The Essential Rules For Handling Customer Complaints

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 Your customer’s complaints used to be between you and the customer…and anyone they could tell in person. Now social media has enabled them to let the entire world know when they’re not happy with you. Here are  a few quick tips on how to defend your honor during the crisis of a customer complaint.

Rule #1 Always Respond

Ignoring a customer, especially an angry one, is the number one way to fuel the fire. Without the internet one angry customer couldn’t make much of a dent on your bottom line, now they can tear down any positive results you may have achieved from your marketing efforts for the last year.

Rule #2 Acknowledge The Issue

Whether you’re right or wrong, you need to address this issue. If you made a mistake, admit it. If you’re doing something that people don’t agree with, explain why you’re doing it. Surveys show that customers admire company executives able to accept fault and willing to take steps to eliminate future situations.

Rule #3 Apologize

When you make a mistake you need to issue an official and mature apology. Don’t use it as a way to carry on the argument, use it as a way to let your customers know that you sincerely care. At its very essence your apology should promise that you will fix the problem and that it will never happen again.

Read more.

If you found this information useful you might also appreciate my older post on Things Your Customers Don’t Want To Hear.

What do you think is the hardest part of dealing with an angry customer? Share in the comment box below or on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Filed Under: Business Books, Customer Service, Customer-Centric, Leadership, Leadership and Trust, Leadership Lessons, Making Happy Customers Tagged With: , , , , ,

Recruiting Only The Best

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Just because someone is capable of doing the job that needs done, doesn’t mean that they are the right person for the job. Your company is only as good as the people who represent it so it’s incredibly important to hire the right people. You need to consider the X Factor for every person you consider hiring. Are they a fit for our culture? Are they going to help motivate the rest of the team? Keith Cline is the founder of successful recruiting firm Dissero. In this video he shares some of the most important thoughts and steps to have and take before hiring someone to join your team.

 

What do you think about before you hire a new addition to your team? Share in the comment box below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Business Leaders, Hiring, Hiring Talent, Managing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How Don Shula Can Save Your Business

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In a recent article in Inc. Magazine, business and sales legend Harvey Mackay shares one of his most valued leadership strategies that he learned from former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula.

The life of any startup is sure to have ups and downs and it’s the boss’ job to manage those ups and downs and to keep the business and the employees focused. Mackay describes Shula’s brilliant secret as the “24-hour rule”. A policy that looks forward to the next challenge instead of hanging on to the previous victory or failure.

Coach Shula allowed his team and his staff only 24 hours to either celebrate a victory or brood over a loss. He encouraged that during those 24 hours they get everything out of their system before the next day, when it was time to start focusing on the next game. He felt that this strategy helped to keep both wins and losses in perspective.

This concept is genius!

You aren’t discouraging anyone from feeling the affects of a win or lose but you’re encouraging them to feel it and then move on. Dwelling on this past , whether it be positive or negative, keeps a lot of great employees and businesses from moving forward. Holding on to those feeling affects how your employees interact with each other and with your customers.

Read more thoughts on this rule of genius from Harvey Mackay here.

Do you think this would work for your business? Share in the comment box below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: How To Be More Efficient, How to Be More Innovative, How To Be More Productive, How To Keep Your Employees, Management, Managing Tagged With: , , , ,

How To Reward Your Employees Without Going Broke

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I would love to give all of my employees HUGE bonuses every time they do something great, unfortunately there’s not a business on Earth that can afford to do that. The good news is that your employees aren’t necessarily looking for a monetary reward. Here are a few ways to give your employees positive reinforcement without cutting a big check.

1. Ask For Their Ideas- Your employees want to feel valued more than anything else. When you show them that you are interested in their input, they will work harder to give you the best ideas they can come up with, and they will be happy about it!

2. Ask For Help – Remember when you were younger and you felt special if you got to help your parents with something special or even help the teacher with something new? That need/want doesn’t go away with age, it just redirects towards the new authority figures. Feeling like you helped someone who you respect is a huge reward for most people. It also validates them by showing that you recognize their skill and ability.

3. Put Them In A Leadership Role – Even if it’s just for one project, it shows that you trust them enough to lead others. This will give your employee a big boost in self-esteem and also raise their perception of the amount of responsibility required for their job. One project like this can help them work more efficiently and effectively in everything else they do, all because they take more pride in their work because they know that you do too.

Read More Here. 

What ways has your boss rewarded you without handing out cash? Share in the comment box below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Filed Under: Rewarding Your Employees Tagged With: , , , , ,

Does Your Business Need To Be More Customer-Centric?

October 4, 2011 By 1 Comment

Here’s an interesting idea, a business that focusses on what its customers want and then gives it to them… Sound familiar?  Some companies built their entire model around this idea and some companies completely skipped it.  When times are as tough as they have been and money is as tight as it can be, no business can afford to not pay enough attention to its customers.

What does it mean to be customer-centric?
To be customer-centric reflects more of the mindset and beliefs held by those committed to an exceptional level of service regardless of the industry. Having the right state of mind plays a huge role in providing the level of service that you want to provide and that your customers will expect . It’s important to note that the word ‘centric’ comes from the root word for core, center or central. Your business has to be all about the customer before the customer can be all about you.
Why is exceptional customer service so critical today?
Studies have consistently shown that poor service (i.e. attitude of indifference) is by far the No. 1 reason why customers will leave; over competitors and product defect. The Gallup Organization has found that the U.S. economy loses over $360 billion a year due to subpar service. With product features being so similar from one company to another, the customer experience is simply a great and low cost way to create a profitable distinction. Your competitors may imitate what you do, but it’s very difficult to imitate the way you do it. Read More

What does your company do to be customer-centric? Share in the comment box below or through Facebook and  Twitter.

Filed Under: Customer Experience, Customer-Centric Tagged With: , , , , , ,

11 Tips On Managing… Yourself

September 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Being a good manager is just as much about what you do as it is about what the people you are supervising do. You can’t expect people to follow your lead if you aren’t getting anything done.  I found these tips extremely useful and I hope that you will too. (Read More)

If you have any tips I left out share them for everyone in the comment box below.  For more conversation connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Be accessible. Don’t hole up in your office all day — come out and visit with your employees. Let them know that they can always come to you with problems and concerns.

2. Be open to constructive criticism. It may not always be what you want to hear, but listening to constructive criticism gives you the chance to learn and grow from your mistakes.

3. Accept responsibility. Part of being the boss is accepting responsibility for the mistakes of all that you manage, not just your own.

4. Know there’s always room for improvement. No matter how good you think you are, your job can always be done better. Always be willing to learn.

5. Improve your skills. Learning is a lifelong process. You’re never too old to take a class or ask a co-worker to help you improve your knowledge.

6. Explain things simply. Don’t use big words or technical jargon just to sound smart and impress others. Your employees will understand and perform better if you explain simply and clearly what you need.

7. Instruct rather than order. You may be the boss, but you don’t have to be bossy. You’ll have more success if your requests are more tactfully delivered.

8. Include your staff in your plans. Don’t make your work top secret; let your employees know what’s going on and how they are expected to contribute.

9. Know your subordinates’ jobs. You don’t want to be caught with inferior job knowledge.

10. Be flexible. It’s fine to be firm in what you expect, but allow for flexibility in how it gets done.

11. Get regular feedback. Your employees and superiors can give you valuable feedback on how to improve your performance. Use this to your advantage.

12. Know your limitations. You can’t be everywhere doing everything all at once. Know the limits of your time and abilities and say no to things you know you can’t do.

Filed Under: Managing yourself Tagged With: , , , , , ,

3 Opportunities Your Business Is Missing Part: 3

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

You may have built the company from the ground up or you may have been there since before it was even close to being the company is today, but I bet there are a few hidden treasures in your company that you didn’t know about. Not hiding in the boiler room or the basement, but right in front of you, in fact you probably greet half of these treasures on a daily basis.  Pay attention and you will catch on quickly.

This is post 3 of 3 in this series.  The other opportunities you’re missing are just as important so click for Part 1 or Part 2.

There are things you could be doing to be a better boss. No one is going to come right out and say it, except for your boss and that’s not the perspective you want to get.  One of the biggest challenges we face is separating how we see ourselves from how our employees see us.  Your leadership could mean an increase in productivity, sales and better customer service, but you have no idea you’re doing anything wrong or at least not doing what you need to be doing right.  This means that you need to open up a better channel of communication with your employees.  If you let them know that you care enough to improve in your position, it might just motivate them to improve in theirs.  If you show them that you are really trying to make their jobs easier, it might just inspire them to make yours easier as well. This will also make it a lot easier for your employees to come to you right away instead of letting stress, resentment and anger build.

    If you haven’t caught on yet, all of the good ideas you need are within your reach, you just have to know where to look.  You should know something about all of the jobs in your company but your employees should know everything about their job and even a little more.  Letting your employees get away with just doing their job is like letting someone walk out the door with all of your secrets and ideas.  I recommend you take full advantage of the expertise and experience of your employees and I promise that you won’t regret it.

     

    Filed Under: office chair experts, office furniture experts, Running a Business Tagged With: , , , , , ,

    Jedi Training For Successful Management (Infographic)

    July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

    I had never thought about trying to incorporate sci-fi into my leadership and management techniques until I saw this infographic.  Whether you like/love Star Wars or not, there are some great ideas and tips in this infographic for any manager in any industry.  FeFeel free to comment or share your opinions on Facebook or Twitter.

    Filed Under: Infographics, Leadership, Management Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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