There's a really interesting article on the National Retail Federation's Big Blog this week about its annual Customer's Choice Awards, where customers pick the best customer-service companies. The winner the last three years out of five? Not Amazon.com, or even new customer-service legend Zappos.com...no, instead the winner is 98-year-old L.L. Bean.
How does L.L. Bean keep its customers happy? President and CEO Chris McCormick says it's all about compassion.
L.L. Bean's philosophy of customer service: Treat customers like human beings. How refreshing that the company has retained this, in our age of "please fill out this e-mail form on our website, and maybe we'll respond to you sometime."
McCormick quotes company Chairman Leon Gorman: "A lot of people have fancy things to say about customer service, but it's just a day-in, day-out, ongoing, never-ending, persevering, compassionate kind of activity."
There it is again. Compassion. My dictionary says that's "a feeling of deep sympathy . . . accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering."
As a retailer, do you care deeply about your customers? Are you really motivated to solve their problems? If so, how do you show that? Some of L.L. Bean's methods:
Actually having live, knowledgeable, well-trained employees answer the phone, within 20 seconds, every time.No-questions moneyback guarantee. Still.Staff at the flagship serving customers 24/7/365.Training workers to "take the time each individual customer requires to feel valued."Many companies have dispensed with some of these values in our fast-clicking era. But McCormick's words bring home a truth of retailing: Ultimately, it's an opportunity to serve people. And to treat those people in a way that is uplifting and makes them feel you care.
Budgets may be strapped, but it doesn't cost to smile, greet customers and really listen to what they're saying.
Is your customer service compassionate? How do you define that? How do you deliver it?
Sep 28, 2010
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Home-Based Business
Questions Related to Your Entrepreneurial Ideas
What kind of business do you plan to get involved in? Writing? Editing? Marketing? Catering? Child care? Accounting? Real estate? Engineering? Wedding planning? Photography? Landscaping?
Is there a need in your city or town or in the online community for your business? Would customers be interested in buying your product or using your service?
What is your target market? Seniors? Business professionals? College or university students? Stay at home mothers? Single parents? Established corporations?
What are the demographics of your target market? What is their average income? What are their interests? What are their business and personal needs? What is their culture and religion? What is their age range? What products do they usually buy? What services do they typically use?
What will you name your business? Brainstorm possible names and write them in a notebook or type them in a word processing document. Talk to your trusted family members and friends to get their creative ideas, too.
Questions Related to Personal Interests
What do you hobbies and activities to you like to participate in during your free time?
What professional and technical skills have you learned or developed?
Think about your favorite pastimes. Do you have any personal interests or hobbies that could translate into a successful home based business?
Questions Related to Your Personality Type
Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Take one or two professionally developed personality tests to discover the ins and outs about your personality. Consider taking the popular Myers-Briggs personality inventory, based on the ideas of pioneering psychologist Carl Jung.
Do you like working indoors or outdoors?
Do you enjoy working with many new and different people or with a limited number of well-known people?
Do you more productive working alone or should you eventually hire one or two employees to work with you and give you support?
Questions Related to The Logistics of Building a Home Based Business
What room will you convert into your home office?
How will you design, decorate and furnish your home office? Plenty of insightful and interesting articles are available for you to read online about setting up your home office.
Are you interested in creating an online company where you contact with customers will be either on the telephone or through email or are you planning on having a client-based company with customers meeting with you at your home office? If you are planning on having clients meet with you at home, ensure that you have adequate space and proper furniture and office design to accommodate them.
What will be the brand and logo for your business? Consider hiring a professional graphics designer to create your logo for you.
How are you planning on advertising your new home based business? Are you going to place advertisements in local and state newspapers? Are you going to purchase advertisements online, through Google, business forums and online journals and blogs?
Are you going to set up a Twitter account and Facebook profile page promoting your business? Both Twitter and Facebook can be used very effectively in generating customers for your company.
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