Monday, July 20, 2015

Business: 5 Winning Customer Service Tips That Drive Repeat Business




As a business owner, there’s nothing more “feel good” to you than a repeat customer that walks through the door. That’s because it means less marketing or advertising spend for you, and it means they recognize the value of customer experience that they’re getting. To achieve that golden moment of repeat business, here are five customer service tips that are designed to bring your paying customers back through your doors.


1. Be Visible Online.

Google has identified a new step in the buying process; it’s the one in which customers turn to product reviews, and research the closest outlets or stores—all online. Google calls this the Zero Moment of Truth, which comes before the first and the second moments, “Shelf” (in-store) and “Experience” (after purchase).

As buyers in the modern day, we take this Zero Moment for granted. But as customer service providers, we may not be as conscious of our online presence. This is a crucial moment to extend the values of our business! Providing up-to-date information, fair customer reviews, and representing a friendly and professional demeanor online can seal the deal. This is an increasingly influential step in the buying process and should be part of your business perspective. As a plus, consider a mobile version of your site or at least the products and services section.

2. Make Them Feel Special.

The song is right. You do want to go where everybody knows your name. Whether it’s a web page or restaurant or auto repair shop, knowing their name the moment they arrive makes an experience memorable and rich.

Train your staff or add a log in feature online to get to know your visitors. It builds a feeling of community and privilege to do business and serve, especially if it’s done with a valued, special greeting.

3. Give Your Customers Multiple Channels for Feedback.

Having a twitter account or an email address or customer service phone line tended by well-trained staff will prevent a dissatisfied customer from ranting, especially in the age of social networking. And if they are satisfied (or delighted), feedback channels give them a place to sing their praises as well.

But also, it is important that your front line accurately conveys your business’ high regard for listening, and being caring. If clients and customers know that the lowliest of employees genuinely cares, and they come upon a well-attended feedback channel, they will be glad to share positive comments about you.

4. Place the Customer Experience First.

More than the bottom line, showing the customer in no uncertain terms that “it’s about them” is the heart and soul of a business. Was the customer experience good? Great! Make it about them by reminding them how thankful you are for their business.

Was the experience marred by things out of your control? A reimbursement or a complimentary item can demonstrate your sincerity in putting them—not the bottom line—first.

5. Reduce Bureaucracy.

Time is money. And system redundancies can turn off even the tightest penny pinchers. To make doing business with you pleasurable, make your transactional system—especially for returns and complaints—as simple and accommodating as possible.

It’s not enough to add a premium service like a privilege lane in your store or website. Make it easier to log in to your website by using social network IDs; make cellphone numbers work as member codes so customers don’t have to reach for their wallets at the register; reduce the steps in returning or exchanging goods.

These customer service tips will drive repeat business because it is far easier for people to remember a company that recognizes their value, even if they haven’t yet given you a dime. MP :)

Lifestyle: My movie review Ant-Man (2015)



Synopsis:
Forced out of his own company by former protégé Darren Cross, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) recruits the talents of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a master thief just released from prison. Lang becomes Ant-Man, trained by Pym and armed with a suit that allows him to shrink in size, possess superhuman strength and control an army of ants. The miniature hero must use his new skills to prevent Cross, also known as Yellowjacket, from perfecting the same technology and using it as a weapon for evil.

My Review:

Last July 15, 2015, Wednesday. I was lucky to be invited to watch the special screening  of Ant-Man in one of the uptown cinemas in the Philippines.  As a Marvel comic fan, I was surprised with the story line of the entire film.  A very funny Ant-Man from the Marvel comic book was brought to life by actor Paul  Rudd and would probably the funniest Marvel film ever for me. Next to the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The film was entirely entertaining. Each character were on their right part. Graphics and design was clean and fun to watch from the first part to finish. I recommend to watch it in 3D for more enjoyment. 

Ant-Man will definitely join his fellow Avengers on the next film as Marvel's ad campaign has been more consistent in reminding the public not to forget this guy who is going to be an Avenger soon. As you can see in their  different ads with the members of the Avengers.

All in all Ant-Man lives up to Marvels record of providing worth your time and money.  My rating for this film is 9 out of 10 stars.

P.S. Don’t leave until the lights come on. Seriously, wait for the lights. Marvel comic fans will be thrilled to see whats in store for Ant-Man's next adventure. :)
























Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Business: What is CXO (Customer Experience Optimization)?


What is CXO? CXO stands for Customer eXperience Optimization. There are two main areas CXO are divided into. The first is customer-facing assets like front-liners, sales people or customer service representatives. The second is non-customer facing assets like your supply chain, partners, and item processing.

Basically, it’s everything that comes into contact with the customer before, while, and after purchase.

Today’s forward-thinking companies are customer-centric from the very top of the organization. They work to put customer experience into their DNA where it is not originally.

A satisfied customer is a brand ambassador; a loyal customer loves to buy from you and will be open to cross-purchases. What’s more, opening up to CXO enhances your company’s internal processes, telling you what can’t be seen from internal surveys. Thorough CXO has a fantastic impact across different dimensions of your business.

A major facet of CXO is CEM, or Customer Experience Measurement. CEM is not your old-fashioned mystery shopper exercise, which only scratches the surface of customer service. CEM integrates the processes and metrics of Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, and, of course, customer service and research.

Using CEM provides insight into where your front-liners could do better: being more sensitive to customer needs, seizing opportunities to upsell or suggest other products, or adapting to supply issues, customer complaints, and technical failures.

The essential benefit of CXO is on your bottom line. Apply it thoroughly and you can count on the following:

Higher brand equity as you move from selling products to selling an experience


Greater loyalty and more positive mentions online, leading to lower marketing costs


Bigger cross-sales and better ROI per customer


More positive, satisfied staff, which leads to lower training and HR cost

Reduced friction and cost within your organization and between suppliers

CXO is far-reaching in how it influences your business for the better.

For more on how to implement CEM in your business, you may leave comment.  MP :)

Places: The Philippines largest grand ballroom - Marriott Hotel Manila


                     
Last Friday,  July 03, 2015,  the Marriott Hotel Manila launches its newest grand ballroom in the Newport City in Pasay. People from different industries were invited to witness the unfolding of the largest ballroom in the country. Food and wine were superb! The out of this world entertainment was a spectacle to behold!

MGB (Marriot Grand Ballroom)  boasts a total of 8,000 square meters of function space equivalent to 6 and a half full-sized basketball courts. Its main ballroom boasts 3,000 sqm of pillarless venue that can seat 2,500 people for a banquet event. Its six spacious VIP sky boxes can also be rented. 

At the lobby you can see customized masterpieces by renowned Filipino furniture designer Mr. Kenneth Cobunpue. It has 28 versatile spaces that can be used for your events, meetings, conventions, and exhibits. If you want to go around the whole place, we suggest you change into your comfiest shoes and bring your camera, because the Marriott Grand Ballroom is filled with well-curated artworks from local and international artists.

Its design inspiration focuses on the Filipinos' spirit of Bayanihan. More intricate details depict the local arts and cultures, inspired from indigenous colors and materials, even traditional dance showcasing spatial flow and movement.

It is also perfect for performances and concerts as it can fit 4,500 people, with its production value at its peak because of its 12-meter-high ceilings, state-of-the-art audio-visual capability, and Skyfold technology partitions.

I heard  that The Resorts World Manila group has invested $140 million to create this architectural wonder pushing its boundaries by creating the Philippines largest ballroom.

Congratulations to RWM group!