Keeping more clients with better customer service
Keeping more clients with better customer service One thing we have to keep in the forefront of our minds as our business begins to grow is the power of customer service. After all, we are all in the business of fixing problems. Every client you have right now is your client because he or she had a problem and you fixed it, simply put. Never thought of it that way, this fact is true, and the reason you are reading this right now is, there is something you want to do better, or want to begin doing so in essence you are looking for a solution as all your clients are, when they call you. If we can remember this from the company level then we will look at customer complaints from a different perspective. When a customer complains, about a service or product, he/she does not really care about your product or service, what they care about is the problem they were, having in the first place that is as of yet unresolved. Your client has made a purchase from you, for you to fix there particular problem and your solution has come up short. The only thing that the client is looking for is to have his original problem fixed. Below is and example of customer service explained and how it has saved one client and created an onslaught of referrals from this client. Let us assume one of our clients calls in and begins to complain about how long it took our company to repair his pc. He also tells us there is another company online that does remote support and they have a 24×7 30 sec response time. In addition, it took us 1 hour to respond and 15 minutes for repair. So what do we do, the product he purchased (DirectTek core) clearly states response time to calls are 2-4 hours and our (DirectTek pro) has a 30 second response time and repairs average 8 minutes. Clearly, our client has purchased the wrong product and what he is upset about is the solution we presented does not fit his needs. The biggest mistake we could make at this point is putting the blame on the client. We could tell him that when we presented our solution to you, it was your company that chose the core product; furthermore, our response times are clearly indicated. We would be right in telling him that but we would probably be with one less client. Instead, we choose to use the opportunity as an up sell versus a loss of a client. we would tell the client in this example, “Sir we are sorry we did not live up to your expectations, but we do have a product that is better suited to you needs and at this time we would like to offer you our DirectTek pro. This solution will resolve your downtime issues and due to you being unsatisfied with our other product we will offer it to you at a 10% discount rate with one month free”. For us to do this our profit margin on that sale will be less then usual. We also have to give him a month free (more loss) but remember the client has already purchased the first product(profit) now he purchases a second product (profit) and he will tell his colleagues about how great our company is, (word of mouth) all in all I think the customer service went a long way. Good customer service does not have to be performed only in the face of problems though. One of the most profitable forms of customer service comes in the form of cross selling. Let’s use our insurance broker as an example. One of our clients (Associated Management) implemented a cross sale, customer service plan here’s how it works. They specialize in worker’s compensation they also carry automobile, fleet, and life insurance. They implemented a customer service call center which would call there existing customer to make sure they were happy with there current insurance solutions. They then began the up sell process of explaining to them the discount they would receive by converting there fleet, life and automobile insurance over to them. As well as making it more convenient to the client by having to only, keep track of one company instead of dealing with multiple companies. It lead to an 11.3% increase in revenue (recently implemented give us some time) Conclusion: Stay in the business of fixing problems and you will stand a better chance of staying in business.12 Years as an I.T. professional, jobs involve but not limited to Help Desk manager,Jr Admin, Sr.Admin,MIS Director,MIS Account Manager/purchaser,Technical Outsource Coordinator,Software Trainer,Network Design. Currently I.T. Consultant
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Applying For Merchant Services Account The Easy Way
Before applying for a merchant services account, it’s important to research the various merchant account providers to avoid paying too much or signing with an unscrupulous company. In applying for a merchant account service, consider prices, integrity and customer service. ? Merchant account rates and fees Be sure you understand all of the rates and fees charged by a merchant account provider. The usual charges include monthly fees, discount rates, transaction fees, application fee, equipment and installation fee. Monthly fees are usually around $25, though that may vary according on whether you meet your minimum monthly transactions. Discount rates are a percentage taken from a sale that the merchant pays to cover the transaction costs and the risk involved. The usual discount rate is 1.5% to 3.5%. The transaction fee is a flat fee charged for each transaction, generally anywhere from 20 cents to $1.00. The application fee, if there is one (some merchant account providers don?t charge them), is the fee to open the merchant account. The equipment and installation fee covers the cost of software installation. It can be free, or it could cost as much as $1,200 or more, depending on whether the processing is batch or real-time. The cost for POS terminals depends on the model you purchase but can range from $500 to $1,500. ? Choose only reputable merchant account services You should consider the reputation of the merchant account service. What to look for when searching for a merchant account: ? Beware of merchant service providers who have misleading ads offering things like “free merchant accounts” or “lowest prices guaranteed.” Read the fine print on the website to find out what they really offer. ? It?s a bad sign when every call you make to the company is answered by a machine. ? Beware of merchant account services that make use of free domain or free web hosting services. If they can’t afford a domain name, how are they in business? ? Be careful of providers who can’t answer your questions. ? Avoid merchant account sites that don’t post rates and fees on their web site. ? Use the Internet to find reviews of merchant account companies and take note of all unsatisfactory remarks ? Make absolutely sure that your chosen merchant account service provides reliable customer service. Stu Pearson has an interest in Business related topics. To access more information on <a href="http://www.infactual.com/category/business/">internet merchant service</a> or on <a href="http://www.infactual.com/2006/06/01/merchant_services2/">merchant card services</a>, please click on the links.
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