Customer service – Page 7 – Tom Fuszard's Business Builder

Good customer service starts with the incoming call

April 12, 2020March 11, 2012 by Tom Fuszard

How many times have you called a business and encountered the “voice mail tree”? Remember how many layers you had to go through to finally reach a live person? I’ll bet more than once you hung up in frustration. You know that good customer service starts with having a person answer the call.

Now consider this: If your company employs that system, known as an Automatic Call Distributor, your customers and prospects are probably encountering the same situation and acting the same way, by hanging up.

I faced that one day, and it was not fun. Needing some information about my cell phone account, I called my provider. (I should note that I have switched carriers for an unrelated reason, but this incident still offers a lesson.)

Don’t let a communications breakdown cost you customers

January 8, 2016January 29, 2012 by Tom Fuszard

An incident with my business bank reminded me of a problem that may be silently hurting businesses, perhaps even yours. I had a question about the charge for check printing, and decided to use the handy feedback form on the contact page of their Web site to send a query. I filled out the form, … Read more

Low-key sales style effective and imperative

January 8, 2016January 5, 2012 by Tom Fuszard

Enjoyed an interesting presentation about Melaleuca on Wednesday afternoon. Mark Boever and Darwin Stowell, Melaleuca distributors from the Milwaukee area, asked to sit down and introduce their products and firm. I know both from networking events and, sensing an opportunity to learn more about Melaleuca and talk about my opportunity, I agreed to the meeting. We met at a local coffee shop. (That seems to be a popular venue nowadays.)

I researched Melaleuca prior to this meeting, and had a basic understanding of the company and product line. I was quite impressed with the products and corporate culture. The firm is heavily committed to its customers, employees, and the environment. Its products are made of all-natural and organic ingredients which are safe for humans and the environment. (You can read my review here. )

Just as important, I liked the way the Darwin and Mark presented themselves. It was a very casual, matter-of-fact discussion, with no hype. Melaleuca offers a rather attractive compensation plan for those who choose to work the business, and they covered that well.

Exploit your firm’s strengths to maximize marketing efforts

February 2, 2016August 14, 2011 by Tom Fuszard

One thing I have observed working in marketing for 10+ years (including three years with ad agencies), is that business people can be a bit lax when it comes to developing marketing strategies and plans.

Many operate project to project without a cohesive, systematic program or strategy in place. Seldom do they take the time to carefully analyze their firm from a marketing perspective. Their results often are mixed, leading some to grumble that “advertising doesn’t work.”

Customer problems often resolved with the smallest gestures

August 11, 2020July 18, 2011 by Tom Fuszard

Every business encounters customer complaints throughout the year. No matter how hard you try, someone is bound to have a bad experience. How you handle it determines the impression you leave with your customer and whether that person stays a customer. Once a complaint has arrived, your first step is to acknowledge it with a reply. … Read more