In this issue:
1. Customer Service Loyalty & Social Media2. Customer Service Week: October 4 – 8, 20103. Suggested Customer Service Blogs4. Course Review: Glad I Could Help1. Customer Service Loyalty & Social MediaWe know how important customer service is, and we also know social media is emerging as a potent communications and marketing tool for many organizations. For respondents to a recent survey jointly released by COLLOQUY and the Direct Marketing Association, the expenses associated with social media to build customer loyalty is nearly twice as high as the social media spending for companies trying to build brand awareness and other core marketing purposes.
According to an article by Jack Loechner from Media Post, September 16, 2010, “The survey results show the average social media spend for marketers whose primary objective is to obtain customer loyalty was $88,000 last year, compared to $53,000 for brand awareness and $30,000 for customer acquisition, the objectives that attracted the next highest spending levels.”
It’s clear something is going on in terms of resources – both time and money. According to the same survey, the amount of social media budget marketers allocated to loyalty objectives increased by 293% over the past 12 months. Loechner says this increase was much higher than increases for all other social media-related marketing objectives.
What we do not know for sure is whether these efforts are working. It’s quite clear many marketing professionals don’t yet really know what to do with social media. For instance, in the survey a lack of metrics was identified as a problem for many marketers. With results apparently hard to measure, we have to wonder whether the time and effort are – in fact –worth it.
So – let’s start with something we know. Nielsen released its net traffic ratings in early September and these numbers show consumers are spending 43% more time on social media than a year ago, making social networking and blogs the top online activity followed by online games and email.
If consumers (customers) are in social media, doesn’t it follow logically that customer service professionals should be talking to and interacting with their customers in social media? It might be time for your organization to:
• Develop a social media strategy for marketing, brand loyalty AND customer satisfaction/loyalty
• Review current social media activity – look for frequency, consistency and content
Customer service is critical in a highly competitive market, and it makes sense take advantage of the free, web-based tools your customers are already using as a way to move ahead of your competition.
2. Customer Service Week: October 4 - 8, 2010
Since 1992 the first week in October has been nationally recognized as customer service week. A week dedicated to recognizing the importance of high customer service standards in businesses nationwide. Each year thousands of companies and organizations take this time to honor the employees that provide service excellence to their customers, both externally and internally, everyday.
In a down economy, like the one we are experiencing today, it is more important than ever to provide a high level of customer service. Customer Service Week is a wonderful opportunity to review your organization’s customer service policies and procedures and the key characteristics of customer excellence.
Take a look at some favorite customer service and client retention courses offered in our online catalogs!
e-Learning
Yes! I'd like to demo these courses.
• Corporate Culture: Building the Service Foundation (cust_05_a01_bs_enus)
• Customer Service (Videos): Delighting Your Customers (v_c402)
• Customer Service (Videos): Measuring Customer Service (v_c416)
• Discovering What Your Customers Want (CUST0131)
• Essential Elements of Internal Customer Service (teldoc14)
• Influencing The Interaction (teldoc23)
• Maintaining Customer Relationships (teldoc21)
• Proactive Customer Service (teldoc08)
• Providing Customer Service Simulation (CUST005B)
• Service Teams and Service Stars (cust_05_a08_bs_enus)
• Six Steps to Service Recovery (teldoc22)
•The Customer's Voice (cust_05_a03_bs_enus)
Streaming Video Library
Yes! I'd like to demo these courses.
• Diffusing Hostility Through Customer Service (SVL_016064)
• Golf and the Art of Customer Service (SVL_057022)
• Handling the Difficult Customer (SVL_069014)
• It's Your Call (SVL_044040)
• Proactive Customer Service 3.0 (SVL_017083)
• SMILE! (SVL_046003)
• Taking C.A.R.E. of Business (SVL_044041)
• The Customer Service Zone (SVL_019001)
• Why Are You Making It So Hard... For Me To Give You My Money? (SVL_002034)
Books 24x7
Yes! I'd like to demo these courses.
• Customer Care Excellence: How to Create an Effective Customer Focus, 5th Edition
• Customer Service in an Instant: 60 Ways to Win Customers and Keep Them Coming Back
• Leadership for Great Customer Service: Satisfied Patients, Satisfied Employees
• Secret Service: Hidden Systems that Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service
3. Suggested Customer Service Blogs
Effective customer service is a key factor to the success of most organizations. Without good customer service, companies face challenges like low customer retention rates. Companies can also develop incorrect assessments of consumer needs which can impact product development. Internally, companies with poor customer service can see low levels of employee satisfaction. Harvard Business Review once reported that if you can prevent 5% of your customers from leaving you, you can increase your bottom line profit by 25 – 95%. That is pretty impressive and helps clarify just how important customer satisfaction can be.
How can your organization work towards improving its’ customer service skills? You can start by listening to your customers needs and making them feel important and valued.
Improving your customer service skillset is an ongoing process as your customers change their demands and needs. BizLibrary would like to help by highlighting a few customer service blogs that provide helpful insight towards improving customer service skills and real-life examples of both good and bad customer service.
Church of the Customer
Customer Service and More: The Shep Hyken Blog
Dennis Snow
Return Customer
Service Untitled
The Customer Service Blog
Who’s Your Gladys?
4. Course Review: Glad I Could Help
This month's featured streaming video course, Glad I Could Help, was reviewed by Erica Twitty. Erica is an Account Manager at BizLibrary.
Course Code: SVL_039063
Media: Streaming Video
Author: VisionPoint Productions
Target Audience: All employees
Course Overview:
Glad I Could Help illustrates to employees how to respond positively in difficult customer service situations. Employees will see the most common internal and external customer service situations, both over the phone and face-to-face. In each situation, employees will learn that by responding with a "glad I could help" attitude, customers will feel positive about the employee, the organization, and the way they have been treated-ultimately creating long-term customer loyalty.
Expected Duration: 21 Minutes
Erica's Rating:
5 Stars (Out of 5)
Erica's Review:Have you ever just had an all around bad day? You're frustrated, nothing is going right, and to top it off, you have a horrible customer service experience at the grocery store when all you’re trying to do is grab your food and get home? I'm sure your answer is yes – we have all been in a situation where the elements around us that we could not control caused us to have a shorter fuse than normal with someone who is trying to provide us with customer service.
As a customer service professional how do you deal with a customer that is angry, unsatisfied, and wants results NOW?
Glad I Could Help can give you the tools necessary to defuse these types of situations. From Vision Point Productions this twenty-one minute video will teach employees how to respond positively and exhibit a “glad I could help” attitude.
With eight real customer service situations for discussion, this course opens the mind to strategically think of ways in which you would react in your workplace. It even gives employees the chance to challenge one another and work together in a role-play session, when used in a group setting. Each negative customer service situation is displayed before asking the question “What would you do?” This gives the opportunity to stop and think of a solution before learning the suggested answer to the problem. Also included is a Self Study Workbook, which will walk you through the steps towards remarkable customer service in difficult situations, and help you plan for continued success in the future!
Stellar customer service is all about your response – going the extra mile and assuring the customer that you can help. This course will equip you with ways to handle these types of calls without getting rattled. It will prepare you to go above and beyond for your customer, neutralize the situation, and be able to take a step back and say “Hey, glad I could help!”
Preview this streaming video course today!