What does an entrepreneur test look like? How do you measure whether you’re ready to start your own business? With the number of idled or displaced workers in the broad economy today, many are wondering if it’s time to invest in their own business start-up. Those are just two of the questions that online business opportunity seekers are asking themselves as they research the home based business and alternative or part-time career categories for answers. If your present career or work situation has been impacted by the job slowdown, you may be seriously considering a leap into an entrepreneurial enterprise of your own. For many, especially if you require something…

Customer service is a key aspect of business. Without it, or when it’s severely lacking, a business will end up with a bad reputation and a declining customer base, particularly with an increase in social media use where customers share both positive and negative reviews. Word-of-mouth marketing is popular, and so customer loyalty is crucial in generating new leads and sales. It’s essential to make both new and current customers feel appreciated and valued. Excellent customer service relationships draw customers to their favorite brands. Don’t let a bad customer experience ruin your business. Here are 3 ways to take your customer service to the next level. 1. Keep Quality Consistent…

You have no doubt read various examples where Lean Six Sigma was used to identify and eliminate waste in both manufacturing facilities and service companies (i.e. financial institutions and hospitals). Most of us can quickly see how concepts such as inventory reduction and improved product quality are applied to physical objects or documents. But what about Field Service Organizations where the primary product (a completed service request) is often vaguely defined and the main component (technical expertise) is intangible? How can we apply the same techniques to obtain the same results (increased speed, reduced costs, and improved quality)? In this article we will focus on just one element of Lean…

The call time report is an often misunderstood customer service call center report. Too many customer service managers place too much emphasis on reports focusing the number of phone calls or the amount of time spent on phone calls. Phone call reports need to be taken in context because they offer no indication on the quality of service. Let’s face it. Long calls, don’t necessarily mean bad service, I’ve seen superstar customer support people spend hours on the phone with a customer resolving a customer issue. This is a good thing, we need to encourage engagement in our teams and taking the time needed to solve the problem. I’ve also…

Showing empathy to customers takes more than words, it also takes imagination. It’s not enough to utter a few well meant clichés, hoping this will placate an upset or angry customer. People working in customer service need to make the mental stretch and try to imagine what it is like to travel in the customer’s shoes. When a customer is aggrieved or has had a negative experience, the most important thing for them is to feel that their point of view has been heard and understood. The worst thing that can be done is to fob the customer off with a few pat expressions, or not take their grievance seriously…

Feedback Form is one excellent medium for gathering comments, suggestions and customers’ views about your business. It is a good way of knowing how you are faring in your customer service. If you have a feedback form attached to your website, you deliberately provide a gateway for continuous customer engagement. Of course, it is assumed that garnering more information from your customers through the feedback form means that you are actively responding to the information submitted to you. With the ongoing trend where most of your customers are buying or shopping online, it is very important that your website has feedback form. It is also important that you must be…

The next time you visit your favorite store, take a moment to think about why you are going there. If you are like many, it is probably because of the way you are treated. You see, every time we enter into a customer service situation we have certain expectations. In each one of these experiences, one of three things usually happens. Your expectation is met; it is not met; or maybe it is exceeded. Companies that strive to exceed your expectations are the companies that keep their customers coming back. The late Sam Walton once had signs posted at the customer service counter to remind everybody: “Give the Customer More…

If you are one who follows Grant Cardone you will quickly learn all about his life and how he began many of his businesses. That man needs NO introduction. He takes a very powerful in your face approach at everything he does. He is loud, dramatic, brutally honest, and passionate, but he also cares and REALLY wants to help others succeed. I have been personally following grant for the better of the last 4 years. I can honestly say I have followed from a far, and not fully engaged in his content up until the last 12 weeks. Covid-19 has really sent many into depression, and anxiety. People are worried…

Who doesn’t love business office supplies? They’re fresh, they’re new, and they smell good. And they make those long days at work, frustrating managers, and unreasonable deadlines just a little bit easier. Yes, when you open up that stationery cupboard and find it well stocked with your favorite essential discount office supplies, the corporate world seems like a slightly better place. Here are 8 business office supplies that you can’t live without: 1. Pens – What would an office be without the humble ballpoint pen? Ballpoint pens are non-leaky, hardy writing instruments that every office worker needs. And you’ll need them in not only blue and black ink, but also…

How do you please a group of teenagers at a Skateboard Park? Perhaps you need to consider a little extra customer service. Now then obviously kids on skateboards have a chip on their shoulder and attempting to threaten them that you are going to throw them out of the park will not work, after all they have probably been thrown out of every shopping center in town, more than once. As a kid, on a skateboard once got chased by a Hughes 500 Helicopter when I tried to escape selective prosecution, after ditching a security guard and a black and white, which came to his aid? Imagine if I would…