Category: Customers

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Customers

What Kind Of Experience Are You Giving Your User?

User experience:  “ thoughts and responses with respect to a product, system or service.”

Traffic is important to a website but once people get to your website the user experience will determine whether they stay or not and if they do stay, whether they will come back.  A major part of the user experience is the usability of a website.  Bad usability will leave the customer, confused, overwhelmed and frustrated, just like in the picture in this article.

What Kind Of Experience Are You Giving Your User?

When you are designing or updating your website make sure you can answer these questions with “yes”.

Is the design easy on the eyes, clean and memorable?

Can people find what they want quickly?

Is the form easy to understand and asking for only the necessary information?

Is your brand consistent on all devices.  Ex. desktop, tablet, mobile.

Is the customer service exceptional?  Are knowledgeable people available to respond to inquiries in a polite and timely manner?

Negative experiences will make people forget. Positive experiences will make people remember, bring them back and encourage them to share with others. This will bring referrals and help your business to grow.

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Customers

How Do You Retain Customers?

 

Here are some tips on how to retain customers.  People say these work for them.

  • If you sell a product follow up in two weeks and ask how the product is working for them
  • Build a relationship and exceed the customer’s expectations
  • Under promise but over deliver
  • If a customer wants or needs something or has a question you can’t answer, find a way to get what they need.  They will appreciate you went the extra mile
  • Stay in touch at least quarterly
  • Treat customers fairly and always be honest and upfront
  • Give them a reason to come back with discounts, referral rewards and great website content
  •  All of the things listed above fall under the most important category “Customer Service “which can make or break a business.

I bet 90 % of us have stopped doing business with a company because of poor customer service.

Remember this quote that is simple and to the point.  “Customer service is not a department, it’s everyone’s job.”

 

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Customers

What Do Customers Want from a Business?

What Do Customers Want from a Business?

1. Great products and services.

2. Competitive Prices.

Can you guess the third?  Come on. Think.  It shouldn’t be hard.

3. Superior customer service.

Bad customer service can really hurt a business.  Providing superior customer service isn’t only the right thing to do, it’s a must.  Here’s why:

  • Twice as many people share bad customer service experiences over good experiences
  • 86% of consumers stop doing business with a company that provided a bad customer service experience
  • 73% of consumers said they gave up on a brand because of rude and incompetent customer service personnel but
  • 40% said they would spend more money with a company with superior customer service
  • 8 out of 10 consumers said they would pay a little more for superior customer service

Now here’s a startling fact : The latest Annual Mystery Shopping Study showed that only 10 out of 100 top online merchants made the cut for “stellar” customer service.  Wow!

Looks like consumers have raised the bar for what they consider superior customer service.  Invest more in this aspect of “marketing”   and deliver superior customer service.  Remember, It’s not just the right thing to do it’s something you must do.

Source helpscout.net infographic  3-2013

More to consider…

What else do customers want from a business?

How can you help them get it?

How can you provide better customer service even if you have a 5 star rating?

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Customers

The World is Addicted to Smartphones

The World is Addicted to Smartphones

There is an addiction to Smartphones.

This is fact according to an IDC study which surveyed over 7000 users between 18 and 44.

Retailers need to start working on their mobile marketing strategy.

Here are some stats I found in research:

72% of smartphone owners used their devices while shopping

27% of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to look up the price of a product

28 % of cell owners used their phone while inside a store to look up reviews of a product

69% grab their phones as soon as they wake up

79% look at their phones within 15 min of waking up

Users visit FB 13.8 times throughout the day

78% of smartphone users check their email on their devices

48% use their smartphones at the gym

Guess we can call this an addiction..do you agree?

How can you thrive with this trend?

Keeping up with the latest information about optimizing mobile search and voice search is going to be a key to success in online business in the future.

Evaluating your Google Analytics to see what percentage of your traffic comes from mobile devices vs desktops. We have a few businesses that still get most of their traffic via desktop uses, and they are happy to clearly see this is true for them in the data that is collected from Google.

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Customer Service Facts

Good News: In 2011, 7 out of 10 Americans said they were willing to spend more with companies that provide excellent customer service (american express survey)

Bad News: In 2011, 86% of consumers stopped doing business with a company because of bad customer service (Harris Interactive)

Good News: Resolve a complaint in the customers favor and 70% will do business with you again (Lee Resources)

Bad News: 91% of unhappy customers will not willingly do business with you again (Lee Resources)

70% of the buying experience is based on how the customer feels they are being treated. (McKinsey)

78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or intended purchase because of a poor service experience (american express survey)

Provide outstanding customer service and you have a 60-70% probability of selling to an existing customer.  (marketing metrics)  The probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-20%.

 

 

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Customers Featured

How Can I Find New Customers?

Finding new customers can be a challenge for many businesses. The best scenario is that customers find you. They find your business through an internet search, social media or are referred to you. If customers aren’t finding you here are some ideas we found in our research to help get new customers.

Attend meetings and seminars that your prospects might attend and follow up with any contacts you make.

Study your successful competitors. Where do they advertise and network?

Claim your listing in Google Places and other big directories like Yahoo, Bing and Chamber of Commerce. Keep your company name and contact information consistent in all listings, add a good business description and photos. Spend a little time on your profile. Readers want to get to know you and adding a professional looking photo of yourself will help. Explain how your business will provide solutions to their problems.

Ask for feedback from customers. Use whatever you learn to make changes to your website. Did they have trouble ordering, were they just shopping around for better prices?

Sponsor events. Contact the organizers of the event and offer to give away your product or service as a prize during the event. In exchange ask the group to promote you.

Organize an event. It is a good way to introduce your business or service to participants and prospective sponsors.

Put a little money into updating your website. Did you know that 80% of Americans now spend as much time online as they do in front of the television? This means you have to have a top-notch site to grab those customers.

Provide outstanding customer service. Customer service can make or break a business. Treat people with respect and patience to establish your company as a caring and reputable brand. People will learn about you by word of mouth.

Be a little old fashion. Call businesses who advertise on their cars if you feel your product or service could be beneficial to them. Be honest, open, straight forward and let them know right off the bat how you can help them.

Lastly, be professional and kind to every one you meet. Every relationship could be a potential customer or lead to a potential customer. You just never know where that next customer will come from.

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Is There a Good Way to Ask for a Referral?

Is There a Good Way to Ask for a Referral?

Asking clients for referrals can be uncomfortable.  Are you concerned seeking referrals will make you sound like you are begging for business?   Will it turn your clients off or hurt your current relationship with them?  You wouldn’t want that.  But asking for referrals can be a pretty simple and cheap way to try and get more business.  It depends on how and when you do it.

Here are a few suggestions.

Approach the clients who you are in contact with regularly.  A good time to ask is when your client is telling you how they appreciate all you have done for them or after they have posted a raving testimonial or sent you an appreciation email or note.   Thank your client for the positive words and say something like this, “Are there one or two people you think I should meet who may benefit from  our services?    I’d be happy to call them and introduce myself.”   Most customers who are happy with the experience and solution you provided them will be willing to give a referral especially if you remind them of the value your service provided them.  Do a great job, be professional, reliable and create credibility and clients will tell others and you won’t have to ask.

If you do have to ask it will take confidence and practice.  You can’t worry about people saying no.   Not everyone will need your service or product but if you don’t ask you may miss an opportunity for a new client.  Remember it never hurts to ask, but make sure you ask the right way.

Lastly, remember to thank the person who gave you a referral.  Give them a call, send them a note or show your appreciation in some way.   That will leave a good impression.

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