Word of mouth

Where Has Customer Service Gone Part 2

Due to an error in my first piece publishing before I was ready I’ll just start this one where I left off! The hairdresser had rolled her eyes when I had asked for a haircut for my 18 month old daughter. I then replied “Is that okay?”
“Sure, you can come in from 9 to 9 anytime.” She smirked and almost shewed me off as if I were here annoying child. So easy as pie, I left and walked down the shopping center to another salon where they were more than happy to have our business and even awarded my daughter with a certificate for being such a good girl, with a clip of her hair attached. So cute. But I digress, we’re talking about BAD customer service. How many times do you have to be treated poorly at an establishment before you decide NOT to do business there anymore? Do you feel helpless? Well don’t! There are lots of things you can do to get better service and here are just a few.

Complain, Complain, Complain

You need to ask for who is in charge and if they aren’t available you need to ask for a business card. If the place of business is a franchise you can contact the corporate office and notify them of the problem you are having directly. On most receipts you will notice that there are either surveys for your experience or phone numbers to call if you have problems. Why do they do this? Because managers, owners, corporations, and stock holders all know that if the customer isn’t happy then ain’t nobody happy. They can’t be there all the time to supervise so you need to do your part to help them, that is if you want to see them prosper and stay in your area. What a manager does not not he cannot correct and so you must complain, even if it is against your nature, or nothing will change.

Go To Another Establishment

If you love shopping at a certain store but hate the service you get while you frequent it, go somewhere else. A lot of stores will give you the same deals as their competitors all you have to do is ask or bring in an ad with the prices. Some of the best places to shop are local Mom and Pop’s they tend to demand great service and will go head over heels to make sure your shopping experience is the best. Why? Because it’s not easy competing with Big Business and they want to keep any customers they can. But if for some reason you just can’t stay away from your favorite place try shopping at a different location or a different time of day. You would be amazed at the change in attitude of people who are day shift workers compared to night shift employees. The same goes for different locales.

Blog About It

If you are reading this you already know the power of Blog and the Word of Mouth miracle. If you get enough people reading your thoughts, dreams, reviews, and rants then there is pretty much nothing anyone can do to stop you from hurting or helping their store, product, service, or film. I’ll tell you from personal experience if i know one of my fellow bloggers has had a bad time at a store or business, I’ll think twice before i go and if I dodecide to brave it, I’ll compare notes and blog about it also. This can be good or bad. The important thing here is YOU are the money that keeps these businesses rolling. If a company knows they are hurting because of the things you are TRUTHFULLY saying about your experience then they will try with out a shadow of a doubt to make it up to you! I had a client who went as far as making a website that was dedicated to how much he hated a specific product he had bought and never gotten to use efficiently. He even used Search Engine Optimization to make sure that his website came up alongside the products website. My client had so many hits and similar rants on his forum that the company who owned the product not only brought the product back but also paid a hefty sum for his website. I’m not saying that’s the best way to go but that is just an example of how Poor Customer Service got out of control.

There are so many ways out there that you can help yourself to good service. Don’t be a victim of bad attitudes or laziness, fight back and become an advocate for your own customer rights. In the end you will be happier for it and hopefully your shopping experiences will be those that dreams are made of. Until then, don’t forget to grab a business card on your way out.

Word of mouth

Social Networking Can Help Your Business

The objective of social networking is to allow members who have the same interest to communicate with one another. With so many of them around, why not take advantage of it because this is a tool that can make promote your business.

Social networking sites are a gold mine because you get to promote your product without having to pay for advertising. Studies show that people who know you are more receptive to a familiar face rather than saying yes to someone they just met.

To get started, the first thing you have to do is become a member of a social network. There are hundreds of them around and once you sign up, you should create profile page which tells people out there who you are.

Since most social networking sites allow you to personalize your webpage, make use of it by putting your company logo, a picture of yourself and your company profile. To sell yourself, talk about your experiences of being in the business.

If the site has a section that allows you to post blogs and bulletins, maximize it by showing what products or services you currently have and maybe a preview of what is in store in the future.

For those who already have their own website, put a link through the social network so people who want to know more will be able to directly gain access to it.

Another thing you shouldn’t forget to do is visit other forums within the social network. This will enable you to find out what others are taking about. Who knows? It’s possible that another member has a problem and you are the answer to their prayers. It is also possible that the information from the forum will give you ideas so you can add new products.

Since you want your customers to become part your client base, it is important that maintain quality in your products and services. This will let others know about who you are and this will spread by word of mouth.

To add revenue to your business, you can allow other businesses to advertise in your webpage for a small fee.

The best way to get the most out of social networking sites is to advertise your products in more than just one. So you don’t waste your time, you should do research as to which ones are frequented by most people. If this is too general, try to look for a social network that specializes in whatever business or service you are offering.

From there, you build up your image and hope that in time, you will have a regular client base that will give you a steady flow of income every month.

Social networking can help your business and the best part is that it is free to join and there are no additional costs to maintain your membership.

Why is it free? Because companies who maintain these social networking sites know that it is counterproductive to charge fees from their members when they can get more money from companies who engage in online advertising in their sites.

As the entrepreneur, you should just have to put in the time and effort so you will get noticed. Just like other businesses, the use of social networking is not the backbone of your business but merely something that helps attract additional revenue.

Word of mouth

Social Networking Can Help Get Your Message Across

The success of social networking marks a dynamic shift in how we use the Internet. This is based on the mentality that people who share the same interests are drawn together and given that that cyberspace has not barriers, we are able to get our message across the globe.

This makes the job of people involved in viral marketing and word of mouth much easier because you are not necessarily making money from them but getting referrals which helps in promoting your business.

As you can see, there is a startling difference between the traditional search engine and social networking. The first one uses keywords in the hopes that people who use a search engine will be able to find you. The second is a platform because members will not only see your profile but be able to click on a link to go to your site.

When members like what you have done to your webpage, they will most likely save it, store it and even share it with others so you are able to advertise your product or service without even paying for advertising.

But social networking is just one of the tools that are used these days by most businesses. They also rely on blogs, podcasts and RSS feeds to reach a larger audience. Although it does not reach a specific market, it makes social networking the ideal choice when promoting a product or service.

Just to give you an idea, companies spent $525 million in 2007 using a social networking to advertise their products. Estimates show that this figure could increase up to $810 million by 2008 and this is done not by just signing up as a member. Some have used banner or display ads so this can be featured in other sites.

Some within the social networking site have established their own groups so they are able to share their knowledge and experience in their area of business. You can even create profiles with the purpose of sharing knowledge which are very similar to blogs that brings a real person in the forefront to add a more personal touch.

Which one should you use? Some people use one while others use both. To maximize the use banners and pop up ads, it is best to put it in more than one social network. As for those who will be creating groups, you must make sure there is time to update the information there. Ideally, this should be one using one or two social networks.

After all the work is done, you will now have to measure its effectiveness by counting how much money is coming in. Is this going according to your expectations? If it is, then you are on the right track but if things are not going as planned, then that means that there is room for improvement.

Social networking can indeed get your message across so people will become aware of your products and services. With so many sites to choose from, it won’t be hard for you to get sign up with one and then do the same with another. This can only be achieved of course by making a first time buyer a regular customer who will spread your business by word of mouth.