My Advice Before You Answer That – Ask Your Customers!
Obtaining continual feedback against a set of established criteria is vital if an organization is to retain its existing top clients, and seek to improve its standing and the quality of its service levels to them.
There are at least six benefits of regular feedback.
1. Feedback reveals your customer’s current and future plans.
2. Seeing your business from your customer’s point of view allows you to answer the question “would you do business with you?” – If not, why not?
3. Feedback allows you to tailor your service levels so that you enjoy maximum customer satisfaction at a minimum cost.
4. If you don’t ask you’ll never know how you are doing until it’s too late! Feedback is magnified by the ‘ice berg factor’ making it more critical than it originally appears.
5. Feedback can reveal what your competition are doing, helping you to be a consistently strong contender.
6. Gaining a reputation for wanting to hear feedback can actually make money for you.
How Often?
This will depend entirely on the importance of the account and revenue levels being achieved – or anticipated.
Assessing The Feedback You Receive:
If the feedback you have been receiving to-date has not been useful, ask yourself the following questions:
• Do I ask enough questions?
• Do I ask the right questions?
• Do I communicate effectively about why I am asking the questions?
• Do I ask the right people?
• Do I know how to use the data I collect?
• Am I organized to respond to the information?
• Do I value and trust the information I receive?
What Do You Do With The Results?
• Communicate findings upwards & sideways
• Act on vital issues
• Communicate remedial actions
• Confirm satisfactory resolution
-Excerpted from a Blog by Jonathan Farrington, Top Sales Associates, August 5, 2010.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Press Release - Telcare Launches New Website
Telcare is excited to announce the launch of their new client-focused website at www.telcarecorp.com. Companies and organizations needing assistance with their customer satisfaction and client retention efforts now have a one-stop shop for comprehensive survey services. Numerous detailed case studies on the Industries pages of the site provide in depth survey research and retention ideas for prospective Telcare clients. The site also includes easy access to their secure survey response reporting for existing clients. To learn more about Telcare's specialty in customer satisfaction telephone surveys and retention mailings, contact us today at 800-TEL-CARE.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Telcare Targets Firearms Industry
Last week in Orlando, Florida, I attended the 2009 Shot Show, the firearm's industry once a year opportunity for manufacturers to show their wares to distributors and dealers.
I met with representatives from some of the industry's leaders including Remington, Glock, Taurus, Magnum Research, GAMO/BSA Optics, Benelli, Savage Arms, Springfield Armory, Heckler & Koch, Kahr Arms, Trijicon, Tapco, and Stag Arms. We discussed the importance of product research in the form of shooter satisfaction surveys to determine what their existing customers like and don't like about their products. This key feedback will give them the data they need to market through customer retention efforts, a significantly less expensive marketing method than traditional advertising. We also talked about the need for customer service ratings surveys to determine their customers' level of satisfaction with the service they receive when they call these companies with questions and problems. "This research data is exactly what the industry needs to improve consumer satisfaction and increase profitability," said Vince Abrams, Director of Marketing for GAMO OUTDOORS USA, Inc.
I was also delighted to spend time with Shari LeGate, a highly respected, award-winning, industry consultant and Senior Contributing Editor to FMG Publications, which publishes Shooting Industry Magazine. Ms. LeGate is widely known for her insight into the firearms marketplace, but has an important specialty in marketing to the ever-growing women's market. Ms. LeGate shared with me her views on the importance of customer retention, especially in the women's market, as eloquently discussed in her article, Selling to Women, in Shooting Industry's January 2009 issue.
Due to many political and social factors, the industry had a massive growth spurt in 2008. It is my opinion that in order to maintain that growth, individual manufacturers need to take their customer's pulse. Our firearms product and customer service satisfaction surveys would provide these manufacturers with the critical shooter feedback they need to take advantage of this large increase in demand. What is my main message to the manufacturer's? Buying from you once is NOT an indication that they will buy from you again. Find out what those indications are and you will have a customer for life.
I met with representatives from some of the industry's leaders including Remington, Glock, Taurus, Magnum Research, GAMO/BSA Optics, Benelli, Savage Arms, Springfield Armory, Heckler & Koch, Kahr Arms, Trijicon, Tapco, and Stag Arms. We discussed the importance of product research in the form of shooter satisfaction surveys to determine what their existing customers like and don't like about their products. This key feedback will give them the data they need to market through customer retention efforts, a significantly less expensive marketing method than traditional advertising. We also talked about the need for customer service ratings surveys to determine their customers' level of satisfaction with the service they receive when they call these companies with questions and problems. "This research data is exactly what the industry needs to improve consumer satisfaction and increase profitability," said Vince Abrams, Director of Marketing for GAMO OUTDOORS USA, Inc.
I was also delighted to spend time with Shari LeGate, a highly respected, award-winning, industry consultant and Senior Contributing Editor to FMG Publications, which publishes Shooting Industry Magazine. Ms. LeGate is widely known for her insight into the firearms marketplace, but has an important specialty in marketing to the ever-growing women's market. Ms. LeGate shared with me her views on the importance of customer retention, especially in the women's market, as eloquently discussed in her article, Selling to Women, in Shooting Industry's January 2009 issue.
Due to many political and social factors, the industry had a massive growth spurt in 2008. It is my opinion that in order to maintain that growth, individual manufacturers need to take their customer's pulse. Our firearms product and customer service satisfaction surveys would provide these manufacturers with the critical shooter feedback they need to take advantage of this large increase in demand. What is my main message to the manufacturer's? Buying from you once is NOT an indication that they will buy from you again. Find out what those indications are and you will have a customer for life.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Press Release - President of Telcare honored with award
President of Telcare Corporation, providing comprehensive survey services, honored for her efforts. Bobra Bush wins the 2008 South Region Solveras/NFIB Business Champion Award at the 2008 National Small Business Summit for her public policy efforts on behalf of small businesses.
Click here to watch the youtube video.
Click here to watch the youtube video.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Customer Retention Tip #2
“Love” Your Clients on Valentine’s Day!
Valentines Day is five weeks away, and you may already be worrying about chocolates or flower selections for your loved ones. But when it comes to your clients, this is easy. Send your clients a hand-signed Happy Valentine’s Day card or letter telling them that you love the fact that they trust you and continue to be a customer. A little hokey? Yes. But will you get noticed? You bet. Customers stay with companies who work a little to retain them. This is a small amount of work/cost with a big WOW factor. By the way, Telcare can do all the work for you, including the hand-signing, for less cost than you can do it for yourself. Try it this year; you just might “love” the higher profit margins you get from keeping your existing customers.
Valentines Day is five weeks away, and you may already be worrying about chocolates or flower selections for your loved ones. But when it comes to your clients, this is easy. Send your clients a hand-signed Happy Valentine’s Day card or letter telling them that you love the fact that they trust you and continue to be a customer. A little hokey? Yes. But will you get noticed? You bet. Customers stay with companies who work a little to retain them. This is a small amount of work/cost with a big WOW factor. By the way, Telcare can do all the work for you, including the hand-signing, for less cost than you can do it for yourself. Try it this year; you just might “love” the higher profit margins you get from keeping your existing customers.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Customer Retention Tip #1
Navigating the Happy Holiday Message
Clients often wonder the best way to wish their clients a happy holiday at this time of year. With the potential social, cultural, and religious potholes, it is all too easy to drive your customer relationship directly into a ditch by using the wrong words. In regards to the design of your holiday cards, we suggest winter scenes or earth pictures. Telcare suggests sticking to a few non-denominational words on these cards:
Happy Holidays
Peace on Earth
Happy New Year
When speaking to or emailing your customers in the final weeks of the year, once again, sticking to Happy Holidays and Happy New Year truly works best. You will never insult someone when wishing them a Happy New Year. Also, as your holiday client gift, if your company donates to a charity on behalf of your clients, Telcare suggests that the donations go to non-denominational charities such as food banks, hospice, animal shelters, etc. Why all the political correctness? Remember that it only takes one insulted customer to turn away at least nine potential customers from your company! So, Happy Holidays from Telcare, and to all a goodnight! Oops!
Clients often wonder the best way to wish their clients a happy holiday at this time of year. With the potential social, cultural, and religious potholes, it is all too easy to drive your customer relationship directly into a ditch by using the wrong words. In regards to the design of your holiday cards, we suggest winter scenes or earth pictures. Telcare suggests sticking to a few non-denominational words on these cards:
Happy Holidays
Peace on Earth
Happy New Year
When speaking to or emailing your customers in the final weeks of the year, once again, sticking to Happy Holidays and Happy New Year truly works best. You will never insult someone when wishing them a Happy New Year. Also, as your holiday client gift, if your company donates to a charity on behalf of your clients, Telcare suggests that the donations go to non-denominational charities such as food banks, hospice, animal shelters, etc. Why all the political correctness? Remember that it only takes one insulted customer to turn away at least nine potential customers from your company! So, Happy Holidays from Telcare, and to all a goodnight! Oops!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Survey Tip #2: Retaining Dissatisfied Customers
Telephone Survey Negative Response Alerts
What happens when a customer provides a negative response during a telephone survey? Hopefully, you have hired a firm like Telcare that quickly alerts you via email. We call them Hot Emails. For example, let's say your telephone survey includes a question asking your customer to rate your salesrep's knowledge and professionalism on a scale of one to five, with five being very satisfied. If you set your negative response alert threshold to two, you will receive an alert for any customer responding with a one or two on the five-point scale. This gives you the opportunity to respond directly to that customer within minutes or hours of that customer giving you a negative rating.
Why is this important? 95% of dissatisfied customers will do business with you again, if you resolve their issue quickly.
The best way to set up the alerts is to have them go to a distribution group of your staff based on your best guess as to who would likely deal with the negatives. You should use a group, because if the one person you assigned to receive the alerts is sick one day, you just blew your opportunity to impress your customer with your quick turnaround time.
What happens when a customer provides a negative response during a telephone survey? Hopefully, you have hired a firm like Telcare that quickly alerts you via email. We call them Hot Emails. For example, let's say your telephone survey includes a question asking your customer to rate your salesrep's knowledge and professionalism on a scale of one to five, with five being very satisfied. If you set your negative response alert threshold to two, you will receive an alert for any customer responding with a one or two on the five-point scale. This gives you the opportunity to respond directly to that customer within minutes or hours of that customer giving you a negative rating.
Why is this important? 95% of dissatisfied customers will do business with you again, if you resolve their issue quickly.
The best way to set up the alerts is to have them go to a distribution group of your staff based on your best guess as to who would likely deal with the negatives. You should use a group, because if the one person you assigned to receive the alerts is sick one day, you just blew your opportunity to impress your customer with your quick turnaround time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)