Six Words and a Name

The director in the Billing Department passed through the office and noticed that the font office staff answered the phone with one word: “Billing.”

Well, this drove her nuts. She went to her Office Manager and asked if maybe they couls make a small change to the greeting, like maybe, “Billing department, how can I help you?” And maybe say their name?

Can’t do it,” the manager said. “Takes too much time.”

Well, the director finally got her way, and now that office gets more compliments for customer services than the entire rest of the company.

For six words and a name.

How can you make your greeting more friendly?

Creating the Experience

Recently the love of my life asked me which of my two favorite restaurants I would pick, if I had to:

1. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
2. Yank Sing (San Francisco)

Now, there’s not much similarity in these two places, except that I like the food there a lot, and they are both considered pretty pricey. But the difference in experience is what sets them apart in my mind.

At Yank Sing, it’s dim sum. Not downtown so-so dim sum, the REAL DEAL. Steamed buns and fried this and that and the occasional chicken feet. It’s all tasty, and they are constantly rolling up carts to your table, offering you more tasty morsels, when your table and your stomach are already so full you could burst. It’s fast-paced and hectic. There’s nothing wrong with that, you just need to be in the right mood.

Ruth’s, on the other hand, is clubby steakhouse, where the waiters know the menu backwards and are always there to attend to your needs. The food is beyond fabulous.

Out of the two, if I had to choose, I’d pick Ruth’s. They have gone out of their way to make it more than just about the food;it’s about the EXPERIENCE. This should be in every business owner’s mind: creating an experience for your customer. Frankly, there are plenty of places I can go and get hustle and bustle, but very few places where I can go and be served in quiet enjoyment.

Are you creating an experience for your customers?

——————————————–
Rob Wallis, with the Wallis Group, works with organizations that want to become known in their community and in the world. Contact him at rob(at)thewallisgroup.com

Customer Service is the New Marketing, Indeed.

Check out Customer Service is the New Marketing, by Brad Burnham. This is exactly where we at Visibility stand. If you have to convince someone you rock, you have already lost.
——————————————–
Rob Wallis, with the Wallis Group, works with organizations that want to become known in their community and in the world. Contact him at rob(at)thewallisgroup.com

Visibility Marketing Tips - Introduction

Here we venture into the realm of Visibility, and the Laws of Marketing that have been used for generations on end. You can find more descriptions of these principles in the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini. In a marketers nutshell, here they are:

1. The Law of Scarcity
2. The Law of Reciprocity
3. The Law of Consistency
4. The Law of Social Proof
5. The Law of Liking
6. The Law of Authority

————————————————–
Rob Wallis, with the Wallis Group, works with organizations that want to become known in their community and in the world. Contact him at rob(at)thewallisgroup.com

Notes On Advertising

Advertising = education
Advertising, like education, is not expensive, it’s priceless

3 marketing mistakes business owners make:
1. They don’t let people know they exist.
2. They don’t collect names of current customers.
3. They don’t actively pursue repeat business.

————————————————–
Tig Wallis helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their marketing, technology, and customer service processes. He is founder of The Wallis Group, a business and marketing consulting firm located in California.

Contact Tig at tigwallis@thewallisgroup.com

Customer Service Principles From The Ritz

Great Article Here about what every company needs to know about customer service. And judging from the fantastic service we received recently at the Ritz in San Francisco, this writer knows what he’s talking about.

How does your company measure up?

————————————————–
Rob Wallis works with entrepreneurs who want to become known in their community and in the world. Contact him at The Wallis Group

Where Does It All Start?

People will say that service starts with training. Actually, service starts with HIRING. HIRING the right people is the first step in spectacular service. You need to hire people who:

1. Have a pleasant attitude. Attitude is key in customer care. No one can serve properly with a bad attitude.

2. Have a service mindset. You need to find people who want to serve. Who have experience serving. Who needs someone who stares out the window and waits for their shift to be over? That’s not making you money!

3. Are willing to learn to serve. THIS is where the training comes in. And it’s essential. You simply cannot drop people on the floor and expect them to know what to do. They need to know your philosophy. If you don’t have a philosophy, you need to get one before you start hiring. If you don’t know where you’re going, how can your staff?

————————————————–
Rob Wallis works with entrepreneurs who want to become known in their community and in the world. Contact him at The Wallis Group

I’ve Been Crystallized!

Recently my wife, her mother and I went on a cruise to Mexico on Crystal Cruises. Talk about Spectacular Service! From the time we boarded to the very last day (which I’ll tell you about in a minute) every staff member made us feel like we were VIP’s.


The food was fantastic, yes. The staterooms were large and comfortable. But what really sold us on Crystal (and what really sells me on anything) is the SERVICE. These people have it DOWN.


Example: The second day, my wife mentioned that her mother (who was staying in the cabin next door) really liked marzipan. Lo and behold, what appears at the foot of her bed the next night? Marzipan! Not one or two pieces, mind you, a whole PLATE of the stuff. No charge, of course.


For me, one of the best service experiences came out of a bad experience. After seven days at sea, we returned to L.A., and someone had taken one of our suitcases. We saw one case that looked a lot like ours, sitting all by itself. We knew what had happened. Someone took our case, thinking it was theirs.

We spoke to the Crystal reps at the terminal (who were right nearby, thank you) and told them what had happened. One of them RAN out to the street and SHOUTED the name that was on the case left behind. Well, he had already gone. but his son was still there, waiting for a taxi. Long story short, he calls his Dad’s cell phone, Dad turns around and comes back to the terminal.


Oh, and did I mention? The entire twenty minutes or so that we waited for the gentleman to return, the Crystal reps NEVER left our side. They made sure we had our stuff, and made sure we were happy.


Now THAT’S Spectacular Service!

Tig Wallis works with businesses who want to improve relationships with their customers and employees. Contact him at The Wallis Group

How’s Your PMA? - By Tig Wallis

One of the many challenges we face when working is maintaining our PMA-Positive Mental Attitude. This one factor an make or break our day, and often does. How many times have you got up on a cold cloudy morning and just decided, “I’m not going to have a good day?” Well, they say your words can make it happen, and they are right!

Harry Paul, one of the authors of the now-famous “FISH” series, speaks often of the need to “choose our attitude.” This process works best first thing in the morning, that’s when you decide what kind of day you’re going to have. Another critical point is when you first walk into your workplace for the day. Do you look around you and heave a big sigh at all the work you have to do, or do you jump in with both feet with anticipation? OK, most people hopefully fall somewhere in between; otherwise, you’re going to drive us all crazy. The idea is, if you are approaching your work with the attitude that it’s “just another day at work,” it shows. Pretty soon everyone around you is catching your attitude, and you’ve got a pretty down workplace.

Contrast this with someone who comes into work full of energy and smiles, says, “Good Morning” to everyone they pass, and seems genuinely glad to be there. Isn’t that someone you would like to work with? Most people would. And, trust me, it shows in the office. It shows on the phone, and it shows to your clients.

A trick that helps you to get the PMA is simply to pretend. It’s true, this really really works. Pretend you’re enthusiastic. At first it feels pretty silly, but what you are doing is tricking your brain into believing you’re enthusiastic. Pretty soon you’re believing it, and it gets easier and easier.

Now, no one would expect you to be feeling and acting wonderful every day. Just realize that, most of the time it is a choice, and you alone are responsible for that choice. “Choose Your Attitude,” get your PMA going and make your workplace a better place to work!

Tig Wallis works with businesses who want to improve relationships with their customers and employees. Contact him at The Wallis Group

Customer Care Connection Made!

Mary Schmidt has the customer story of the day. And as Steve Sherlock points out in his comment, these are the types of experiences we need to shout about from the rooftops.

This is the make or break, folks. (Did you notice the mention of Eye Contact?)

-Tig Wallis

P.S. Did you get your FREE copy of the amazing little 1910 book, The Science of Getting Rich yet? Get it (and a lot more) here right now: Click Here