Is Good Customer Service Hurting Your Business?
April 26, 2012
By Nerida Gill, Admin Bandit
You know what annoys me? Text book customer service. It comes across as fake, as if the person serving has been told to go through the motions or is being “nice” just to make me come back and buy more.
Now that’s an abrupt way to start a blog post! Each month, however, I choose a topic that’s close to heart, and lately well-intended customer service, the kind experts propound, is not just leaving me cold, it’s stopping me purchasing from some businesses.
It’s not that good customer service has no merit; it’s just that the all too common practise of reducing human interactions to a policy, a set of instructions to be followed for the sake of sales performance doesn’t work for me. I’m not denying that I’m in small business to earn money, especially repeat purchases… I just don’t think a one-size-fits-all formula works. It takes the soul out of what it means to be alive!
Apart from this, the notion of an a-b-c guide to creating customer satisfaction has two inherent flaws.
First, very few of the experts who advocate it have hands-on experience at the coal face. When did they last have a stream of frazzled callers in a telephone queue for a help desk? How often have they stood behind a cash register, legs aching, on a Friday night when their friends are out having fun? Without this experience, their advice is simply… well, a theory.
Second, people are savvy. We see through rote customer service, which is usually half-hearted, like singing out your times tables in primary school. It insults me because I am a unique person and I want to be treated as such. In a society like ours, where people are so often insecure or lonely, we crave interactions that make us feel special.
How do you feel when the person serving you says “Hello,” but is already looking through you to the next customer or recites, “Have a nice day” with the same enthusiasm they’d apply to pulling chewing gum off a bus seat?
On bad days, I want to scream. On good ones, I think of the larger-than-life characters from the classic TV show Are You Being Served?, who do everything by the book, but leave every single customer completely unsatisfied!
So what’s the solution… how do you provide customer service that is fresh and relevant?
- Start seeing customers as individuals instead of in terms of a service policy. Just like you, they have dreams and loved ones, heartaches and problems, but each person is unique, which means they may need a slightly different approach.
- Be real. Never fake a smile or compliment, and make your conversations genuine. If you’re having a bad day, admit it because customers appreciate honesty and may surprise you by offering a listening ear, good advice or a much-needed laugh.
- Be friendly and helpful because you can, not just in the name of customer service. Relating to people is a skill that can be learned, one that becomes far easier when you give them a little slack, and realise that personalities come in all shapes and sizes. Start by trying to understand people, especially that previous hurt influence current behaviour, and practising both sympathy and empathy. If you have staff, motivate and inspire them to do the same, and encourage them to personally enjoy each interaction.
- Difficult people still deserve kindness — as the saying goes, “two wrongs don’t make a right”, so I choose to take the moral high ground. Besides, being rude or mean is usually a sure sign that a person has a miserable life and, thus, needs my support.
- Make someone’s day by acknowledging they’re special. This could be remembering a small detail or taste, throwing in a dash of light humour, adding an unexpected ribbon on packaging or throwing in a discount or freebie. The best extras are spontaneous and random, given simply because you can.
What I’m really suggesting is that we make our interactions as enjoyable as possible. At the end of the day, I believe our human relationships are the only things that truly make us happy, so I want to make the most of each one. It’s important to remember that every encounter is an “exchange”… you are both “giving” a service and “receiving” a response. This is what creates community, which, ultimately, is what makes running your own business enjoyable and rewarding.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY NERIDA GILL
- How to Pull Your Small Business Out of a Slump
- A Facebook Case Study: Craft Makes Me Happy
- Conquering the Facebook Frontier for Small Business
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Nerida Gill - Admin BanditNerida Gill is the creator of Admin Bandit, a web-based accounting package designed specifically to make keeping the books easy for volunteer treasurers in community groups. After winning numerous business awards, Admin Bandit is in a growth phase after recently attracting external investment.
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Customer Service Tips: What Happens if Your Product Sucks?
April 20, 2012
By Vivienne Kane, Minuteman Press Prahran
Photo credit: cleaningspot.com.au
Were we expecting to have a great customer service experience when we looked at vacuum cleaners last Sunday? Not really – we just needed something that sucked! (unlike the sadly ineffectual model we were replacing). We ended up at a well known electrical retailer with limited time and pretty low expectations.
Enter the customer service specialist – friendly, efficient, and an absolute expert at getting inside our heads.
Did she blind us with choices from the jump? Absolutely not.
She asked lots of questions. We didn’t look at a single vacuum until she’d:
- Established our budget ballpark
- Quizzed us extensively on the purpose and expectations we had for the product
- Discussed the pros and cons of different product types
By that stage, she could show us a range of models from just below our budget to a few just above – but with value propositions that were very appropriate for our needs. She had us thinking through the options – with all the things that were important to us to the fore.
We had a play with them – and ended up with a model that was at the top of our budget range – but covered every base we were looking for brilliantly. Win win.
Really great customer service is not about bowling the customer over with your opinions.
You probably know more about the features and benefits of your product, and can appreciate the subtle differences between options better than the average customer. (Though not always, which will definitely keep you on your toes!)
Of course, for most customers, your expert advice is valuable – but don’t assume your preferences are the same as theirs. What you think and value may or may not correlate. The aim isn’t to make the customer think like you, it’s to provide great customer service and to find the best option for them.
Is that what you’re doing for your customers? And are your staff singing from the same song sheet or do you provide a great customer service experience?
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY VIVIENNE KANE
- You paid for the phone to ring – so don’t make these 9 mistakes
- Are You Hiding From Your Customers?
- If your business came to life as a person, what would your customers think?
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Vivienne Kane – Minuteman Press PrahranAs the owner and operations manager of Minuteman Press Prahran, a franchise print supplier, Vivienne works with small business customers every day. She runs the business, and their online specialty division CalendarPrint, with her husband Nicholas and their talented staff. With a customer base which often has little experience in buying print, Minuteman Prahran’s point of difference is making the process as painless as possible. Vivienne is a strong advocate of clear and reliable communication as a key tool in winning and keeping customers. She started her professional life as a Speech Pathologist, and enjoyed a variety of roles in administration and community groups before establishing Minuteman Press in 2000. She has three Gen-Y adult children, is an almost an empty nester, loves travel and is a member of two book clubs.
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Customer Service and Company Values: How Zappos Built Business Success
April 19, 2012
When it comes to customer service and Australian businesses, often we find ourselves comparing the customer service experience in Australia to that which we experience when travelling to or dealing with US merchants. I know I do it.
Obviously there are exceptions. And, I won’t go for the ‘well, they’re being nice cause they want a bit tip’ argument when it comes to US customer service. Nobody HAS to provide good service.
I find that in the US, there seems to be more attention on training staff to manage customers and, especially in restaurants, the service is umpteen times better than in Australia.
The name Zappos has come to stand for a new standard of customer service, an amazing online shopping experience, a great place to work and the most impressive transformational business success story of recent years. Simply put, Zappos is revolutionising business and changing lives.
When it comes to customer service, I’ve experienced Zappos’ first hand and it WAS impressive.
Zappos customer service and their business success has become such a benchmark that one man, Joseph Michelli, has written a book about it: The Zappos Experience.
I finished the book last night and, while I’ve heard the Zappos story a few times, including LIVE at SXSW a couple of years ago when co-founder Tony Hsieh presented a keynote, the book was a great thought-starter for me because:
- Small businesses can often underestimate the power of values and culture, thinking these are things reserved for big businesses, when in fact, they are an important part of small business success too. When I had a team of 25, we had our vision up on the wall and getting to know these was part of staff induction. Now that I head up a small team, we don’t visit the company values or talk about our culture much. We have values and we do have a way of doing business and rituals that are uniquely ours, but we don’t explore them. This is something I want to change.
- Having a focus that incorporates love and generosity is not a normal idea. Zappos does it AND earns very handsome profits. The Zappos Experience made me question what the feeling is that we want customers to leave with after they interact with us. This will be a question I’ll ask our team and we’ll come up with an answer and direction.
- Customer experience and the speed with which their needs are met are paramount to business success. From page load time to the time it takes to answer a call, Zappos measures velocity as a way that satisfies customers. When was the last time you measured what it takes to make a purchase on your site or to get back to a customer inquiry?
- Learning and development are a high value and part of doing business. As an educational organisation, this one is a little easier for us because we’re delivering education and the team, me included, get to hear/see and read a lot. We are always learning new and wonderful things from our guest authors and subject matter experts. Sometimes what we’re learning, e.g., how to have a profitable website is directly relevant to someone’s responsibility. Other times, e.g., How to be more courageous (the subject of a recent herBusiness podcast) lends access to a more personal level of development. Could team learning be a part of your culture?
Today at 12.00pm, I’ll interview the author of “The Zappos Experience”, Joseph Michelli. Joseph had access to the inside workings of Zappos and we’ll discuss just HOW it is that they have built an enviable business – and how you too can build business success in your industry.
I’d love you to join me if you’re available. The session is free and you can register here.
Alternatively, pick up a copy of The Zappos Experience book. It’s a great read.
Getting Real (Time) – Synchronistic Communication Through Social Media
April 5, 2012
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
I’m a fan of real-time communication. Synchronistic communication refers to live communication through social media.And, unlike a Facebook post or blog comments where someone can add a response that I will see later, synchronistic communications with social platforms allow a real-time communication experience.
One person who does synchronistic communication very well is the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki. Obviously, he has a huge following, but he doesn’t do as many seminars as he did in the past. But what he’ll do (usually once a month) is set up a live Facebook chat and answer questions.
Here’s some ways that you can use this type of communication in your business:
Live Online Chats
You could schedule a live chat (at a particular date and time that you pre-promote to your clients) on Facebook and invite people to join the conversation. Or you could try Google+ hangout and do a live video chat with some of your customers.
At the Australian Businesswomen’s Network, we integrate a live Twitter stream with our webinars. So, while attendees of the webinars can’t see each other they can network and share knowledge, live during the events.
We also use the webinar platform GotoMeeting for virtual meetings. The chat function, combined with the audio and visuals makes for a meeting as interactive and effective as a face-to-face one.
Streaming Video
For the very brave, you could use a site like LiveStream and actually stream yourself live over the Internet. Those watching have access to a chat box to comment as you present. I did just that last year and, were it not for all the video experience I’d had with our In her Shoes and The Venture series, I think I’d have flopped. I actually found it quite exciting and fun.
A word of caution: There’s no editing, so it’s not for the faint-hearted. Live video streaming is not for everyone, but I encourage you to at least try a live chat. You never know who might join the conversation!
Being an online organisation, we don’t often get to see and hear our clients. So, using the opportunities of synchronistic communication allows us the opportunity to have great conversations and to share knowledge.
Have you tried any of these methods?
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY SUZI DAFNIS
- Reach out for more Social Media Traffic
- Is it time to update your business website?
- Is this Social Media Myth Hindering your Business Results?
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Suzi Dafnis – Australian Businesswomen’s NetworkSuzi Dafnis is the Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s Community Director and Chairperson of the Advisory Board. Suzi has been involved with the network since 1995. In 1998, she took over the network from its founder and has since managed and grown the network. She remains its media spokesperson and a champion of women in business. She is also the editor of the ABN’s newsletters, author of the herBusiness blog and presents the In Her Shoes video series and herBusiness podcast.
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You paid for the phone to ring – so don’t make these 9 mistakes
March 23, 2012
By Vivienne Kane, Minuteman Press Prahran
“Your call will be recorded for training and quality assurance purposes”
How often have you heard this? And have you ever listened to the responses they collected?
I heard a selection of recorded calls to print businesses last week. They proved very effectively that many front line customer service staff (including business owners) waste opportunities when customers or prospects call.
Here are some of the most common boo boos – are you or any of your staff guilty?
1. Sounding disinterested or irritated by the interruption
That call is probably bringing business. Smile before you answer and identify yourself. “Good morning, Acme Travel, this is Suzy”. Your name should come last in the greeting so the caller will remember who they are talking to. Be positive and listen carefully.
2. Not bothering to ask who’s calling
Get the caller’s name (and company if you’re B2B) and use it – people love the sound of their own name.
3. Multitasking when on the phone
Just isn’t possible. You can’t pay attention or listen properly if you’re working on your computer or any other task. Give the caller your full attention.
4. Putting callers on hold for extended periods
Always ask callers if they mind being put on hold. If you can’t connect them to the right person quickly, or get them the information they require immediately, offer to call them back with the help they need, rather than waste their time
5. Losing customers on call transfers
Make sure everyone who’s using your phone system understands how to transfer calls effectively – there’s nothing worse than being pointlessly shunted around a phone system.
6. Getting rid of irate callers as quickly as possible
If a caller is annoyed, there’s a reason. They’ve given you a chance to fix the problem – so don’t waste it. Listen carefully – second chances are gold.
7. Not returning phone or voice mail messages
is just rude. Do it promptly. Enough said.
8. Eat – drink – chew gum
While using the phone – I don’t think so
9. You ask the customer to call back – because you’re too busy
Never ask customers to call back. If you’re really stretched, explain why and ask if you can call them back. Agree a time that suits them – as promptly as possible.
Remember – 80% of business transactions involve the phone at some point – so make sure you or your staff don’t blow it.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY VIVIENNE KANE
- Are You Hiding From Your Customers?
- If your business came to life as a person, what would your customers think?
- Do you make these 5 Online Customer Service Mistakes?
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Vivienne Kane – Minuteman Press PrahranAs the owner and operations manager of Minuteman Press Prahran, a franchise print supplier, Vivienne works with small business customers every day. She runs the business, and their online specialty division CalendarPrint, with her husband Nicholas and their talented staff. With a customer base which often has little experience in buying print, Minuteman Prahran’s point of difference is making the process as painless as possible. Vivienne is a strong advocate of clear and reliable communication as a key tool in winning and keeping customers. She started her professional life as a Speech Pathologist, and enjoyed a variety of roles in administration and community groups before establishing Minuteman Press in 2000. She has three Gen-Y adult children, is an almost an empty nester, loves travel and is a member of two book clubs.
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Are You Hiding From Your Customers?
February 24, 2012
By Vivienne Kane, Minuteman Press Prahran
Last year, in a rush of blood to the head, I signed up to change energy suppliers. Our gas moved to the new supplier within weeks, but six months later, I was still wrangling with customer service to get the power transferred (and start saving the money which had motivated the shift in the first place).
I’d spent over three hours navigating through their phone menu, to get to the right department – and then to speak with someone who had the authority to actually do something about the problem. Will I be looking at other options when my contract expires? You betcha.
How many businesses hide from their customers like this?
And in the process, build a wall of frustration which can only generate bad word of mouth and minimise the likelihood of repeat business?
Is your business guilty of:
- Making it impossible for online customers to speak to a real person if they have a question or problem? You can achieve this by not publishing a contact number – or hiding it so effectively on your website it might as well not be there.
- Using complex and time consuming menu options on your phone system (and don’t get me started on voice recognition software!)
- Not giving front line staff the authority to handle problems immediately
- Employing customer service staff who have little or no product knowledge – and not training them
- Not acknowledging contact via the web immediately (either by automated email confirmation or personal email or phone response) – and then taking days to respond to the actual request.
If customers need attention and one-to-one assistance, they will keep looking until they get it.
In 2012, consumers have massive choice for almost all products. For some purchases, they don’t need customer service – they’ll be happy to rely on technology to do the work (buying eBooks is a classic example). But for most businesses, it’s a big mistake to keep your customers at arm’s length. Cuddle up – you might just find they return the love.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY VIVIENNE KANE
- If your business came to life as a person, what would your customers think?
- Do you make these 5 Online Customer Service Mistakes?
- Why You Should Guarantee Your Service – and Brag About It
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Vivienne Kane – Minuteman Press PrahranAs the owner and operations manager of Minuteman Press Prahran, a franchise print supplier, Vivienne works with small business customers every day. She runs the business, and their online specialty division CalendarPrint, with her husband Nicholas and their talented staff. With a customer base which often has little experience in buying print, Minuteman Prahran’s point of difference is making the process as painless as possible. Vivienne is a strong advocate of clear and reliable communication as a key tool in winning and keeping customers. She started her professional life as a Speech Pathologist, and enjoyed a variety of roles in administration and community groups before establishing Minuteman Press in 2000. She has three Gen-Y adult children, is an almost an empty nester, loves travel and is a member of two book clubs.
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It’s the little things
February 15, 2012
By Kate Tribe, Tribe Research
Last week, Amy Lyden wrote about Disneyland still being the benchmark for exceptional service. One of her tips for offering better service is to survey customers about what it is that bugs them, and raises the excellent point that people often forget when starting a feedback survey:
It doesn’t have to mean changing complete systems though. It could be a small annoyance that is easily handled like fixing a navigation problem on your website. The important thing is to get outside of your own business and hear other viewpoints.
Here are three observations:
How is the phone answered?
In helping a client to understand at what stage prospects were in their buying cycle, we found the main block was the receptionist. She wasn’t professional. In addition, they’d developed a process to protect themselves from calls they didn’t want to receive that was so rigid many legitimate calls couldn’t get through.
How is the phone answered at your business? Have you called it recently not using your caller ID to see how other people get welcomed to the business?
Have you developed systems to provide you with time and space to run the business that stops prospects and customers from reaching you effectively?
Do you actively provide opportunity to buy?
I know this one seems a little unusual. Many businesses ‘sell’ too much, but some, in an effort to not appear like aggressive sellers they don’t like, end up under-selling.
More than once when collecting feedback, we’ve been told by engaged customers that they’re looking for ways to buy, be reminded how you can help and solve a problem they’re having, and be told about new products and services you offer.
Is it simple for all types of feedback to be given?
Many websites and businesses have channels and processes for complaints to be taken and processed, but not all feedback is a complaint. Sometimes feedback is a compliment or an idea. Not providing these other types of feedback gives a message about your brand that you may not want people to have. They also want to know that you’ve received the feedback and have acted on the content.
A simple way to gather feedback
If we could do one thing differently to improve your experience, what is it?
Kate Tribe will be speaking on the upcoming Australian Businesswomen’s Network webinar: Designing Effective Customer Feedback Surveys. **This webinar is open to ABN Growth Members Only**
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY KATE TRIBE
- 5 Lessons in Building a Tribe from a Music Festival
- Four End of Year Tribal Connecters
- Customer Feedback Survey Response Rates
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Kate Tribe – Tribe ResearchKate Tribe is the founder and Managing Director of Tribe Research. Kate has developed Tribe Research into an innovative and creative company focusing on accessible ways for business, non-profit and government sectors to grow from a better understanding of their tribe. Tribe Research aims for customers to explore their tribes of clients, customers, suppliers and staff, to uncover their views, and drive change in each clients business. Kate understands that as leaders of an organisation you need to be clear-headed about your marketing and business planning priorities and has made this a primary focus of Tribe Research’s solution. Kate believes that getting to know your tribe should be an enjoyable journey of discovery that gives you a clear head and direction to move forward, to drive change in the right direction.
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Wish Upon a Star – Disneyland is Still Benchmark for Exceptional Service
February 8, 2012
By Amy Lyden, Australian Businesswomen’s Network Advocacy Advisor
“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” – Walt Disney
As an American who calls Australia home now, I have to be a little careful about my ongoing complaints about service levels in this country and the desperate need for improvement in many cases. I’ve lived here nearly 20 years and it only takes a trip back to the US to ignite my passion about this subject. Before you tell me to go back to America, I have an experience to share with you.
The Magic that is Disneyland
I visited the US at Christmastime and my husband and I took our two young children to Disneyland after catching up with family.
I have never had a better service experience in my life. All businesses, Australian and American alike, have much to learn from how Disneyland operates. We had a few incidents that had the potential to ruin (or at least dampen) our holiday, but the Disneyland staff turned them around 180 degrees into a positive. Let me explain.
Incident 1: The Hurl
After a ride, my 5-year-old son was complaining about a sore tummy. However, being a staunch Star Wars fan, he was keen to do the “Jedi Training” which was due to begin shortly. My husband took him to get a seat in front of the stage and I took my daughter to get some food to bring back for us all. When I arrived back to the stage area, I noticed that the crowd had cleared in one section and there was a man with a mop cleaning. I had a feeling of dread. Sure enough, it was my child who had been sick all over himself, daddy and the venue.
Cast Member – Jimmy:
Jimmy, a staff member of Disneyland (btw Disneyland calls their staff members “cast members”), came over to check on us and after wracking his brain about how he could help us, he gave us vouchers for new clothes for my son AND husband to be used in ANY store in Disneyland. He also said that if my son wanted to come back to do the Jedi training later that they would look after him. And they did. We came back two days later and the organisers chose him out of hundreds of kids to fight Darth Vader on the stage. He was jumping out of his skin! He is still talking about this.
Incident 2: Missing Our Flight Home (nearly)
We had pre-booked the shuttle from the Disneyland Hotel to LAX at 7pm for a 10pm flight. After a frenzied rush, we arrived at the pickup point at exactly 7:01pm. No shuttle. 7:30: no shuttle. We were in the middle of a large car park with 12 suitcases in the rain, waiting, waiting. I called the shuttle company and they informed me the driver left at 7pm and that there won’t be another one until at least 8pm, maybe later. Too late for us. I was getting anxious at this point. It’s not easy traveling with young kids in the best of times.
Cast Member – Ken:
Ken from Disneyland Hotel magically appeared in the car park to try to assist. He promptly organised a (very large) taxi for us and gave me a $150 credit on my credit card that was on file with the hotel (I didn’t even have to give my card or go back into the hotel to process). All this transpired within ten minutes. We made it to the airport very quickly and on time for our flight.
Yeah, But It Wasn’t Disneyland’s (or insert business name here) Fault!
The interesting point with these experiences is it wasn’t about whose “fault” it was. My son was sick. We missed our shuttle. It certainly wasn’t Disneyland’s fault. But Disneyland makes it about the “experience” and if something happens (regardless of whose fault it is) that may impact negatively on the experience, they take responsibility for it and make it their business. They want to ensure you have a great experience, full stop. They don’t just leave you to deal with it.
Clever clever clever – especially in this day of social media, blogs, etc. Every customer now has the potential to tell the world very easily about their experience with your company or product. Smart businesses will make it their business to ensure customers have a great experience. It WILL come back to them by generating more business.
I will go back to Disneyland. But more importantly, I will rave about how great they were to me when they didn’t HAVE to be. The ROI is impossible to calculate on this.
I believe Australian businesses have a wonderful opportunity to lift the bar and offer exceptional service and certainly the ones that do this will stand out and rocket to success.
Based on Disneyland’s model, here are some TIPS for offering better service:
- Give all staff members proper authority to assist customers, including a budget to be used at their discretion. There is nothing more annoying than having to wait for a higher authority to deal with a problem (for both the staff member AND the customer).
- Survey your customers about what it is that bugs them about your product or service procedures. Too often businesses only see things from their own side. As a customer, how many times do you hear “our policy is x” (when you are trying to get “y”)? It doesn’t have to mean changing complete systems though. It could be a small annoyance that is easily handled like fixing a navigation problem on your website. The important thing is to get outside of your own business and hear other viewpoints.
- If you can, solve your customer’s problem, regardless of whose “fault” it is.
- Make your customers feel special. Create a culture of “caring” in your business.
Do you have an exceptional service story? Tips on how to offer better service?
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY AMY LYDEN
- Government Reshuffle Means New Small Business Minister
- Charity: Water – “Technology Changes Everything”
- Developing an Asia Plan for Your Future
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Amy Lyden - Advocacy Advisor – Australian Businesswomen’s NetworkAn entrepreneur and specialist in ecommerce and online strategy, Amy has had over 13 years of practical experience in these areas. Launching her first website in 1998 Amy was at the forefront of an online revolution without even realising it. Within a year this site became and remains today a #1 ranking site and global community of pet lovers that attracts over 4 million visitors a year. This Australia-based business, Bow Wow Meow, now sells product online to over 100 countries worldwide. Amy sold this business in 2007 and turned her energy to the nonprofit sector. Amy is currently the CEO of Australian Scholarships Foundation, an organisation that facilitates scholarships for education and training for people who work in the nonprofit sector. Amy is the recipient of numerous business awards including the 2006 NSW Telstra Business Women’s Awards for Innovation, the 2002 National Telstra Business Award and the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World Grant. Amy is an Ambassador and former Chairperson for the Australian Businesswomen’s Network, an organisation that supports female entrepreneurs. Amy was also invited to serve on the Commonwealth Small Business Council, an initiative by the Federal minister for Small Business. Amy has been profiled in the following books: “Women’s Business, Women’s Wealth” by Amanda Ellis, “Female Entrepreneurs”, by Leiza Clark and “Secrets of Female Entrepreneurs Exposed!”, by Dale Beaumont. Amy is passionate about using technology to connect people globally for positive change.
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If your business came to life as a person, what would your customers think?
January 27, 2012
By Vivienne Kane, Minuteman Press Prahran
When you think Virgin, you think Richard Branson. McDonalds – Ronald McDonald. Victoria Bitter – a tradie in a singlet and stubbies.
Have you ever thought what your business would be if it came to life in human form?
What are the values and impressions you’d like to project?
Would you be a cool Gen Y with a couple of tasteful tatts and slightly out there dress sense? Or possibly a well groomed corporate type in a pinstripe suit? Or maybe a grey haired lady with a nana trolley? Would you be old or young, conservative or cutting edge, middle income or poor, an innovator or a follower?
If your business is an expression of who you are, and you think that’s important, it’s a very worthwhile exercise to think about this.
Is your brand personality someone your customers would buy from?
It’s particularly pertinent when you’re growing from a one woman band to an enterprise with multiple staff, some or all of whom have contact with your customers.
Imagine if your “business personality” is a smartly dressed forty something with a quirky sense of humour , but your front-line staff are all Gen Y’s with little training and no spark or interest in conversation. Perhaps your customers might be a bit confused.
Don’t assume everyone will understand your approach by osmosis. It needs to be explained as well as modelled. Role plays are a great tool. Of course, you don’t want the “business personality” to be a straight jacket – but your core values, approach to solving problems and conversational tone should all be clear, consistent and reflected by everyone in the business.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY VIVIENNE KANE
- Do you make these 5 Online Customer Service Mistakes?
- Why You Should Guarantee Your Service – and Brag About It
- Are you making champagne promises – and delivering beer?
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Vivienne Kane – Minuteman Press PrahranAs the owner and operations manager of Minuteman Press Prahran, a franchise print supplier, Vivienne works with small business customers every day. She runs the business, and their online specialty division CalendarPrint, with her husband Nicholas and their talented staff. With a customer base which often has little experience in buying print, Minuteman Prahran’s point of difference is making the process as painless as possible. Vivienne is a strong advocate of clear and reliable communication as a key tool in winning and keeping customers. She started her professional life as a Speech Pathologist, and enjoyed a variety of roles in administration and community groups before establishing Minuteman Press in 2000. She has three Gen-Y adult children, is an almost an empty nester, loves travel and is a member of two book clubs.
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How to Use Social Media to Create Brand Advocates
January 4, 2012
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
A brand advocate is a satisfied customer who promotes your brand for you. Think of brand advocates as unpaid marketing reps. In fact, brand advocates don’t even necessarily have to be customers; they may just be people who share social media content that you’ve created.
Because social media encourages interaction and participation among your customer base, you can use social media to create brand advocates. When people share your content on Facebook, for instance, they’re essentially endorsing your brand.
You can create brand advocates by energising your customer base.
Offer free, useful content to your audience. Provide stellar customer service and take every opportunity to engage your customers. If someone posts on your Facebook page, reply to their message as soon as possible and try to open up the conversation to others. If someone replies to your Tweet, thank them quickly and engage them in a conversation that will grow and vitalise your online community.
It’s easier now than ever before for people to tell us when they love us – and it’s just as easy for people to tell us when they’re not happy with us. Pay attention to both types of messages. Criticism is valuable to your brand because it gives you a chance to interact and put it straight. You can ignore criticism, which is bad PR. Or you could shoot back with a negative attitude, which is bad PR. Or you could take the opportunity to impress people by taking the issue seriously. Some of the most valuable brand advocates are those who see that you’re willing to resolve issues for customers.
Now, there are some people known as “trolls” who have no real criticisms; they only want to attack others online. Just ignore the trolls. They’ll go away when they realise they’re not getting attention.
Focus on energising your brand advocates and they’ll do the work for you.
Do you have tips for creating brand advocates through social media? We’d love to hear from you. Add to comments and let us know.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY SUZI DAFNIS
- The Business Books That Rocked My Year (in a Good Way)
- How to Use Social Media for Business Research
- How to get Everything Done Before Christmas
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Suzi Dafnis – Australian Businesswomen’s NetworkSuzi Dafnis is the Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s Community Director and Chairperson of the Advisory Board. Suzi has been involved with the network since 1995. In 1998, she took over the network from its founder and has since managed and grown the network. She remains its media spokesperson and a champion of women in business. She is also the editor of the ABN’s newsletters, author of the herBusiness blog and presents the In Her Shoes video series and herBusiness podcast.
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