World Class Customer Service

Copyright © Charlie Page


Every day we hear reports about a "soft" economy. One expert predicts a long recession, then 15 minutes later another expert predicts a quick recovery. All of which leaves customers confused. How can we ensure that we will attract and maintain customers during good times and lean times too? By giving them WORLD CLASS customer service. Let's look together at three "rules" of world class customer service and see how we are doing.

======= The Customer Is Still King (Or Queen)

The first thing we must realize is that customers need to feel important. Many of them feel that *their* business is what keeps us in business, without regard to the size of their purchases. Some customers don't mind reminding us of that fact every time they see us!

They're right to a large degree. Most businesses today could lose their largest client and survive. Not many businesses could lose the smaller, regular customer that is the lifeblood of their cash flow.

Rule 1 -- Never Forget the Customer is King


======= Stop Small Problems At The Source

No matter how hard we try, we won't please all of the people all of the time. This is where our problem solving and communication skills come into play. The rule here is to nip problems in the bud before them bloom into disasters.

We all know the stories of a simple miscommunication that, when passed down the line, becomes something much more than simple. The sooner we intervene in problems, the better. Wal Mart does especially well at this, instructing associates to literally walk a customer to exactly what they are looking for, thus preventing confusion and any hint of less than excellent customer care.

The more we are willing to invest the small amount of time necessary to stop small problems from growing, the more time and lost business we will save in the long run.

Rule 2 -- Prevent Small Problems From Becoming Disasters


======= How Well Are You Doing?

Finally, there is customer feedback. Rarely will you see a customer more delighted that when you spontaneously ask them how YOU are doing. Many of us are afraid to ask, thinking that the customer may unload on us and waste our time. Yet nothing is farther from the truth. While they may unload, this is *no* waste of time.

Customers almost always feel that their opinion (good or bad) is not being heard. Let customers know that not only is their voice being heard but that policy is being shaped around that opinion. We always hear from the minority that believe they must complain to get what they want. Here's a chance to let our customers know we value them and hear from that "silent majority" of happy customers as well.

Rule 3 -- Ask Customers How YOU Are Doing

There you have it. Three quick "rules" which, if we follow them, will ensure that we are in touch with our customers, can prevent small problems from growing and help us learn what our customers *really* think of us.

When we adopt an "attitude of gratitude" and actually THANK customers for no more than simply being our customers, relationships bloom and good things begin to happen.

Your clients may never meet you in person. Yet, the more personal the attention you give them and the more informed you are about their needs, the more loyal they become.

Feature Article: Make the Leap to Home Based Business Success
Copyright &copy Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-22643

Before you can have a successful home based business, you must first possess 3 "intangibles." These are things that must come from WITHIN you.

===> Intangible 1 <===

First, you must have a strong WHY.

Why MUST you have a successful home business? What is driving you? What is it that you CAN'T have in your life anymore and/or what is it that you absolutely MUST HAVE now?

For me, I couldn't stand working 12+ hours a day anymore and missing the experience of my children growing up. I also absolutely HAD TO HAVE the freedom of being able to control my life and finances through a little box (laptop computer) that I could carry with me anywhere in the world and not be tied to anyone's time pressures or demands but my own. That was my carrot and my stick. I felt a great pain deep in my gut of missing out on my children's lives and the incredible freedom that succeeding in a home based business would provide for me. I found my why. You MUST find yours.

===> Intangible 2 <===

You must BELIEVE that it is possible.

If you don't believe that it's POSSIBLE for you to have a successful home based business or make your living from home, you won't. It's that simple.

For me, figuring out that it was possible was just a matter of realizing that many other people were ALREADY making great money working from home. If they could do it, I could too. It would just be a matter of figuring out what those people were doing and then adapting it to my situation.

There is no shortage of undeniable PROOF that people (millions of them) are making money working from home. Just get online and do some research and you'll find countless testimonials and stories of REAL PEOPLE making real money on the Internet. Or head to your local bookstore and you'll find the same documented evidence of this fact. Truth is, it's getting easier and easier to make money with your own home based business.

I've always said that "affiliate marketing" (a simple way to make money from home) is the job of the future. In the "old" days, you had to go to a potential employer, apply for the position and hope for the best. Now you can simply go to any company you want, fill out their affiliate application and start work immediately. Affiliates are the new working class. In fact, making money with affiliate programs or making your living on the Internet is WAY MORE than possible. It is pretty much (or will be soon enough) unavoidable now. Affiliate marketing is the "job" of the future that's already here TODAY.

===> Intangible 3 <===

You must be willing to MAKE THE LEAP.

Ready, FIRE, then aim... This is the operating philosophy you MUST adopt to succeed with a home based business.

That's backwards for most people who like to aim before they fire. The fact is that home based business success is a moving target... The only thing constant about it is change. You need to stop analyzing the game and simply jump into it. You can't learn from the outside... You have to be IN THE RING to truly understand it.

The lesson here is that you will never really be READY to start a home based business. You simply have to start one. It's like having children... You're never really ready, but when it happens you adapt and grow. This is what I call "Making the Leap."

The good news is that the cost of failure with having your own home based business is very small. In the "brick and mortar" world you need to evaluate things very carefully before you decide to open up a business. It's almost always necessary to invest thousands of dollars to get an offline business off the ground. However, on the Internet you can often start a successful business for less than $100. The Plug-In Profit Site is a great example of this: http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-22643

You simply need to get IN THE GAME... Each moment that you stay "out there," you're wasting valuable time that you could be learning and skills necessary to build a successful home based business. In fact, if you're not in the game yet, you're ALREADY behind the times. Make the leap to creating a successful home based business today!

About the Author:

Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy has helped thousands of people in over 200 countries around the world start and run a successful home business. Discover 3 easy steps to start your own home business and subscribe to The Home Biz Guy's FREE Home Business Secrets Mini-Course at: http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-22643

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