<![CDATA[NivekTek Business Services - Business Blog]]>Fri, 18 Nov 2022 01:19:42 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[What is the best way to turn customers into repeat customers?]]>Wed, 24 Oct 2018 07:00:00 GMThttp://nivektek.com/business-blog/what-is-the-best-way-to-turn-customers-into-repeat-customers
The simple answer is to make sure you don’t treat them as JUST Customers, meaning that repeat Customers are much more than a sale – repeat Customers are in a relationship. How long that relationship lasts is based on lots of factors.
Customer Service is the number one factor in building Customer relationships. Customers don’t frequent a business solely based on price, it what they perceive as the value added that a business provides. 
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Are you making sales or creating relationships?
  • Do they feel welcome? 
  • Are they called by name? 
  • Are they thanked (many times) for their business?
  • Are they sold “what they need” and not more?
  • Are all their expectations met AND exceeded?
  • Is their follow-up when appropriate?
All these “value added” services are, pretty much, FREE. When Customer Service is done correctly, then referrals and recommendations will be forthcoming and that is FREE ADVERTISING – and the best kind of advertising – personal endorsement.Along with proactive Customer Service dynamics, make sure that the Customer’s entire “buying” experience is pleasant.
  • Are your products and services “top notch” and “as advertised”?
  • Are your staff members knowledgeable?
  • Are you Customer contact employees empowered to make decisions within their job functions, or must they “talk to the manager”?
  • Is the store or office clean and well maintained?
If a business is able to deliver on the above recommendations, then creating long-term relationships should be easy AND relatively inexpensive.

]]><![CDATA[The “3 Hs” That Will Always Fix a Bad Customer Experience]]>Sat, 06 Oct 2018 07:00:00 GMThttp://nivektek.com/business-blog/the-3-hs-that-will-always-fix-a-bad-customer-experienceI read a posting by Julian Diaz, a Marketing & Communications expert. His post was on LinkedIn’s Customer Experience Management Group Board. Julian’s story has a happy ending, but so many Customer experiences have ended in nightmares. You can read it here, I’m going to take the guts of his message and apply it to situations in our everyday business lives. 

We have been taught (or should have been) that mistakes are good. They are life’s learning experiences. As a parent, soccer coach and business leader I always used mistakes in a positive way – with the message being “Don’t make the same mistake twice.”  The same should go for businesses – both large and small – but business mistakes require a resolution. Any mistake in business should be addressed quickly; steps taken to prevent re-occurrence; and an apology or resolution offered to the Customer(s). 
Dissatisfied Customer
Small business owners usually get with the program more quickly than big businesses. In a small business, the decision maker is often on-site if not a phone call away. Customer issues can be resolved quickly. Also, at Johnson Family Widget Sales, one dissatisfied Customer, is a larger percent of the total Customer base – AND – one dissatisfied Customer could be poison with a vengeful word of mouth campaign.

Large businesses have the reputation of dealing with Customer issues with a “Sorry, that’s our policy” response. The policy maker is nowhere to be found. One dissatisfied Customer at Apex Big Box Store is just a tiny percent of the overall customer base. There is not the same incentive to resolve complaints as with a small business. However, today, one dissatisfied Customer at Apex could launch a social media campaign that can have a huge impact on reputation and, more importantly, stock price. There are many recent examples of airlines, cable providers, hotel chains and more that prove social media can be devastating.

So why can’t all businesses get it right all the time? After all, the Customer is the ultimate employer, regardless of size. One well know business, renowned for exceptional Customer Service delivery has a Two Rule Customer Service Policy:
  • Rule One – The Customer is always right. 
  • Rule Two – In the event the Customer should ever be wrong, refer to Rule One. 
Simple!

Customer Service employees in all size businesses must be empowered to satisfy the Customer in front of them. In situations where that is not possible, make sure Customer issues are resolved quickly by a manager or owner. I worked for a bank for many years. I came across a myriad of complaints in a myriad of categories. In banking, we had “Laws” and we had “Policy”. If solving a Customer issue wasn’t illegal, then we did our best at massaging policy to satisfy the Customer.

Use all Customer complaints as a learning tool. These Customers tell you what’s broken. Thank them, don’t fight with them. They have the power to make your business better.

Satisfied Customer
Back to Julian’s point – The 3 Hs that will Always Fix a Bad Customer Experience – Be Honest, Be Humble and Be Heroic.

The use of these 3 Hs should be applied when responding to a mistake or a shortcoming in service or expectations.
  • Be Honest: Explain what happened, or say you’re honestly not sure what happened, but sincerely apologize.
  • Be Humble: Apologize, sincerely, and accept responsibility.
  • Be Heroic: Make up for it and "save the day". Find a solution to try and fix the situation. And assure them it won’t happen again.
Being human, we will make mistakes and things will go wrong. But that's OK. A bad customer experience can be turned into a good one by showing customers the human side of your business by simply applying the 3 Hs in your response.
]]><![CDATA[Business Plan Basics]]>Tue, 03 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMThttp://nivektek.com/business-blog/business-plan-basics
Are you considering starting a business? Do you have an existing business and now need funding from a bank or investor? You're going to need a Business Plan.

When going to any source of funding, you will need more than a "business plan on a napkin." You need a full blown 20+ page report that details the following:
  • Executive Summary including Mission & Objectives
  • Company Summary including Company Ownership & Start-up Summary 
  • Products or Services Offered
  • Market Analysis Summary including Market Segmentation & Target Market Segment Strategy
  • Strategy and Implementation including Sales Strategy, Sales Forecast, Competitive Edge & Milestones
  • Management Summary including Personnel 
  • Financial Plan including Important Assumptions, Projected Cash Flow, Break-even Analysis, Projected Profit and Loss, Projected Balance Sheet & Business Ratios
]]><![CDATA[Employee Morale: Business Investment or Poison?]]>Sun, 24 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMThttp://nivektek.com/business-blog/employee-morale-business-investment-or-poisonIf you have ever been managed, then you should know how to manage and how not to manage people. From the corporate level to the branch level, make sure your employees ENJOY coming to work every single day.  

The time and effort spent in making the employment experience an enjoyable one will repay itself many times over. Fair pay, recognition, support, communication are all important – but does your staff enjoy working for you? Do they brag about their job?  

Make sure you have their back if you want them to have yours. If an employee comes in late, the “book” says to dock them the time and “counsel” them. How about a simple. “I saw you weren’t able to come in on time. I’m sure you had a good reason. Let’s not make a habit of this…” And then end this impromptu counseling session with a friendly, “By the way, you owe me 15 minutes, I may need to cash it in when we’re short staffed…Is that okay?” You didn’t treat the employee as a child, you didn’t put them on the defensive – you’ve gained their respect – and now they have your back. I'm sure similar examples abound.  

There is nothing more important than employee morale. Lack of it is poison to the operation and ultimately will have a negative effect on the customer experience.]]><![CDATA[Are People Your Greatest Asset?]]>Tue, 01 May 2018 07:00:00 GMThttp://nivektek.com/business-blog/are-people-your-greatest-assetThe article “The Keys to Building a High-Performance Culture” from the Gallup Business Journal, is one of the meatiest articles on how to run a successful business.

As it applies to business today, especially in the 2018 retail environment, lessons abound.

The article clearly addresses the importance of all the players having a part in management decisions – management, staff – and, especially the customer – after all they are the ultimate employers.

In this sales driven retail environment, let’s make sure that everyone has a say in the process. Buy-in is key, goals for the sake of goals, or for the sake of meeting a pie in the sky number, don’t help anyone. Rewards, participation and communication are the keys to a successful sales environment. Let managers manage – they know their staff better than anybody. Give Customer Service staff the authority to help their Customers - they know their Customers better than anybody – and make sure EVERYONE shares in the success,

]]><![CDATA[Customer Service: Needs Vs. Expectations ]]>Mon, 09 Apr 2018 07:00:00 GMThttp://nivektek.com/business-blog/customer-service-needs-versus-expectationsWhat is more important, meeting your customers’ needs or expectations?

It sounds like a trick question, but it's not.

Customer expectations are typically “just to be satisfied” with the process – buying a product or receiving a service. If you met these expectations, congratulations, you have a Customer.

However, if you meet their needs – which they may not even know – by providing a product or service that that really needed, you surpassed their expectations, and now, CONGRATULATIONS – YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP!

Take the customer who comes into ABC Widgets to purchase the same Super Deluxe Widget that their neighbor just bought for $300. As the best salesperson at ABC Widgets, you learn – through asking – that the customer in front you only needs the Deluxe Widget, because their thingamabob is much smaller than their neighbors, and the Super Deluxe Widget would be more than he needs. The cost of the Deluxe Widget is $200. You’ve cost ABC Widgets $100.

BUT…you now have exceeded your Customer’s expectations by simply meeting their needs and have built a lasting relationship, which will make back that $100 multiple times.

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