TheFORT

A new business faces multiple challenges that are unique to their situation of being a brand new operating company. Most businesses are destined to fail within the first five years of existence and it stands to reason that, for businesses that highly depend on patronage, customer service will determine whether or not your business becomes another statistic. Any company, whether it’s a one-person start-up or a Fortune 500 company, must utilize its customer service team to always represent their company in a positive light.

For many companies, the problem is that even with an entire team of in-house customer service professionals, it still does not guarantee that your customers will receive the highest quality service available. Moreover, it may be difficult in some places to get qualified customer service professionals to meet the needs of your company. For these companies, outsourcing your customer support to a call center can provide a high quality solution at a fraction of the cost of hiring an entire team.

Outsourcing your customer service to a call center brings a number of advantages for your business. It is a business strategy that provides immediate cost savings, but also the productivity of allowing you to focus on your core business. Your operating costs are lowered by not having to hire workers in-house, who require a salary, but office space, insurance, taxes, and the liability of hiring an employee. With your customer service outsourced, your company can focus on their onsite, revenue generating operations without using space for their call center support services.

There are hundreds of call centers around the globe and not all of them are capable of handling your unique needs. The key to evaluating a call center is to work with a call center that has values, goals, and beliefs that are similar to your organization. This call center, while outsourced, will be the face and voice for many of your customer, and thus, are now a part of your company.*

We invite you to evaluate Open Access Marketing as your customer call center solution. We are an American-owned and managed outsourcing provider with operations in the Philippines.

Are you a business owner? If you are, you likely have one main goal. That goal is to make money. Whether you are a small business owner or a large business owner, it is important to understand that customers should come before profits. This is because the two go hand in hand. The more customers and clients you are able to acquire, the larger your business profits will be.

As important as customers and clients are to a business’s success, many business owners do not take steps to please their clients or draw new clients in. Of course, advertising your business online or offline, through advertisements, is a start, but did you know that there is much more than you can and should do? One of your options involves rewarding your customer and clients for doing business with you. If you don’t already have a rewards program or a promotional gift program in place, it is advised that give them a close look, as they both have an unlimited number of benefits.

Before focusing on the benefits of rewarding your customers, it is first important to examine the methods that you can use to do so. As previously stated, you can use reward programs and promotional gifts to your advantage. Your choice should depend on a number of factors, such as your business specialty. For instance, if you specialize in selling large expensive products, such as timeshares or mortgages, onetime promotional gifts may be in your best interest. On the other hand, if you specialize in selling affordable product or services, such as clothing or crafts, it may be within your best interest to operate a rewards program, also commonly referred to as a loyalty program.

As you can likely gather from the name, a promotional gift is one that is given as a promotion. In keeping with the example of running a timeshare business, you can offer all buyers a free promotional gift, such as a new DVD player or a travel certificate for doing business with you. Reward programs or loyalty programs tend to involve the accumulation of points or dollars spent. For instance, once a customer of yours has made ten purchases or spends more than two hundred dollars with you, you can reward them with a gift, such a popular electronics item or a travel certificate.

Now that you know exactly what reward programs, loyalty programs, and promotional gifts are, it is important to next focus on the benefits of rewarding your customer and clients. For starters, rewarding customers is a marketing approach that is increasing in popularity. Just about everywhere you look, you are able to see reward programs or promotional gifts being advertised. This even includes credit cards. In a way, many consumers expect to see rewards. It is something that many are growing accustom to.

Since consumers often expect to be rewarded for doing business with companies, like yours, you may see an increase in customer counts and profits by implementing your own rewards programs or by offering promotional gifts. As a business owner, you need to put yourself in the place of a consumer. Would you do business with a company who doesn’t reward you for their business, when they are others out there who will? There is a good chance that your answer would be “no,” and that is the same answer that many consumers would give.

You can also benefit from rewarding your customers with promotional gifts or reward programs, as it is an effective marketing tool. Whether you send direct mailings to your targeted market, advertise these programs and gifts on your website or at your place of business, it is sure to turn heads. Even those customers who do not make purchases from you right away are still likely to remember your business name. Free products always catch the eyes of consumers. Essentially, reward programs and promotional gifts, if properly marketed, can help to increase your client base and your profits for days, weeks, months, even years to come.

As outlined above, there are a number of benefits to rewarding your customers and clients for doing business with you. Whichever approach you take, whether it be promotional gifts, other reward programs, or both, you should see an increase in profits.

Be nice - I know it sounds pretty elementary but if you think about this for a minute it will make sense. How many people do you run across in a day that are crabby and in a sour mood? You don’t want to interact with them nor be around them and certainly you don’t want to do business with them. If you’re having a bad day and can’t seem to turn it around then don’t interact with your clients, because one bad day can turn a client in the other direction or a potential client running to someone else. People don’t like to do business with grumpy and irritable people!

Follow up – Most people today are so busy and don’t have enough hours in the day, but you have to understand the importance of following up with both potential clients and also with your current clients. The simple act of following up will not only make you stand out from your competitors but will let your clients know that you do care about them. Successful follow up actions can simply include an email, handwritten letters, eZines, greeting cards, an invitation to an event, or a phone call. You want to choose follow up actions that will fit your style and remember to do them on a regular basis. If you can consistently implement follow up actions into your business then you will be amazed at how much your network grows. Remember people are what count, not just another sale or client to add to your list. Make them feel special and let them know you do care. Try picking up the phone today just to say “Hello”

Give of yourself – Most people today think about what they can get from other people, how they can advance in their careers or grow their business. Let’s turn this around and consider what you can give your clients and your network that will help them grow or help them solve a problem. Give from your heart, not expecting in return. You might be amazed at the results. Keep in mind that building relationships is a two way street that begins with you, don’t be greedy and self-absorbed. Always approach relationships in a generous, giving, and positive manner.

Trust – Yes, this is an important one because most people will not do business with anyone they don’t trust. Start your relationships off with being honest, giving what you promised and always keeping your word. First make yourself known to your audience, your network and then you want to build relationships to the highest level of trust. Always work with integrity!

Eye contact – If you are going to be interacting with people in public, make eye contact with them when speaking to them, don’t talk to the clouds or the floor but directly to them. You will be surprised at how you can set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd by simply smiling and making eye contact.

Gift giving - Build stronger relationships with gift giving. I don’t mean this in the sense of trying to buy business or buy new clients, but if you know a client is sick or going through a difficult time simply send them a nice gift or you can send an email or pick up the phone and give them a call to let them know you’re there if they need anything. This action reflects back to the tip above on just being nice. If you were to turn the situation around and you were the one going through a difficult time wouldn’t it be nice to receive a nice email or phone call? Wouldn’t that lift your spirits? Sure it would, so remember to have a giving heart and not expect anything in return but know that you have made someone’s day.

Be yourself – Once again pretty basic. Most people do not like to work with others who are phony. You will get much further in life and be so much happier in just being yourself! The most important part of your identity is just being yourself. When doing business and developing relationships be in the habit of being authentic, it pays and will work to your benefit, plus your not spending the time and energy involved in being something your not. Your clients/potential clients are very intelligent and have a keen sense of perception and they will definitely sense your insincerity. Don’t brand yourself or your company as being fake because it will take sometime to pull yourself out plus it is the wrong foundation to building strong, honest and healthy relationships.

There are numerous ways to build relationships and many of them will tie together, just remember to be nice, pleasant, be yourself, and always work with integrity. Remember to treat your clients the way you want to be treated.