When Should You Run A Customer

When Should You Run A Customer Satisfaction Survey?

By Andy Larkum

Taking the 'pulse' of your customer at regular points can provide invaluable insight into the performance of your business.
Understanding how they're feeling at various stages of their journey through the environment, products or service that you provide, can provide invaluable insight into your performance.
Tracking clients or customers with engaging feedback opportunities through multiple touch-points will gain you fantastic exposure to their service experience.

This 'pulse taking' can be achieved with new technologies that enable customer satisfaction surveys to be run through multiple channels (or input devices) such as touch screen kiosks, touch screen tablets, text messaging surveys or (if the experience or part of the experience is online via a website) online surveys.
Get the timing right for your survey

Another key factor for a successful customer satisfaction survey is timing. When and how you ask someone how they're feeling can result in very different sets of results!
This is because how someone reacts in the heat of the moment may be completely different how they feel having had time to reflect on what happened in the days following - and this is hugely important.

Think about it. You're in a restaurant, and whilst the meal has been amazing, the waiter or waitress serving you was unhelpful, or sloppy, or worse still, rude.
A few days later, you're asked about your experience at the restaurant. There's a good chance that even though the food was amazing, the thing you remember most is the negative experience with the waiter/waitress, and that's what you will report.
Had you been asked at the end of your meal, or on your way out of the door, there's a much better chance you'd congratulate the chef, and chastise the service.

Gartner Research have shown that feedback at the point of your experience can be 40% more accurate than that given in the days following.
Consider this - when you are at home with a coffee and the TV on, your recollections and feelings about the experience you had in ASDA or Tesco a week earlier will be very different from the moment you were "in the heat of the situation".

Conclusion

Timing is everything. Catching the opinions of your customer's in a way that is accessible to them, and comes at a time when the experience is fresh in their mind, will result in far more honest, transparent and useful feedback.

Professional Direct Mailing

Professional Direct Mailing and Fulfillment Companies

By Hanna L Logan

Many companies existing in the market offer end-to-end solutions for online fulfillment and direct mailing services for products, samples or literature. These companies have a team of experts for help creating as well as managing the projects.

The United States of America has been the best part of the world to acquire shipping and mailing of the products.
These fulfillment centers will expedite your shipments and also save your time and money. This will be a simple and sophisticated solution for personalizing to fit your fulfillment and distribution requirements.
These companies operate a state-of-the-art fulfillment center where sophisticated technologies are used to serve their customers well.

EDI technology is mainly used by these organizations to provide you with online tracking access whenever and wherever it is needed.
If you need someone for managing orders, creating sales or continuity kits, or require a supply-chain partner, these companies provide you perfect custom solution.
Leading mailing and fulfillment companies are the finest market places for products, literature, samples and premium fulfillment services.

They create custom technology for their clients integrating to their business rules to order and maintain product and distribution.
You will get a dedicated customer service representative being a client and your representative will communicate with you at all the steps.
From receipt of materials to the job instructions, kitting and final distribution of the products, these professionals will keep assisting you.

The entire process is backed-up by the advanced software system that saves you from the waiting for status from vendors.
You are facilitated to view your all fulfillment activities online when you work with these companies.
Great direct mailing works a lot. These direct mailing and fulfillment companies help you towards creating great direct mailing.

They can mail just about all types of package from their state-of-the-art mailing center. They not only provide mailing services, but also offer the mailing lists, printing and creative design.
They work with the creative teams of their clients. Their data department uses USPS-approved sophisticated software for qualifying your mailing data for the best discounted postal charges.

The priority is to help make your direct mailing campaign a success. If you have to send out the first-class business mail, sales letters and not for bulk mail advertising or profit appeals, then these companies will work. Many of these companies has been a leader in managing as well as processing direct mailing service for all the medium, small and large corporate clients.

They operate an advanced and state-of-the-art production facility. These companies adopt best quality control methods and practices for assuring the successful mailing campaigns at attractive prices with quick turn-around.

As you will go with the direct mailing service provider, the knowledge of cutting edge postal software and postal regulations will provide you the ability to achieve the best as well as most affordable postal rates for your projects. However, consider all the measures to select the best company so that you can enjoy all the benefits of these services.

Top Tips for Customer Service

Top Tips for Customer Service Training

By Lyndon Miles

The importance of good customer service should never be underestimated. And businesses should also never fall in to the trap of thinking that their service cannot be improved.

No matter how experienced and dedicated the staff and how efficient the company, there are always steps that can be taken to enhance customer service still further. And with customers continually expecting more, plus the internet and social media changing the way we interact with the companies we do business with, there is always something new to learn.

All this means that customer service training should be an ongoing process. You should take the time to offer your staff refreshers on best customer service practices and let them know about new tactics and processes on a regular basis.

This does not have to be a time-consuming or expensive initiative. A training update could be as simple as sending out a memo to let staff know about new refund procedures or an updated promotion or discount scheme.

If standards have slipped or you really want to invest in your staff and their skills it pays to bring in an expert from a dedicated training company to run a session.
This can be expensive but is well worth the investment as it often brings up new ideas and allows you to give your staff dedicated time to enhance their skills.

A key part of customer service training is appraisal and assessment time. This gives staff the chance to talk about their work and any problems they face.
It can be a time when difficulties in giving excellent levels of service are expressed, and it is then up to you to do something about it.
It also allows managers to give feedback and comment on staff performance, which can be a positive reinforcement.

However you provide customer service training and however often you do it, here are some of the key elements you should cover:

Why good customer service is vital
The importance of communication skills
Active listening
Dealing with customers who are angry, upset or aggressive
How to act on customer complaints
Looking for ways to improve customer service
The need to understand company processes and values
How team work and cooperation can boost service levels
Problem solving skills
Product knowledge
Managing stress
Motivation and assertion

A skilled workforce is a major asset for any company and it is always worthwhile making investments in your team. Some companies go as far as holding team meetings each morning or evening about goals and progress, but for others it is enough to have monthly or even quarterly sessions on service skills.
Whatever you do to enhance customer service in your company be sure that every member of the team knows how they can play their part and is aware of their important role. If just one person thinks they do not have to worry about giving good service then they can undo a lot of hard work that other employees put in.

The New Trends Of The Outsourcing Industry

By Emily ZA Hunt

Out of billion people teeming in India, nearly one million of them across the country are being recruited in various sectors each day. According to the reports, the business process outsourcing sector, which emerged in India in the mid-nineties, being one of the largest growing industries of the country alone welcomes nearly 10,000 people per day. The favorable time zone, stability of the government, economic advantage, skilled and competent work force available here, makes the outsourcing industry more viable than any other out countries of the world.

The reason behind its soaring business:

No doubt, the factors mentioned above are essentially responsible for flourishing the Outsourcing businesses in a developing country like India. But, among all these, the competent labor force is the most potential power behind the success of the industry.
Yes, today it is seen that the current generation has started looking at the call center jobs as one of the most promising career opportunity, where they can get promoted within the industry and can be placed at a higher position that gives them a good pay scale.
It also gives them a global exposure without any professional academic background. What one needs to be successful in this industry is good communication ability and capability of learning things quickly.

Although initially working in a business process outsourcing was not looked upon as a matter of prestige in the society, but today the scenario has changed.
In the recent years, people have accepted the business process outsourcing culture as they know that it pays well, and talking over the phone in the overseas gives them a good international exposure boosting their confidence level. However, Contact Center Outsourcing is not only limited to talking over the phone to the clients.
Today most of the business process outsourcing industries offer allied client servicing solutions like: Live Chat Support Outsourcing and Email Support Services.

In the recent years, evolution of internet technology has revolutionized the entire communication process. It has become a vital element for data transmission and customer relationship management.
Hence, today most of the businesses have taken upon outsourcing their call center requirements through non-voice processes such as:
email support services and live chat support outsourcing. Moreover, both these services have proved to be the cost-efficient means of business promotion in comparison to hiring call center agents.

Realizing the growth that the industry provides, today there is a decrease in the number of people, who join the industry for a short time period of 3-4 months during their vacations.
Today, the outsourcing industry has succeeded in portraying totally new image of itself, to which people look at with honor and respect.
Moreover, the Internal Talent Promotion policy offered by many companies have proved as an advantage to retain the employees for a longer period, where they can practically learn new things while working.

50 Ways To Have Your Patients Feel More Appreciated

By F Lee Tomlinson

One of the keys to customer service that you will hear me talk about repeatedly is how to make customers feel appreciated. Research has shown that 68% of the customers/patients who leave one business for another because they don't feel appreciated. Seems so simple and yet the 68% number persists year after year after year.

Having said that, let's take a look at fifty ways that you can easily and for the most part, inexpensively improve your customer service and show appreciation for your clients.

1. Have free refreshments in the waiting room. Coffee, tea and water are a great start.

2. When the schedule gets more than 15 minutes behind, have the receptionist talk to the patient in person and apologize.

3. When it gets to a 30-plus wait, give your patients some type of gift to a local theater, restaurant or attraction to acknowledge their inconvenience.

4. Always shake your patients' hands when you first see them, whether it is in the waiting room, hallway, or exam room.

5. When possible, take both of their hands in yours when you shake hands, a much warmer way to greet someone.

6. Before entering an exam room, take a look at their chart that includes some of their personal history and bring up some of that information in the first conversation.

7. Always, always smile when you first greet patients in the exam rooms.

8. When walking down hallways, never ever pass patients without flashing a smile and making eye contact.
9. Always wash your hands when entering the room and when finished with the exam.

10. Have a means for patients to give you suggestions on how you could do a better job and ask often for that feedback. Then act on it, make the changes and let that patient know you did.

11. When you do get a complaint - Dr's should reply personally preferably in person or on the phone.

12. When someone takes the time to fill out one of your CUSTOMER SERVICE questionnaires, be sure to send them a personal note of thanks.

13. Listen to patients without interrupting, even if you think you know the question they are going to ask (or the answer).

14. Give your employees the ability to solve more of patients' non-medical problems on the spot.

15. If you are typing and a customer approaches, immediately stop and address the patient. Not the other way around. People come before paper.

16. Have nametags that have your name big enough for even the most myopic patient can read them without squinting or putting on their glasses.

17. When you screw up, admit it, apologize and figure out a way to make it MORE than right. That is, not only correct the problem but also give a small something to make it REALLY right. Turn a negative into a positive.

18. Make sure all plants are PERFECTLY groomed and pruned so that not a single brown leaf is visible. Never, ever have dead or dying plants in an office.

19. Have a TV set in the waiting room, with the push-button control available to patients while they're waiting.

20. Free Wi-Fi, free Wi-Fi, and free Wi-Fi!

21. And, large signs that give instructions on how to access the Wi-Fi!

22. Have large signs that direct everyone from where they are to where they are going.

23. Escort new patients to wherever it is that they need to go.

24. Keep the floors and walls spotless. Nothing less is acceptable.

25. Make sure that bathrooms are immaculate and fully supplied. Have them inspected no less than every 30 minutes and keep them smelling great!

26. Free parking. If the building you are in charges for parking, reimburse your patients.

27. Make sure that the parking area and outside entry is as spotless as the exam rooms.

28. Have everyone call patients Mr. or Mrs.

29. Sarcasm is rude. Don't EVER use it.

30. Imagine that the patient is someone you love - and then treat the patient as you would your own loved one.

31. When you empathize and feel sadness or joy, express it honestly and openly.

32. When it's appropriate, touch your patients, hug them, hold them, or just put a hand on their shoulder.

33. Try a little tenderness.

34. Never argue with a patient, even if they are wrong about what they're upset about. Being right and losing a patient is a hollow victory.

35. Make sure that doors NEVER slam.

36. If the floors echo footsteps, make sure that no one wears hard healed or noisy shoes.

37. Never, ever enter a room through a closed, without knocking.

38. Keep the floors and rugs spotless.

39. Verbally tell patients about the drugs you have prescribed and then give WRITTEN instructions to take with them.

40. Treat family and caregivers with exactly the same caring as the patient.

41. Learn how to diffuse an angry confrontation and then practice it until it becomes second nature and angry confrontations no longer frighten you.

42. Always say "thank you" when a patient is leaving.

43. When a patient thanks YOU for something, the proper answer is "You are welcome", NOT, "No problem". That implies that something a patient thanks you for might be a problem.

44. When you're in a bad mood, go outside and get over it before dealing with patients again. If you can't get over it, go home, you're likely to do more harm than good. If you feel that way more often than not, get another job where dealing with people is not part of the deal.

45. Close the door behind you when you exit a patient's examination room.

46. Never stop explaining anything until you are 100% sure that the patient understands completely. If their issue is complex, have them repeat back what they think you said.

47. When you think you don't have enough time to spend a few more minutes with a patient, FIND the few more minutes and spend it anyway.

48. Never joke around with other staff members when patients are within earshot.

49. No profanity.

50. Try to develop a sense of humor. It really is one of the best medicines.