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Why Customer Complaints Are Great for Business

Posted on August 22, 2016
Updated: April 25, 2019
by Kent Boehm

Customer complaints can create a sense of doubt about how we run our business, however, what if we approached them as opportunities? The reality is complaints are ok, if you respond and do something about them. If no words were spoken by our customers about how we do business the same mistakes would go unnoticed. Only a small amount of people will speak up while the majority of others will quietly ignore and move on. In fact, only 4% of customers who are unsatisfied take the time to speak out. You would never know that you are losing potential business if some complaints did not arise and you weren’t proactive in making needed changes.

Employees

Customers may make complaints about a specific employee. This may be an innocent mistake or a continual recurring problem that again is affecting all the customers they come in contact with. By channeling the problem to a specific individual you can deal with that individual one on one and ensure that the issue does not affect the company as a whole. We are not involved in every interaction that our individual employees do and therefore when customers speak out it’s a great opportunity to really learn how that individual is handling their job. Continue reading “Why Customer Complaints Are Great for Business”

Happy Employees Leads to Higher Profits

Posted on August 19, 2016
Updated: April 25, 2019
by Kent Boehm

Are your employees just as happy as your customers? When we think of profits we usually associate them with our customers and while they are the mainstream of revenue employees are a major factor when it comes to increasing profits. Focus and invest time into ensuring your customer service team are truly happy with their job and their workplace. Fostering an environment that allows the customer service team to enjoy what they do and excel will translate into a stronger and happier team who want to fulfil customer needs. The quality of life that is provided to employees is one of the greatest factors in how they decide to interact with customers. Continue reading “Happy Employees Leads to Higher Profits”

7 Tactics to Beat the Competition

Posted on August 16, 2016
Updated: April 25, 2019
by Kent Boehm

It’s often far easier to rest where you are than to push yourself to the next level. Complacency, however, leads to mediocrity; which almost always leads to disaster. So, if this is true, how can you keep yourself responsive, resourceful, and recharged to keep up with the competitive business environment you are part of? Here are seven tactics to help you move ahead, even while others fall behind:
1. Practice self-discipline versus self-indulgence. Self-indulgence is thinking about how you feel at a given moment, then deciding what action, if any to take and worrying about the consequences later. Self-discipline is thinking first about the consequences; then taking appropriate action, and feeling great about your decision. Think about it this way:
Continue reading “7 Tactics to Beat the Competition”

The Four Steps to a Super Attitude

Posted on August 5, 2016
Updated: April 25, 2019
by Kent Boehm

As an entrepreneur you are going to have many up and downs and it is important to remember one thing – it is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to the situation, especially when you have unexpected problems of any kind.

What can you can do to assure that your attitude is the very best it can be under all circumstances? Continue reading “The Four Steps to a Super Attitude”

What Does It Mean to Be Customer Centered?

Posted on August 1, 2016
Updated: April 25, 2019
by Kent Boehm

What Does It Mean to Be Customer Centered?

Did you know that some of the most successful companies in the world run a customer centred approach? A recent article was published highlighting the top ten companies rated by J.D. Power. They range from automotive, to finance to insurance; but they all have one main similarity, and that is that they are customer centered. A customer focus is one of the main factors in business success. So what does it actually mean to be customer centered, and how do you know businesses are following through in the process?

A Customer-Centered Business:

Listens to Their Customers

They get to know their customers, understand their needs and then act on it. TD Bank is a great example of this. One of the reasons they have landed the first in overall customer satisfaction on J.D. Power’s annual Canadian Retail Banking Satisfaction study for the last 10 years is that they listen to their customers. They have launched marketing campaigns such as #TDThanksYou which gave away big ticket items to customers, to simply ensure that systems like their online banking system, are in tune with what customers are asking for. They listened and they delivered. Continue reading “What Does It Mean to Be Customer Centered?”

Customer Service on Twitter

Posted on July 28, 2016
Updated: April 26, 2019
by Kent Boehm

Did you know that you can use Twitter to connect with your customers and provide customer service? With over 99% of brands on Twitter having a reason to stand out is key. A customer service strategy that uses Twitter as a customer service portal is a great way of connecting with your customers and catching inquiries on the spot.

Some brands even have a customer support system already in place on Twitter. Companies such as Nike have a support handle which is a separate account, just for customer inquiries. Any tweet to this account is handled by the customer support team and responses are seen quickly. Not only does this make things easier for Nike, but the account also has over 465K tweets. Continue reading “Customer Service on Twitter”

Serving The Millennial

Posted on July 25, 2016
Updated: April 26, 2019
by Kent Boehm

Millennials are a powerful generation who are well informed and have strong decision making skills. When we think of millennials we think of the younger generation, but how young are we talking? A millennial, also known as “generation Y” is someone born between 1980 and 2000 and they account for almost one-third of the country’s population. According to the 2011 Canadian census, the largest age group in Calgary was a millennial age group of 24-29. Once the 2016 numbers are released the millennial group is likely to remain a large portion of the Calgary population and one of the reasons why businesses need to keep up to this smart and tech savvy generation. Continue reading “Serving The Millennial”

Reducing Customer Response Times

Posted on July 8, 2016
Updated: April 26, 2019
by Kent Boehm

Do you start to wonder if your email hasn’t been responded to within a few hours?

In today’s world where most communication is done through technology, we have been spoiled by quick response times. The response time refers to the time it takes a customer service representative to make the first point of contact after an inquiry is made. Even if you cannot resolve the issue at the first point of contact, acknowledging them in any way keeps the customer focused with you.

“A survey by Nielsen shows that 33% of customers’ would still recommend a brand that was quick to reply, even if the response was not complete.”

Does your company track response times and monitor? The average first response time can be calculated by taking the total of all response times and dividing it by the number of cases that you resolved. By knowing what your response times you can ensure that your company continues to increase efficiency by decreasing the rate over a period of time. If you have said that you will respond in a certain amount of time it is critical that you hold yourself accountable to those times. Continue reading “Reducing Customer Response Times”

Motivating Employees To Provide Great Customer Service

Posted on July 5, 2016
Updated: April 26, 2019
by Kent Boehm

You have your customer service dream team now, but how do you motivate them to do the best that they can do? Although an employee may know about the best customer service practices and can run the daily tasks associated with their position getting them to go above and beyond to really wow a customer can take some motivation.

Did you know that 55% of customers will pay more to go with a company that will provide a better customer experience? It is still the number one factor in building trust with the company and the reason why you should invest in your customer service team.

We all know that monetary motivators such as cash bonuses are a great incentive for a team to perform better; but how do you go beyond these types of incentives to really keep a motivated team doing the best job that they can do? Continue reading “Motivating Employees To Provide Great Customer Service”

Calgary Business Will Rebound

Posted on June 24, 2016
Updated: April 26, 2019
by Kent Boehm

Calgary is a great city and I love working and helping businesses in this fabulous city. There have been many concerns about the status of our economy and what this downturn means for our future. Although there have and will continue to be many changes; our future is not something to worry about. Our city has more than just luck on our side, but people who will pull through because of many reasons. Here is why I believe that Calgary will rebound within 24 months:

We are entrepreneurial

Calgarians, among many Albertans have an entrepreneurial mindset. A recent report suggests that “Albertans have a positive attitude toward entrepreneurship”. We believe in our entrepreneurs and their strength to overcome. From the beginning of the oil patch, to the oil crisis of the 80’s, our businesses and industry leaders have told us wonderful stories how they have survived against great odds. These stories are the fabric of who we are today. We have spent years listening to these stories, we know them to be true and so the next generation of entrepreneurs will take up the charge and become entrepreneurs themselves. Continue reading “Calgary Business Will Rebound”