Business Articles For Students

Vending Machine Services UK: The Healthy Way

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 17:28:00 +0000

Does your jidohanbaiki dispense holy water! I mean to say, does your vending Vending Machine Services dispense holy water as it primarily did in Alexandria, 215 B.C.! Or do you want people to buy Life Insurance Policies from those machines! Yes, people say that these were reasons for which the vending machines were primarily set up.

Now one can find a bright pink vending machine selling sex toys in a bar or you may even buy a cellular phone from another one. However, some people may feel happy if the healthy vending machine supplied them only good, fresh, and healthy food.

Schools have already banned junk food vending machine in UK to ensure a healthy future for our kids.

This certainly indicates the depth reached by the vending machines in the social setup and understanding in UK.

The protest was not simply against the quality of the food but also against the mechanical freedom, in the other way round. In any case, Vending machines are in like always.

Apart from putting the junk food out, the authorities must take good care of proper maintenance of those machines.

Whatever let the reason is, more and more corporate and other business offices too are setting up vending machines in their pantries. It really saves the employees a good lot of time and worries.

However, if necessary precautions are not taken, the vending machine may vend out employees health.

A vending machine company, apart from regular restocking, should maintain the chain only by trained staffs.

This is more important when you are offering drink vending machines or coffee vending machines.

Regular and timely clean up using specialist-cleaning product and by professionals is necessary for quality control.

One should always remember that, the Vending Machine Services are not simply selling food but health.

While selecting a vending service UK or Ireland, the would-be-owner should collect all the available information about the company's reputation for after sales service.

Many sales companies, that offers helping hands to your personal vending machine business, at the end, helps to ruin your reputation besides your business.

One should not allow someone in such a job that has no prior experience of maintaining a vending route. Last but not the least; keep faith on the brand names.

The branded companies always have all their reputations at stake and this makes them supply the best products and Vending Machine Services for you. Before jumping into a vending machine contract, note, if the company is a member of A.V.A. (Automatic Vending Association) or not.

How to Get The Best Out Of Your Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 19:07:00 +0000

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, little did he realize the positive effect it would have on customer service or the negative effect it could also have! Yes, the telephone can be a great tool in helping to provide exceptional customer service but it can also quickly destroy a customers perception of your service.

What steps can you take to ensure that, whenever you or your staff use the phone, it adds something positive to the customer experience? Here are some ideas.

Answer Promptly Its an old tip but one usually ignored! You are sitting at your desk, deep in thought, writing your monthly report and the phone rings.

I all just finish this sentence quickly you say to yourself and before you know it, the phone has rung 10 times. The caller is unlikely to be in a good mood assuming he hasn't already hung up! Just try and remember the last time you sat on a phone with it ringing and ringing.

What pictures came into your mind while you were waiting? An image of the person you are trying to call sitting at his desk chatting or casually drinking a cup of coffee?

Didn't get you in a good mood did it? So why put your customers through it? Aim to answer your phone within 3 to 5 rings.

A prompt pick-up will get the conversation off to a positive start and also avoids you having to open your conversation with an apology. So, get to the phone as quick as you can.

Be Enthusiastic When you answer the phone make sure your voice conveys the message, Really happy to be speaking to you! Make your voice light, bring a feeling of enthusiastic emotion to your tone and most importantly sound eager.

You don't want the caller thinking that you would rather be doing something else even if you do! Get a real upbeat feeling into your opening greeting.

Say your Good morning or Good afternoon with a strong, enthusiastic tone. This will immediately lift your callers spirits and get you both off to a good start.

If you really are having a bad day (and we all get them!), and enforced enthusiasm is going to be struggle, stand up and take the call.

This helps makes your voice lighter and the change in position and body language can have a positive impact. Try it out.

Listen To What They Have To Say You may think that you listen intently to all conversations you have. Its difficult enough to do this when you are face-to-face with someone, but over the phone without eye contact, keeping your attention is even more difficult.

Its too easy, especially if the caller has a habit of padding out every point he wants to make, to think about the task you were just interrupted on, or about that chat you had with one of your suppliers earlier.

Before you know it, you've lost track of what the caller is on about. Actively listening to what is being said is a skill everyone needs if they are to use the phone as a tool for great customer service.

But how can you keep your attention focused on what is being said?

First of all, commit to yourself that you will actively listen. Without a clear commitment nothing ever happens Take notes during every call, even if you don't need to.

The act of having to capture the callers key points, will force you to listen. Just focus on writing down keywords, not complete sentences otherwise you'll be concentrating on writing and not listening!

If an important statement has been made, repeat it back in your own words. This will force you to listen for the key points worth repeating Ask questions.

Don't go too far with a constant barrage of questions but ask just enough to keep your mind alert Active listening is not just about making sure you pick up all the key points; its also about respecting the caller.

They will feel they have been treated with importance and respect if its clear you have been listening. Relevant questions and the occasional Umm can go a long way to making the caller feel they have been listened to.

Avoid Distractions If possible, try and remove as many distractions as you can while speaking on the phone, especially if the call is important.

If your office door is open and general office noise is affecting your listening, ask the caller to hold for a moment and close the door. If someone walks into your office while you are taking an important call, indicate for him to stay outside or come back.

It can be very distracting having someone sitting at your desk while you are talking.

If you were working on your PC when the call came through, turn and face away from it. You don't want your eyes and mind wandering back to look at the document you were working on! Respect the callers time and remove or avoid anything which may cause your mind to drift off.

Finish Strongly When the call is coming to an end its important to finish in a strong, convincing way. Summaries what has been agreed, what actions are to be taken and by whom.

Leave the caller in no doubt as to what the next step is. Just as your opening was full of enthusiasm, so should your closing statement.

A good, strong and positive, Good to talk you and speak to you soon closer will bring the call to a satisfactory end. Your customer will hang up knowing that the call was worthwhile.

Answer Phone and Voicemail Messages If you are not at your desk or in the office, any recorded message you leave is just as important in creating the right impression as the actual call itself.

Some people don't like leaving messages but if your phone has the capability then use it. By leaving a message at least your customer will have the opportunity to partly satisfy the reason he called. Not being able to say anything can be frustrating.

Here are some thoughts on how to record effective messages: Write out the message before you record it. Don't do it off the cuff as it will probably be full of mums and pauses.

It wont sound professional When recording, speak slowly and carefully, making sure that the caller can understand everything you say.

This is especially the case for telephone numbers where you can be reached in an emergency Make the message punchy and too the point. Don't fill it with unnecessary information Call your number and listen to the message.

If it doesn't sound right record it again and again until it does Regularly change your message to reflect what you are doing.

If you are going to be away on holiday, give a date when you will be back. If you are out only for the morning, tell the caller you will return their call in the afternoon.

Messages which are up to date will make the caller more confident about leaving a message If used correctly the telephone can be a great asset in building a reputation for providing exceptional customer service.

Used incorrectly, it can damage your business and give another reason for your customers to go and take their business elsewhere.

The Simplest Solution To Customer Satisfaction

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 16:34:00 +0000

Thank you for calling XYZ Company. Your call is important to us but not important enough for us to answer it. Please hold for eternity or leave a message and a representative will contact you as soon as it is convenient for us. If you vet ever used the telephone to contact a business you can relate to the frustration that can result from voice mail or automated answering services.

Undoubtedly, when they first became the way to do business it was extremely annoying; however, times are changing, folks are automating and imprudent business practices such as this are gaining acceptance (or at least tolerance).

Of course the ole time principles of customer services such as answering the phone before the third ring, avoiding putting a customer on hold if at all possible, and providing personal service are still superb solutions to customer satisfaction.

But, in our automated world, it is vital to recognize the importance of responding to customers quickly and appropriately, especially if they have been forced to listen to a long recording and traipse through a jungle of push buttons in order to leave a message for you instead of being afforded the luxury of speaking to a warm-blooded human.

Whether a customer makes contact in person, via telephone or through email, businesses should strive to provide a timely, if not an immediate response. Customer satisfaction is reliant on responsiveness.

So, you may ask, What is a timely response? Honestly, the definition of a timely response really depends on the customers perception.

The urgency of their need may play into the mix or their idea of a timely response may be linked to their expectations. For some reason there is a perception amongst business people that a 24 hour response to a customer inquiry is sufficient.

From the customers perspective; however, having to wait 24 hours for a quick answer to a simple question or a viable solution to a serious problem is ridiculously aggravating and neglectful on the part of the business.

When customers have a bad experience, from the customers perspective, they are sure to seek other options for fulfilling their needs.

Plain and simple poor customer service results in lost business. Regardless of the type of business you are in and whether you receive customer inquiries via telephone, email or a website contact form, it is absolutely critical that you get back to your customers right away.

Placing responsiveness at the top of your customer service objectives is the simplest solution to gaining a competitive advantage, producing satisfied customers, maintaining your customers through repeat business, and building your market share through client referrals. Responsiveness is the single most important factor to enhancing customer satisfaction.

The 5 W’s of World Class Customer Service Training

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 19:01:00 +0000

The preamble to the United States Constitution begins, we, the people. I feel strongly that we, the people, are what make the difference in life, both personally and professionally.

The interaction anyone has at any level with your employees, including you, gives a customer– whether current, potential, internal or external–an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, all companies like yours.

I'm not just talking about call centers here. All technical support or help desk personnel are included as well.

As a matter of fact, anyone who is in the customer service business period. With continued focus on customer satisfaction, customer retention, and lifetime value of the customer, it is no surprise that contact center operations continue to increase in importance as the primary hub of a customers experience.

For the customer, the person on the other end of the phone is the company. The contact center is still the most common way that customers get in touch with businesses. In fact, Gartner reports 92% of all contact is through the center.

And its been reported that 70% to 90% of what happens with customers is driven by human nature, having nothing to do with technology.

State of the art technology is a necessity today, but it is meant to enable human endeavors, not to disable them. I often talk about taking customer service and kicking it up a notch.

In the food industry, the word lagniappe is often used. Its definition is a small present given to a customer with a purchase. For example, when you go to the bakery and buy a dozen donuts or bagels, you oftentimes get a free one or a bakers dozen.

That's what customer service should be about–giving the customer more than they expected! Lets bring lagniappe into the contact center industry.

If were going to speak about world class customer service, lets have a working definition it so were all on the same page. Customer service is those activities provided by a company's employees that enhance the ability of a customer to realize the full potential value of a product or service before and after the sale is made, thereby leading to satisfaction and repurchase.

Lets look at the first W which is Why? The state of customer service today is not good, be it over the phone or self service. Because 92% of people feel their call experience is important in shaping the image of a company, this reinforces the importance of centers in branding the image of their companies.

In a Mobius Management Systems Survey, here's what happened because of poor customer service: 60% cancelled accounts with banks 36% changed insurance providers 40% changed telephone companies 35% changed credit card providers 375 changed Internet service providers Are you one of these statistics?

I certainly am. In a study done by Purdue University and BenchmarkPortal.com, in answer to

(1) how did agents satisfy your needs and handle the call, and

(2) based on any negative experience, would you stop using this company in the future?

the findings reveal a strong correlation between the participants age and the tendency to stop using the company after a bad experience. What does this mean?

Younger participants were less tolerant and more likely to move to the competition. People over 65 were found to be more demanding than those in middle age.

What can you do? Give younger callers a wow experience–maintain their loyalty.

People over 36 probably have more of an emotional bank account with the company they are dealing with maybe had some good experience and therefore are more willing to forgive.

In a recent study (CRM Magazine/PeopleSoft Web Seminar on How Usability Helps to Drive a Profitable Contact Center), the number of applications required for agents to access customer inquiries were:

3.7% just 1 81.5% 2 5 7.4% 5 10 7.4% more than 10 As you can see, the majority of applications are 2 – 5.

The goal, of course, is to link every point of contact to one central location for a customer-centric, synchronized approach satisfying customer experiences with every interaction.

Strategies for success for world class service should include: Respond promptly Handle requests through the customers choice of medium Be brief and clear Reduce back and forth communications (especially in writing, i.e., email, kick it up to a phone call if it goes beyond two) Personalized service Delight the customer What do we mean by delighting the customer?

Inform and educate them Establish your expertise and professionalism Offer options Diffuse upset, anger, when and if necessary Escalate, if required Take Ownership of the call Remember were still on the first W the Why.

Todays pressures on agents are different than in the past.

They are asked to handle more customer, more volume, more complex and/or complicated calls.

After all if we could handle our issues with self service, we probably would not call.

But if we tried self service and it didn't work, now were upset and its an escalated call from the get go.

They're asked to provide more information, do it faster and be available and accessible.

But they are to lower costs, generate revenue, incorporate new technologies, ensure closure and commitment, deliver great service and when? Yesterday, of course.

As a matter of fact the CDC (Center for Disease Control) has said that the causes of death for people under 65 are: 21% – environment war, accidents, crimes 9% – health care system doctors, hospitals, medications 17% – human biology not because of lifestyle 53% – because of the way people choose to live their lives!!!

This is the good news and the bad news. Its bad news because its more than half. However, the good news is that this is something we can do something about, its about choice.

The #2 W is Who should be trained? We suggest front line agents/representatives, supervisors, team lads, managers, assistant managers, internal customers and other departments anyone who is a touch point so that they can learn to speak the same language, and more importantly, not be in an adversarial position, but rather, together they are serving the external customer or end user.

The #3 W is Where should the training take place? Offsite vs onsite, and there are advantages and disadvantages for both. Certainly it is most cost effective to have training on site.

However, distractions are rampant as is the participants availability to a person or problem. Offsite is more costly.

However, there are no distractions and the participants are unavailable to other departments, their managers, or any issues.

I believe there is psychic value in taking people away from their work stations and off site to acknowledge the touch jobs they have.

The #4 W is What should be included in any training? We believe the following modules provide a robust, powerful, and succinct training curriculum:

Quality Customer Service Rapport Building Customer Expectations Perception Shifting Conflict Resolution Language Skills Anger Management E-Mail Protocol Stress Reduction Empathetic Responsiveness Change Management Communication/Listening Skills Interaction/Role Play Service with a Smile Further suggested is university certification to up the ante.

The more professionally you treat your employees, the more professionally they will treat your customers.

The #5 W is When. We say for new hires, monthly, ongoing, consistently, whenever change occurs, when stressors increase, and as needed.

We further suggest that each employee get a minimum of 24 hours per year of ongoing training, spread out over time for the most absorption.

We divide our trainings into two four hour sessions per day and deliver 6 days per employee.

Therefore, 30 people can participate in the training per day. If there has been no ongoing training, we do four days once a month for four months and then a session three months later, and then another three months later. In this manner, training is customized, in real time, and can address whatever challenges are presented when they occur.

Where Has Customer Service Gone?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 19:22:00 +0000

Customer Service Gone

Whatever happened to the adage “The customer is king or queen”? or the customer is always right.

Not anymore.

Company's representatives seem to delight in arguing with and stone-walling Customer Service Gone and some even brag on their blogs about early morning and late evening calling just to upset Customer Service Gone to set them up for their day.

What kind of individual gets kicks from this kind of behavior? Do they even think before they call the reaction of the Customer Service Gone they call and whom they might come in contact with that day?

Is this kind of action possibly more legal liability just waiting to happen?

Road Rage is so common in our society now… what's next- Telephone Tantrum?

Will this also be a psychiatric diagnosis and a legally defendable offense?

I would almost bet on it! Credit card companies are the amongst some of the worst offenders and now, if one is a good, pay your bills on time and in full Customer Service Gone they don't want you and in fact, are considering penalizing the “good Customer Service Gone” by charging them an annual fee to use their card. Seriously?

It truly amazes and stuns me how deplorable customer service has become.

It's such an oxymoron… Customer Service Gone don't go together anymore; there is no service for the customer it is all about the company's way to make money, more profit.

Don't companies care anymore about the way that they are perceived?

The only power and voice the customer has left is not to be a company's Customer Service Gone anymore and when that happens there will be no need for the bottom-line, making money/profit, customer service or the CEO; therefore no more company.

I have always been a positive person and I try to look at both sides of every situation. Do I have suggestions and offer solutions.

ABSOLUTELY!

When I have had an excellent experience with Customer Service Gone I tell them so and thank them as well as telling everyone that I come in contact with what a great company, service or product they have. Lately, I have been silent… wonder why?

The Pretty Woman Theory

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 19:12:00 +0000

Weave all seen it. Julia Roberts is shopping on Rodeo Drive. Sheds dressed in her professional gear and gets that infamous attitude from the saleswomen.

And of course, were all cheering when she stops back by the store in her newly purchased couture, arms laden with shopping bags and delivers my favorite line of all time. You work on commission right? Big mistake, huge!

We all love to watch that scene and feel like we identify with Julia. However, I am going to admit something here.

I think that, whether were willing to admit it or not, all of us in sales have been guilty of this crime. I know this is extremely politically incorrect, but come on now.

The minute we encounter a customer, we form some sort of split second judgment as to what kind of client they are.

The problem does not lie in that initial judgment (even though its most likely completely wrong!).

The problem is born the minute we allow ourselves to act based on that initial opinion.

The single most powerful sales and marketing tool we have is word of mouth from past and current clients.

By the same token, the fastest way to lose business is for one person to have a negative experience with anyone associated with your company.

If that happens, you've not only lost that persons business, but most likely anyone that person happens to talk to while they're still upset, and by proxy, anyone that second person talks to, and so on and so on.

So what lesson can we learn from everyone's favorite working girls shopping experience?

I know you've heard it over and over again, but seeing this happen over and over again in stores across the country, I think it definitely bears repeating.

Ever person you come in contact with is a potential sale. Every potential sale is a potential commission for you and a potential increase in your company's profits.

Its really that simple, but from my personal experience as a customer, most salespeople don't seem to get it! All customers want is to feel that you appreciate the fact that they're spending money on your product.

They don't want to feel as if your looking down on them, and they certainly don't want to feel as if they're interrupting your day of leaning against the wall looking bored.

If you ask me, projecting an air of self-importance is the single easiest way to fail at retail or any other type of sales.

So, the next time you encounter a potential customer try to remember that silver screen moment of Julia and try to decide if you want to be those women that everyone in the theater is booing or the wonderful people who make her feel like a princess!

Is Your Credit Score Costing You A Fortune?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 18:31:00 +0000

While some surveys show that 9 out of 10 consumers are unaware what their credit score is, I’d like to quickly share with you how your credit score could be costing you a fortune (in more ways than you can imagine).

We all know a low credit score will make everything in the world of finance more expensive because of higher interests rates from lenders due to being considered a greater credit risk ( i.e. higher interest rates on cars, homes and credit cards).

While this may be considered common knowledge by some, it’s truly devastating effects are understood by few. For example, If you purchase a $200,000 home on a 30 year fixed mortgage at 8% interest instead of 6% (because of your credit score); that 2% is going to end up costing you a total of $96, 934.11 over the term of the loan.

Now, think about how many extra years you’ll have to work to pay off $96,934.

11 because of an extra 2% in interest? The part few people talk about is all the other areas in life where a low score will increase your cost of living on an annual basis. For example.

In addition to paying more for a car, home and credit cards, a low credit score will most likely have you paying more for the following as well:

1.) AUTO INSURANCE. As many as 92% of the 100 largest personal automobile insurers use credit information to underwrite new business, according to a 2001 study by Conning & Co., an insurance-research and asset-management firm.

2.) HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE. It’s thought many insurance companies see a correlation between low credit scores and increased property insurance claims. Therefore, a low score will result in higher rates.

3.) LIFE and HEALTH INSURANCE. Customers who are unable to pay their monthly insurance premium thereby pass along that increased cost to the insurance company whose stuck with the bill (resulting in a loss for the company).

Since customers who pay without lapse are more profitable it is felt by many that a low credit score now even affects a monthly life and/or health insurance premium negatively.

One of the more shocking areas where a low credit score will you cost you is in the area of employment.

It’s estimated as many as 42% of employers now do credit checks on applicants before hiring them (according to a 1998 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management).

While many employers claim they only do it to verify information on your application (such as where you live and where you have worked etc.) we can both assume they are taking the liberty to have a peek at how you handle your financial affairs as well.

According to the Public Research Interest Group (PIRG) as many as 79% all credit reports contain errors, 25% of which are serious enough to cause the denial of credit (according to a 2004 report).

And that’s all the more troubling in light of the increasing impact a bad credit report can have, says Ed Mierzwinski, director of PIRG’s consumer program.

“It’s outrageous that the credit bureaus are claiming their scores are accurate enough to take people’s lives and screw with them like this”.

In the next segment we’ll be talking about something very, very exciting.

It’s called…”Insider Techniques to Raise Your Credit Score… FAST! "See you in a couple days…

Providing Customer Support To Your Hosting Clients

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:30:00 +0000

Customer Support

I have said in some of my other articles that a hosting company needs to provide good Customer Support service to succeed.

From past experience I know how annoying it can be for a client if their host doesn't have a good support system in place.

Many clients will expect fast replies to their support questions, and if you cannot supply this you may start to lose clients.

For a hosting company to be successful, they must be able to attract new clients to their service and keep their old ones.

A host can build a large customer base in a few months, the hard job is keeping their clients.

The Types of Customer Support Services There are many different ways a host can offer customer support to their clients, I have listed just a few below:

Email Support Telephone Support Desk Live Chat Knowledge Base Many hosts now offer 24/7 support as well, any new host should consider offering customer support around the clock, it can cost a lot to run this type of support service, however many clients do expect 24 hour support.

Email Support This is a basic support system using emails, it can be a slow form of communication if the host or customer only checks their email inbox every hour for example.

I would recommend providing an email address which clients can use to contact the support staff.

Telephone Many hosting companies do offer phone support, however not all clients will use this method to contact the host. If the host can answer the phone for every call this can be a very quick method for answering clients questions.

The costs associated with telephone support can be relatively low, if no free phone number is provided.

This type of support isn't necessary if the host provides other effective methods of contact.

Support Desk I would recommend any new host to invest in a support desk, it can combine email support, FAQ (frequently asked questions), knowledge base, articles, and also allows for an online record of all replies.

Basically when a client needs support, they log into the support desk, create a ticket and when a support representative is free they can access the question (ticket) and reply online.

Once the reply has been processed by the system, the client usually receives an email.

The advantages of a support desk means that a host can usually add unlimited departments and support staff, which means the host company can use outsourced support options, where another company can answer the support questions whenever needed. The software required can range from nothing up to around $1000, many do have the same features.

I would recommend that a host provides a support desk, but before they invest in one, shop around and ensure that they purchase one right for their needs.

Live Chat Nearly every internet users has used some form of instant messenger service, this is what live chat is, it provides a platform for the support staff and customer to talk over the internet in real-time. This is a very useful support service, and can be low in cost as well.

There are many live chat services around, again I would recommend shopping around. Knowledge Base You can provide a question and answers section online for the most commonly answered questions.

This can stop different clients contacting the support desk with the same questions, which can be time consuming and quite frankly annoying.

I would recommend provide this type of support, as it will save time and money in the long run and can be very easy to set-up. Forum A online forum provide a platform for your customers to contact each other, and ask questions.

Providing a forum can reduce the number of support requests you receive each month because another member may be able to offer help.

An example of an online hosting forum is Web Hosting Complete (http://www.whcomplete.com), this forum offers free web hosting tutorials and articles to its members.

Web Hosting Complete does not sell hosting services its self, so if you as a host and are not prepared to offer a forum to your clients you should consider linking to a site like this.

As the forum site does not sell hosting there shouldn't be much competition and you benefit from the site because they are providing free support to your clients.

Providing good customer support can cost money, however I believe that this is well worth as happy customers will generate more income.

Turning Customer Service Inside Out

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 18:22:00 +0000

While companies focus thousands of dollars on external customer service in hopes of wooing and retaining customers, little attention is being paid to the effect poor internal customer service has on customer satisfaction.

It all starts within your organization! Sooner or later the ripple effect reaches your customers.

To really walk your service talk, make sure your commitment to internal customer service matches your company’s external focus on customer care.

When we think of customer service we think of staff serving customers over a counter or over the phone. But customer service occurs within your organization as well.

How well is your staff serving its internal customers: other departments, its management, vendors and consultants? Believe it or not, it all counts.

Internal customer service refers to service directed to others within your organization. It refers to your level of responsiveness, quality, communication, teamwork and morale.

I define Internal Customer Service as effectively serving other departments within your organization.

How well are you providing other departments with service, products or information to help them do their jobs? How well are you listening to and understanding their concerns?

How well are you solving problems for each other to help your organization succeed?

Teaming with Success How well do you work with other departments? Does your Marketing department communicate well with the Legal department? Does Fulfillment relate well with Shipping and Receiving?

Do Catering and Facilities work well together? When it’s time to communicate with others from different departments do you take a deep breath, or smile and relish a chance to renew contact with colleagues from elsewhere in the company?

As a manager I once joined a publishing company and found myself in the midst of a war between departments.

Production resented Editorial for the way they missed deadlines and delivered shoddy copy. Conversely, Editorial had little respect for the resulting manuscripts they received back from Production, full of errors and oversights.

Poor teamwork, poor communication and myopic thinking had led to a hardening of positions over time. They each cared about the finished product but were putting pressure on each other without realizing it.

It took time, but eventually both groups came to appreciate each other and how to best work together to achieve win-wins for the greater good of their customers.

Do you relish or dread committee work with other departments? Does it seem their aims are contrary to your department’s?

When other departments contact you for help do you regard it as a nuisance, a distraction and a drain of your valuable time? Can you see the greater good that comes from helping them solve their problems or fulfill their needs?

You can take pride in opportunities to help other departments look good. Obviously, you don’t want their success to come at your expense.

Usually helping others doesn’t mean you lose a zero-sum game, where only one of you can win and helping others hurts you.

In most instances helping other departments leads to a win-win situation.

And what goes around usually comes around. Helping other departments succeed can help yours too when the roles are reversed.

Up with People Good internal customer service starts with good morale within your group. Are your people happy? Do they feel good about themselves and their contributions to the goals of the department and to the company at large?

They should, and effort should be made to help them do so. Happy employees are productive, and customers take note. Happy employees are also better team players. Will you fly the airline whose employees are striking with management, or the airline whose employees are management?

Employees invested in employee stock purchasing plans with matching contributions see themselves as much more a part of the company. Thus, as the company goes, so do they go.

When I fly out of Oakland Airport I use an outlying parking lot and shuttle van. This shuttle is shared by employees from Southwest Airlines, coming to work or returning to their cars after their shifts.

I’ve found them as happy and upbeat when they’re starting their shifts as when they’re finishing their shifts. That’s great morale, and tells me they like their jobs.

It’s contagious! Sometimes I’m envious on that shuttle when I know I’ll be checking in at a competitor’s ticket counter.

Who’s On Top? Many organizational charts employ an inverted pyramid with customers at top. Some companies instead put their employees at the top.

In many senses, the employees are management’s customers. Corporate values that emphasize treating employees well translate to good customer care too.

Does your organization value its people? Invariably, companies that care about their people can better ask their people to care about their customers.

Catering to Customer Service Needs

Here are five tips for your organization to help strengthen its internal customer service orientation.

1. Employees should never complain within earshot of customers. It gives them the impression your company isn’t well run, shaking their confidence in you.

2. Employees should never complain to customers about other department’s employees. Who wants to patronize a company whose people don’t get along with each other.

3. Employees at every level should strive to build bridges between departments. This can be done through cross training, joint picnics, parties or offsite, or creative gatherings, as well as day-to-day niceties.

4. Utilize post mortems after joint projects so everyone can learn from the experience. Fences can be mended and new understandings gleaned when everyone reviews what went right…or wrong.

By doing do after the project the immediate pressure is off, yet stronger bonds can be forged while the experience is fresh in peoples’ minds. Not doing so can result in lingering animosities that will exacerbate future collaborations.

5. Consider letting your employees become “Customer for a Day”; to experience firsthand what your customers experience when doing business with you.

Congratulations on turning customer service inside out! By improving internal customer service you have just enhanced the customer service your external customers receive. You’re walking your talk regarding customer service. Touché.

How to Wow Customers Saying

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 19:33:00 +0000

Wow Customers

Just imagine. You have walked out of a shop or put down the phone after purchasing something and your immediate reaction is Wow Customers!

How do you feel?

Excited; satisfied; fulfilled eager to return and buy again?

Wouldn't it be great if you could get your customers to feel the same way about dealing with you?

Lots of small business owners (and not so small!) seem to think that the customer is merely an interference.

But how can you get your customers all pumped up and ready to do business with you again?

Ill share some tips on exactly how you can get a Wow! response and show how it can positively impact your bottom line.

Get promising These days too many businesses seem reluctant to commit to anything. As a result, you walk away with a nagging doubt that nothing is going to happen and so the whole experience is not pleasant.

What a refreshing change to get a business that provides a firm promise on dates and times or opening hours. Can you provide a clear promise to your customers?

Have a think about each aspect of your business and highlight all your prom sables in your sales and marketing material. One great tip under promise and over deliver.

Promise delivery in 7 days, knowing you can do it in 3 days. When the goods arrived 4 days before expected, that's a Wow factor if ever there was one! Important point if you cant deliver it, don't promise it!

Be a Tigger Remember Tigger from Winnie the Pooh? Hes all over the place; bouncing up and down with endless energy and enthusiasm.

He just leaves his friends breathless! What a great person to be with and do business with. Are you enthusiastic when you speak and deal with your customers?

Are your staff brimming with enthusiasm? If you cant project an image which says I'm happy to be here, how can you expect your customers to feel different? So, have a Tigger day every day!

First impressions If you have a shop or office where customers visit you, what do your premises say about your business?

Is it modern, fresh-looking, clean and tidy? Or is it worn, tired and generally looking run down? Like it or not, customers will judge you on what they see.

They may say Wow but for all the wrong reasons! A pot of paint and a splash of color can make all the difference and it doesn't have to cost the earth (these DIY programmed have a lot to answer for!).

Be a problem solver Despite all businesses believing they have great customer service, the fact is that the majority don't.

The main reason is that when people complain, most feel that they have not been listened to and their problem has not been solved.

Be a solver of problems – quickly and efficiently. Here's a motto for you Resolve to Solve.

Be their friend I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for business owners who take their time to know me and recognize me when I next call or visit!

The bond and the desire to do more business with those types of entrepreneurs, is strong for me.

Do you take time to build a relationship with all your key clients?

Do you go out of your way to greet them when they next do business?

As the saying goes, aim to turn strangers into friends and friends in to customers.

Value for money In this day and age of new technology, and the hefty prices that go with it, the concept of giving great value is sometimes forgotten.

Creating a Wow moment can be as simple as giving a little bit extra, something unexpected.

It doesn't have to be of huge value, its genuinely the thought that counts. Don't restrict this idea just to price. Price on its own may not work, it has to be tied in with something else 2 for 1, a small gift etc.

The quality of your product must also reflect value for money. Don't try and pass off an inferior product with a superior price you'll again create the wrong type of Wow moment! Medium price and great quality a definite and positive Wow.

Call them The real killer Wows calling your customer a few days after he has bought.

Asking him if the product is fine, whether it does what he wanted it to do, is one sure way of stopping him in his tracks! If everything is great, then you have a customer for life.

If there is a problem, wonderful; you have the opportunity to put it right and have a customer for life.

This is a very simple and powerful way of creating Wow. So that's it.

If you follow theses simple ideas, all your customers will be saying Wow and they will be coming back time and time again.

Who knows, they may even tell their friends? Now there's a thought.

The 7 Secrets Of Wow! Customer Service

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 19:01:00 +0000

Customer Service

Your Aim in giving your Customer Service exceptional service is to make them say Wow! as soon as you disappear. You can do that if you make the following 7 tips part of your normal pattern of service.

1. Give Your Customer Service Plenty of Strokes. People love to be stroked. Just like domestic pets, we like it when we are fussed at, smiled at, and given gentle touches.

Strokes can include any greeting, the use of people’s names, and good wishes of the “Have-a-nice-day” kind.

But the best stroke you can give others is your undivided attention.

2. Surprise Them With The Unexpected. British Airways airline discovered that passenger goodwill increases when staff do unexpected extras such as spontaneous conversations or invitations to visit the flight deck.

These have to remain extras and not the norm if they are to retain their surprise value.

3. Attend To The Little Things. Paying attention to the little things which don’t significantly affect the main service is a way of saying: “If we look after the little things, just think what we’ll do with the big ones.”

Such detail includes sparkling washrooms that you could eat your meals from and customer notices that don’t talk down to people.

4. Anticipate Customer Services Needs. In a survey of airport check-in staff, customers rated the best staff as those who anticipated their needs.

These were staff who would routinely glance down the queue and anticipate the different needs customers had, from the grandmother needing help with her luggage to the business executive wanting a quick service.

5. Always Say Yes. Great customer careers never turn down a request for help. Even if they can’t do it themselves, they’ll know someone who can and put you onto them.

They always use positive language. Even if the answer is “No, we’re closed”, it’s expressed as “Yes, we can do that first thing tomorrow for you.”

6. Treat Them The Same By Treating Them Differently. We hate to see others get better customer service than we do, for example in a restaurant. It makes us feel second-class and devalued.

Equally, we don’t want to be treated the same as everyone else if that means a standard, soulless response, as you sometimes get in a fast-food restaurant. The secret is to treat everyone the same by treating them differently.

7. Use Tact With Tact. Tact means using adroitness in handling other people’s feelings. In awkward or embarrassing moments, tact saves everyone’s blushes.

It’s something your customers will notice but that you should aim to go unnoticed. Practice these 7 responses until they are as familiar to you as breathing, and you are guaranteed to have customers queueing up for your attention.

Why Does Every Company Need A CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 19:37:00 +0000

Customer Relationship Management

First, lets define what a CRM is: The term Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a system that connects different parts of a company through the thread of Customer Relationship Management.

Sales, Marketing, Accounting and Customer Service can all be tied together with a powerful, centralized CRM software made to retain customer loyalty, increase revenue, deliver consistent and efficient customer service, and finally, evaluate which customers to focus on.

Basically, every company has customers, and every company should maintain some basic information about those customers such as names, addresses, purchases, contracts, invoices, etc.

Therefore every company should have at least some basic “CRM Technology” to track and serve their customers.

Even small businesses use Outlook, Quicken or other applications for this purpose.

If you use Microsoft Outlook for your daily communications, calendaring, tasks and appointments and need a way to track sales leads and opportunities, to share data across sales representatives, to improve the understanding of your sales process, to communicate with a broad groups of people on a one to one basis, to improve your business process in the most important area sales, and need a reporting system that beats multiple excel spreadsheets, then you need a complete CRM solution.

Why ? Because a CRM software can increase profitability for your business by reducing current operating costs, usually in the call center or distribution system, and by increasing customer value through smarter marketing using customer data to increase customer profitability.

Can you do it without a CRM ? Probably, but not as efficiently because only a CRM is built to take care of Customer personal needs centrally, meaning that by using a single software,

All the employees of the same company can access an organized database via Internet, where sales, customer service and management have access to the same customer data using tools such as

Sales Force Automation

(provides Lead Management, Opportunity Management, Account and Contact Management, Reports and Dashboards specifically useful for your organization’s sales team),

Customer Support and Services

provides Ticket Management, Knowledge Base, E-mail Notifications specifically useful for your organization’s customer support team.),

Marketing Automation

(provides Lead Management, Mailing Lists, E-mail/Mail Merge templates, Product Management, specifically useful for your organization’s marketing team.),

Inventory Management

(provides Products, Price Books, Vendors, Quotes, Purchase Orders, Sales Orders, and Invoices specifically useful for integrating your organization’s sales, inventory, and accounting processes and enhance the sales effectiveness.) , providing a complete integration between pre-sales, post-sales, procurement, fulfillment, and other business processes within your organization.

In other words, a good Customer Relationship Management software will help you build customer relationships by setting mutually satisfying goals between organization and customers, establishing and maintaining customer rapport and producing positive feelings in your organization and for the customers.

Organizations that implement Customer Relationship Management and turn their business into e-businesses will find their competitors’ customers ready to welcome them with a “smile”.

According to a study by IT Consulting firm Aberdeen – “The winners in this new economy will be those companies that can effectively leverage the Internet to redesign, automate and integrate all business operations”.

Take the plunge! Either jump on board with Customer Relationship Management and invest, knowing you need it, or get out the calculator and pencil and start adding up what you're going to lose! One thing is for certain a few short months after implementing your Customer Relationship Management solution, you'll wonder how on earth you ever got by without it

IT Helps Small Businesses Enact Big Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 19:28:00 +0000

Helps Small Businesses

Good customer service is crucial to success in Helps Small Businesses; there’s nothing high-tech about helping customers get exactly what they need.

But technology can make the process easier and more efficient. For most Helps Small Businesses, investing in information technology (IT) can pay dividends in more ways than one.

Not only can technology help companies establish a corporate identity and lower the cost of doing business, it can also help level the playing field.

The Dell/National Federation of Independent Helps Small Businesses (NFIB) Small Business Excellence Award, established in 2004, honors small businesses that instill the spirit of innovation and apply IT to improve the customer experience.

Think big, win big The winner will receive $30,000 in technology and professional services from Dell; a Day with Dell program with Dell executives, including Michael Dell, to share best business practices; a lifetime membership to NFIB; and other prizes.

Nine other companies will receive a Dell Latitude notebook and a one-year membership to NFIB. The finalists for the 2006 award are:

• AMAD Logistics, an international freight forwarder and logistics company.

• Dataset Inc., a fast-growing supplier of electronic invoicing and corporate legal spend-management solutions.

• Errand Solutions, which provides customized errand-running and concierge services as an employee benefit and customer relationship enhancement to health care, hospitality, residential property and corporate organizations.

• Harrison’s Roof Truss, L.L.C., a manufacturer of engineered wooden roof and floor trusses.

• Micro Technology Services Inc., which develops and manufactures electronic products.

• National Association of System Administrators Inc., provides a 24-hour, Web-based customer portal through which clients can track service calls and on-site parts storage.

• Tellico L.P., an information-technology consulting and staffing firm.

• Papal Research Corp., a team of strategists and investment bankers who provide research and analytical services.

• Sew What? Inc., a theatrical drapery manufacturer and custom sewing service.

• TRS Consultants Inc., a multidisciplinary engineering and construction management firm.

Use Your EBay Store To Double Your Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 19:23:00 +0000

If you don’t have an eBay store you could be losing money big time. Why? When eBay stores first came out they were a flop.

They actually wanted you to pay big time listing fees to put items in your store for up to 30 days but store items don’t appear in the regular eBay searches.

Because eBay stores were not doing that well eBay added “Good Till Canceled” listings. The listing fees are only 5 cents every 30 days which is a total bargain.

But the big problem again is eBay store items don’t appear in regular searches. So how can you still make money?

Simple, list a “Good Till Canceled” item and then PROMOTE it using you regular eBay auctions.

Put a section at the bottom of your auctions with “mini ads” directly linked to your eBay store items.

You are not breaking any rules because you are linking to your own eBay auction which is allowed.

Because eBay stores items are so much cheaper to list, it’s an excellent way generate higher profits.

There are three different store subscriptions for an eBay store; eBay Basic, Featured, and Anchor, in order of price.

Of course, you would want to start out with the Basic Store ($15.95 p/month) rather than Anchor ($499.95 p/month), but you might want to upgrade to the Featured option ($49.95 p/month).

With a featured store, you get $30 of free eBay keywords every month, meaning that you can place your listing at the top of the page for the keywords you choose.

This means, more exposure, and can also significantly increase your store sales. Owning an eBay store will not only bring you more sales, but it'll cost you less by using it in the long run.

These are just some of the many advantages of owning an eBay store. Once you own one, you'll wonder why you didn't go for it sooner. Try this method out. It could make you a lot of money.

Your Small Business Website | Small Business Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 10:04:00 +0000

Small Business Website

A website is a crucial ingredient of your marketing strategy because it can widen your target market to include anyone who has access to a computer and the internet.

Almost 60% of Canadians had access to the internet at home in 2003, and around 8 million had regular access to the internet from somewhere, either at home, at work or at school.

And that's just in Canada. Ecommerce sales from Canada were $7.2 billion, and we only captured 4% of the global ecommerce market! So, how can you reach some of those internet surfers, and how can you capture some of that $7.2 billion spent in ecommerce?

First, you build it The first step is designing your website. If your company already has business cards and letterhead, its best to design your website around them.

A matching corporate identity and website helps with branding. I like uncomplicated websites, with a simple layout and easy navigation.

A nice, simple layout, with good graphics, balanced look and good color combinations is my #1 goal when designing a small business web site. Remember to use graphics sparingly and to optimize them for your website because internet surfers are impatient.

If your page loads too slowly, they'll leave. Navigation should be easy to find and to use, and it should be consistent from page to page. I've left more than one site frustrated because I couldn't easily find their navigation.

Small business web sites aren't static. They evolve. You need to start somewhere, and starting with an introductory web site is probably easiest. All you really need to start is five pages.

You can always add pages later. The important thing is to just do it take the plunge and get it out there. Your five pages could include an index, or home page, about us, services, contact and a sitemap.

The index page is your landing page. Typically its design is a little more detailed than the others, but it doesn't have to be that way.

I like to use CSS (cascading style sheets) for designing because its simply easier to build a web site and to edit its layout with CSS rather than just HTML (hypertext markup language) alone.

A change on a CSS sheet changes all the pages on your site at once. Content is king Once your site is designed, you'll want to start thinking about content.

Design is very important, but it does little good to have a beautiful site without high-quality content. Your small business home page introduces you and your company who you are and what you do.

The about us page is usually used to give more detail than the home page about who you are, and your services page gives more detail about what you do.

You might wonder why you'd waste a page on a sitemap since you only have 5 pages, but sitemaps help search engines find all the pages in your site.

As far as content goes, more is better, up to a point. Your pages should be content rich and informative, but they also need to be relevant to your small business.

If your visitor cant figure out what your web site is about in just a few seconds, they may leave. The internet was at first strictly informational, and that's how it remains today.

Several times people have tried experiments using copywriting similar to direct mail sales letters, but they've all failed.

It seems as if people surf the internet more for information than anything else. Knowing this will help you write pages people will want to read. Attracting visitors You could follow your instinct and just start writing, but wait.

There's research you must do first, or your web site simply won't be high enough in searches to be found. Search engine optimization is far too big a subject to cover in this short article, but among other things, search engines find your pages based on keywords.

So, pretend for a moment that you're on the other side of the desk. If you were a customer of your own business, what words or phrases would you use to search for your product or service?

Ask friends and neighbors how they'd search for your product or services. When you've come up with a few, check them out on a keyword suggestions tool.

You can also use that tool to suggest similar words and phrases. Then find out how many results there would be if you searched for that term.

Small Business Web Site

What you want to do next is narrow down your choices to the words or phrases that are searched for the most, but have the fewest results. Remember that people generally don't look beyond the first three pages for any search term, so if you're not in the top three pages, your business is not likely to be found at all.

If there are millions of results for your phrase, you might simply need to make it more specific. For example, lets say you have a small business consulting company that specializes in communication for small business.

Using communication as a search term is nearly pointless because there are almost 2 billion results for that word. But, there are only 974 results for small business communication.

Much better, but how often is that searched for? According to Word Tracker, its searched for 10 times a day. Not bad, but I think we can do better.

How about Small Business Website consulting?

That's searched for 261 times a day, and there are 373,000 results. That could be the best primary phrase for a Small Business Web Site communication consulting company.

What you want to do, is write your content around those words and phrases. You don't want or need very many three or four are plenty.

Getting them to come back again and again Getting visitors to come back to your site again and again is relatively simple.

Keep your content fresh and lively, make sure its informative, and add to it often.

I hope you decide your small business needs a web site. Its the best way I know how to reach a wider target audience with a relatively small investment.

Why You Need A Business Entity

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 09:46:00 +0000

Business Entity

When starting or expanding a Business Entity, many owners wonder if they should form a business entity and, if so, which one they should use.

There is a wide variety of information and “pitches” being made on the Internet regarding the benefits of certain entities versus others.

When you cut through the flak, however, the primary reason for forming a business entity is to create protection from personal liability arising from your Business Entity activities.

It is well established that up to eighty percent of Business Entity will fail in their first two years. Many of these businesses, and probably yours, carry a high level of personal risk for their owners.

If you are not using the correct entity for your particular business, you are going to be personally liable if the business fails.

Do you want to expose your home, car and other assets?

How about the assets owned by your spouse or their paycheck from a regular job?

Selecting the correct entity for your business prevents such nightmares from occurring.

More importantly, you can sleep at night knowing that the worst thing that can happen is losing your investment in the business, not your home.

Business Structures There are a number of business structure options that exist in the modern corporate world.

Following is a short explanation of the most common business structures.

Corporations Corporations come in two basic forms, a “C” corporation and an “S” corporation.

There are a variety of differences, but the central one is a tax issue. Briefly put, “C” corporations are taxed on their revenues and you are then taxed separately on any money you take out of the corporation.

An “S” corporation passes through all taxes to the shareholders with the information being reported on your personal tax returns.

Regardless of the tax classification, a corporation is considered an independent entity from a legal standpoint.

This independent status acts as a shield between the activities of the business and your personal assets. As a practical example, Kmart recently filed bankruptcy.

The individual shareholders were not required to file bankruptcy and lost nothing more than their investment in the stock of the company.

Forming and using a corporation for your business activities will have the same effect, to wit, your personal assets will not be wiped out if the business fails.

Limited Liability Company A limited liability company, or “LLC” as it is better known, was a very popular entity choice in the early 1990s.

LLCs are similar to corporations, but can be taxed as a partnership. In California, the LLC can have either one owner or two.

Regardless of the number, these owners carry the legal title of “member. The LLC provides a shield for your personal assets just like a corporation.

Partnerships In my opinion, it is better to have died a small child then be in a partnership. Unfortunately, many business owners form partnerships and don't even know it.

This occurs when they go into business with another person. If no business entity is formed, the law considers the business to be a partnership and treats it accordingly.

Partnerships are dangerous for one primary reason: a partnership does not provide any protection from liability and, in many ways, invites personal liability. Under well-established law, most partnerships are classified as “general”.

This simply means that all the partners are contributing to the administration and running of the partnership business. This classification can have grisly results. In a general partnership, each partner is jointly liable for the debts of any other partner arising from the business. For instance, you and your partner go to a business dinner with a client.

Your partner has a drink and then a few more.

They then get into an accident on the way home. Each of the partners is liable for the damages claimed by the injured people. That means YOU! Even if you were not in the car, did not rent the car, never saw the car and don’t drink! Partnerships are a recipe for disaster.

Stay away from them whenever possible. Limited Partnerships Limited Partnerships [“LP”] are perhaps the most misunderstood business entity. A limited partnership is similar to a general partnership, but allows a number of the partners to limit their liability by being limited partners.

It is critical to note that these limited partners are restricted to simply making a capital [cash, content, equipment] contribution to the partnership. They cannot be involved in actively running the business. If they are, they lose any protection from partnership debts.

Many limited partnerships end disastrously.

If you are married to the idea of pursuing a limited partnership, you must do so in combination with corporations. That particular strategy is well beyond the scope of this article, but feel free to contact me if you wish to pursue a limited partnership.

Business Entity owners should protect themselves by forming entities for their business activities. The real issue is identifying the structure that is best for your particular situation.

May Be At Risk Unless You Have A Security and Recovery Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 21:47:00 +0000

Your Small Business

Don't think your Your Small Business is at risk?

Think again. Whether you realize it or not, your business has valuable information and assets that probably are not protected right now.

Your business likely has confidential client information, proprietary business knowledge or just internal knowledge that you wouldn't want to be exposed to criminals or competitors.

The loss of this information could have a devastating impact to your business. While business insurance is an important part of your protection, it cannot protect clients from identity theft or your business from unscrupulous employees or competitors.

No matter how big or small, your business needs to have a security and recovery plan in place that determines what risks you have, helps protect against those risks and sets plans in place to handle the most likely types of losses you may experience.

Your plan should also look at the both the physical and the virtual aspects of your business. Start by considering the types of risks to which your business may be vulnerable.

What if your business information was lost or stolen? Do you have customer files or records, tax receipts, bank statements, business plans, customer work products? Next, consider the physical aspects of your business that may be vulnerable.

Do you have unique office equipment, inventory, computers or trade specific tools? Finally, look at how you do business. Do you rely on technology, the internet or employees with unique skills? Does your business model depend on repeatable processes that are unique to your business?

Now, consider what would happen to your business if these parts of your business were lost, destroyed or stolen.

Could you continue operating if you lost your client files?

Could you be sued by customers if their personal information was exposed? Could you be the target of negative publicity?

Could your competitors benefit if they gained access to the information? What if you lost email access for a day?

What if that key employee suddenly left for another job?

What if your office space caught fire or was flooded?

Your security and recovery plan should put in place the safeguards and policies and procedures to prevent some of these risks and the potential to negatively impact your business.

Physical access to buildings is relatively easy to control although most Your Small Business have little more than a lock on the front door.

Should you consider locking file drawers?

Is inventory controlled?

Does every employee have access, even to things that are not part of his or her job?

Could a disgruntled or fired employee return to the workspace after hours with an extra key copy?

Your plan should consider how to protect the virtual parts of your business also. Do you have backups of any important files?

Do you have passwords, account numbers and other keys securely guarded?

Do your computers have virus and firewall protection and is it up-to-date?

Do you have internet and email usage policies in place to protect your employees form harassment charges?

What about remote employees or workers who take work home?

In todays highly mobile environment vital business information can now be easily accessed outside of your physical controls?

Do your employees know how to safeguard laptops, cell phones, flash drives or even print outs of business information once they leave your workspace?

What if a laptop is stolen from a workers car or home or hotel room?

Do you have a backup of the data that was on the laptop?

What if your employees are accessing your information from a coffee shop Wi-Fi?

How do you know if your clients and business are protected?

Lastly, your security and recovery plan should consider how you would handle the most likely losses. For instance, if the computer that holds all your sales information crashes, you should probably have a plan to immediately restore that information from a backup.

Where is the backup tape or disk kept?

Who has access to it and most importantly, who knows how to restore a backup?

If you office is flooded, how quickly can you relocate?

Can some employees work from home or other remote locations temporarily?

If client information is stolen, do you have a way to contact them?

Most Your Small Business owners likely have taken first steps like purchasing insurance and putting locks on the front door.

Unfortunately, few have taken the time to really understand the potential risks to their business.

Taking the time now to at least put together an informal plan will go a long way in the event of a real disaster or other loss.

Even the best planning obviously won't protect against all disasters but it can certainly lessen the impact to your business once one occurs. Aubrey Jones is President and founder of Riverbank Consulting, Inc.

Since 1996 he has worked to protect internet banking clients for one of the top US financial institutions including serving as a Risk Manager.

Tnx For Reading This Article

Why Your Small Business Needs a Corporate Identity Package

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 21:37:00 +0000

Small Business Needs

If You Re like many Small Business Needs Owners, you might be wondering just what a corporate identity package is.

And if you already know what it is, you might be wondering why your small business would need one. After all, your just a Small Business Needs, not one of those big corporations.

What's in it for you?

Just as the name implies, a corporate identity package identifies your company to potential clients, suppliers and the general public.

It includes your Small Business Needs name, Small Business Needs logo, your logotype (just a fancy way of saying how things are placed, which font you use, spacing, and other things like that) your motto or company slogan, and associated printed material– your business card, and letterhead, envelope and forms.

When you started your Small Business Needs, you might have dreamed of becoming more than just another Small Business Needs. Maybe you even dreamed about becoming a big business some time in the future.

And even if your a completely practical entrepreneur and didn't have those dreams, you need to attract customers in order to keep your Small Business Needs open. A corporate identity package can help you do that.

Write a couple of big corporations, ask a question and request a business card. They'll send your answer on their letterhead, in their company envelopes, and include a company business card.

If you take a moment or two to look at big corporations identity packages, you'll soon notice a few important things in common. Their corporate identity package looks professional. What makes a big corporation look professional?

I think one key is simplicity. Generally, a large corporation has a simple symbol or even just graphically represents their name as their logo. Take the Coca-Cola logo for example. Or Toyota. Or Cameco Corporation.

There all very simple. When you look at their corporate identity package, you see quality. They use only high quality printing services and paper. Sure, that's going to cost a little more, but itll be worth it in the end because its an integral representation of your Small Business Needs image.

You could print your corporate identity package yourself using your home printer, lightweight paper and business card templates, but how is that going to look? Will that produce the professional image your after?

Their logotype is consistent. Big businesses use exactly the same color for their logo and their background every time. They use consistent fonts.

Their slogan for example, would consistently be in Times New Roman, never a different font or even a similar font, but exactly the same font, and always in the same proportion to the logo. Spacing is consistent.

Spacing between letters and between lines is also always exactly the same proportion.

Their secret is designing in vector form so their logo can be enlarged or reduced without changing proportion. Their corporate identity package matches exactly. Their letterhead, envelopes,

Business cards all match. And if you ordered something from them, the invoice and the statement you'd get at the end of the month would match too. Perfectly. Here's another reason to take a little time to look at big corporations identity packages:

You can use what they do to create an identity for your own Small Business Needs. What they do works, and they do big business, so if you want to do big business too, why reinvent the wheel? Copy what they've done. No,

I don't mean you should copy another company's logo. Just copy the way they've done things. Take their ideas and use them.

You probably don't have the luxury of spending the amount of dollars a big corporation does on their identity. In fact, they sometimes spend millions on their corporate identity.

So how do you get a professional look at a Small Business Needs price?

You can do it yourself or you can hire a design professional to do it for you, sometimes at minimal cost, or even free. Here's one idea. You can sometimes find good student graphic designers who'll design your logo for you in exchange for allowing them to put it in their portfolio.

In any case, if they do charge you a fee, it will be a whole lot less than what a professional graphic designer would charge. Besides it'll feel good to be helping a poor student. So, why should you have a Small Business Needs identity package? What's in it for you?

If you do it right; if you have a corporate identity package that looks professional, is of high quality, has a consistent logotype, and matches perfectly, you're going to look just like the big guys even if you're the smallest business in town.

And if you look like the big guys, you just might have a chance to play with the big guys.

And what if, just what if, your corporate identity package helped you, even just a little, to realize the dream you had of someday owning a big business when you started your Small Business Needs?