CUSTOMER CENTER

Bard Marketing asked:


Palm Beach County, FL – It’s no secret that law firms who are successful in marketing themselves need an Internet presence, but recently, it’s become increasingly important to offer site visitors more than just basic content to maintain your place on the web and convert clicks to clients.

To be found on the web and have an effective Internet presence, firms need to do more than the basic search engine optimization—the time has come for digital asset optimization (DAO). With “digital asset” additions to their sites such as blogs, videos, online photo galleries and more, attorneys and law firms can compete on the web—regardless of the firm’s size.

“By focusing only on traditional Search Engine Optimization, law firms are missing opportunities to be found on the web,” said BARD Marketing president John Sailer. “Streaming videos, blogs, photos, press releases and other online content are being searched for, and most websites don’t account for these other media types. Remember, YouTube recently overtook Yahoo to become the second largest search engine behind Google. This trend is only going to grow.”

BARD Marketing recently launched a number of websites for leading law firms that feature these digital elements, which increase the effectiveness and usefulness of each site to the user. The sites include: Alpizar Law – Palm Bay, Florida; Edward M. Ricci, P.A. – West Palm Beach, Florida; and the Suskauer Law Firm – West Palm Beach, Florida.

Alpizar Law, a personal injury and insurance bad faith firm in Palm Bay, Florida, caters to a bilingual clientele, and providing only limited information in Spanish isn’t an option. To address this need, BARD Marketing created a mirror site to their English website, www.alpizarlaw.com, in Spanish. The Spanish site utilizes the same web address and offers the same depth of information and content. As importantly, both the English language site and the Spanish language site offer custom created streaming videos to provide answers to common legal questions in video form.

Edward M. Ricci, P.A. launched a new site, located at www.edriccilaw.com that incorporates a Safety & Justice Blog that provides timely information to consumers on current topics, legislation and news in personal injury cases that affect the audience.

For the Suskauer Law Firm, a prominent criminal defense firm in West Palm Beach Florida, BARD developed a new website www.suskauerlaw.com, with the YouTube generation in mind. The site features several multimedia capabilities, to support television, radio and print media coverage rather than just being a repository for page after page of copy.

BARD Marketing offers integrated marketing and advertising services, including website development. All services are designed to complement one another and form a structure of synchronous marketing efforts that collectively increase leads for law firms. BARD offers a no-cost, no-obligation review of current sites and promotional materials, and can share innovative strategic concepts, during this review.

To schedule your free consultation, call 561-637-2575. For more information about the services provide by Beyond All Reasonable Doubt (BARD) Marketing, please visit wwwbardmarketing.com.

Viswanath V asked:


 

The days are over when a simple check-the-box approach towards sales and service was enough to satisfy a consumer-driven audience. The consumer technology companies are growing manifold in terms of newer products, channels and geographies with increased adoption of technology in home and SMB segment. They share a constant struggle towards turning their attention to meet consumer demand and satisfaction.

The consumer technology support services address the increasing consumer satisfaction appetite for numerous consumer products manufacturers. The customer support solutions help consumers to balance their work and home commitments better by adding a level of sanity to their hectic lives.

In the environment of heightened competition, a consumer technology support company needs to extend world-class superior customer support solutions to retain and build their customer base. It will be a huge challenge to do the balancing act between offering end-consumer SLA driven high quality IT support services and at the same time keep capital costs and operation expenditure down.

From improving the customer service to measuring the effects of all the efforts taken by the companies, it is now time to think of how to effectively address the challenge of facing the consumers inquiries.

CSS provides superior consumer technology support services to strengthen customer relationships. It helps to unleash the hidden power of the consumer technology companies by providing world class customer support solutions. CSS is committed to being the leading provider of customer support centric solutions to enterprises & technology companies. Our seamless and integrated network of onshore and offshore centers provides a high degree of availability.

The Center of Excellence for support at CSS is a global leader in technology support, IT services & allied support services. We provide enterprise level and end consumer support services to over 20+ fortune 1000 companies, handling, on an average, 38,000 requests across 650+ products daily. We have created effective technology support models for top consumer brands.

CSS customers take comfort in the fact that at every level of interaction and at each transaction, they find:

1. Transparency

2. Commitment to highest level of quality

3. Echnology excellence

4. Passion to do it right the first time

5. Focus on end customer satisfaction

These ensure CSS consistently meets and surpasses the SLAs resulting in customer delight.

Przemyslaw Prokpow asked:


Online Marketing

To keep up with the changing times, business companies today look into multiple options for reaching and communicating with customers. One popular option is the internet, which has primarily become the medium for tapping potential clients across the globe.

While at the beginning, online marketing was considered incomprehensible and too unpredictable, today, a growing number of marketers are developing their online marketing programs. It is growing at an extremely dramatic pace and is affecting customers and market behaviors significantly. As a result, firms have now started developing strategies for e-marketing on the web.

Japan as a Role Model

Japan, as everybody knows is an economically stable and technologically advanced country. It is one of the leading countries of the world with the largest number of online users. The acceptance of the online business in Japan is crucial to companies who continue to increase and develop their marketing efforts online with the objective of securing shopping channels online and building consumer relationships. That’s why there is a sudden increase of Japanese web developing companies that offer the best graphic online design.

A rapid growth of internet users in Japan has been seen in the past few years. The percentage of Japanese households using broadband is growing to over 70% by the year. Japan had over 20 million broadband lines in place and is continuously growing, making it one of the largest broadband countries worldwide, next to China and USA.

However, to be on the frontline of online marketing, Japan has effectively adopted an online marketing approach. They are moving ahead by blending a mix of solutions to spread their message to the audience. Thus, employing the best online marketing expert of Japan is the wisest choice.

Professional graphic designers in Japan know that building a website isn’t enough – to maximize and make the most of your online investment, one must drive and convert online site traffic. There are so many options on how to promote your site – from email marketing and search engine placements to viral marketing and affiliate programs.  It may seem confusing on how one chooses over the other.

Every company’s needs are different and unique to one another, so there is no ultimate strategy that fits the bill perfectly. Therefore, every professional Japanese graphic designer is more involved and focused on delivering design, e-business strategy solutions and web technology development.

Through a steady journey through feedback and fine-tuning, Japanese online marketers adjust and monitor their plan in taking full advantage of the emerging technology, which is an internet marketing hallmark. By analyzing company-specific objectives in regards to online marketing, it will help break through the ideas and clutter and offer creative and unique solutions to maintain and attract your target audience. Online marketing should support your requirements even after you have developed your customer loyalty and brand identity, following through follow-up email marketing and campaigns.

A bright future for Japanese online marketing is evident in the rapid growth of their followers. Where technology is not a stranger, Japan welcomes the change that online marketing has brought.

Internet Information asked:


Once upon a time, there was a kingdom ruled by five cool kings who reigned in peace and harmony. The kings, whose names are Salutation, Presentation, Consummation, Perseverance, and Enticement, live in a wilderness filled with wanderers, each one seeking the proverbial pot of gold.

The role of the kings is to guide these wanderers in their quest, because as the visitors get rich, so does the kingdom. The twist is that these monarchs do not live in a fairy-tale, but in a fact-based new book that shows current and would-be information marketers how to launch lucrative businesses on the Internet. So what’s the deal?

The kings’ story, says Robert Skrob, co-author with Bob Regnerus of “The Official Get Rich Guide to Information Marketing on the Internet,” is a parable. “The kingdom is actually a website, and the surrounding wilderness is the cyberspace,” Skrob says. “Every wanderer who passes by is a potential customer, and the kings represent the five steps of the marketing process. Just as they have to work together without getting in each other’s way, an info-marketer has to include all five steps in the marketing campaign, and follow these steps in proper order.”

Thus, King Salutation is the first to greet and welcome visitors to the kingdom. His job description, Skrob explains, is “to make people feel comfortable, and not frighten them away by asking too many questions. And, he doesn’t force the visitors to listen to the kingdom’s entire history, but, rather, describes it with a few choice words.”

Once the visitors ascertain that they have entered the kingdom that is right for them, Salutation helps them over the border and leaves them in the capable hands of his co-king, Presentation, the kingdom’s official tour guide. “He is a masterful speaker, capturing the imagination of his visitors,” Skrob explains.

“He also knows how to point uncertain visitors in the right direction, convincing them they can achieve all their get-rich goals right there in the kingdom. And, he can even motivate the visitors to remain in the kingdom with small gifts and other incentives.” The visitor is then passed on to Consummation, who shows them how to exchange their gold for the objects they seek. He keeps the eager travelers – those who went through two previous kings, as well as those who impatiently scaled the wall to get directly to him – on the right track. “His job is to provide all the information the visitors need to successfully complete their journeys,”

Skrob notes. Perseverance’s job is more laid-back, but very important nonetheless: to follow the visitors who depart from the kingdom without leaving any of their gold behind, making sure they know they’re always welcome back. He keeps in touch with them with frequent messages and “knows how to be persistent without being a nuisance,” Skrob says. The fifth king, Enticement, has the most difficult job of all: he roams the wilderness looking for the specific kind of visitors who are most likely to be lured into the kingdom.

“These people may not know of the kingdom’s existence, so they wander aimlessly looking for someone to show them the way,” Skrob says. “So Enticement hires agents who search for wanderers the king wouldn’t be able to find by himself. These agents send the lost visitors back to the realm of five kings.” This parable, which highlights the importance of a well-structured and focused website that attracts, rather than repels, visitors is featured in the book, released in September 2008 as a sequel to last year’s

“The Official Get Rich Guide to Information Marketing.” “Both books feature profiles of people who became extraordinarily successful on the Internet,” says Skrob, president of the Tallahassee, FL-based Information Marketing Association. “When you use a website to market your product, you can make sales anywhere, at any time, without lifting a finger. There’s no question that, for any info-marketer, Internet is a great way to make lots of money.” And, once info-marketers follow the five kings, they will all live happily ever after.

Katie Marcus asked:


As rocketing gas prices and food costs increase, consumer spending is down. If people aren’t spending as much on your products or services as they used to, you can’t rely on sales or discounts to bring them in.

The hit to your bottom line might not make up for the brief period of increased customer activity.

Instead, you need to rely on customer loyalty. The Pareto Principle says that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers. To keep these customers coming back, you need to help them remain loyal to you. That’s right; you can take steps to build customer loyalty. Here are a few ideas to do that:

Get to know your customers

To create a loyalty program or to know what products your customers want (and keep stocking them), you need to get to know your customers. First you need to identify what type of customer you want to remain loyal to you and figure out which products or services they value the most. Having this information will allow you to create an appealing rewards program targeted right to this customer base.

In order to do this, you need to use a combination of customer satisfaction surveys, market research and customer feedback. According to an article by Thomas O. Jones and W. Earl Sasser, Jr. in the Harvard Business Review, these three tools will help businesses understand their customers better than anything else will.

You can also use customer information to send greeting cards on their birthday or on holidays. This shows that you care about them at other times of the year, meaning other than when they’re spending their money with you!

Your customer service needs to exceed expectations.

Good customer service is expected nowadays; you can’t just maintain the status quo and expect customers to be loyal to you. You must exceed customer expectations by offering extra services that they don’t expect and you need to do it on a regular basis. Show customers they are valued by asking their opinion of your latest product or a product you’re thinking about adding. Treat customers like your life depends on their business. Give them whatever they need and want and try to anticipate what they’ll ask for next.

Give them incentives for using loyalty cards.

A loyalty card program, like the Best Buy reward card that Best Buy department stores use is a great way to keep customers coming back to you. You should give these customers with loyalty cards an incentive, like bonus points for each purchase that they can redeem for cash or a gift card. Using a loyalty card lets you track purchases so you know what’s popular and what you may want to eliminate from your shelves. It also rewards your customers for being loyal. A win-win situation!

Know more information about the greeting cards technologies.

John Pawlett asked:


Homeowners who are considering re-financing their home may have a wealth of options available to them. However, these same homeowners may find themselves feeling overwhelmed by this wealth of options. This process doesnt have to be so difficult though. Homeowners can greatly assist themselves in the process by taking a few simple steps. First the homeowner should determine his refinancing goals. Next the homeowner should consult with a re-financing expert and finally the homeowner should be aware that re-financing is not always the best solution.

Determine Your Goals for Re-Financing

The first step in any re-financing process should be for the homeowner to determine his goals and why he is considering re-financing. There are many different answers to this question and none of the answers are necessarily right or wrong. The most important thing is that the homeowner is making a decision which helps him achieve his financial goals. While there are no right or wrong answer to why re-financing should be considered there are, however, certain reasons for re-financing which are very common. These reasons include:

* Reducing monthly mortgage payments

* Consolidating existing debts

* Reducing the amount of interest paid over the course of the loan

* Repaying the loan quicker

* Gaining equity quicker

Although the reasons listed above are not the only reason homeowners might consider re-financing, they are some of the most popular reasons. They are included in this article for the purpose of getting the reader thinking. The reader may find their mortgage re-financing strategy fits into one of the above goals or they may have a completely different reason for wanting to re-finance. The reason for wanting to re-finance is not as important as determining this reason. This is because a homeowner, or even a financial advisor, will have a difficult time determining the best re-financing option for a homeowner if he does not know the goals of the homeowner.

Consult with a Re-Financing Expert

Once a homeowner has figured out why they want to re-finance, the homeowner should consider meeting with a re-financing expert to determine the best refinancing strategy. This will likely be a strategy which is financially sound but is also still geared to meeting the needs of the homeowner.

Homeowners who feel as though they are particularly well versed in the subject of re-financing might consider skipping the option of consulting with a re-financing expert. However, this is not recommended because even the most educated homeowner may not be aware of the newest re-financing options being offered by lenders.

While not understanding all the options may not seem like a big deal, it can have a significant impact. Homeowners may not even be aware of mistakes they are making but they may here of friends who re-financed under similar conditions and receive more favorable terms. Hearing these scenarios can be quite disheartening for some homeowners especially if they could have saved considerably more while re-financing.

Consider Not Re-Financing as a Viable Option

Homeowners who are considering re-financing may realize the importance of evaluating a number of different re-financing options to determine which option is best but these same homeowners may not realize they should also carefully consider not re-financing as an option. This is often referred to as the do nothing option because it refers to the conditions which will exist if the homeowner does not make a change in their mortgage situation.

For each re-financing option considered, the homeowner should determine the estimated monthly payment, amount of interest paid during the course of the loan, year in which the loan will be fully repaid and the amount of time the homeowner will have to remain in the home to recoup closing costs associated with re-financing. Homeowners should also determine these values for the current mortgage. This can be very helpful for comparison purposes. Homeowners can compare these results and often the best option is quite clear from these numeric calculations. However, if the analysis does not yield a clear cut answer, the homeowner may have to evaluate secondary characteristics to make the best possible decision.

Brad with Online Income Job Replacer asked:


If you ever thought about or actually tried marketing online and have already started. Something you probably found out is that its not easy to determine the best way to actually pre-sell your potential customers and or clients. Many people fall into the trap of writing bogus product reviews and the don’t actually use or in reality have no clue about. One reason they do this is that it works. Web surfers come in and see the fake review and take action. Unfortunately its not real; its basically false advertising and now a days the fcc is frowning on it.

The OIJR method is to write honest reviews or comparisons of product’s and or services. While its more work initially it is a great way to build customer loyalty and a tremendous amount of followers, who you can market to again and again. Rather then purchase something for you based on a false review of something that may or may not work. You offer a honest review and your customers will really appreciate that reward you by coming back again and again and telling there own friends and family, which is the best most cost effective form of marketing you can get. So take the high road and you will build a customer base that you will be able to market to over and over for many years to come. Many people neglect to do this as far as building a customer base but it is a absolute necessity in this day and age. If you have a captive audience you can capture or build a list out of its important to keep them happy and show them exactly how you can help them.

Either through email marketing or having them come back to your website periodically for what you offer. There are different ways to to make a online income and they are not always clear, in fact sometimes they are down right murky, and  that’s due to the fact that the Internet is really still in its infancy and really its still like the wild wild west where you have people running around like crazy who try and influence others to take the low and easy road through forum and blog posts and if you new you can be very susceptible to this.

And oh sure initially it is easier throw a lie out there and see if can get some one to believe it telling or saying any hyped up thing about the product they are selling. But here at OIJR we firmly believe in the high road. If you notice in our Review section we offer honest reviews only of people we know and trust that will steer you to take the high road and do the right thing and build your business on a rock not the sand so you will have a solid foundation for years to come. The truth will set you free and that’s really what we are talking about is telling people the truth and they will know instantly that you are genuine in what you have to say and offer. Best of luck online. But it all begins by taking the high road and genuinely helping people out with a honest approach that they will appreciate years and years to come.

-til next time

Brad

OnlineIncomeJobReplacer.com

barry andrews asked:


In his article “Seven Steps to Remarkable Customer Service,” Joel Spolsky suggests that businesses should “make the customer a fan.”  He tells a story about ordering shirts for a trade show.  When the shirts came in, the colors were off on the logo and they were unacceptable.  The mistake had been his, not the company who made them, but they let him return them for full credit anyway and shipped the order FedEx so it would get there in time for the trade show only two days away.  Spolsky continues on by saying:

When customers have a problem and you fix it, they’re actually going to be even more satisfied than if they never had a problem in the first place.

It has to do with expectations. Most people’s experience with tech support and customer service comes from airlines, telephone companies, cable companies, and ISPs, all of whom provide generally awful customer service. It’s so bad you don’t even bother calling any more, do you? So when someone calls Fog Creek, and immediately gets through to a human, with no voice mail or phone menus, and that person turns out to be nice and friendly and actually solves their problem, they’re apt to think even more highly of us than someone who never had the opportunity to interact with us and just assumes that we’re average.

Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to actually make something go wrong, just so we have a chance to demonstrate our superior customer service. Many customers just won’t call; they’ll fume quietly.

But when someone does call, look at it as a great opportunity to create a fanatically devoted customer, one who will prattle on and on about what a great job you did. (“Seven Steps to Remarkable Customer Service,” Joel Spolsky, Feb. 19, 2007)

“Fanatically devoted”; what a great descriptor of exactly what we are promoting with Consummate Customer Care.  When you succeed in making your customer a fan, then you have gained not only a loyal customer who will continue to purchase your product or service, but you have fostered a relationship with that customer that will make them spread the good word about you.  That positive stamp on your product or service is invaluable; and you haven’t really done anything except provide excellent “care” to the client.

Sports fans are “fanatically devoted.”  There are many sports teams who continue to fill their venues even when they are having horrible seasons.  Sometimes the fans are devoted for many, many years just because they have become such a “fan” of the team that it would be unthinkable to not support them.  I spent my last two years of high school in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  In Wisconsin everything between the months of August and January (really all year!!) revolves around the Green Bay Packers.  When I lived there the glory days of Bart Starr were a recent memory and the team was in a slump.  I will never forget, however, how the fans remained “with” the team.  They were rabid.  I was always amazed at the fervor with which the fans supported a team that was losing all the time.  The Packers have been sold out for well over forty years now; it is almost impossible to even get a ticket to see a game in Green Bay.  The most amazing thing is that they are not always good, in fact they have had some very bad years during their history, but they were able to create such a loyalty in their fan base that they were able to weather out the bad years and continue to sell tickets;  truly incredible.

Not to indicate that professional sports is not a business (we all know full well that it certainly is!) but when you project the above mechanism onto regular run of the mill businesses it provides an astonishing parallel that if accomplished would frankly ensure success.  Just think about the rewards that your company would reap if all of your clients told others about what a great job you are doing. 

Cell phone providers are infamous for bad customer service.  We have all experienced the automated phone systems and the long wait to talk to a human; oftentimes many of us give up before a human can be reached!  My son has been with the same cell phone company for over ten years now, and you could never convince him to change even though their rates and programs are a little more expensive than the others in the marketplace.  The reason is simply that they have superb customer service.  Any time he has had a problem; they have responded quickly and without reservation and taken care of it for him.  He is truly a “fan” of his cell phone provider and he will tell anyone who asks him just why. This is the kind of customer loyalty that businesses must try to accomplish. 

Sam was in Real Estate in Florida part-time for 20 years while raising her family.  As is her very nature, Consummate Customer Care was always her top priority.  She was very successful but limited in her success because she was balancing a husband and children who were necessarily her top priority at the time.  She loved the interaction with her clients and found it extremely fulfilling to match families with homes they could afford and enjoy.  She felt the Real Estate profession demanded the very best one had to offer in customer care at all times whether listing or selling because home purchases and sales are so important and personal to people.  It is usually the highest ticket item most people ever purchase or sell. 

Sam no longer works in Real Estate but recently was faced with a very real problem with the industry.  She owns a home in the northeast and listed it with two different companies, one after the other.   She could not believe the lack of service and care she received.  The listing was put together both times in a slipshod fashion at best, the contact with her was non-existent and nothing happened.  Sam and her husband had been constantly amazed since they moved to this particular area at the lack of work ethic and customer care in all their dealings and this lackluster attitude certainly showed with their house listing.

When the second listing was close to expiration, Sam was befuddled as to how to find an agent with excellent customer care and work ethics who would do their best to sell their home.   Just as the listing expired, Sam received three mailings from real estate companies soliciting the listing.  She thought it over and decided to “interview” all three of the companies that at least had the fortitude to solicit her business.  So, she made up a list of questions on her computer and made three copies. The questions were as follows:

·         How long have you been an active realtor?

 

·         How many properties have you listed this past year?

 

·         How many of your own listings have you sold this past year and how many of your listings were sold by another agent this year?

 

·         How many of your company listings have you sold this past year?

 

·         How many total properties have you sold this past year?

 

·         What is the average time on the market of your company’s listings?

 

·         Where and when do you advertise?

 

·         How often do you do an open house and where do you advertise it?

 

·         What is your percentage rate and term of contract and are they negotiable?

 

·         What will you do to get this house sold that we have not discussed?

This completed, Sam got her home freshly scrubbed and ready to show and called all three companies who had contacted her.  She told each one that she was interviewing realtors that day and if they were interested in coming to see the house and visit with her she had an opening at so and so time.  Sam also told them that she would have some questions for them as well.  Each of the three accepted the invitation and each arrived promptly at their set time.  She showed the house, sat with them at the table having a comfortable discussion and then pulled out her form and asked them the questions above.  All three representatives were surprised at the distinct questions but were very forthcoming with answers.  Sam was impressed with all three of these representatives because of their promptness, willingness to come for an appointment with such short notice, their straight forward answers to her questions and their professionalism.

Of course, a decision on one of the three had to be made.  She told each of them she would call them one way or another with her decision the following Monday and thanked them for coming.   Sam then weighed each interview carefully and the answers to her questions played a very large part in her decision. The realtor with whom she chose to list her home was very prepared when she and her partner arrived and they were properly equipped with the particulars on the property from their research.  The answers to the questions were immediate and positive.  The advertising was on a set schedule and copies of the ad would be sent to Sam in the mail each time an ad was placed, the team assured her that they would make contact with her regularly, they would do a complete virtual tour of the home, yard and lakefront, and they agreed to a 3 month initial term so that she could feel sure they would do what they professed they would do.  They also negotiated some on the commission percentage but were still higher than the other two.  Sam felt they were definitely worth the extra.  They also complemented her on her professionalism of interviewing them and said they had never experienced that before. They said usually the main thing people want to know is the amount of the commission.

As of this writing, Sam is still in the process of selling her home but so far her chosen realtors have kept all promises and she is happy with the decision and a fan of the company she chose because Consummate Customer Care is what she wanted and this company is providing just that.  If the home does not sell because of the market that is one thing, but to have a complete bust because people do not give proper care to their clients is ridiculous.  There are good people and companies who care and work hard and others who really don’t care, but as a customer, Sam had a choice, made that choice and she can also opt to void that choice.  Because of her experience with her realtor of choice, she will not only patronize that company but will spread the good word about them with zest and vigor.  No one could ask for a better advertisement for their business.

The above example should be a “heads up” to all business owners and managers.  Treat your clients with Consummate Customer Care and make them a “fan” because of the excellent service you provide!  There are tons of companies for customers to choose from and to lose a viable client because of lack of customer care when it is usually your “only edge” is disastrous and expensive!  You certainly can’t win them all but you will undoubtedly gain a great deal more clients with “constant” care and attention.

I hesitate to even tell the next story because it is one of my most astonishing failures and hurts even to this day to tell it, but what’s life all about if we can’t learn from our failures.

 

Several years ago, my wife and I had a photography studio.  We specialized in family photography.  We had opened the studio after we had stopped taking and selling photo campaigns for a company that did church directories.  We were small and really knew nothing about running a business, but we were doing fairly well and making ends meet.  As we specialized in family photography, the word had spread about what a great product we delivered and we were starting to make a reputation for ourselves.  

I got a call from a lady who was referred to us by a happy customer and she said that they were having a family reunion in a couple of weeks and they wanted family photos while everyone was together.  She said they would have nineteen people for the main picture and asked if our studio could handle that many people.  I assured her that we could and booked the shoot.  The day before the shoot, I was buying film for our studio when the man at the photography store said he had a used camera that he would sell us at a discount.  It was one of the best cameras on the market and the price was amazing.  I told him that I would have to try it out first and so on that Friday I took the camera back to the studio with me.  I used that camera to shoot the family gathering that I had booked for that Saturday.

The family arrived and there were indeed nineteen of them.  There were five generations and the matriarch of the family was terminally ill so this would be the last time that they would likely be able to take a complete family photo.  The shoot went smooth as silk.  I was able to set up some remarkable shots and did a whole series with the entire family and with the subsets that were involved.  It really went great.  This was not only a great opportunity for them to get the family photo done; it was a great opportunity for our little studio as there were so many different families involved.  I took probably one hundred and twenty pictures and they took their leave.  I was excited and anxious for the film to come back from the developers and couldn’t wait to see how the shoot came out.  Family photography is tricky and to have a shoot with that many people aged eight months to over eighty is remarkable in itself.

To my shock, when the proofs arrived, I realized, in horror, that the mask on the camera was not centered.  I could not have known this unless I had done some test shots and had them developed before the shoot.  I was using that new camera and I mistakenly assumed that the guy at the camera shop had given me a piece of merchandise that was tooled properly.  Big mistake!!  Most of the smaller family shots were salvageable, but the shots of the entire family together had shifted so far to the left that two of the family members heads were cut off.  I was sick!!  I tried everything to get them in the shot, but there was no viable way to make it work.  Remember, this was in the olden days before digital cameras and the ability to work magic with Photoshop so basically I had completely failed to create the family photo that these people would probably never get a chance to have again.  Not only that, but I would get zero sales out of the shoot and as I had not charged a sitting fee because of the size of the group, I was screwed.

Presenting the proofs to the family representatives was the hardest thing I have ever done.  As the family had traveled literally from all over the world for their reunion, there was no way to do any kind of re-takes.  I ended up giving the proof set and the negatives to the family and didn’t charge them anything for the shoot.  I gave them the name of a photo developer who might be able to salvage the photos from the negatives, but as I had already contacted several, I wasn’t optimistic.  Needless to say, the customer was extremely unhappy with the results.

I use this example because it exemplifies the absolute antithesis of what we are trying to teach with Consummate Customer Care.  I certainly did not make a fan out of that customer; in fact quite the opposite occurred.  I have always regretted this situation.  If only I had had the foresight to run a test roll of film, I would have discovered the problem and have used my regular camera for this all important shoot.  In retrospect, the mistake was pivotal.  Not only did I destroy what should have been a great family occasion for my customers, I also destroyed the reputation of my studio.  As it turns out, the main instigator of the family photos seemed to know everyone in town and I began to find it very difficult to get new paying customers.  I know the reality is that no one could spread that much negativity, but the occasional turn down combined with my tremendous sense of failure eventually resulted in folding the business altogether.  Disastrous circumstances indeed.

All of the above could have been avoided had my focus been fully on making that customer a fan.  What a dunderheaded decision to use an unknown camera in a shoot that was so very important.  Had I been truly focused on my customers, I would have made a test run, discovered the glitch, and everything would have turned out great.  My focus, instead, was on the future possibilities and in thinking that the new camera would be better without really taking into account the tremendous importance of this event to the customer.  I know this may be an extreme example but I believe it genuinely gets the point across.

Employees must be trained to create fans out of customers.  Earlier I used a quote from Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com when he stated, “If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.”  This quote is worth repeating in the context of making your customer a fan of your business.  Now that we have the internet and instant communication in our mainstream society, it is so vitally important for that customer to have good things to say about you.  I can’t count the amount of times that I have steered away from a given business because of a bad comment I heard either personally or on the internet about that company.  Customers want to be able to trust the company they do business with.  Customers want to be able to talk positively about what you did for them.  The unfortunate problem all businesses have, however, is that it is human nature to more readily share the bad experiences rather than the good ones.  This is crazy but the nature of the beast.

Create customers that are fans of your business.  Create customers that are loyal no matter how hard the times are.  When the economy is bad or when things are going south for whatever reason, to have a loyal customer base willing to stick with you because of how they have been treated in the past is a commodity so valuable that it can hardly be expressed.  Sports teams remain in business because of their fans.  Sports teams fold if the fans do not support them.  Businesses are exactly the same.  Perpetuate success for your business by creating an environment and an atmosphere that will create fans out of your customers.

 

At the risk of becoming repetitive, I must reiterate here that it is impossible to make “fans” out of your customers if your representatives are not constant in their Consummate Customer Care.  Many businesses hire people who have a nice personality over all, but are moody at times and show their behinds to whoever happens to cross their path that day!  If you are hiring and putting up with “part-timers” in your Consummate Customer Care program, you can rest “un-assured” that your “fans” are quickly switching teams!!