The Thriving Small Business

10 Tips for Dealing with Customer Complaints

by 2 Comments

Anyone who has a business has had the experience of dealing with customer complaints.

While listening to a complaining customer is not something most people enjoy, a complaining customer can be an organization’s friend if they try to learn from the complaint.

There are lots of things customers can complain about – communication breakdowns, process failures, faulty products, rude employees and unclean facilities, just to name a few. Read the Full Article →

How Do You Define Customer Service?

by 3 Comments

Customer service is a common term we are all familiar with which means “one who aids or provides help to the purchaser of a good or service”.

Customer service is seen in all industries and across all demographics. It is important because if the purchasers of our goods and services don’t feel like they are taken care of, they will soon find another organization that can, and will take care of their needs. Read the Full Article →

5 Reasons You Should Welcome Customer Complaints!

by 1 Comment

The sad fact is only about 4% of dissatisfied customers complain. If a customer does not complain and has an issue that is not resolved, they are likely to go to the competition.

The worst part about this is that the organization isn’t even aware that there was an issue. The other sad fact is that a dissatisfied customer is more comfortable telling their friends about a bad experience than the organization. Read the Full Article →

Managing Customer Expectations

by 3 Comments

A customer service strategy is the best first step in creating a culture that supports great customer service.  This requires having a good understanding of who your customers are, what they want and creating systems and processes to meet their needs.  This is the foundation for a strong service organization.

Another important aspect of the customer experience is helping to manage their expectations. Read the Full Article →

7 Things Most Customers Won’t Tell You – Unless You Ask

by 1 Comment

I worked with someone from Britain a few years ago and I was often shocked at how honest he was.  I used to tease him and compare him to Simon Cowell, the infamous direct communicator – which he did not find very humorous.

Anyway, I learned that culturally honesty and being very direct is just a communication difference between us and the Brits. Read the Full Article →

13 Characteristics of an Employee Empowered Culture

by 3 Comments

Empowerment is a buzz term that we hear a lot about in leadership.

Empowerment is defined as “the giving or delegation of power or authority; authorization; the giving of an ability; enablement or permission.”

Empowerment is based on the belief that employees have the ability – and want to take on more responsibility.  Read the Full Article →

Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire Template

by 4 Comments

Customer satisfaction is paramount to the success of any business.

Understanding who your customers are, what they want and having systems and processes in place to not only meet their needs but exceed their expectations is what sets the successful apart from the rest.

Soliciting and monitoring customer feedback should be part of an organization’s overall strategy. Read the Full Article →

Free Customer Comment Card Template

by 13 Comments

Businesses rise and fall based on their ability to understand the experience and expectations of their customers. This is why so many businesses use customer comment cards to get immediate feedback.

Organizations spent the time to assess their customer’s experience to help them manage customer satisfaction.

There are several ways to obtain customer feedback – focus groups, customer satisfaction surveys and text analytics. Read the Full Article →

7 Customer Service Tips

by 3 Comments

We can all relate to good customer service. And we can all give examples of a poor customer service experience.

Customers have choices and data shows that loyal customers are those who have their needs met and expectations that are exceeded.

Let’s begin with a definition:

Customer is defined as “a person who purchases goods or services from another”. Read the Full Article →

Do Your Employees Feel This Liberty?

by Leave a Comment

As organizations, we are (or should be) always looking for ways to engage our employees.  Employee engagement means that an employee is bought in to your mission and has a passion for what your organization is trying to accomplish.

They are so bought in that they take it upon themselves to be the advocate and even salesman for your cause.   Read the Full Article →

8 Things About Customer Service You Can Learn from Bed, Bath and Beyond

by Leave a Comment

I recently went to Bed, Bath and Beyond (BBB) to purchase a wedding shower gift for a friend’s daughter and was pleasantly reminded about how good they are at so many things.  It made me think that there are several things we can learn from their approach to customer service.

I know I’m a woman, and BBB is definitely more of a woman’s store than a guys place, but they have things figured out on a pretty high level. Read the Full Article →