It used to be that when you wanted to get in contact with customers, you either had to call them or send them a postcard or letter in the mail. Nowadays we have all this internet technology such as email, blogs, and instant messaging to communicate with people. There really is no excuse not to be able to keep in contact with valued customers.
In the past year I've noticed that companies are starting to use mass text marketing as a mode of communication. According to an Airwide Solutions independent survey of 50 brand name companies, 40% of major brands have deployed text messaging (SMS) campaigns.
Perhaps I'm still in the "old school" mindset and would prefer that customers call and talk to me personally about my business, but I understand that nowadays people want information instantly. I understand that we're in the era of text messaging and many people, especially young people, prefer to receive text messages rather than email or phone calls.
There are companies like Trumpia.com that offer companies text messaging services. I do like the idea of being able to send a text blast to customers to alert them of any sales or even provide tips or helpful information related to my industry. Unlike email where messages can get sent into a spam folder, a text message is immediately delivered to a person's phone - provided that the person consented to receiving messages from your company.
Is your company using text messages as a way of keeping in touch with customers? I'd love to hear about your experience...
Photo Credit: Cazimiro
"One customer, well taken care of, could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising." --Jim Rohn
Steve Rosen shared some interesting thoughts about the current state of customer service, which unfortunately, many of us are all too familiar with.
Here's what Rosen says in his article, "Customer service is a lesson - or a nightmare":
"Most teens and college students, I think, have become accustomed to dealing with salesmen whose only job seems to be ringing up your purchase."Has customer service, as Rosen described, become the "norm"?
Perhaps a few years ago I would say that this was the norm, but now I think that companies are beginning to wake up and realize that customer service is what keeps customers loyal.
But then again, I did go shopping last week and I can't say that I had memorable experiences in any of the stores that I visited.
What are your thoughts about the current state of customer service?
Have you felt a shift in the attitudes of companies or customer service agents in the past year?
I just wanted to post a quick reminder that the Customer Service Carnivale is this Monday, June 22, and will take place over at Amazing Service Guy.
If you have a customer service tip or story to share, why not share it?
Tomorrow is the deadline for submissions!
Click here to submit your post...
If you'd like to host a future carnivale, feel free to contact me: maria [at] people2peopleservice [dot] com. You can find the dates for the upcoming carnivals by visiting the blog carnival page and clicking on the "Future Hosts" tab.
Also, I will be going on vacation in a couple weeks and I'm looking for guest bloggers! If you or anybody you know would like to contribute, let me know. Thanks!!
I'm a firm believer that every business should have a blog. Just like every business should be tuning into the conversations that people are having about them via social networks, every business should be blogging as well. Yes, every business.
If you still think that blogs are a waste of time and provide no return on investment, perhaps after reading this article you'll change your mind.
Here are my top reasons why a business should have a blog:
- There are more opportunities for people to find your business on the internet. Unlike regular websites, blogs are on the search engines' radars because blogs are updated more often. Search engines love fresh, relevant content.
- As a business, you have the chance to interact with customers and build a community of loyal followers who appreciate what you have to say. By providing value via informative articles, you create a relationship with your customers and they will remember you the next time they need your product or service.
Dr. Timothy Collins and Dr. David Landau are dentists who have a practice called Complete Dental Health here in San Diego. Not only do they have a regular website that contains a wealth of information about their practice, they also have a blog that provides tips, advice, and news about dental health.
People nowadays are more internet savvy than ever, so let's say that someone in San Diego needed dental work done, but this individual wanted to find a dentist with a blog. They do a Google blogsearch for "San Diego dentist". What shows up first is a list of related blogs...and guess what? Complete Dental Health's blog shows up as a top search result. The blog hasn't been updated since last September, but the information contained on the blog is relevant - meaning that it contains information solely about dentistry and dental health.
So, the potential customer comes across the Complete Dental Health blog and likes the information. This potential customer decides to call Dr. Collins or Dr. Landau to set up an appointment. Voila! A new customer because of their blog.
This is a very simplistic example of what could happen when your business has a blog, but it happens all the time. Hopefully it will clear up those doubts for those of you who still believe blogs are just a "trend" and aren't worth looking into as a marketing channel.
If you are an owner of a business and you have a blog, I'd love to hear your experiences with blogging!
Browsing through Twitter this past week, I've come across a few customer service-related thoughts and ideas...
Here's a customer service tip from Steve Woodruff (@swoodruff):
Joe Heuer (@RockandRollGuru) offers a thought on customer loyalty:
Chris Garrett (@chrisgarrett) shares a customer service rant:
If you're on twitter and would like to connect with other bloggers who write about customer service, check out the people listed below...
- @kevinstirtz - Kevin Stirtz
- @txglennross - Glenn Ross
- @bcarroll7 - Becky Carroll
- @philgerb - Phil Gerbyshak
- @rosasay - Rosa Say
- @meikah - Meikah Delid
- @sdipietr - Steven Di Pietro
Welcome to the Customer Service Carnivale! Grab a cup of coffee, tea, (or glass of water!), sit back, relax, and check out these good reads...
Customer Service Stories
Banquet Manager shares Air Walls and The Cranky Customer posted at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager....
Customer Service Reviews
And speaking of banks...Silicon Valley Blogger presents HSBC Direct Online Savings Account Review: With Free ATM Bank Card posted at The Digerati Life.
Customer Service Tips
Jim presents Would you bet on a duck to win a swimming contest? posted at B2B Rainmaker, saying, "There is a point where flexibility and volume of options can confuse a customer to the point of no decision. You can have so many options you appear to be a duck – you walk, swim, run, and fly — none of them world-class."
Adrian Ma presents 3 golden rules for designers posted at The Corpus Callosum. The golden rules can be applied to anyone in business though!
Anya Portnik presents The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales training tips from the hit TV show, week 11, the interviews posted at Gavin Ingham.
Scott H offers very good business tips in 10 Economic and Business Pro Tips from World of Warcraft posted at College and Finance.
Want to know what makes good customer service reps stand out from the rest? Check out Think Positive, Think Success posted at Great Management.
Many of us like to bring our problems to work. If this describes you, read Customers Don't Care About... posted at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager....
If you're thinking about applying for a customer service job or you're a manager who interviews potential candidates, you should check out Customer Service Interview - Questions and Answers posted at Job Interview Guide.
Tips For Consumers
The Smarter Wallet offers some good tips for consumers in The Truth About Bank Fees: What Your Bank May Be Hiding posted at The Smarter Wallet.
Submit your blog article to the next edition of customer service carnivale using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Don't you love it when you call a company and have to wait on hold for minutes on end?
Yeah, I knew you did ;)
Well, it seems like those days are coming to a close - at least they are for Southwest customers.
Patrick Barnard reports that the airline company has added 'Virtual Hold' capabilities, or callback feature, in order to improve customer service.
Personally, I'm a big fan of Southwest and fly with them about 98% of the time. I've never had any issues with them. I also love the fact that they were one of the first corporations to start a blog in order to connect with customers - not to mention they're very active on Twitter as well.
On another note, Southwest just launched a new ad campaign encouraging people with a new catchy phrase: "It's On!"
Visit Southwest's blog @ www.blogsouthwest.com and follow them on Twitter: @Southwest
