by Karen Try | May 14, 2020 | Advice, Customer Service, New Blogs, Social Media
Social media provides a great way of connecting with potential clients and customers. However, if you don’t know where to begin, the task can feel overwhelming. It’s important to start off by figuring out your business’s target audience. For example, who would benefit from your services the most, and how old are they? Once you establish the target demographic, you can make decisions about the best social media platform for communication.
Communication can start with monitoring the feedback received from customers on your social media pages. Thank them for taking the time to reach out. If you receive negative feedback, reach out to them personally, and ask what you can do to improve the situation. This is also an opportunity to ask clients and customers what they like about the services you have to offer, and ask questions to encourage engagement with your business.
Once you have established client and customer connections, it’s important to maintain them. Always follow up on customer feedback. If you haven’t heard from a customer in a while, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask how they’ve been; as well as giving them a brief update on services they might like to use in the future.
At MYOB, we manage communication for our clients. We’ve been growing their social media to multiple platforms to expand the reach, crafting their monthly newsletters to provide business updates during COVID-19, and refreshing their websites to ensure messaging is strong and consistent throughout. We’d love to hear some of the ways you’re connecting with customers at this time. Tag us on social media @MYOBVA on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to share your stories!
by Karen Try | Feb 26, 2018 | Advice, Customer Service
Eventually, you will have an unhappy customer who calls to complain. Sometimes it is a misunderstanding that can be explained quickly and sometimes the customer has resisted complaining for quite some time and has finally reached the limit of their patience.
In all cases, listening to the full explanation is critical before responding.
Recently, I called the local newspaper to complain about my delivery service. The delivery had been unacceptable for three months and I finally reached the limit of my patience.
The customer service representative was CLEARLY reading responses to me, starting with “I’m sorry you are having this problem” followed by a scripted response.
I asked two questions: Does your newspaper still promise delivery before 7 a.m.? Do I have a new delivery person? The response was complete silence, presumably while the representative was searching for the answer to read to me.
I was offered the digital version of the newspaper for the day that I called, but I CLEARLY explained my complaint was not just about TODAY, but about the LAST THREE MONTHS.
Perhaps this was not in the handbook of canned responses because I got silence again.
Finally, I said “please note my file that I have complained about my service” and ended the call.
I left the experience with more aggravation than I began. Now I am considering cancelling my service entirely.
Hopefully your front line customer service team is sincerely devoted to customer retention.
If you have an unhappy customer:
First, listen carefully.
Second, apologize and repeat back what you understand the problem to be.
Third, if the solution is not obvious, it’s OK to ask the customer what outcomes they would like to see. In my example, I wanted two things – a note on the file that delivery was not acceptable, and moving forward, delivery daily by 7 a.m.
Fourth, offer to touch base in the near future to make sure that the problem is solved.
Show you actually care and are not just hiring people to read scripted answers. Make sure that your website has a place where your customers can write to you and then make sure the emails are monitored and a response sent in a timely manner.
At Mind Your Own Business, we can help with solutions to help you mind your own business better.
by Karen Try | Sep 15, 2016 | Advice, Customer Service
Does your company have a Customer Service policy? Or does your company respond to what the Customer would like? At Mind Your Own Business, we spend time with our customers during the “Meet and Greet” at the beginning of our relationship, to find out what communication and processes will serve them best – you could say a custom approach to Customer service. After all, it’s about the customer!
We have been experiencing huge growth in the bookkeeping area of our business services and when we ask the new customer what was lacking in their previous service, the answers are becoming familiar. We hear that some other companies don’t answer the phone, are slow to return calls, accept the questions and don’t respond with clear answers and are unclear about billing.
Some customers want each email acknowledged, while others would go crazy with this additional activity in their inbox. Therefore, a customer’s expectation and expressed wishes become the foundation for being able to provide superior “customer service”.
Are your customers feeling like they are getting the best customer service? If not, they might be our next new client.
by Karen Try | Aug 19, 2015 | Advice, Customer Service
Widely quoted advice: The fortune is in the follow up.
You network constantly, giving out your business card to people who express interest in your business. After that, if you just wait for the business to roll in, you will likely be disappointed.
Follow up is not nagging. Follow up is putting yourself and your business in the business mind of your target audience.
Often a time consuming activity, follow up calls and correspondence can be handled beautifully by a capable assistant who is well trained in customer service and sales.
We can help you mind your own business better by finding your fortune in the follow up.
by Karen Try | Aug 19, 2015 | Customer Service
After sending an inquiry email, sometimes you receive silence in return. How long should you wait?
Whether you’re chasing an overdue account, seeking a quote, following up on a previous request or trying to set up a meeting, if you get no response, send ONE “gentle reminder” email.
And then, pick up the phone! Often forgotten and last choice technology – the telephone.
Email can land in junk, or have been misdirected. The receiver might be on vacation or away sick and not have an auto response set up. OR, the receiver is so busy, your email is buried and forgotten.
Nagging is annoying, so don’t nag. Pick up the phone and reach out personally. No answer? Leave a message on the second attempt. Call display is widely used, so give your contact the chance to contact you. Second attempt, leave a no-guilt-trip message.
Still having trouble, outsource this task to your virtual assistant and move on to spending your time in a more profitable way!
