Customer Service - Do You Hear What I Hear?

“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” Roger Staubach, Legendary Hall of Fame Quarterback

The past several days I have been having a lot of trouble with my Hotmail account. I can't get in to read my email. I’ve tried to communicate with the good people at Hotmail to no avail. I’ve also been monitoring the rising frustration of other Hotmail customers who have been posting their issues on forums.

It struck me that we should talk about good customer service. What makes you feel like you have received good customer service? And what does that mean to you when you are making buying decisions?

At Possibilities Unlimited, we coach our clients to make their customers feel heard. That’s the bottom line, isn’t it? When things go wrong, we all want to feel like someone is in our corner, that they’ve heard our question or concern, and are doing everything they can to fix it.

The mere fact of acknowledging a customer’s concern goes a long way to keeping him happy. Most people understand that things go wrong from time to time, and they can usually forgive an honest mistake when the company admits what they did wrong and moves swiftly to correct the error.

What if the opposite is true? What if the company makes excuses or shifts the blame? What if they don’t respond to customer questions?

When people don’t feel heard, they start talking louder. If you ask your child to clean his room and he doesn’t respond, you raise your voice. Same thing happens in customer service. If people don’t get answers, they raise their voices, either by making additional demands or threatening to quit the service.

In Hotmail’s case, you can almost hear the collective screams of many people who have been locked out of their email accounts for days without answers. Hotmail’s repetitive response goes something like this:

“We have been doing maintenance on the Hotmail system. You should not experience outages for more than four hours. Try again later.”

They don’t address the problem head on, and they seemingly aren’t listening to people who have been locked out for far longer than four hours. Many people are posting that they have already gotten Gmail accounts and dumped the Hotmail service.

Could this have been avoided if Hotmail had posted a general message like this?

“We know you must be very frustrated that you can’t access your email. It’s a big problem, and we don’t have it figured out yet. Rest assured that we have brought in extra help and are getting to the bottom of the issue as fast as we can. We will post updates every hour on our progress.”

We can all learn a lot about customer service from situations like this one. Just remember that honesty and a listening ear can be a winning formula when the unexpected happens.

Are you ready to win?

Keys to Opening a Retail Store

Blogger's note: Today's blog comes from Guest Blogger Harvey Schwartz. Harvey shares a lifetime of retail experience in his blog thoughts. He was the owner of the world-renowned 20th Century Props, a premier supplier of set decor to the film industry. We welcome Harvey to the Possibilities Unlimited blog! If you have questions or comments for Harvey, you can reach him via info@consulting2win.com.

“Do not wait to strike until the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” – William B. Sprague, Historic American Clergyman

Many people have dreamed of opening their own retail store, usually in response to a passion or hobby that they want to pursue as a business. With today’s uncertain job market, more and more people are taking the plunge into starting their own business or retail outlet. Whether you love quirky antiques, rare books or pet accessories, there are a few things you need to consider before opening any retail location.

First, review your inventory. Are you selling things that appeal to a particular niche market? Or are you carrying items designed for a broad and diverse clientele? Make sure you know who your target customer is and where they are likely to shop.

Visit other retail stores that are similar to what you have in mind. Ask questions about what’s selling, what they wish they had more or less of. Ask about the location. Are they successful where they are or would they move if they had it to do over?

Be sure to notice the price points of items similar to yours. Try to determine reasonable prices that people will spend. If a store has an abundance of a certain item, chances are that means it’s not selling. If they are out of stock, that could be a hot item.

The size of your products will determine what size store you need. Are you selling furniture or jewelry? Obviously, the space requirements vary depending on the inventory. Do you want to be in a mall or on a local street? Is it possible for you to share a space with a complimentary vendor? Combine resources and share the costs? Will you be near other similar stores or will yours be a “destination” source for your product? No matter what you decide, the old adage is true… “Location, location, location.” Spend a good deal of time researching your options and negotiating a good deal. Many landlords are open to bargaining with you in order to lease space, so be sure to get the best deal you can.

The best location may be in your own living room! Depending on your product or service, the best avenue for you may be web sales. You can design and promote your own shopping cart website or you can list items on EBay or other auction sites that share your specialty.

Lastly, consider your financial position before you open your doors to the public. Do you have enough in reserves to run your business for six months? You want to have the luxury of building momentum for your business without worrying about being able to cover the rent.

Opening a retail store can be a challenging, yet very fulfilling endeavor. Is it time for you to start your dream business? If you need more coaching on how to launch a successful retail store, give us a call. We’d be happy to share some winning formulas for getting your business off the ground.

Are you ready to win?

Your Healthy Business Screening

“The secret of success is to do common things uncommonly well.” – John D. Rockefeller, American Oil Magnate and Philanthropist

This weekend my husband and I had to complete our benefits enrollment. Most of us are familiar with the process of looking over a variety of plans and making decisions. This year, the company is offering a reduction in premium if we both submit to a health screening. It’s a basic look at how we compare to healthy targets on blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass, etc. If we meet the targets we get the discount.

I got to thinking about how this concept applies to a business. This is a great time of year to assess where your business falls in relation to the targets you set out at the beginning of the year. You did set targets, didn’t you? If not, now is the perfect time to analyze your business health and set targets for 2011.

So what should you be looking at when you perform a business health screening? Here are just a few of the numbers that every business owner or manager should have at his fingertips:

Profit and Loss Figures – Always remember you are in business to make a profit. If you are not making a profit, you have a hobby, and not a business. Profits are the fuel that drive your business’ ability to function and provide products and services. Review your income statement monthly.

Balance Sheet – Another tool to be reviewed monthly. The balance sheet is a snapshot of your assets and liabilities and can point to problem areas that need your attention.

Sales – We’ve said this a million times. Sales is the engine of your business, and you must always be in action on making sales. Monitor your sales calls, hours spent in sales, and sales themselves so you have an accurate picture of those trends.

Pipeline of Possibilities – How are you tracking your contacts and prospects? How often are you reaching out? Where are you finding new people to talk to? What is your system for follow up?

Cash Flow – Are you tracking scheduled payments? Are your customers paying on time? Where do you have gaps in your revenue versus expenses?

Overhead and Efficiency – When was the last time you reviewed your expenses? Are there ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency? Where are costs going up? Are there available discounts or programs that you can take advantage of?

It’s easy to put this kind of analysis on the back burner, but can you afford to? If you aren’t taking the pulse of your business on a regular basis, you may be headed for a rough ride in the new year. Take time now to perform a comprehensive business health screening and see how your company measure up. If you need help getting started, give us a call. The coaches at Possibilities Unlimited would be happy to schedule a complimentary Healthy Business Checkup to make sure you are on a winning path.

Are you ready to win?