Now let me tell you about one of the great ideas one of the women that's in my network came up with. It's called Pay It Forward. Several of us are going to meet for lunch at a restaurant. We're going to pick a table of unsuspecting folks and buy their lunch. They'll get an envelope with our business cards and a note telling their lunch has been paid for by us and all we ask is that they look at the cards and see if they - or anyone they know - can use our services. If so please contact us. Brilliant! Even if we don't get any direct business, the recipients will have a better day. And they will remember us. Find out more about Lisa's wonderful plan!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Hot New Networking Ideas!
First, let me tell about a new online networking site I found. It's called Biznik. I've got dozens (or more) contacts in Linkedin and Pulse. But this one is different. It's a true business networking site. Meet new people, trade referrals, post articles and promotions. You can even use tags to up your search engine ratings. There's so much to see that I can't really do it justice here. You can join for free and get cool stuff. There are also two higher levels of membership you can try. But don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself!
Now let me tell you about one of the great ideas one of the women that's in my network came up with. It's called Pay It Forward. Several of us are going to meet for lunch at a restaurant. We're going to pick a table of unsuspecting folks and buy their lunch. They'll get an envelope with our business cards and a note telling their lunch has been paid for by us and all we ask is that they look at the cards and see if they - or anyone they know - can use our services. If so please contact us. Brilliant! Even if we don't get any direct business, the recipients will have a better day. And they will remember us. Find out more about Lisa's wonderful plan!
Now let me tell you about one of the great ideas one of the women that's in my network came up with. It's called Pay It Forward. Several of us are going to meet for lunch at a restaurant. We're going to pick a table of unsuspecting folks and buy their lunch. They'll get an envelope with our business cards and a note telling their lunch has been paid for by us and all we ask is that they look at the cards and see if they - or anyone they know - can use our services. If so please contact us. Brilliant! Even if we don't get any direct business, the recipients will have a better day. And they will remember us. Find out more about Lisa's wonderful plan!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Customer "Dis" Service
It was the last straw for me - literally. I don't know if you've noticed, but McDonald's has started wrapping their straws a lot tighter than they used to. Used to be you could just give the wrapper a quick tug and it would release the straw ready to go and leave you with two big hunks of paper you could easily toss in the trash. But the other day the paper was so tightly wrapped around the straw that I actually had to pull over and peel it off in little pieces that are now all over my car.
I'm sure someone somewhere in McDonald's land figured saving a fraction of an inch on the paper wrappers on the millions of straws given out would save a few bucks, and this person probably got a certificate or something for being so thrifty. But as a customer I was ticked off. It made my life just a little more difficult. And that got me thinking - and paying more attention. I went back through the MickeyD's drive through yesterday and noticed a couple of signs. The first said "no cell phone calls while in line." The next said "have your cash out and ready for the cashier." Neither of these are there to help make my experience better. These "rules" are there to make sure they can pump out as many burgers as possible.
If you think about it, more and more businesses seem to be focusing on how we the customer can make it easier for them to sell product to us. Centralized checkout stations with long lines; self-service soda fountains and whatnot, telephone and Web queues that make it virtually impossible to talk to a live person without jumping through a bunch of hoops, etc.
The pinnacle of this idiocy came last week when I went to a popular online retailer to purchase a couple of laptops. There was a great special advertised, so I ordered two. The next day I get an email saying I was only allowed to order one, so one had been removed from my order. My blood pressure went up a bit, but I found a good deal on a different laptop and moved ahead with the order. It was really easy to order - I had entered mt credit card and address information on the previous order, so I just clicked a box saying "use my existing info." Cool!
The next day I opened my email and found a message from this retailer stating there was a problem with my address. Huh? My first order was already halfway here. I called their Customer Service number (which was answered on the third ring by a live person - I thought this was a good sign). I told the person about the email and figured she could fix it right there on the phone. Here's the shocker: she said there was nothing she could do. Said I'd have to call American Express and add my shipping address to the card. I told her about the previous order, but she didn't think it was odd that they'd just shipped an order to the same address with the same card just two days before. She insisted I'd have to call AMEX and, once the change took effect in a few days, resubmit my order. She did think it was odd when I canceled my order on the spot. But I did get the free laptop bags that came with canceled orders. How odd. And I found a laptop elsewhere that was better and cost less - and it arrived on the same day as the first one I ordered.
My point is this: as consumers we have to do whatever we can to remind businesses big and small that they exist because of us. Anything that makes it harder to do business with them will (hopefully) inspire us to look elsewhere for products and services. I for one prefer to spend money with businesses that seem to be glad I'm there ratehr than an annoyance that gets in they way of their process and procedure.
As business owners we have to have empathy for our customers. I'd love to see the CEO of Verizon try to find out what a charge is on his bill.
Process and procedure are important for sure, but not nearly as important as our customers' experience when they do business with us.
I'm sure someone somewhere in McDonald's land figured saving a fraction of an inch on the paper wrappers on the millions of straws given out would save a few bucks, and this person probably got a certificate or something for being so thrifty. But as a customer I was ticked off. It made my life just a little more difficult. And that got me thinking - and paying more attention. I went back through the MickeyD's drive through yesterday and noticed a couple of signs. The first said "no cell phone calls while in line." The next said "have your cash out and ready for the cashier." Neither of these are there to help make my experience better. These "rules" are there to make sure they can pump out as many burgers as possible.
If you think about it, more and more businesses seem to be focusing on how we the customer can make it easier for them to sell product to us. Centralized checkout stations with long lines; self-service soda fountains and whatnot, telephone and Web queues that make it virtually impossible to talk to a live person without jumping through a bunch of hoops, etc.
The pinnacle of this idiocy came last week when I went to a popular online retailer to purchase a couple of laptops. There was a great special advertised, so I ordered two. The next day I get an email saying I was only allowed to order one, so one had been removed from my order. My blood pressure went up a bit, but I found a good deal on a different laptop and moved ahead with the order. It was really easy to order - I had entered mt credit card and address information on the previous order, so I just clicked a box saying "use my existing info." Cool!
The next day I opened my email and found a message from this retailer stating there was a problem with my address. Huh? My first order was already halfway here. I called their Customer Service number (which was answered on the third ring by a live person - I thought this was a good sign). I told the person about the email and figured she could fix it right there on the phone. Here's the shocker: she said there was nothing she could do. Said I'd have to call American Express and add my shipping address to the card. I told her about the previous order, but she didn't think it was odd that they'd just shipped an order to the same address with the same card just two days before. She insisted I'd have to call AMEX and, once the change took effect in a few days, resubmit my order. She did think it was odd when I canceled my order on the spot. But I did get the free laptop bags that came with canceled orders. How odd. And I found a laptop elsewhere that was better and cost less - and it arrived on the same day as the first one I ordered.
My point is this: as consumers we have to do whatever we can to remind businesses big and small that they exist because of us. Anything that makes it harder to do business with them will (hopefully) inspire us to look elsewhere for products and services. I for one prefer to spend money with businesses that seem to be glad I'm there ratehr than an annoyance that gets in they way of their process and procedure.
As business owners we have to have empathy for our customers. I'd love to see the CEO of Verizon try to find out what a charge is on his bill.
Process and procedure are important for sure, but not nearly as important as our customers' experience when they do business with us.
Monday, January 28, 2008
When Everyone is Gone
The week of January 7th 2008 is one that I won't soon forget. It was the week that I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee. That kept me out most of the week. But that wasn't was so bad. What was really bad is that both of my technicians - my revenue producers - had surgery too. What are the odds?
My office manager was not very happy that all three people capable of handling service calls were either in the hospital or recovering at home. Luckily I know a guy who is doing the same thing we are, is good at what he does, and trustworthy to boot. So he was able to cover for us. But it's not likely we'll be on the plus side of that equation once the invoices are settled. But the customers were covered and my office manager was able to keep from pulling her hair out for the most part.
So what would you do if most - or all - of your work force were out of the office? Whether is was illness, natural disaster or even a strike, you could be down for days. Does your business have a plan to deal with a situation like this? Believe me, I'm thinking hard on this one.
My office manager was not very happy that all three people capable of handling service calls were either in the hospital or recovering at home. Luckily I know a guy who is doing the same thing we are, is good at what he does, and trustworthy to boot. So he was able to cover for us. But it's not likely we'll be on the plus side of that equation once the invoices are settled. But the customers were covered and my office manager was able to keep from pulling her hair out for the most part.
So what would you do if most - or all - of your work force were out of the office? Whether is was illness, natural disaster or even a strike, you could be down for days. Does your business have a plan to deal with a situation like this? Believe me, I'm thinking hard on this one.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Before You Forward That E-mail
You’ve probably gotten a few emails in your time marked “Urgent!” or “Please Read!” Intrigued by what the message is about, you choose to open the email your friend sent to you. After you scroll through two or three pages of email addresses from folks you don’t know, who have forwarded it to dozens of other strangers, you finally get to the actual message – only to find the message is a hoax or something you’ve seen a half-dozen times before. Don’t do this to your friends and family!
There are some basic rules of etiquette to follow when forwarding email. By following these simple rules you won't risk having your emails deleted without being read, and you'll be a whole lot less likely to tick off your friends.
Before you click the send button to forward that funny joke, or the plea to help find the missing girl, or the petition to adopt the puppies, and certainly before you start deleting files the email warns you about from your computer, take a moment and ask yourself the following:
First - Is It Real? Many of the calls to action you get via e-mail are simply hoaxes. These usually cite seemingly impeccable sources, yet are vague on details. These messages will ask you to forward them to “everyone you know” or some similar wording. If the message sounds iffy, check these Web sites:
Snopes Rumor Has It
Symantec Hoax Page
Scam Busters
Any of these sites can be used to check the current scams being circulated. They also allow you search for key words so you confirm that your email is truthful before you hit that forward key.
If the e-mail still seems legitimate and you want to forward it, read on.
Remove The Names Of Everyone Who Has Forwarded or Received This Email Before You! Nothing is worse than forcing the recipient to scroll through page after page of names and e-mail addresses of people they don’t know. Not only that, it’s simply rude to send the names and/or e-mail addresses of others without their permission. Instead, once you have clicked “Forward” simply left-click and drag to highlight all those names and addresses and press the delete button. Now you are only sending the message that you feel is important or interesting.
Hide Your Distribution List! Your friends will appreciate it if you hide their names from the people you forward the message to. And they will appreciate it if you don’t have a lengthy list of names they have to scroll through before reading what you sent them. This is very easy to do. Most e-mail programs allow you to create distribution lists (check your e-mail program’s “Help” file to find out how). Once you have created a distribution list, you send the mail to yourself with a Blind Copy (BCC) to your distribution list (again, if you don’t know how to use this feature, consult the “Help” file for your e-mail program).
Get an OK to Use the Address You Have! Employers are starting to crack down on personal employees who receive personal email at work. Employees can even be fired for receiving mails with questionable content. And don't just assume it's OK to send messages to a personal address. Many people share their email accounts with the whole family. Recy material could cause some embarrassment for everyone.
Bottom Line: Be judicious when it comes to forwarding e-mail. If it’s been forwarded many times before it gets to you, chances are good that most of the people you are sending it to have already seen it – or soon will. Be selective when it comes to choosing the recipients. Some people get more of these e-mails than others. Some people don’t want to get this kind of e-mail at work; others don’t want to get them at all. (A good rule of thumb - if you wouldn't send it to your grandmother, don't send it to anyone witout checking first). So if you are in doubt about forwarding that e-mail, don’t do it.
There are some basic rules of etiquette to follow when forwarding email. By following these simple rules you won't risk having your emails deleted without being read, and you'll be a whole lot less likely to tick off your friends.
Before you click the send button to forward that funny joke, or the plea to help find the missing girl, or the petition to adopt the puppies, and certainly before you start deleting files the email warns you about from your computer, take a moment and ask yourself the following:
First - Is It Real? Many of the calls to action you get via e-mail are simply hoaxes. These usually cite seemingly impeccable sources, yet are vague on details. These messages will ask you to forward them to “everyone you know” or some similar wording. If the message sounds iffy, check these Web sites:
Snopes Rumor Has It
Symantec Hoax Page
Scam Busters
Any of these sites can be used to check the current scams being circulated. They also allow you search for key words so you confirm that your email is truthful before you hit that forward key.
If the e-mail still seems legitimate and you want to forward it, read on.
Remove The Names Of Everyone Who Has Forwarded or Received This Email Before You! Nothing is worse than forcing the recipient to scroll through page after page of names and e-mail addresses of people they don’t know. Not only that, it’s simply rude to send the names and/or e-mail addresses of others without their permission. Instead, once you have clicked “Forward” simply left-click and drag to highlight all those names and addresses and press the delete button. Now you are only sending the message that you feel is important or interesting.
Hide Your Distribution List! Your friends will appreciate it if you hide their names from the people you forward the message to. And they will appreciate it if you don’t have a lengthy list of names they have to scroll through before reading what you sent them. This is very easy to do. Most e-mail programs allow you to create distribution lists (check your e-mail program’s “Help” file to find out how). Once you have created a distribution list, you send the mail to yourself with a Blind Copy (BCC) to your distribution list (again, if you don’t know how to use this feature, consult the “Help” file for your e-mail program).
Get an OK to Use the Address You Have! Employers are starting to crack down on personal employees who receive personal email at work. Employees can even be fired for receiving mails with questionable content. And don't just assume it's OK to send messages to a personal address. Many people share their email accounts with the whole family. Recy material could cause some embarrassment for everyone.
Bottom Line: Be judicious when it comes to forwarding e-mail. If it’s been forwarded many times before it gets to you, chances are good that most of the people you are sending it to have already seen it – or soon will. Be selective when it comes to choosing the recipients. Some people get more of these e-mails than others. Some people don’t want to get this kind of e-mail at work; others don’t want to get them at all. (A good rule of thumb - if you wouldn't send it to your grandmother, don't send it to anyone witout checking first). So if you are in doubt about forwarding that e-mail, don’t do it.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Phone Support Hell
So here I sit, listening to bad American music from a phone system in New Delhi as Rohit from Microsoft waits on hold for another vendor's support desk. I've been on the phone for about two hours this morning and a total of over five hours yesterday. All because a previous vendor that installed my customers server apparently didn't do the job properly.
It's ironic that my new-found friend has to wait on hold for support. That seems to be the rule rather the exception any more. I commend Microsoft for getting to me with a minimum of wait time. I did have to listen to lots of plattitudes from several different people who were concerned about pronouncing me name properly (nice, but they almost immediately transferred me to someone who asked the same thing). Each person was obviously reading from ascript, though, so their concern didn't really come across as genuine.
I'm now waiting for Rohit to call me back - he said the queue was pretty long over at Symantec and didn't want to keep me waiting (he even called and asked if I had a direct support number for them that bypassed the queue - as if). Nice. So now I'm stuck waiting here unable to make calls for fear of missing him. Can't leave to take care of other customers. Might was well be sitting on hold listening to crappy music.
I think that's what so many businesses don't grasp. Their efforts to "help" us so often simply waste our time. Call the cable company or phone company when your Internet connection is down. Even after you described your problem to the perky robot answering lady or navigated an endless phone tree to report your Internet outage, I can pretty much guarantee you'll be treated to a long-winded recording inviting you to visit their Web site for answers to commonly asked questions. Does no one at the other end of the phone line see the idocy of that?
To make matters worse, what's usually the first question the live body asks you when you finally get through? Yep, the same one you provided to robot at the beginning of your call: "may I have your phone number/account number?"
I think it should be mandatory that managers and executives of any company be required to call in to their "service centers" at least once a week and try to reach a live person or get the answer to any question other than "how much is my bill and when is it due?" Chances are good you'll get that question answered whether you asked it or not.
When I was a frequent traveler I always wanted to see the CEO of United or Delta fly from New York to L.A. on an overbooked flight. In coach. I figured that would dramatically improve airline performace. Obviously that never happened. And I doubt the CEO of either Comcast or Verizon will be picking up the phone any time soon. But maybe we can collect some of your real-live "support" stories to share with them.
Post your support story from hell here. I'll personally send the best ones to the head of the appropriate company.
It's ironic that my new-found friend has to wait on hold for support. That seems to be the rule rather the exception any more. I commend Microsoft for getting to me with a minimum of wait time. I did have to listen to lots of plattitudes from several different people who were concerned about pronouncing me name properly (nice, but they almost immediately transferred me to someone who asked the same thing). Each person was obviously reading from ascript, though, so their concern didn't really come across as genuine.
I'm now waiting for Rohit to call me back - he said the queue was pretty long over at Symantec and didn't want to keep me waiting (he even called and asked if I had a direct support number for them that bypassed the queue - as if). Nice. So now I'm stuck waiting here unable to make calls for fear of missing him. Can't leave to take care of other customers. Might was well be sitting on hold listening to crappy music.
I think that's what so many businesses don't grasp. Their efforts to "help" us so often simply waste our time. Call the cable company or phone company when your Internet connection is down. Even after you described your problem to the perky robot answering lady or navigated an endless phone tree to report your Internet outage, I can pretty much guarantee you'll be treated to a long-winded recording inviting you to visit their Web site for answers to commonly asked questions. Does no one at the other end of the phone line see the idocy of that?
To make matters worse, what's usually the first question the live body asks you when you finally get through? Yep, the same one you provided to robot at the beginning of your call: "may I have your phone number/account number?"
I think it should be mandatory that managers and executives of any company be required to call in to their "service centers" at least once a week and try to reach a live person or get the answer to any question other than "how much is my bill and when is it due?" Chances are good you'll get that question answered whether you asked it or not.
When I was a frequent traveler I always wanted to see the CEO of United or Delta fly from New York to L.A. on an overbooked flight. In coach. I figured that would dramatically improve airline performace. Obviously that never happened. And I doubt the CEO of either Comcast or Verizon will be picking up the phone any time soon. But maybe we can collect some of your real-live "support" stories to share with them.
Post your support story from hell here. I'll personally send the best ones to the head of the appropriate company.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Who's Your Mail Host?
There's nothing that drives me up a wall farther and faster than getting a business card from someone whose email address ends in aol.com, hotmail.com or yahoo.com. I'm lukewarm on gmail.com, but you get the idea.
If you're serious about your business you can spend less than $10 a month to register your own domain name. Not having a branded email address is just screaming that you are only in this business as a hobby. In my humble opinion you might as well hand paint a sign and nail it on a tree if you're going to promote yourself with anything other than a branded email address.
Once you've got the domain name registered, why not put up a basic Web site? You can do it yourself using a wide array of free or inexpensive Web design tools. All you need is to have our business name and contact information on there. You can add more (or hire someone to do it for you) as your business grows. Companies like Innuity offer inexpensive packages to help you put up a professional-quality Web site complete with Internet publicity (called SEO for Search Engine Optimization). Usually for less than $500.
So get out there and register your own domain name. Find a .com address that works for your business (a .net or .biz or .whatever only drive traffic to the .coms).
If you're serious about your business you can spend less than $10 a month to register your own domain name. Not having a branded email address is just screaming that you are only in this business as a hobby. In my humble opinion you might as well hand paint a sign and nail it on a tree if you're going to promote yourself with anything other than a branded email address.
Once you've got the domain name registered, why not put up a basic Web site? You can do it yourself using a wide array of free or inexpensive Web design tools. All you need is to have our business name and contact information on there. You can add more (or hire someone to do it for you) as your business grows. Companies like Innuity offer inexpensive packages to help you put up a professional-quality Web site complete with Internet publicity (called SEO for Search Engine Optimization). Usually for less than $500.
So get out there and register your own domain name. Find a .com address that works for your business (a .net or .biz or .whatever only drive traffic to the .coms).
Who's Your Mail Host?
There's nothing that drives me up a wall farther and faster than getting a business card from someone whose email address ends in aol.com, hotmail.com or yahoo.com. I'm lukewarm on gmail.com, but you get the idea.
If you're serious about your business you can spend less than $10 a month to register your own domain name. Not having a branded email address is just screaming that you are only in this business as a hobby. In my humble opinion you might as well hand paint a sign and nail it on a tree if you're going to promote yourself with anything other than a branded email address.
Once you've got the domain name registered, why not put up a basic Web site? You can do it yourself using a wide array of free or inexpensive Web design tools.
If you're serious about your business you can spend less than $10 a month to register your own domain name. Not having a branded email address is just screaming that you are only in this business as a hobby. In my humble opinion you might as well hand paint a sign and nail it on a tree if you're going to promote yourself with anything other than a branded email address.
Once you've got the domain name registered, why not put up a basic Web site? You can do it yourself using a wide array of free or inexpensive Web design tools.
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