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December 17, 2013
Sales Focused Bill Collections Improve Profitability
Resume positive relationships with customers & reduce uncollected receivables.
Barry had been diligently chipping away at his list of suspended customer accounts. Management wanted him to keep his over 60-day numbers below 3% and month after month he hovered right at 2.9%. He was proud of that. He had figured out that if he collected on just 7 accounts a day he would meet his numbers. The last batch of robo calls generated a lot of calls from customers wanting to pay their bills so he was well ahead of his goal already and it was only noon. He decided to let...Continue reading
By Lori MillerPosted in Customer Service on December 17, 2013
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November 14, 2013
Customer Service Lessons from the Health Care Industry
Do Your Ads and Reality Match?
I have noticed that some medical practices and hospitals have invested a lot of time, money and effort in creating newspaper ads, billboard signs and commercials that show the happy faces of care givers who can’t wait for the patients (customers) to come in. I often wonder why the patient’s reality with medical customer service includes cranky receptionists, patronizing billing and insurance clerks, and those who can’t wait for their shift to be over. If they took the time to...Continue reading
By Lori MillerPosted in Customer Service on November 14, 2013
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October 22, 2013
Customer Service Management Lessons from The Karate Kid
How you can be more like Mr. Miyagi with your customer service department.
“Wax on- wax off!” Admit it. The original Karate Kid movie is great. In it good triumphs over evil and the mean people get their just deserts. I somehow feel more motivated to fight the good fight myself after watching a rerun. I have secretly wished that I had a Mr. Miyagi in my life; someone who could impart wisdom for all of life’s trials and keep me accountable to doing the right thing.
In the movie, young Daniel did not understand the value of waxing...Continue reading
By Lori MillerPosted in Customer Service on October 22, 2013
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September 11, 2013
Customer Service that is Ready, Willing and Able
Assessing events that impact your customer service department
I once asked a manager why he was so calm with so many problems that needed fixing. He told me that he had served in the military. What he had to deal with then was a matter of life or death. Now, he didn’t have that kind of pressure. His challenges were frustrating for sure, but solvable. I really admired his strength, but I also wondered if he had spent time in his customer service department recently. To the CSRs it was a war zone full of combative customers, high...Continue reading
By Lori MillerPosted in Customer Service on September 11, 2013
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September 5, 2013
Value, Value Added and Value Creation
Empowered buyers appreciate sellers who deliver value-Be that seller.
It used to be enough for a seller to deliver on the value that mattered most to the buyer. If a buyer expressed a preference for “made in the USA” and the seller had products manufactured in America, the value was recognized and the solution was sufficient. As competitive pressures increased, marketers began adding value to incentivize buyers. In addition to meeting preferences like “made in America,” companies began offering added value, everything from the old S&H Green...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on September 5, 2013
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August 20, 2013
What Is World Class Customer Service?
10 “Must Haves” That Buyer’s Expect From Your Sales Force
Professional sellers know that it’s both easy to do and imperative not to do. Taking a customer for granted and assuming current customers will always be customers is short-sighted and irresponsible in selling. When customers begin to feel unappreciated, as if they are just one of many and only as valuable as their last order… It’s then that customer dissatisfaction can lead to customer attrition.
Keeping customers starts with keeping customers satisfied.
But top...Continue reading
By Deb CalvertPosted in Sales & Business Development on August 20, 2013
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