The Thriving Small Business

Tips For Conducting Focus Group Interviews

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I was recently asked to provide the definition of a focus group, how to conduct a focus group interview and what is the purpose of focus group interviews.

Focus groups are forums used to gather qualitative data on the customer experience.

This  is a widely used marketing tool which helps organizations develop products and services that are influenced by participating customers.

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4 Keys to a Great Customer Service Experience

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Successful organizations understand that consumers pay the bills and great customer service is the key to business success.

According to a Zendesk Customer Service Survey, 81% of customers reported that they shared a bad service experience with family and friends and 59% of consumers who had a bad service experience stopped buying from that company. Read the Full Article →

25 Interview Questions To Ask A Job Candidate

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Anyone who has ever interviewed a job candidate understands that it can be a daunting task.

Knowing the right questions to ask is critical to identifying the right fit for your organization.

Interviewing is a skill that is developed with practice and being prepared for the interview is an important first step. Read the Full Article →

5 Steps To Help You Prepare to Interview a Job Candidate

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Hiring a new employee can be an exciting yet stressful time for a small business owner.

The reason being – no one wants to make the costly mistake of hiring the wrong person.

There are many steps to the hiring process – articulating the need, creating a job description, budgeting for salary, advertising and reviewing applications to select a handful of candidates to interview. Read the Full Article →

Say This, Not That – 7 Things Retail Businesses Should Not Say To A Customer

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As I was out and about this holiday season shopping, I made a point of supporting small business retail shops.

What I learned through the experience is that many small retail shops undermine their own success by doing silly things that turn off customers – and most likely costing them sales. Read the Full Article →

5 Tips To Instantly Improve The Customer Experience

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We all know that it is the customer that purchases our products and services, and ultimately pays the bills.

Too many organizations lose sight of this reality and ignore the very basic things that could enhance the customer experience.

If you are like me, you can probably give countless examples of a bad customer experience, and hopefully,  remember those times that you interacted with an organization that “got it” and made the experience enjoyable and memorable. Read the Full Article →

9 Ways to Ensure Your Startup Succeeds!

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Have you ever wondered how some businesses take off and grow very rapidly in just a few short years while others stay stagnant  and barely get by?

Some entrepreneurs make the mistake of achieving a certain level of success, sitting back and lose their drive to push the organization forward.

This often results is a business failure.  Read the Full Article →

How Well Does Your Organization Recovery From a Bad Service Experience?

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We are all human and human beings make mistakes.

This is just part of the imperfect nature of living life here on earth.

Because of this, it is important for organizations to take precautionary steps to minimize human error in the workplace.

This concept is what led the quality movement and product manufacturers to embrace quality management as a business practice. Read the Full Article →

4 Things United Airlines Could Have Done Better To Avoid Its PR Nightmare

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Unless you have been living in a cave the last few weeks, you probably saw the shocking video of a passenger being dragged off of a United Airlines Flight on April 10, 2017.

What was the most amazing thing to me was that this event happened because the airline needed to make seats available for employees. Read the Full Article →

24 Tips For Office Etiquette Training

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I admit that I have been in the work force for a long time, however it is disheartening to see the deterioration of basic etiquette and professionalism in the workplace.

Some say it is just “this generation”. I am not convinced – because I see it in all demographics.

I believe it is a symptom of a culture that is modeled from the top down. Read the Full Article →

5 Effective Ways to Improve the Customer Service Experience

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For most businesses, the level of customer service they provide goes a long way towards determining their level of success. A recent American Express survey found that more than half of customers would switch brands for better customer service, so delivering a positive experience is essential.

Every year, companies invest heavily in customer service training, because they acknowledge the importance of getting it right, but many businesses fail to identify exactly what it is customers want. Read the Full Article →

6 Ways to To Give Your Customers a Great First Impression!

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Some organizations provide a great first impression. Others do not. By first impressions I mean the first point of contact a customer has with an organization.

The reality is, customers have choices and organizations that get it pay attention to the details that matter to customers.

Every organization has a slightly different first impression moment. Read the Full Article →