Pam

Let’s face it, some words have magical powers. Just as “Open Sesame” magically opens the door to a new world, so too can other words and phrases have similar effects on your customers and clients.

This month we look at the power of words to create trust, allegiance and commitment in our customers and clients.

Opening the Doors to Success

Sometimes it?s the pleasant words we hear as doors are opening, that make a difference to customers. For Nancy Graham of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, who comes to San Francisco four times a year, it’s the words “Welcome Back to Campton Place Mrs. Graham, we’ve missed you!” that make her feel special. Then the hotel doorman inquires about her family as he opens the door to another wonderful stay at this celebrated Union Square hotel in San Francisco.

Whether customers are greeted at the door, clients are welcomed over the phone or upon arrival at functions, those initial words are music to our ears. Research tells us we like the sound of our own names. Are you greeting your new and returning customers with favor and delight? If not, why not? It?s neither hard nor expensive.

Missing in Inaction

Recently I dined at one of San Francisco’s finest French restaurants. My companion and I had been looking forward to this night for weeks. Our night arrived, as did we, dressed in our finest attire. We drove up, I gave the valet my car keys and we entered the restaurant. And then?nothing. Nobody to greet us. Nobody to seat us. We were left alone at the front door. Diners at many tables glanced our way, and returned to the comfort of their meals and mates. As guests, we were made to feel awkward, out of place and inconsequential. Finally, a passing waiter, with plates akimbo, smiled and promised that someone would be right there to greet us. Establishments know that they must manage the entire experience of their patrons, from the initial phone call to the follow up after an interaction or event. Sometimes a few well-chosen words of ours can assuage customers’ feelings, inducing comfort and care on the part of their clientele. Develop key phrases to help your customers feel comfortable about their relationship with you.

Bad Form?Customer or Teller?

I was at a bank recently when a teller abruptly pointed out “you forgot to fill out your deposit slip correctly.” I suddenly felt as though I were back in grade school. Her words stung like a bee. Her remark felt so judgmental. If only she’d said “let me help you complete this” or even “don’t forget to fill in today’s date.” She was so busy judging me she forgot to partner with me for a successful transaction. In most service situations our customers are looking for help, assistance and perhaps some guidance. It wouldn’t have been hard for this teller to achieve the same result, a properly filled in transaction slip, without alienating her customer.

Mouthing a few choice words isn’t enough. They must be genuinely meant. To utter phrases without heartfelt thoughts behind them rings hollow with others. Sincerity matters. So try to let your body language, eye contact and gestures reinforce the sentiment you are expressing. In part, that helps these comforting words become magical. Even on the telephone or via e-mail, you can convey care, concern and sincerity.

Consider these phrases which bring comfort, smiles and satisfaction to your customers’ ears:

“We can fix it.”

This tells your customers that you are solution oriented and partnering with them for success.

“We’re sorry for your inconvenience.”

These magic words show awareness and concern for your customers.

“Consider it done!”

Tells customers you are there for them, protecting their interests and serving their needs.

“We’re delighted to serve you.”

Shows your organization values their patronage.

“Thank you for choosing us. It’s our pleasure to serve you.”
Shows you are indebted to your customers.

“Please let us know what else we can do to make your experience a pleasurable one.”

This phrase shows your availability and accountability to your clients. By being receptive you show a confidence in serving others and managing your client relationships effectively.

“Welcome back. We’ve missed serving you.”

We cherish long term relationships and relish your repeat business.

These aren’t words like the phrase Robert Redford used in the movie The Hot Rock, when his utterance of “Afghanistan Banana-Stand” put bank personnel into a trance. What gives your words magical powers are the thoughts and care behind them. These words engender trust. These phrases build allegiance and strengthen commitment. When you’re prepared to walk your talk your customers will magically reappear again and again. Treasure your customer exchanges and you and your customers can share the reward of repeat business.

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Author Craig Harrison, who is a professional speaker, corporate trainer and founder of Expressions Of Excellence!, provides solutions through speaking. Craig inspires stellar sales and service leadership among professionals in a variety of fields. He can be reached at (510) 547-0664 or through craig@craigspeaks.com. Visit his website: www.ExpressionsOfExcellence.com.

?A new frontier for Customer Support for Online Customers through Free Live Chat Support Products and services?

What has become more of a fundamental than a phenomenon is that Good Customer Support and Service as well as Satisfaction has somewhat of a direct correlation with business venture success.

Quality customer support as well as customer relationship management are the key drivers which reward any business whether made of bricks or working solely on the click based model. An online customer service solution easily assures satisfaction to customers who are constantly seeking help and answers to their queries.

We should always customer?s needs and improvise services that they would not find elsewhere. The most embarrassing situation is one wherein the customer proactively asks for information through mails, whether electronic or otherwise and the customer support lacks the punctuality to reply in time. For physical retailers as well as others offering customer support it has never been a question since all interactions and support occur real-time but what is daunting is the support on web which needs to be real time as well as interactive. By interaction I mean undivided attention to each one of your customers and active conversation displaying concern for all what he requires.

What is required for Click Based models to achieve customer satisfaction and effective CRM is Real Time live Chat Support System. Such a system is analogous to online Help Desk wherein a Chat Support Software with live Customer Care Representative or popularly known as an Operator or a chat assistant provides Chat Support and handles issues about certain products and services. Such a Real Time Web Interface offering Live Chat Support becomes an essential component of a marketing strategy and therefore to be seriously considered as an alternative to offline help desks or voice based Customer Support interface..

Traditionally the method of offering customer-service was through toll free phone line; however with the help of live chat software, it is possible for company representatives to have a one to one chat with the website visitors in real time and provide live help and support to the customer instantaneously.
In addition to the above services the online businesses also have the advantage of keeping track of the number of visitors. This provides an opportunity to cross sell as well as up sell products as well as services through Pro-Active Chat Prompts wherein looking at a live online visitors preferences for products judged through real time statistics available in such software, the Customer Care Representative can look prompt the online visitor and offer help.

One such service is being offered by May I Help You Zone in addition to many others flourishing in the growing size and scope of the World Wide Web. Businesses where the major point of interaction is their online presence as a website can avail the Live Chat Interface free of cost for a limited period of time where they can use their own operators.

What is unique is that May I Help You Zone also offers Customer Support Function which the website or E-commerce initiative owner may outsource. It may seem a simple Business Process Outsourcing event but a detailing of the processes involved would further elucidate the fundamental difference between providing voice based support and Live Chat Support for products and services.

The Live Chat Software too is practically trouble free to use, all we need is a Web Browser and no standalone software installation is required.. There is no software to install or any servers required for using the software. Once the code of the live chat software is embedded in the web pages it is possible for all end users of the live chat software like customers, administrators and operators to use live chat software provided by May I Help You Zone through a standard web browser that is connected to the Internet. Sitting at any corner of the Globe and connected to web one just needs to log through the website of the Free Live Chat software to chat with web site visitors.
Perhaps it is a small step in replacing the missing human touch and spirit to satisfy an online visitor with instant solutions to his problems by reducing his effort in finding it across on your online channels but is a giant leap towards creating a greener dimension to Customer Support.

The Live Chat Software offered by May I Help You Zone is 100% secure with options of web analytic services as well as monitoring online visitor statistics.

About May I Help You Zone

May I Help You Zone Web based live chat software for real time customer service offer live chat support and 24X7 support with dedicated operator services catering to the needs of your diverse functions ranging from sales, marketing, purchase, vendor management and a host of other services by mayihelpyouzone.com

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www.mayihelpyouzone.com/component/option,com_fireboard/Itemid,47/func,view/catid,12/id,5/#5

Don?t you hate to wait in long queues in banks, repair centres, restaurants, hospitals, etc? Don?t you wish that they will open more counters to serve the queue faster? Don?t you wish the person currently being served can get it over and done with immediately?

Waiting is a complete waste of time! Frustration builds up and let?s not even talk about customer satisfaction.

The traditional Queue Systems does not manage queues, it is on a 1st come, 1st served basis. What the current queue system does is issue you a queue ticket and you join the queue.

During peak hours (typically twice during the day in most industries), the queues are extremely long. Needless to say, you will have to get a queue ticket and join the queue. Mind you, the queuing time can sometimes be up to an hour !

Sometimes, when you see the length of the queue, you give up and walk away. Or you might even consider doing business elsewhere. Some of us might even have to go to the extent of taking a day leave just to avoid the long queue.

On the other hand, wouldn?t this be great? You go to the bank (or repair centres, restaurant, hospitals, etc.) and you are served within 5 minutes! No waiting in the long queues.

Or

You get your queue ticket and you do not have to wait in the queue. So you go shopping (or do whatever you like) instead of waiting there in the queue. You will be informed when your turn is near.

As for the banks (repair centres, restaurants, hospitals, etc.), it is definitely advantageous to them to achieve the above. Customers will be happier if they can come at their own convenient time and be served within 5 minutes.

There will not be any need to allocate more resources to handle the peak crowds. You will attract new customers due to your effective management of your operation.

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Andy Yeo is the leading expert in Queue Management and Queue Management Solutions
Email : andy.yeo@edison-mcs.com.sg
queuemanagement.wordpress.com

If you are up to your ears in a stressful situation, it becomes difficult to think clearly. Sometimes, it is best to walk away from a problem, and think about it, rather than try to solve it with an instant solution.

My grandfather used to say: ?Even the court jester can teach us something useful.? This saying goes much deeper in meaning and applies to many things - from a Yoga class, to not taking life too seriously, and to the unfortunate way customer feedback is commonly handled by the business world.

As a customer of any service or product - how do you feel when your Email is ignored, your voice mail message is never answered, and you don?t get any feedback or concern, at all, from customer service? We all feel the same ? nobody likes to be ignored. The shame of all this is that customer service is getting worse on a global scale.

Knowing this, we should take the time to listen when someone has taken the time to give us a constructive suggestion. When you do acknowledge a suggestion and consider, implement, or try it, you could possibly create a bond for life.

Here is a little story about how listening can pay off. Years ago, I was working at a health club and had a dilemma. I had a personal training client with a weight control problem, but I couldn?t figure out what the problem was.
She was exercising, eating the right things, following a new healthy diet, taking Yoga classes, and had made a 30 day turn around in lifestyle, with no results to measure.

I brainstormed with the health club owner with no real success, but we were interrupted by someone who said that I should have my client log everything she eats and drinks.

Well, I took the suggestion and ran with it. I discovered my client was drinking three Cokes a day. She didn?t equate Coke with sugar grams, and didn?t think it was important enough to mention.

After that, she lost five pounds a month, on average, for the next twelve months. That?s an optimum 60 pound weight loss in a year. This particular client kept the weight off.

The person who made that suggestion is still a dear friend to this day. Needless to say, I have every personal training client log their meals, and drinks - just to be certain.

In summary, it doesn?t take a ?rocket scientist? to listen to customer feedback, or a colleague?s suggestions; but all of us, no matter how important we think we are, must be willing to sit back and listen to constructive advice. This will be the difference between managers of businesses that flourish and those that fail in the twenty-first century.

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Paul Jerard, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher.
www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Traditional ROI calculations use the level of profit generated by an asset divided by the value of the asset and expressed as a percentage. That’s fine but when we seek to ascribe a value to non-profit generating assets we need to look at ways in which we can quantify the value that the call center is contributing to overall business operations.

Call center data management and manipulation has lent itself particularly well to KPI metric and Balanced Scorecard methodology. KPI/Balanced Scorecard techniques are a mainstay of the management of any call center and using the metrics that are being produced from these management information tools allows to start calculating an approximation for ROI.

If we move away from the idea of profit centers that need to be maximized and cost centers that need to be cut so logically increasing profit, we can start thinking of the different business components as contributing value.

What is the value that we can ascribe to a call center it doesn’t create anything?

First, lets look at a revised ROI calculation, we can pretty easily work out a cost for the call center which is going to be used in the ROI calculation if we use that as asset value of the ROI number crunching.

Second, if we look at the relative contribution of call center activities we can start ascribing a value based on the effect on our financial and management accounting information. Linking information from customer service feedback and focus groups will allow us to develop an idea of the impact on repeat business for instance. Repeat business is something that our accounting and CRM system will be monitoring so we can get a value for that. The customer survey and feedback groups will also give an indication as to how important our customer service is in winning repeat business orders and that will in turn allow us to infer a value for that proportion of repeat business that is attributable to the call center efforts.

We are now close to being able to perform an ROI calculation in that we have determined a value that is created for the expense of our customer service efforts made by the call center.

Using such attributable value calculations for ROI is not flawless but it does provide a valuable tool for tracking the value of a non-revenue division that is being contributed to overall business success. Tracking ROI of this nature over time, as long as the calculation is made on a consistent basis will help indicate and highlight the relative success of initiatives and investment in the call center.

Calculating an overall ROI can be done by a broader attribution of value that is created by the call center and the total expense that is incurred by it. Used alone such an ROI calculation is not going to be of much help but the use of the incremental ROI that can be calculated for discrete costs and further investment in the call center is very useful for helping to justify whether incremental investment should be made or not.

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If you are interested in measuring call center roi, check Sam Miller new web-site.

Voicemail, automated phone systems, email and other technology have replaced the personal touch when it comes to customer service. Customer frustrations are on the rise.

Their number one complaint is that no one really seems to care anymore.

Your customer can tell the difference between satisfactory service and caring service. Satisfactory service is what most customers expect. This type of service focuses on completing a task rather than building a relationship with the customer.

The market often talks of customer satisfaction, a deceptive phrase because it sounds better than it is. Would you have wanted a grade of satisfactory in school? Probably not. Satisfactory implies adequate, good enough and acceptable. Customers who are merely satisfied with your business can be wooed away by others who offer something better.

Customers are discouraged by poor service and expectations are low. The simple gesture of showing your customers that you care about them will be a welcome surprise compared to the apathy they experience elsewhere. Building customer loyalty boils down to one simple concept?C.A.R.I.N.G.

C = Consistent

Commit to delivering exceptional customer service with every customer interaction.

-Take complete ownership of your actions and your customer’s happiness.

-Deliver respect, friendliness and knowledge, whether you communicate face-to-face, by telephone or through email.

-Maintain a positive attitude–all the time!

-Sign your work with excellence. A = Attentive Your customer is not an interruption of your work. He or she is the reason you’re at work.

-Focus 100% attention on your customers’ needs. Ask yourself, “If this were me, what would I want?”

-Listen carefully?don’t rush service. Your customer took the time to do business with you. Honor that decision by taking the time to deliver a quality experience.

A = Attentive

Your customer is not an interruption of your work. He or she is the reason you’re at work.

-Focus 100% attention on your customers’ needs. Ask yourself, “If this were me, what would I want?”

-Listen carefully?don’t rush service. Your customer took the time to do business with you. Honor that decision by taking the time to deliver a quality experience.

R = Reliable

Take proactive ownership of your customers’ requests. Follow through until they are successfully resolved.

-Watch your image. Dress professionally. Don’t wear clothing that can offend or embarrass your customers. Dress in a manner that enhances your credibility and positively reflects on the organization.

-Maintain order in your workspace.

-Communicate with a warm, friendly tone of voice. Provide clear and accurate information. Avoid the use of jargon or slang. Also, be careful not to talk “down” to your customers or co-workers.

-Follow through by keeping your promises, no matter how small, to your customers and co-workers.

-Focus on timeliness. Respond quickly to your customers’ and co-workers’ requests. Show up for work and meetings on time. Return phone calls promptly and deliver information on time.

-Promptly reply to email messages.

-Commit to professional development by attending workshops and seminars, and reading materials that will help you to learn and grow in your ability to do your job better.

I = Individualized

-No two customers are alike. Each customer has individual needs and concerns.

-Pay attention to your customer?s tone of voice and actions.

-Learn how to respond to your customer based on his or her particular style. A dominant customer may seem impatient and will want to control the situation to get his or her desired results. A shy customer may need assurance and guarantees. An outgoing customer may require more “chat” time. You can build rapport quickly by learning to respond appropriately with each type of customer.

-Pay attention to your customers’ family members. Ask about their children.

-Congratulate your customers when you learn of their celebrations, such as having a new baby or buying a home. Acknowledge their birthdays.

-Pay attention to their accomplishments such as an appointment to a board, getting promoted or landing that important client. -

-Ask your customers for advice on how you or your company could better serve them. Encourage their feedback and ideas, and yes, even criticism. Then listen.

-Sincerely compliment your customers every chance you get. Compliment them on how nicely they’re dressed, their pleasant phone voice, or their patience during a long wait. Don’t mistake compliments with false flattery. -

-Surprise your customers by delivering unexpected service, such as free shipping or a little something extra to show them they’re appreciated.

-Keep your customers informed about the status of their order, any delays or obstacles to meeting their needs and changes in policies that may affect them.

-Customize the way you communicate to honor the style differences of your customers.

N = Notable

Word-of-mouth is the most powerful marketing campaign of all. Give your customers quality service that they can brag about. Is your service worth bragging about?

-When you hear repeated complaints about something, take the initiative to fix the problem! For example, if customers frequently complain that it is too cold in the building, contact the person in charge of climate control and ask him or her to adjust the temperature. If more than one customer complains that the music is too loud when they are on “hold,” take the initiative to have the volume turned down.

-Go the extra mile by delivering more than expected. This may mean chatting a little longer with a customer who sounds lonely or just wants to visit. You can waive a shipping charge if an order has been delayed.

-Notice their needs. If a customer sounds rushed or stressed, acknowledge their busy schedule and do everything you can to speed up their service experience.

- Save them time. Look for ways to remove service obstacles that may waste your customers’ time. Make sure there is a working pen on the counter if they need to sign a credit card receipt. If you need to transfer a customer call, stay on the line to explain the situation to your co-worker so your customer doesn’t need to repeat his or her request. Offer to call them after you have resolved their complaints so they don’t need to remain on the line while you track down the cause of the problem.

-Stand by your promises. Return calls at precisely the time you said you would call. Don’t put a customer in a position of having to call back to remind you that they are still waiting for information. Never promise service by a co-worker unless you’re 100% certain that he or she will be able to deliver on that promise for the customer.

G = Generous

Be generous with your service by looking for ways to go the extra mile for your customers.

-Look for ways to remove service obstacles by bending a rule or making an exception when your customer has a special need.

-Periodically, give away a free item to your customers. Enclose a calendar, tips guide, kitchen magnet or one of your company’s products. Be sure to write a note to let your customers know that this is a gift of appreciation just for doing business with you.

-When your customers make appointments to meet with you, take them early.

-Introduce your customers to other members of the team, especially staff who only deal with internal customers.

-Slip your customers a handwritten “thank-you” note when they’ve been patient, when they’ve complained, when they’ve referred a new customer or just to thank them for being a loyal customer.

-Hold monthly contests for your customers where they can win prizes.

-Actively seek out and participate in community outreach and service events or causes that your customers care about.

-Give each of your best customers a standing ovation the next time they walk through the door.

-Create over-satisfied customers by frequently asking your customers, “How can we do an even better job of serving your needs?”

-Put value on what?s important to your customers, not what’s important to you. People are loyal to a business when they feel they?ve been treated well and received good value for their money.

Customer service goes a long way toward pleasing customers on both counts. C.A.R.I.N.G. customer service means going out of your way for customers, doing everything possible to meet their needs and sometimes making decisions that benefit customers, even at the expense of the company.

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Debra J. Schmidt, also known as the Loyalty Leader?, is an author, consultant, corporate trainer and professional speaker. She helps companies boost their profits by leading the way to greater customer, employee and brand loyalty. Debra is in demand as one of the nation?s top customer loyalty experts — helping clients keep more customers, retain more employees, get more referrals and sell more products.
As the owner of Loyalty Leader? Inc., Debra provides training, consulting and keynote addresses for Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, professional organizations and trade associations throughout the United States. She has developed customer service standards and delivered training for companies such as Northwestern Mutual, Miller Brewing Company, Wells Fargo, Roundy?s, American Family Insurance, Kohler Co, Lucent Technologies and the Green Bay Packers.
She has a master?s degree and over 25 years of business management and sales experience in a wide range of industries. Debra was nominated for an Emmy award in 1991 and has won six national marketing awards. In addition to her monthly television appearances on Fox News in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Debra has been a featured guest on radio shows throughout the United States. Her articles have appeared in hundreds of magazines and on-line publications.

Contractors these days offer more than building and maintaining homes. It is not surprising, for example, that contractors also offer security services by form of installing security systems into the homes they build or repair.

The home security system products for contractors to offer to homeowners has been going for years. With the current trend of technologically-enhanced and cheaper security products out in the market, contractors now have to compete just as well.

Alarms

Most homes will have the basic security systems built into them already. This includes different home security products like alarms. There are all sorts of alarms as well. The typical alarm is the burglar alarm, either hard-wired or wireless. They are installed by contractors to give homeowners a sense of security against burglars and intruders. Then there are other alarms, such as smoke or fire alarms. Fire alarms may not be so typical in homes but smoke alarms are pretty much basic and you may find these things installed in places like the bedroom and kitchen. These are safeguards that will help to warn people that there is a possible fire, prompting them to call the fire department or authorities for help.

Detectors

But more importantly, it is not the alarms but how they are triggered. For burglar alarms, homeowners can also ask their contractors to wire their house in such a way that when the wires are tripped (or cut in any way), the alarm will go off. However, it is more typical to see motion detectors now since technology has improved alarm systems. These motion detectors act much like wires but they use infrared beams instead of wires. Once these beams are crossed or disturbed in any way by some object, the alarms will go off. Motion detectors are not to be used in a house that is full of pets. Detectors are a great gadget because they can also be connected wirelessly to other components like wireless cameras and computers.

Locks

Contractors know that every house needs good locks. These home security system products for contractors are great to offer homeowners. Electronic locks are becoming more commonplace in areas around the world where house break-ins are just as common. Electronic locks are useful in that they can be controlled only by those who know their combinations. This means that everybody else who cannot use the electronic lock will more than likely set off an alarm. Contractors can use these locks as incentives for people to take advantage of their home building services.

Home security system products for contractors are becoming more sophisticated with each year that companies introduce new security products. What some of these contractors do is learn how to use and install these products and add them as a package with the houses that they help to build or repair. This is a great opportunity for them to gain more business aside from construction and maintenance. As a homeowner, get to know what contractors are offering as far as security is concerned so that you can make the decision on whom to go to for your home building and home protection needs.

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Get more FREE tips, information, unbiased product reviews and latest updates on the best home security system products at www.WirelessHomeSecuritySystem.Org

Today’s call center is not something about phone calls, it’s a separate business that can… no it MUST generate revenue. It must provide company with fresh ideas, must help company to get new customers and archive business goals, it must work 24 hours a day, live response must be accessible within few seconds.

Finally, the operator’s response must solve customer problems immediately, must save customers that wished to cancel service and must generate revenue.

There are various viewpoints on call center - operator view point, customer view point and management viewpoint. Customer wishes the problem to be solved. Operators’ job is to solve the problem, actually operators’ job is to find correct information quickly and provide it with customer in an easy to follow way. What about management? These people always make things working properly. So what is the best thing that call center manager can do? How to manage call center efficiently? The Balanced Scorecard approach is the best answer to these questions.

Balanced Scorecard is nothing, but the concept. It’s not a software tool, it is not a database, it is not an ERP system. Think about Balanced Scorecard as a combination of metrics and the rules of metrics management.

The key rule for managing metrics is to put them in proper order. Metrics must represent actual business (calls, operators, expenses and revenues), metrics must be grouped. It’s bad idea to create too many metrics and there must be some golden number of metrics suitable for your business. Let’s think about call center in terms of Balanced Scorecard and in terms of metrics.

The Balanced Scorecard concept suggests to use four perspectives to describe any business. Let’s discuss the most important perspectives and metrics associated with these perspectives.

Financial perspective. The key idea here is “call center must generate revenue”. It’s a good idea to measure revenue per successful call and the cost of call. Financial perspective will give you an idea about conversion rate. Making more and more calls is not a good goal. Good goal is: “Make 20% more calls, keeping conversion rate about 4% and keeping our costs flat”.

Balanced Scorecard concept is about measuring. So when you have some metrics, describe the way you will measure them, specify the target values you wish to achieve.

The next perspective is Internal process perspective. How the phone call is handled inside the call center? Do you segment in some way your incoming customers? What is the average call-handling time? Is your call center service available 24 hours a day?

Learning and growth perspective. Coaching is what makes call center working efficiently. Team leader must spend time on coaching, manage must measure and control this time. Team leader must use different coaching methods, such as remote listening, sharing practices with agents, role-playing exercises. It’s good idea to measure these activities. Today call center management systems provides efficient technical background for a call center, coaching is what makes all this software systems work.

Finally, don’t forget about customer. From customer perspective consider measuring response time quality, customer loose rate and first-call resolution rate. It sounds simple, but these key indicators will help to re-think call center and make it performing better.

Call-center MUST generate sales, it must save customers and must return investments. The key concept is to measure and control call center performance with call center metrics and Balanced Scorecard concept. What tool to use to manage your metrics? Anything you like, in this case any spreadsheet software will work better than thousand-dollars business systems.

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If you are interested in call center metrics and measuring business performance with Balanced Scorecard try Sam Miller web-site.

Business success is dependent on a variety of factors ? a realistic business idea, a well thought-out business plan, an appropriate marketing strategy and great customer service are amongst the top ones.

While customer service is a part of marketing, it can be segregated as a separate field on its own. It?s important to define the term customer service before we proceed. Customer service includes all aspects of interaction with a customer and speaks to the organization?s image in the mind of a customer.

A customer provides an organization with that most organic of all advertising tools ? word of mouth advertising. A happy and satisfied customer is much more likely to send more customers your way. Further, there is the potential for repeat business, which is the backbone of many businesses. It is obvious that a customer who has been provided with a product or service that he or she desired in the ideal way, would build a relationship with the seller.

Further customer relationship management teaches the business where there are flaws in the system and provides valuable customer feedback. When a business receives feedback, it is able to see the customer?s image of the organization and the impression of its services. This tool is invaluable in correcting systems as well as image management for the business. It is also an outsider?s perspective, which provides the business owner or management a unique insight.

Additionally, a satisfied customer would be more likely to participate in activities that help to generate customer preference data. This data goes back to the marketing function in assisting the organization to better target and attract it potential customers.

In fact, it would not be a stretch to say that without good customer service, a business would not survive. The old adage ?The customer is always right? has been the foundation of many an organization and what it really means is that keeping customers happy is the foremost principle of any business. The reason for the survival of many small businesses in a tough and competitive market is their ability to provide personalized customer service. It is the human touch that warms and enlivens an organization in the customer?s mind and goes towards building a relationship. This relationship is the basis of future growth for a business.

Regular and sustained interaction with a customer ensures that the customer feels connected with the business. For instance, a small pub owner who chats with his customers and knows them by name builds a relationship with them. Further, when he makes sure that their regular bartender makes their drinks and the food is fresh and hot, he is providing customer service. The customers have a good experience and feel that the establishment treated them well. Once an organization grows or goes online, there is less potential for this face-to-face interaction and then the business must find creative ways to ensure customer satisfaction.

The role of customer service to a business, online or offline, is essential to its growth and survival.

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William King is the director of Wholesalers & Drop Shipping Trade Suppliers, Trade Wholesale Suppliers Directory, and Drop Shippers & Wholesale Drop Shipping Products Directory. He has 18 years of experience in the marketing and trading industries.

I think it’s safe to say that the majority of agents out there have been on the receiving end of an angry rant from their real estate leads. There you are, just trying to do your job, follow up and see what you can help them with and they just go off.

Maybe you caught them at a bad time. Maybe they’ve been harassed in the past by another agent. Maybe they’re just grumpy all the time. There’s a hundred reasons why your real estate leads might yell at you and it never feels good to be on the receiving end of an outburst.

But just because some real estate leads may initially yell at you doesn’t mean you can’t still convert them to clients in the future. If an angry outburst or tirade from your real estate leads is enough to scare you off, you might not have a thick enough skin to deal with being a real estate agent. Don’t run for the hills in the face of an outburst, face it dead on and learn how to defuse an angry real estate lead so that you can nurture them into a client.

If you’re contacting your real estate leads very early in the morning or rather late at night and they cop an attitude, maybe that was your first mistake. It’s tough to get a hold of some people, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be at them first thing in the morning or last thing at night. This inconvenient contact may be what’s throwing your real estate leads into a funk in the first place. Vary the times you’re trying to contact leads, always have a reason for contacting them and be as polite and aggressive as possible. I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, being polite and aggressive, but when it comes to converting real estate leads, you need just the right amount of persistence and politeness to make an impression.

If you’re face to face with real estate leads, or a client for that matter, and they start going off at the mouth about how much you suck, a list of reasons WHY you suck and just how badly your whole demeanor sucks, it’s time to take a deep breath. You want to deal with this angry outburst from your real estate leads in a non-angry way. That means listening first. Let them rant, let them rave and keep a neutral expression on your face.

When the tirade is over and it’s your time to talk, keep your voice as calm and level as possible. If you attack as your real estate leads just did, the situation’s liable to turn into one big shouting match. Respond with feedback to what you heard and address their issues directly. Don’t immediately blow off everything they say, instead make empathetic statements such as ?Just to be sure I understand, you’re saying that you feel….? Use your real estate leads’ name to catch their attention and hopefully calm them down.

When your client is at the height of anger, you don’t want to make them seem totally in the wrong and yet you probably don’t want to put them totally in the right either. Instead, say things like ?I’d probably feel the same way in that situation? or ?I understand how you feel.? Never sound patronizing or bored and be very careful about your facial expressions. You can think your real estate leads are the biggest jerks in the world at the moment, but it should never show in your expression or demeanor.

Stay away from statements that might aggravate a person’s anger, such as ?You’re being unreasonable,? ?Calm down,? or ?Just let me talk.? The important thing is not to take anything your real estate leads say personally. You never know what’s going on in their life to have gotten them to such a level of anger. It could be that they have no desire to see a real estate agent or it could also be that they just had a huge fight with their kids and need some recovery time.

If you stay calm and collected, it goes a long way to getting your real estate leads to stay calm and collected. Just remember, if someone’s anger seems to be getting out of control, or you begin to feel threatened, just walk away. A few converted real estates leads probably aren’t worth getting assaulted in the process!

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Get more information on real estate leads by visiting GetMyHomesValue.com.
Ashley Lichty is a webmaster and the resident SEO of Web Xtreme, Inc. She has a background in real estate and marketing with an emphasis in writing.