| |
| |
|
WebsiteAlways |
|
My Child Has Opie Eye!
7:00 a.m., the silence in the house is broken by my child's call to me, from another room, "Mom, please take care of my Opie eye!" Huh?... My mind is spinning trying to process this information, what sort of illness is Opie eye? Is it a variation of Pink eye? What is the cure? What is the cause? Why didn't I notice it? Why hadn't I heard of it? I must be a terrible parent. My mind goes back the 1960's sitcom 'The Andy Griffith Show' where Ron Howard played the sheriff's young son Opie. This must be the reference for Opie eye, I surmised. I can't think of a single thing wrong with the adorable little guy's eyes. I'm not doing well sorting this out. Then I hear it again, "MOM, Puh-lease take care of my Opie eye.... I can't go to school until you do!" I decide to go to my child and have a look, perhaps this problem has another name that I'm familiar with. As I walk up to her, tilt her head toward the light and have a look at her eyes she says in her best teenage I'm-disgusted-with-you tone, "What ARE you doing?" "Why, I'm looking at your eyes. Which one is bothering you?" I counter in my best Doctor Mom voice. To which she flatly retorts, "There is nothing wrong with my eyes." "Then what is all this about you having Opie eye?" I asked now very confused. She held out an extended hand with a form and a pen. The form that she wanted signed was saying that I have seen and agree with her Spanish teacher's guidelines for (are you ready) an Oral Proficiency Interview. That's right, O.P.I. In my best Gomer Pyle voice I loudly declare, "Shazzam! Andy call Aunt Bee to bake a pie, my child don't have Opie eye!" While we laughed ourselves silly over this early morning incident, it provides a very important lesson in business. Nothing defeats your purpose faster than using acronyms that nobody understands. I have articles submitted to me for publication every day using acronyms that are meaningless to my readers.... they are not published here. I receive publications everyday, that I can not find the web site because the publication is sent as an acronym and I don't know or can't remember what the acronym stands for. You can't sell to people that don't know what you're talking about. Therefore, by using acronyms you defeat your purpose and I would advise that you stop P.D.Q. (Pretty Darn Quick) It is your job to educate, not intimidate or confuse your clientelle. About The Author Thea Swafford is the owner of, The Shepherd's Inn Inc. and two very successful web sites that focus on helping both the novice and netpreneur to reach their objectives with wisdom and humor.http://Targeted-Ad.Com and http://Secrets-To-Your-Successful.Com, for our free newsletter secrets@a1ebiz.com thea@secrets-to-your-successful.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Customer-Service - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Customer Service Consultants When all else fails in your company to meet the needs of your customer consider a customer service consultant. If you find that agents in your company are constantly having misunderstanding that result in loss of customers bring in a consultant. Service Equals Performance Equals Service Service can be described as a "performance" of some kind involving two parties whereby one party is the benefactor and the other party is the performing party receiving some type of monetary payment. The value of the Service depends on the personal experience of the benefactor. Listen to Suggestions If you are up to your ears in a stressful situation, it becomes difficult to think clearly. Sometimes, it is best to walk away from a problem, and think about it, rather than try to solve it with an instant solution. The Added Value - Is YOU! If there was a restaurant in your town that was physically attractive and clean, had a pleasant variety of entrées on the menu, served food that was prepared in an attractive manner, and the service was outstanding--the maitre'd greeted you by name, remembered which was your favorite table, stopped by later to inquire about your needs and satisfaction, the waiters and waitresses bent over backwards to make your dinner a pleasurable experience and always treated you as if you were their most important patron--would you be willing to pay a little more than other restaurants charged?Many of us will pay a more to obtain better treatment. Why? Today, outstanding customer service has become the exception rather than the rule. Create Win-Win Deals With Your Competitors In the competitive world of the 20th century, we generally viewed competitors as the enemy. And a competitor was anyone who sold to the same target audience as us - even if they sold a different item. 4 Easy Steps to Better Online Customer Support Customer support is very important when you're running a business, whether your business is on or off the net. If your customer support is hopeless, you'll soon find your customers running away from you and worse, telling others to stay away too. Create a Positive, Upbeat, Can-Do Workforce and Dazzle the Customer with Your Caring! Given the choice of dealing with a positive, upbeat employee with a "can-do" attitude or dealing with a disgruntled, distracted, uninterested one, which would you choose? No contest. Customers always want the best experience possible; they want it to be easy and pleasant to do business with your company. Call Center Software - Your Tool of Choice in Customer Relations The call center represents your first line of communication with customers and potential customers. Whether you choose to outsource this service or to establish an in-company call center, this is one area in which quality is paramount and cannot be compromised. Communicating Value Abstract: People buy for their reasons, not yours. This article covers the key elements that prospects want to hear you talk about. How To Build a Profitable Business It's never too soon to start saying thanks to your clients, vendors and referral sources for what they contribute to your business. Everyone loves to be appreciated and acknowledged, so start now and do something every month. Become a Customer Enthusiasm-Guru! One thing all successful small business owners have in common is the knowledge that their business is based on enthusiastic customers. Despite their multi-tasking titles of bookkeeper, service provider and sales-manager, their most important title is Customer-Enthusiasm Guru. Transforming Disgruntled Customers into Your Biggest Advocates "I am writing to complain about the widget I bought from your site the other day."Sell anything and eventually you will be on the receiving end of a sentence like this. Stay - Say - Pay Would you like to have customers that stay with you and don't buy from your competitors? Customers that say nice things about your business to other people; pay you on time and accept the fact that you might be a bit more expensive then other suppliers? Of course you do but how do we perform this miracle? It's dead easy really; you only have to consider two factors: be Reliable and be Likeable.It almost goes without saying that it's vital to have a reliable product or service. RETAIL GREETERS: Sales Builders or Customer Turnoff? Do you need greeters or should you avoid them? That is the perplexing question many retail organizations are struggling with today. Often touted in the press as the perennial example of the benefits to employing greeters,Walmart has hung on to its practice faithfully. How to Provide Instant Customer Service Customer service is an essential component of any business. Clearly, if you work alone your business thrives on good customer service. Customer Service and The Human Experience Historically, customer service was delivered over the phone or in person. Customers didn't have many choices, and switching to competitors was cumbersome. DONT Give Your Customers What They Want! One of the mantras we hear repeatedly in business is "The customer is always right." I'm here to tell you that if you want to build a thriving business you need to forget that saying, and take note of Payne's Law #1 "The customer is always right- some of the time. What Do They Want Anyway? You want customers. I want customers. Be the Customer: See Yourself as Your Customers Do What do your customers experience when they interact with your business? As a mystery shopper, I help businesses see themselves through the eyes of their customers by posing as a typical customer and evaluating their service, quality and cleanliness. Was it easy to find what I needed? Were the employees polite and helpful? Was everything neat and clean? Was I thanked for my business? What happened when I made a return?Whether your business is an international retailer or a small one-person shop, what you don't know about your customers' perceptions of your quality and service can hurt you. Take Care of Yourself Before You Take Care of Your Customer One of the most important questions people ask when they are focused on improving their quantity and quality of business is: "What is my competitive advantage? What makes me unique, memorable, special? what truly sets me apart from the rest?" While there are no definitively right answers to that question, most people come to some conclusion that customer service is a critical component of your competitive advantage. For most businesses, the service they offer can vary from exceptional to not so hot, depending upon circumstances.
|
| Interesting articles | Home | site map | Link |
| © 2006 |