Customer Service Articles

1). Customer Service in the Bottled Water Industry - Pure Water and the Customer Promise By : Jon M. Stout
Almost every company discusses, at length, the need for customer service and the significance of supplying true excellence to its customers. However, very few actually follow through with what it takes to attain this excellence. This is particularly true in the bottled water business since not all providers share the opinion that customer service is of the utmost importance in any business.
article related to: pure water, customer service, oxygenated water, bottled water, communication, customer satisfaction

2). Using the Power of Client Testimonials to Grow Your Business By : Alicia Smith
Client testimonials are one of the most powerful marketing tools coaches can use. Did you know that they can help you attract new clients, increase customer confidence and generate a positive “buzz” about you and your services? (Actually, those are just a few of their marketing uses.) Human nature gives testimonials such power because we love discovering what one person thinks of another - even when it's positive! It's the same dynamic that makes gossip so hard to resist.
article related to: testimonials, business, clients, marketing, sales, pr, website, increase income, promotion

3). Customer Service Strategies on eBay By : Michael Hehn
Copyright © Michael Hehn, Online-Profit-4-You Customer service is important on eBay. Buyers rate their satisfaction with sellers, and your rating can make a difference on whether potential customers are willing to buy from you. Customer service strategies on eBay start by providing an accurate product description. Displaying clear pictures and describing any imperfection shows the buyer what to expect.
article related to: start home business, e-commerce, ebay, customer service

4). Turn Your Customer Complaint into a Positive By : Jay
The last thing we want to hear during our work day is complaints from customers. However, it does come with the territory. Here are a few tips on how to turn your customer’s complaint into a positive. 1. Listen When a customer comes to you with a complaint about one of your products or services, listen to them. Listen to what they are telling you, and take notes if at all possible.
article related to: sales, marketing, loan officer, mortgage, leads, telemarketing, skills, training, communication, selling

5). Outsource Your Intranet? It Makes More Sense Than You May Think. By : Intranet Guy
Until recently, if a company wanted to implement an intranet, they first had to install an internal network. Next they had to install a web server and set it up to host their internal documents. This created an intranet, which is an internal network that uses web-based technology. The difference between an intranet and a traditional company network is that everything on the intranet is accessed through a web browser.
article related to: hosted intranet, intranet hosting, asp intranet

6). Improving Your Customer Relationship Management by with Blogging Technology By : The Master Blog Builder
Before I address the following questions: What is a blog? and What can a blog do for your business?, let me pose a few "What if . . ." questions to you. Keeping in mind that before your prospects and customers buy from you, they need to know you, like you, and trust you. In other words, they need to know, whether overtly or covertly, that they have a trusting and ongoing relationship with you.
article related to: blog, blogging, marketing, home business, promotion, customer relationship, marketing

7). Keeping Your Cool When The Customer Gets Hot By : Lydia Ramsey
A day in the life of a business person can be filled with joy and satisfaction or it can be frustrating and stressful. When things go wrong, some people lose control. Holding emotions in check and reacting professionally under fire are not always easy. It is particularly difficult to be nice to people who are not being nice to you. So what do you do to keep your cool when the customer is chewing you out? Most of the time, it is not even your fault.
article related to: customer service, customers, clients, stress, apologize, sympathize, responsibility, stress, frustration, unhappy

8). Seven Ways to Make Your Customers Feel Important By : Kevin
Two important pre-reading notes: Before you chose to read or not read this article, let make two things clear. Everyone has Customers. Even if you work in an internal staff department in a large firm, you have Customers. They are the people you provide work to. And second, don’t be put off by the term Customer. Maybe you call them Clients, Students, Patients, or (heaven forbid!) Users.
article related to: customers, clients, customer service, customer relationship, customer perspective, raving fans

9). If I'm Not Satisfied, What Do I Want? By : Jeffery Glaze
Customer service is all about the customer. As business owners or employees, we have all at one time or another had to deal with an upset customer. What happens when the upset customer is us? Being in business does not guarantee success. The last thing a business owner wants is to lose our business, so when something goes wrong and we are the customer, do we just accept it and walk away forever or do we seek satisfaction.
article related to: business, customer, service, relations, satisfaction

10). Customers Who Rave About You and Your Service By : Alicia Smith
According to customer service studies by marketing gurus of the world, here are the following qualities, which must be present in your life and your business in order to develop raving fan customers who are not just satisfied but completely loyal to you over the long haul. 1. People want you to show an interest in their lives. You not only know about their business, you know about their families, the hobbies they enjoy, and their life experiences.
article related to: business, marketing, customer service, satisfaction, personal level, return policy, hours of operation, guarantee, warranty, value

11). The Golden Rules Of Customer Service By : Kristie Tamsevicius
Everything I know about customer service I learned from working at McDonalds as a teenager. Hard to believe, but true! In this day of highly competitive cyber business, the companies that will succeed will be those that offer superior customer service. The value of a lifetime customer is immeasurable. So once you get a customer, how do you keep him?.

12). Customer Service is Now Customer Care By : Richard Saporito
As I waited for an answer to my VCR inquiry from a stereo company, the recording stated a “customer care” representative would be available shortly. At that moment, I realized it’s finally catching on everywhere. With aging baby boomers, world events and additional pressures in today’s society; it is “customer care” that has evolved in our economy. We have moved from a manufacturing economy to a service economy and are currently leaning towards a “servicecare” economy.
article related to: restaurant service consulting, waiter training, dining room customer service, restaurant evaluations, menu, mystery shopper, waitstaff, restaurant training

13). Complaint Letters: How to Respond in 7 Simple Steps By : Robert Warlow
Ask many small business owners what goes into providing great customer service and you have answers such as, being polite, serving promptly, keeping your promises etc. But in this hi-tech age, we tend to forget that the humble letter has just as an important role in ensuring good customer service. Yet how many times have you received a ‘letter of apology’.
article related to: complaint letters, responding to complaints

14). Customer Service Done Right By : Matthew C. Keegan
Are you a stickler about receiving top notch customer service? Do you routinely "come through" as a provider of exemplary services to your customers? Chances are you have been greatly disappointed at one time or another regarding the service you received from a salesperson, an internet hosting company, a hair colorist, or any one of thousands of different service providers.
article related to: customer service, marketing, business development, business marketing, motivational speaking, work

15). 6 Tips for Keeping Your Cool When Customers Get Hot By : Myra Golden
1. Be assertive - not aggressive or passive. My definition of assertion is simple: "Say what you mean, mean what you say, and don't be mean when you say it." Let this rule guide your conversations with all customers and you will always be confident, cool, and in control AND you'll always be professional. 2. Speak more slowly. You'll be amazed at how much more clearly you can think and how much control and confidence you experience when you consciously slow down your rate of speech.
article related to: customer service

16). How to be friends with your bank manager. He might even take you to lunch! By : Paidfast
Bank managers have a habit of writing nasty letters when they are owed money and only get excuses instead of payment, from their clients. If you have received such a letter then you may be upset and feel that your banker is being totally unreasonable by being so pushy. However, remember that he has someone higher up sitting on his back, so you can't.
article related to: small business accounting system, book keeping, cash flow, credit check form, credit collection, credit control, debt collection system

17). When Customers Complain By : James Calvin
You probably won't have been in business too long before you get your first complaint. It just can't help but happen: low-end customers pay nothing and expect the Earth, while high-end ones pay a lot but expect an inhuman effort in return. You just can't please all of the people all of the time, even if you run yourself ragged trying -- there will always be someone who's not happy with what you've done.
article related to: home based business

18). Battling with Customer Service: How to Win the War, Part 1 of 2 By : Gwendolyn A. Lee
Customer service, how I loathe thee. Let me count the ways. The never-ending loop of obnoxious hold music. The pressure to buy new products and services. The poor-quality, outsourced call to a distant land. A call to customer service can be an infuriating ending to a frustrating experience. You’re upset and looking for empathy, but all you encounter is disappointment.
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19). 5 Simple Tips For Dealing With Nasty Customers By : Jason Tarasi
If you’ve been in business very long, you’ve likely heard it all! You know, the irate customer who is going to sue you over the nineteen dollar product that they claim is bogus; the one that’s going to “shut your business down” because they conjure up in their minds that you might have breeched your privacy policy, or the one that takes complete advantage of your money-back guaranty.

20). Why Do Your Customers Complain and What Can You Do About It? By : Robert Warlow
As the Internet becomes an increasing part of our lives there are a growing number of web sites which are run for dissatisfied customers to publicly air their complaints about bad service. See your name posted on these sites or get contacted by them and you know you have a problem! How can you prevent your business from becoming ‘feature of the week’? Of all the skills small business owners need these days, the one least practiced is the ability to step back and look at your business from the customer’s perspective.
article related to: customer service, customer complaints, complaining customers

21). Customer Service - A Lost Art? By : Craig Binkley
Copyright 2006 Craig Binkley Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that question, take a moment and think about the last few times you have gone shopping or out to dinner. Okay, now that you have really thought about it, is your answer any different? Why is it that when we actually DO receive excellent customer service that it makes such.
article related to: customer service, business, home business, sales, customers

22). What is Customer Service? By : Steve Gee
In these days of competitive markets, the business that excels at customer service is the one that will not only maintain their position, but grow. You could answer the question "What is Customer service" by saying that it is about "exceeding" the expectations of the client, not just "satisfying" them. This is not just about the product or service that you are selling; it's about looking after the people buying them from you too.
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23). Customer Service Policy Geared For Excellence By : Alicia Smith
One unhappy customer will tell the world about inferior service while a happy customer rarely tells a soul. Your challenge as a business owner is to create a buzz so positive about your products and services that your clients and customers will become your raving fans and will tell the world about you! Your lesson for today is to put pen to paper and write a rock solid customer service policy for your business.
article related to: business, marketing, customer service, satisfaction, personal level, return policy, hours of operation, guarantee, warranty, value

24). Develop Loyal Customers for a Lifetime - part 2 (11 - 20) By : Alicia Smith
Traditional marketing strategies encourage business owners to continually grow their businesses by adding new customers. In today's competitive world of business, it is more important than ever to aim for more transactions with existing customers by using the power of customer follow-up and attention to good service. These second ten tips will help you in turning your existing customers into walking billboards for your business and loyal customers for a lifetime.
article related to: business, marketing, customer service, marketing, strategies, philosophy, follow-up, accessibility

25). Top 6 Things Not to Do With Angry Customers By : Myra Golden
1. Don't make threats. Have you ever said this, "If you don't calm down, I'm not going to help you." Or, "If you continue to yell at me, I'm going to have no choice but to terminate this phone call." If you've ever made these, or similar, statements, I'd bet that your sole intent was to regain control of the conversation. But the problem is, your customer perceives this type of language as threatening and it does not make them back down and it does not create calm.
article related to: customer service