Take Care of Yourself Before You Take Care of Your Customer

One of the most important questions people ask when they are focused on improving their quantity and quality of business is: "What is my competitive advantage? What makes me unique, memorable, special? what truly sets me apart from the rest?" While there are no definitively right answers to that question, most people come... Read More

You Bever Know Who Youre Serving

You Never Know Who You're Serving when customers turn irate.I think of myself as a reasonable person. It takes a lot to upset me, but upset I am.A number of years ago, I bought a new television set. I had seen a flyer from Lechmere's that had TV's on sale. I called, got... Read More

Clients... and 38 ways to communicate with them

As Alan Weiss (guru to the savvy consultant) says: "It is actually difficult to contact clients too much. It is easy to fail to contact them frequently enough. If there is anyone anywhere who has ever sent you a check for your services and with whom you haven't communicated in the past 6... Read More

Customer Service - A Lost Art?

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... Read More

Is your Online Business Customer-Friendly?

Customer service is increasingly seen as one of the most valuable uses for a commercial World Wide Web site. Your Web site is available on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis. So it is well worth exploring ways in which your customers can virtually "serve themselves," without the need for overtime... Read More

Customer Service A Chickens Way

Anyone who knows me knows my favorite fast food restaurant is Chick-fil-A. Aside from the fact their chicken is especially good and I can always get sweet tea, I have a valuable business reason for eating there ? they serve up amazing customer service. And these lessons aren't just served in my nearest... Read More

Make An Action Plan To Improve Customer Service

Customer Service is a critical factor for keeping your clients coming back and ensuring they'll refer you to others. Growing your business will be a difficult task at best if you don't perform, meet and exceed your client's expectations, and provide service that creates customers for life.Customer service is all about the customer's... Read More

Losing Angry Customers

This article offers five ways to help you deal with angry customers. While the goal of all businesses is to have only happy customers, we also have to be realistic and realize sometimes we are going to anger a customer. Isn't it best to know in advance how to deal with an angry... Read More

Create Win-Win Deals With Your Competitors

In the competitive world of the 20th century, we generally viewed competitors as the enemy. And a competitor was anyone who sold to the same target audience as us - even if they sold a different item. After all, since there was a finite group of customers and a limited amount of money,... Read More

Making The Most Of Newsletters

Newsletters can be wonderful tools for communicating with your customers or prospects. Because of their format, they're often infused with more credibility than traditional brochures. If your newsletter is little more than blatant self-promotion, however, it's likely to hit the wastebasket before it hits your target's desk. By following a few basic tips,... Read More

Customer Service Tips for Mail Order Businesses

Can we be too good to our customers? No way! Our customers are the backbone of our business! They're right no matter what! But I'm sorry to disagree with you. As small, honest and legitimate businesses - we have a tendency to place our product quality above money. While this is... Read More

Becoming A Solution To Your Customers Problems

Those of us in home based and small businesses are in effect selling our product. So becoming an effective salesperson is very important. Remember, however, that selling is not the only thing you do. Don't forget to use your time wisely.What you want to do to help you move forward is to:Plan and... Read More

Cultivating the Trust Factor

In today's highly competitive economy, it is difficult to maintain a significant market advantage based on your professional skills alone. Developing a trusting relationship with your clients is key to your success. No matter what business you are in, the most powerful value-added you can contribute in any business relationship is the trust... Read More

The 7 Principles of Business Integrity

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. -- Alan K. SimpsonIf I were to ask you what attribute is the most influential in regard to the success of a business, would you know immediately which one is the most important? Based on my many years... Read More

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007 file photo, Attorney General Michael Mukasey addresses the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Law and National Security, at the University Club in Washington.  Mukasey collapsed during a speech Thursday night, Nov. 20, 2008 and was being taken to a hospital. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the no-nonsense ally in President Bush's war on terror, was hospitalized Thursday after he collapsed during a late-night speech and lost consciousness.



In a Jun 27, 2008 file photo  Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., takes the stage with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., at a campaign event in Unity, N.H.,    President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate  Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, an aide to his transition said Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola/file)AP - President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, a new milestone for the former first lady and a convergence of two political forces who fought hard for the presidency.



An employee uses her mobile phone in front of an electronic stock board at the Korea Stock Exchange Market in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 21, 2008. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index jumped 55.04 points, or 5.8 percent, to close 1,003.73. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)AP - Most Asian and European markets rebounded Friday after sharp declines in recent days as investors scooped up battered financial and technology shares.



House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., right, accompanied by Senate Majority Harry Reid of Nev. takes part in a news conference on the auto industry bailout, with fellow congressional leaders, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP - The $25 billion rescue plan for the auto industry, desperately sought by Detroit's beleaguered Big Three, collapsed Thursday as Congress drew the line at one more bailout and Democrats said they wouldn't even consider it until the companies produced a convincing plan for rebuilding their once-mighty industry.



In this image from NASA TV, mission specialist Shane Kimbrough cleans and lubricates the end of the International Space Stations' robotic arm during a space walk, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/NASA TV)AP - Astronauts at the international space station prepared to work on a urine-recycling contraption and re-fire the space shuttle's thrusters Friday, before enjoying a half-day off to reboost their own energy.



In this image reviewed by the U.S. Military, a Guantanamo detainee, photographed through a glass window with a U.S military guard seen reflected on it,  sleeps on a mattress on the floor of his cell, at the Camp 5 detention facility, at the U.S. Naval Base, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008. A federal judge on Thursday, Nov. 20 ordered the release of five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the continued detention of a sixth in what is being called a blow to the Bush administration's policy to keep terror suspects locked up without charges. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)AP - A federal judge on Thursday ordered the release of five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the continued detention of a sixth in a major blow to the Bush administration's strategy to keep terror suspects locked up without charges.



Joe Wurzelbacher, also known as AP - An agency director improperly used state computers to find personal information on "Joe the Plumber," a government watchdog said in a report released Thursday.



An Aug. 31, 2006 file photo shows Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose posing backstage at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards in New York. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File)AP - Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality.



AP - A man says his cell phone saved his life. A stray .45-caliber bullet hit R.J. Richard's chest while he was mowing the lawn — hitting so hard he thought it was a stone kicked out by his tractor. He pulled out the phone. It fell apart.

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes (10) runs after catching a pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall (29) moves in to make the tackle during the second quarter of a  NFL football game  in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)AP - Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers know exactly how to beat the Cincinnati Bengals — with or without Chad Ocho Cinco.



A trader takes a moment's rest on the floor of the Philippine Stock Exchange which closed down 4.15 percent in today's trading in Makati City, Manila November 21, 2008. (Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)Reuters - Signs of distress in the global economy mounted, with shares in U.S. bank Citigroup Inc plunging on fears about its future, oil prices falling and the future of U.S. automakers hanging in the balance.



President-elect Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton attend a campaign rally in Orlando, Florida, October 20, 2008. (Jim Young/Reuters)Reuters - Retired Marine Gen. James Jones emerged as a leading contender for White House national security adviser as President-elect Barack Obama worked on Thursday to assemble his foreign policy team.



Leaders of the U.S. automotive industry testify at a hearing held by the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill, November 19, 2008. From left are General Motors CEO Richard Wagoner, Chrysler Chairman and CEO Robert Nardelli and Ford president and CEO Alan Mulally. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)Reuters - Democratic congressional leaders, seeking to salvage a bailout of the Big Three automakers, demanded executives provide a business survival plan in exchange for their support of up to $25 billion in loans.



File photo shows members of a private security company on the rooftop of a house in Baghdad. US officials on Thursday told scores of firms offering security in Iraq that their personnel will lose immunity from prosecution under a new US-Iraq security pact due to take effect in January.(AFP/File/Patrick Baz)Reuters - Iraqi forces shut streets in Baghdad and placed snipers on rooftops on Friday before a protest by followers of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr against a pact allowing U.S. troops to remain for three more years.



Pedestrians walk past a Citibank branch in Singapore November 18, 2008. (Vivek Prakash/Reuters)Reuters - Citigroup Inc lost more than one-quarter of its market value on growing worries over whether it has enough capital to withstand billions of dollars of potential losses and despite new support from its largest individual investor.



The sign for the Verizon Wireless store is seen in Lakewood, Colorado September 11, 2007. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)Reuters - Verizon Wireless said on Thursday that some employees had gained unauthorized access and viewed a personal cell phone account held by President-elect Barack Obama that is now inactive.



U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey addresses the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, California in this March 27, 2008 file photo. (Robert Galbraith/Files/Reuters)Reuters - U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey was "conscious, conversant and alert" at a local Washington hospital after collapsing while delivering a national security speech at a hotel, the U.S. Justice Department said late on Thursday.



President George W. Bush sits with Thailand's Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont (not in picture) during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit leaders' retreat at the Sydney Opera House September 8, 2007. (Barbara Walton/Pool/Reuters)Reuters - George W. Bush makes his last scheduled trip abroad as U.S. president on Friday, heading to an Asia-Pacific summit where he will seek support for global financial reform and hold talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program.



A United Nations peacekeeper from South Africa rides atop of an armored vehicle in the North Kivu provinicial capital city of Goma. The UN Security Council approved an extra 3,000 peacekeeping troops to help end conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where fresh fighting erupted earlier in the day.(AFP/Roberto Schmidt)AFP - The UN Security Council approved an extra 3,000 peacekeeping troops to help end conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where fresh fighting erupted earlier in the day.



File photo shows the Italian destroyer ITS Durand de la Penne escorting the merchant vessel Victoria, chartered by the World Food Programme to deliver humanitarian assistance to Somalia. A more aggressive military approach is the only answer to an escalation of piracy off Somalia, the world's biggest oil tanker company said Friday.(AFP/NATO/HO/Po Luigi Cotrufo)AFP - A more aggressive military approach is the only answer to an escalation of piracy off Somalia, the world's biggest oil tanker company said Friday.



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Do You Want More Profits? - Follow The Golden Rules Of Providing Good Customer Service

Last night I was at my computer and a Skype chat window... Read More

Wholesale Buyers Versus Retail Customers

Are wholesale buyers and retail customers really different? Frankly, there are two... Read More

Treating the Customer Dissatisfaction Epidemic: How to Go Beyond Simply Masking the Symptoms

Corporations in every sector are spending more than ever before in an... Read More

7 Bits Of Critical Information You Cant Afford NOT To Know About Your Customers

If you think customer relationship management is just a piece of software,... Read More

Cultivating the Trust Factor

In today's highly competitive economy, it is difficult to maintain a significant... Read More

When the Customer Demands: Give a Discount or Lose the Order

Periodically every sales person encounters the customer who refuses to buy unless... Read More

Your Voice Print

"Mountains are built one pebble at a time and climbed one step... Read More

Customer Service, the Internets Primary Neglected Business Concern

Customer service is everything to a business. Just look at big, successful... Read More

The Art of Giving Great Service

Sales is tough to get right, and depends on retaining those customers,... Read More

DONT Give Your Customers What They Want!

One of the mantras we hear repeatedly in business is "The customer... Read More

Accountants / Lawyers Do Yourself a Favor - What do Your Customers Want?

In my day to day practice in strategic human resource management I... Read More

CRM For Beginners ? Customer Relationship Management Basics

In order to maintain a successful business, the business must understand and... Read More

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

However, in the world of business, this cliché may not necessarily be... Read More

Businesses Need to Rehumanise

Big companies and corporations have lost the human touch. The question is,... Read More

Doors by Catering to Your Clients

Clients? they are the most important influence in the success of any... Read More

Dealing with People - Words to Avoid

You probably realise how the wrong tone of voice and negative body... Read More

Is Your Food Establishment Clean?

Is your restaurant, bar or hotel clean? I mean really clean. I... Read More

Carpet Cleaning in Surrey

Like any business, carpet and upholstery cleaning requires excellent customer service and... Read More

CRM = Customers (dont) Really Matter

CRM was supposed to bring companies closer to their clients. The basic... Read More

How To Keep Your Customers Coming Back -- Understanding Customer Retention

Why do some businesses offer points, stamps or every tenth coffee for... Read More

Communicating for Profit and Customer Satisfaction

The President of a 200+ store division of a major retailer learned... Read More

Establishing Yourself as an Expert in the Eyes of Your Customers

The most important aspect of a successful business is developing the correct... Read More

Customer Service Tips - Is Your Business A Leaky Bucket?

Customer service and customer service training are vital for any business.But, is... Read More

How to Succeed in Business Without Compromising Your Integrity

I spent some twenty years in the corporate world, for much of... Read More

Improving Customer Service

Improving customer service starts at the top - with us owners and... Read More

First Contact: The Source of Customer Loyalty

With customers being smarter, more cost conscious, more product knowledgeable and more... Read More

It?s Customer Service Stupid: Delivering Customer Service Training That Sticks

"Society is always taken by surprise at any new example of common... Read More

The Reality of Customer Service in America and Best Efforts in Franchising, We Can Do Better

Yesterday I went to buy a sandwich at a franchised outlet. I... Read More

Developing A Customer Complaint System

Background The company was experiencing an increase in the number of customer... Read More

Get Customers to Stop Calling You--12 Easy Ways to Save Money with Online Customer Support

Despite rumors to the contrary, the Web is not dead. More people... Read More

Poor Customer Service - Are Your Customers Driving Away Other Customers

Every customer you have is a word-of-mouth advertiser for you. Unfortunately 90%... Read More

Minimize The Pain of Check Recovery

$350 million in bad checks are written each and every week. That... Read More

Increase in Customer Sales = Increase in Customer Service

One of the most popular questions asked in online business forums or... Read More

Customer No Service - How to Lose a Loyal Customer!

So today was the day where I almost stopped going to my... Read More

The Marvelous World of Metaphors

Recognize metaphors from every angle and round up more insight into your... Read More

Is Your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System Doomed To Fail?

"Right, People. Let's blast out that mail campaign we've been planning for... Read More

Create a Positive, Upbeat, Can-Do Workforce and Dazzle the Customer with Your Caring!

Given the choice of dealing with a positive, upbeat employee with a... Read More

CEM Can Improve Customer Loyalty

'A 5 percent increase in customer retention increases profits by 25 to... Read More

Customer Neglect

What have you done for your existing customers lately? Probably not much,... Read More

E-Business?s Best Friend: eCRM

From Ebay to the smallest home-operated start-up, e-businesses of all sizes struggle... Read More

4 Customer Service Mistakes Companies Should Avoid Making

1) Being placed on hold endlessly. Don't you just love it when... Read More

Loyal Customers Take Commitment

In today's competitive world of retail, many stores are implementing external marketing... Read More

Make Your Customer Your Friend

The simplest way to describe a 'durian' (pronounced doo-ree-ann) is to say... Read More

At the Carwash; The Customer really is always Right

You have no doubt heard the saying that the customer is always... Read More

Whats Love Got To Do With It?

Customer Loyalty, we all want it. Don't we?Some people say it's dead... Read More

The Consumer Power

While most companies talk about consumer friendliness, customer centricity, customer relationship etc.... Read More

Quality vs. Quantity

There is a battle in Call Centers. The teams are Quality vs.... Read More