companies that have made social media and customer service a paying proposition, there are probably one hundred companies or even a thousand companies that are losing money by being involved in social media, and/or improving customer service.

Second, the costs of serving customers via social media, for example, are always under-estimated, because the addition of social media as a customer service channel costs more. You still have to support phones, and email, and walk-ins, and the cost savings only exist when companies can replace those channels and eliminate them completely. Not happening.

The bottom line, a line that customer service advocates to NOT get to see, is that it may be worthwhile appearing to provide customer support in social, it’s NOT worth doing well. At least for the average company. There will always be singular companies that succeed this way, but we don’t see the costs, or the invisible failures — they just cease using their accounts.

Customer Service As Competitive Advantage? No.

What companies know, and advocates do not, is that while it would seem like better customer service would be a competitive advantage, it’s simply not that simple, and in many cases, and for various businesses, it simply doesn’t work.

First, customer service quality affects different niches differently. A high end restaurant or hotel, for example, MUST have high quality service. A convenience store does not need to. Well branded companies holding market share (Google is an example), don’t have to offer any customer service, and in fact, Google doesn’t. Same for Twitter, Facebook, and all the major online companies (Amazon is actually the best of the lot).

Second, consider the logic. Customer service IS something that most companies can do. There’s nothing in the process that cannot be copied, and in fact that’s what happens, or at least, can happen. For those of you unfamiliar with the idea of competitive advantage, it must involve doing things that other competitors cannot copy. So, IF companies up their customer service games, whether on or offline, and reap the profits, it’s only short term. As a competitive advantage, customer service is simply not sustainable.

The Effects of Online Comments Is Overblown

Finally, you’d think that bad customer reviews (or good ones) would be significant. The survey research says so. But does it? No. Actually, people are notoriously poor at understanding their own decisions for a number of psychological reasons, and the only evidence that online comments actually alter buying BEHAVIOR is from survey data — i.e., asking people what influences them. There’s not a more flawed research technique. We know that in the research world, and it’s one reason why companies that track consumer television behavior don’t rely on self-reports. The Nielson ratings, for example use boxes that track real consumer behavior, and with that data, they can then correlate survey responses to behavior. Almost all current customer research on the effects of comments is not only worthless or misleading.

Conclusions: What They Know and Why Customer Perceptions of Service Quality Have Declined

It doesn’t pay. Not only doesn’t pay for MOST companies (it does for a small minority), but it actually is more expensive, in fact hugely expensive to do it WELL. They aren’t doing it. You can shout all you want, but you don’t see their numbers.

  • Customer service isn’t the competitive advantage it’s touted to be. Companies that raise their game will end up spending more money, without any increase in the bottom line. It takes too long to change brand perceptions, and by the time one has done that competitors will have upped their game, creating a “war”, where nobody wins.
  • Despite all the claims, and they seem overwhelming, that online comments are powerful in forging buying decisions, they are not. It seems they are, because of use of survey results that are not validated to actual customer behavior.
  • Companies know all this. Which is why the vast majority of complaints on Facebook and Twitter are ignored. Pure and simple.

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Mar 29

Ah!DarnCustomers Android App Coming Features

Categories:

...Customer Service, Apps

by rbacal

We’ve been busy adding some cool new features to the upcoming release of Ah!DarnCustomers, our unique tool for both customer service staff AND regular people who want to learn how to access better customer service.

New Android App Features Include:

  • A customer humor section. There’s tons of laughs here as we look at the crazy things customers do and say, intentionally or accidentally. If you don’t laugh out loud…well, you probably aren’t breathing either.
  • A section just for customers. Here you’ll find advice and help to assist you in getting through to companies when you need customer service.
  • Audio features. (Beta) In the upcoming release, you’ll be able to test drive listening to book chapters from If It Wasn’t For The Customers, I’d Really Like This Job.
  • App Guide. Covers the features of the app, and suggestions to get the most from it.

Get It NOW from Google Play (Market) and Auto Update

New apps are released first on Google Play, and if you install the app now, you’ll be able to auto-access updates. The link to more info about the AH!DarnCustomers app is here, and you can install it from there to your smartphone or tablet that runs Android.

Total Feature List

 

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Mar 20

What’s New In The Quest For Better Customer Service?

Categories:

...Customer Service

by rbacal

If you are in the customer service field, and trying to keep up with the almost daily shifts in social media, call centers, dealing with difficult customers, and more, this is the place to be. Our feeds are updated regularly so you might want to book mark this page.


The TweetDeck Fiasco
Friday, May 17, 2013

Earlier this month, Tweetdeck ended support for Facebook feeds, becoming essentially nothing more than another Twitter client in an already overcrowded field, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to start with. To make matters worse and even more bizarre, they pulled their apps from Android .. .. read more..

SEO Tailored to a Spanish-Speaking Audience in the US
Friday, May 17, 2013

What does SEO look like when tailored to a Spanish-speaking audience? Here’s a hint: it’s not about a direct translation of keywords. Basic literary translation theory says that good translations move beyond issues of “letter” (that is, a literal word-for-word trot) into the “spirit” of the language.. .. read more..

7 Things You Need to Consider Before Using Facebook Ads
Friday, May 17, 2013

You can show your Facebook ad to anyone, people who already like your page, or people who do not yet like your page. However, the “platinum,” is friends of connections. By selecting this option your ads will show to friends of your existing fans (those who already like your page). .. read more..

Three Instant Facebook Page Tweaks That Maximize Reach
Friday, May 17, 2013

Most of what you read about creating more reach for your Facebook Page either has to do with Facebook Ads or optimizing content. But these three little settings for your Page can also dramatically increase reach. .. read more..

Poll – On home workers which statement best describes your centre?
Friday, May 17, 2013

During our webinar “7 Contact Centre Challenges” our audience were asked “On home workers which statement best describes your centre?” Poll answers 31% – Not suitable and won’t be trialling or implementing it 16% – Currently in our plans but not yet implemented 20% – In place.. .. read more..

The Ultimate Google+ Cheat Sheet
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Here's a Google+ cheat sheet to keep handy and get the most out of every post. This cheat sheet breaks it all down from post anatomy, notifications, style options, photo editing and more! .. read more..

Facebook Video Ads: Eek!!
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Although Facebook tests everything and course-corrects as needed, the challenge here will be to find a balance between generating revenue and the psychology of what Facebook users think the service is (no one likes being sold to). .. read more..

Abercrombie & Fitch: Good Marketing and Bad PR?
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Good marketers know you have to stand for something. You can’t be all things to all people and still expect to build an iconic brand. Targeting is what sets you apart from the rest – a fact that holds especially true when it comes to fashion. And branding isn’t just about whom to attract; it’s also .. .. read more..

Trial and Error, Especially Error, in Content Marketing
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Good content marketing oftentimes requires companies to go out on a limb. And they call it “going out on a limb” for a reason. It’s risky, uncharted territory, and it wouldn’t be all too surprising if you fell. In this post, you’ll find some companies that… well… fell. .. read more..

Facebook for Small Business: Is It Worth It?
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Many small businesses wonder if Facebook is really a good investment of their time and resources, particularly when getting into the Facebook newsfeed of their fans is such a challenge. .. read more..

Are You Aware of LinkedIn’s Skills and Expertise Search Function?
Thursday, May 16, 2013

Under this section, LinkedIn lists other users who have these same skills. This can be used to find new networking contacts, but it also illustrates how easy it can be for a potential client to find you when searching for targeted professional skills and services. .. read more..

5 Ways to Succeed (or Fail) When Handling Customer Complaints
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

If your organization views customer complaints as a burden, let alone a nuisance, it is severely misguided when it comes to customer management. A customer-centric organization recognizes a complaining customer—even one with a rude, abrasive, annoying personality—as an o .. read more..

10 Ways to Promote an Infographic
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Unfortunately, because of all the noise in this vast Internet maize, it’s no easy task getting your infographic out there, and even the most beautiful ones need lots of heavy promotion to get in front of as many people as possible, generate shares and get plenty of quality backlinks. .. read more..

SEO Tips for Infinite Scrolling
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

In dealing with Infinite Scrolling, the use of SEO is going to be absolutely essential. You can tell if you are making it easy for your site to be crawled by disabling JavaScript and then looking to see if there are links to static archive pages, usually organized by year and/or by month. You can al.. .. read more..

What are some trends in Customer Feedback and how is this changing Customer Expe..
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Listen to Dr. Gary Edwards, Chief Customer Officer, reveal some trends in customer feedback and how these trends are changing Customer Experience Management. In this video Gary explains: How technology has changed the way we consume and understand data and the internet How mobile devices and social.. .. read more..

Editorial Calendar Stress? Content Brainstorm Could Spell Relief
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Is the lack of new ideas for your company’s blog stressing you into insomnia and nail biting? It’s daunting to be the one who has to keep the editorial calendar filled with blog post concepts on an ongoing basis. .. read more..

How a Blogging Community Can Help Mediate Problems with Authorship
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

You can imagine our surprise when Yvette was publicly accused of stealing someone else’s blog post in the comments of her own. Plagiarism is a fireable offense here. I won’t stand for it, nor do I want our clients to have to endure what the UPS Store did when they outsourced their content developmen.. .. read more..

The 4 Key Components of Digital Marketing All Marketers Must Use
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

While content is obviously important, what is more important is the context it is provided in. A lot of successful entrepreneurs and marketers have shown us that in order to truly make the most out of digital marketing, it is imperative that firms are able to integrate technology with creativity. .. read more..

Behold, the future is coming!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Paul Cooper writes about customer service from 10 years in the future. Looking back to 2013 from today – 2023 – it’s difficult to conceive of how it must have felt to be a customer back then. Low-cost airlines (whatever happened to them!) didn’t let you sit where you wanted; supermarkets.. .. read more..

17 top tips for workforce management
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

You can have the best staff in the business, but it will count for nothing if they’re not in the right place at the right time. Here are some tips from our readers on how to optimise your workforce management (WFM). 1.    Be clear on what you are trying to achieve Efficiency is the key. [...] .. read more..

Next webinars in the series…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

23rd May – Top 5 Workforce Management Myths 6th June – Multi-channel Mayhem? 13th June – 10 Ways to Improve your NetPromoter scores 20th June – The Best Social Customer Service Strategies 27th June – Automation in the customer journey – when, where, how? 11th July ̵.. .. read more..

Businesses lose money through poor customer experience
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

New research from NewVoiceMedia reveals that UK companies deemed to have poor customer service are losing approximately £12 billion a year. According to the survey, half of UK consumers are taking their business elsewhere as a result of inadequate service – and of those, 92% have switched at least o.. .. read more..

Winners of Noble Awards announced
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Noble Systems has hosted its second annual Users Group conference and awards. The event focused on improving contact centre efficiency and featured guests from industries including financial services, charities, county councils, debt management, accounts recovery and more. At the Select Noble Users .. .. read more..

Careful what your employees are tweeting!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Gemma Murphy shares some lessons on social media for employees and employers. There used to be a clearer line between an employee’s professional and personal life, but with the ever growing use of social networking sites for business and pleasure, that line is increasingly blurred. Whilst social med.. .. read more..

New field service management app
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

mplsystems has extended its field service solution with the addition of powerful integrated mobile apps that support both client self-service and field worker activities. The company’s new iMobile functionality supports all major mobile platforms and allows field-service management staff to minimise.. .. read more..

The ‘first ever’ complaint about sales calls?
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Is this the first ever complaint about a sales call? We like to think that complaints about sales calls are something new, but it seems to have been going on for over 100 years. Thanks to Carl Adkins from Infinity CSS for sending in this extract from the book Signor Marconi’s Magic Box. If you [...] .. read more..

Case Study: Tyne Tunnel Crossing operator
Wednesday, May 15, 2013

TT2 Limited has improved transaction security and the customer experience with Payment Automation from Netcall. The Challenge TT2 Limited is responsible for the service delivery and finance of the three tunnels that make up the Tyne Tunnel Crossing, a major thoroughfare that handles over 47,000 jour.. .. read more..

Steps to Protect Your Social Media Account from Getting Hacked
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

As you may have heard by now, The Onion recently became the latest in a string of large news organizations to be attacked and have their Twitter hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army. They were able to regain control fairly quickly, but in a surprising twist, they also decided to publish a blog post .. .. read more..

5 Ways to Grow Your Business with Facebook
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

If you want to grow your business with Facebook, you have to be constantly adding value and engagement on your page. Good content would certainly help you to do that, but good content is wasted and ineffective if you don’t have a supportive community to broadcast your content to. .. read more..

LinkedIn Invitations: Everything You Need to Know
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Most knowledgeable LinkedIn users would agree that best practice when sending an invitation to connect on LinkedIn should include a personal note introducing yourself and expressing why you want to connect. Although I personally don’t think it’s a crime to send a generic LinkedIn connection request,.. .. read more..

Automation and Digital Marketing Personalization [INFOGRAPHIC]
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

One of the nice elements of a marketing automation system is the ability to collect data direct from the prospect as well as capture their behavior over time. Old school personalization required extensive form captures that had high abandonment rates. Utilizing marketing automation, you can slowly c.. .. read more..

Increase Your Facebook Reach
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Facebook insights gives you a fabulous amount of information, but it is only as good as the user using it. To increase your Facebook reach, your goal should be to get as many shares, likes and comments on your posts as you can. The more you have of the “big 3,” the higher your reach will be. .. read more..

Abercrombie & Fitch’s “Mistake” – Is It About Customer Management or Political C..
Monday, May 13, 2013

Publicity stunt or not, when Abercrombie & Fitch publicly asked “Jersey Shore” star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino to stop wearing its clothing , .. read more..

Twitter, Google Disappoint in an Era of Multi-Channel Customer Service
Monday, May 13, 2013

Editor’s note:  Because Twitter and Google do not necessarily engage in direct transactions with all users, one is free to take umbrage with use of the word “customer.”  However, insofar as these users do have a relationship of mutual consideration with the orga .. read more..

What drives your dealership business? Recommendations!
Monday, May 13, 2013

What happens when consumers need information to help drive their vehicle purchase decisions? They seek recommendations from their friends. Gone are the days when they turned to TV and print ads for recommendations. Word of mouth is now the best ad – positive buzz about your service and products pas.. .. read more..

5 ways to go above and beyond with customer service
Friday, May 10, 2013

Customers don’t always remember the products they purchased or the service they received after the fact, but they will always remember the little gestures you made that enhanced their overall purchasing experience. Making them feel good about not only making the purchase, but making it from you, sh.. .. read more..

Give your restaurant customers a reason to come back after Mother’s Day
Friday, May 10, 2013

With Mother’s Day always falling on a Sunday, it’s the all-time most popular holiday for dining out. Restaurants look forward to this special day as it is one of the most profitable holidays. According to this survey conducted by National Restaurant Association , more than one-quarter of American a.. .. read more..

Customers don’t think in channels, they see your brand as one entity
Thursday, May 9, 2013

Shopping used to be simple — customers would browse in-store, touching and trying on the products, interacting with the floor associates and finally making a decision whether to purchase or not. Since the wide adoption of the Internet, shopping has become a much more complicated process — customers.. .. read more..

6 Reasons Agents Are Leaving Your Contact Center
Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Greg Levin originally blogged on this topic for Intradiem and Off Center : “Why is morale so low?” “Why can’t we hang on to our best agents?” “Why .. read more..

How Mastercard Puts the Social Customer at the Command
Wednesday, May 8, 2013

When it comes to strategy in today’s multi-channel climate, there is investing in social, and there is going social. Investing in social is not without its benefits.  It provides brands another channel—and a rather inexpensive one—through which they c .. read more..

Customer Management Lessons from “Seinfeld” – Part Three
Monday, May 6, 2013

It is not what the teacher intends to teach but what the student is able to learn. While Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the brains behind “Seinfeld,” certainly knew their sitcom provided a platform for commentating on the ways in which humans behave and relate in societ .. read more..

3 Cs of Cross-Selling: How You Can Satisfy Customers AND Drive More Revenue
Monday, May 6, 2013

In a low growth economy, many companies understand that one of the best way to grow revenues is by selling more goods and services to existing customers.  At the core of this strategy is ‘customer focus’ – providing better solutions to satisfy more .. read more..

Don’t Bank on the Weather – but Great Customer Experience Will Always Pay Off!
Thursday, May 2, 2013

Empathica’s Steve Raher advises on how to serve up outstanding hospitality experiences over bank holiday weekends, whatever the weather. read more » .. read more..

Telephone Better Than Social Media for Customer Complaints; But Why?
Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Multi-channel is not merely a way of saying “build a presence in new channels.”  It is not a synonym for a first foray into social media or live chat. It, instead, is a call to assure your customer experience is integrated–and effective–at every conceivable touch .. read more..

Q&A: Engraining a Customer-Centric Culture in the Contact Center (And Measuring ..
Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Lisa Church is the Chief Experience Officer at 1st Advantage Credit Union, where her biggest role is infusing customer experience into every aspect of the company’s culture. Lisa, who will be presenting on this essential topic at the 14 th Annual Call Center Week, recently join .. read more..

Using Mobile to Optimize the Customer Experience with “The Changing Face of Cust..
Monday, April 29, 2013

On April 25th 2013, GovLoop and Oracle hosted an event called, “The Changing Face of Customer Service” that brought together professionals on the topic of customer experience. After several insightful presentations, the event closed with a panel featuring a variety of customer service experts: Scot.. .. read more..

Engaging Millennials in the Contact Center, Why Citibank Nixed Its “Digital Mark..
Sunday, April 28, 2013

In this new feature, Customer Management IQ investigates some of the contact center, customer experience and marketing stories impacting professionals . Gamification: The Answer to Engaging Millennials in the Contact Center They’re just peop .. read more..

3 Things to Know When Creating the Ultimate Customer Experience
Sunday, April 28, 2013

Ultimately, the end goal is to create an experience for your customers that is unique from your competition and far surpasses the expectations of the customer. But while many business leaders may know and understand this concept, it's an entirely .. read more..

Learning from Pizza Hut & Borders: Can Performance Incentives Hurt the Customer ..
Sunday, April 28, 2013

Under the irrefutable philosophy that happy, productive agents create satisfied, engaged customers, wise brands implement meaningful incentive programs. By showering compelling rewards—not simply pats on the back—on top performers, leaders simultaneously encourage produc .. read more..

Who Do You Serve?: How to Improve Agency Customer Experience According to Martha..
Friday, April 26, 2013

Yesterday (Thursday, April 25 th ), GovLoop and Oracle hosted an event, “The Changing Face of Customer Service.” There, several professionals came forward to share their experience and opinion on how to improve agency customer service, including Martha Dorris, Deputy Associate Administrator of the .. .. read more..



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