Tag: Marketing agencies Katraj

The End of Customer Service (As We Know It)

Time Magazine’s online edition claims customer service is going away. If we are to believe a recent article in Time, before long we’ll be self-servicing ourselves in every way imaginable from grocery checkout, to hospital check-in, from computer trouble shooting to phone bill and credit-card problem resolution.

The article points to retail trends started by the Piggly Wiggly grocery store way back in 1916. (They had the audacity to suggest customers pick their own items from grocery store shelves rather than wait for a clerk to do it for them.) Since then self-service gas stations have become the norm. Many stores now offer self-service checkout lanes and, in theory, we can resolve almost any service issue with our cell phones, insurance and credit-cards just by pressing a few buttons on our phones.

But does this signal the end of customer service? No, I don’t think so.

What we’re seeing is a change in how customers are served. For some the change is a vast improvement. I’d much rather save time and do a few things myself than wait for a clumsy and inattentive clerk to do it for me. But for others, these changes are not desirable. Many people approach self-service checkout lanes with a fear normally reserved for fun events like root canals.

With new technology comes new ways of thinking. It also fosters changes in our culture that make us willing to accept (even look for) different ways of doing things. For example, as our society has gotten busier, we have tended to prefer faster service from many businesses. And the business world has responded with drive-through, drive-up and drive-in service from burgers to banks, from pies to pills.

So while I agree customer service is changing (and not always for the better) I disagree that it’s going away.

Smart companies are using their knowledge and technology to serve us better. They are finding ways to serve us how we want to be served. Rather than relying on old habits (because we’ve always done things that way), they are trying new things to help us get what we want. For the most part, this is a good thing.

But not always.

If companies are making changes in how they serve us just so they can save money, they will fail. If their intention is solely to reduce costs (by shifting them to their customers), then they’ll have problems. They’ll fail because they are focusing on the wrong thing. You can’t grow a healthy and sustainable business by focusing on cost-reduction. All these companies are doing is manipulating their customers. This never works for long.

On the other hand, if businesses use their resources to make life better for their customers, they will win. If they make changes in how they serve us, with the intention of serving us better, then we’ll respond in a good way. We’ll do more business with them.

Because they’re focusing on serving us better, they’ll make changes that help us. They’ll talk to us about what we want and how they can help us get it. They’ll listen. And they’ll constantly wrap their businesses around the mission of serving their customers they way they want to be served.

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Having a Website Created? Make Sure You Have Access to Your Files!

A recent post on one of the message boards I frequent really bothered me, and I wanted to pass along this tip for those of you who are considering having a website designed for your company.

The designer/programmer or company that you hire to create your website will create a set of files that will be placed on your hosting control panel when the site is up and live. These files may be written in html, php or some other language, but they are the files that make what you see on your computer screen your site.

The woman on the message board had hired a company to design her site and asked this company to remain on after the site went live to make changes necessary to the site’s functioning. For instance, maybe she wants to update some content or products each month but she’s not tech savvy so she hires a designer to maintain the site. Oftentimes clients will hire the original designer, particularly if they build a strong relationship during the design aspect.

This woman was told by the company after the site design that she was going to be unable to access these files on her own to make changes.

Whether or not she knows what she is doing, she should always have control of any file that was created for her company that she paid for, and this is the lesson I’m passing on to you.

When you are hiring a graphic or web designer to create something for your business, be it a flyer, brochure, web design or logo, make sure that upon completion of that product you get a working file to take with you. You never know what might happen: the company may go under, the designer may get married and have kids and stop working for a while or you may simply lose touch with the person who created your pieces.

If you do not have a working file for these products you will never be able to make changes to them. So while you may love your logo now, take it from me: In a few years, if you are like me, you may want to make a slight change (I think I redesign my website every six months!)

The flyer may be great for the services you offer now, but down the road you may need to change a price or a product or service. Without a working file (or the file that was created in the original program the designer used-for instance, Photoshop CS3 if it is a graphic perhaps), then you’ll never be able to make a change.

This woman paid her website designer to create a site for her business. She deserves to have access to everything, whether she knows what it is or not!    

Always make sure you have working files as well as access to anything that is placed on your site.

Unfortunately I’ve heard of a lot of strange things happening when it comes to website design, hosting and other marketing materials, so I’m going to spend some time posting about these in an effort to tell you what to AVOID when you are spending money to grow your company.

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Side Business Ideas – Part II

Home » Business Ideas » Side Business Ideas – Part II
July 16, 2013 Ervin Quinto Business Ideas Tags: business ideas, side business, side business ideas
In a previous article we were discussing the possibility of finding side business ideas to help you make some extra money. We promised we would come up with some new ideas, and here we are. Like we mentioned before, these ideas are suitable both for people with a day job, as well as for college students or stay at home parents who want to help with household finances. The great thing about these jobs is that they require few or no studies, very little or no start up money and no running around for authorizations and certifications.

Furthermore, these side business ideas are just suggestions, and perhaps they will serve to inspire you to have your own successful ideas. All you have to do is figure out what you are best at, and what your skills and talents are; once you realize what those advantages are, you can use them to help your community, and to offer your products or services starting with friends, neighbors and so on, until word is spread around about your business. That being said, here are the side business ideas that we propose today:

Childcare services – This is a great idea for those who love children and for those who already have children of their own. If you have extra space in your house, and a beautiful yard where the kids can play, you can use your skills as a mom or dad to help out others as well. Normally, there shouldn’t be a need for too many authorizations, and if you get some support from your local community and parents who would be interested in keeping their children at your day care, you should be able to open up this small business. The start up investments won’t be that large either, you just have to provide the children with sanitary facilities, toys, and prep your house with safety locks and other safety measures.
Bed and breakfast – This business idea is again ideal for those with free space in their house; you will need some authorizations and perhaps independent assessors to rate your establishment, but most of all you need the energy and dedication required in the service industry. However, keep in mind that you need to have the market for such an endeavor; the business would be much more successful if you live in a beautiful or touristic area, where people always come for certain attractions. You also need to provide your guests with various services such as sanitary facilities, fresh linens and towels, breakfast, tourist information and so on. If this is something that interests you, go to your local council today and find out what conditions you have to meet.
Catering – There are two ways to do this; first of all, you need to be a very good cook, and you need to be able to cook versatile meals, not just what you and your family enjoy. Thus, it would be good if you got feedback from objective people as well. You can offer catering services in that you can prepare meals for smaller events such as birthdays, or family events; another option would be to become a part-time chef. The stakes are a bit raised here however, because you would have to come up with something really special, and be able to cook special items that your customers may require.
Closet organizer – More and more people employ professionals to help them organize their closets and wardrobes. If you have a knack for this job, you too can become a closet organizer. You need to be very good at organizing spaces of all kinds, and even be able to recommend various types of furniture to your customers. This means doing your own research and finding out more about space optimization.
Cleaning services – No job is shameful as long as it good, honest work. Some people simply haven’t the time or the talent to do a good job of housekeeping, so they pay others to do it for them. Anyone with good physical condition and some free time should be able to perform this task, but the trick is to make a respectable reputation for yourself. This shouldn’t be very difficult if you are a likeable, sociable person who’s got friends to recommend them.
Handy man – If you know a bit about plumbing, house maintenance, electricity and other aspects of maintaining and repairing things around the house, you can offer your services to the community. Your advantage would be that you charge less than established companies that have larger costs, and your clientele would built itself up if people are satisfied with your work.
Tutoring – This is one of those jobs that students often get into, but even stay-at-home parents can do it. If you know a second language, mathematics or some other subject thoroughly, you can give private classes in your home or at your pupils’ homes. The downside is that it doesn’t pay much, but if you’re good at what you do you can get more and more customers.
Elder care – One of the most important things in life is to give back to your community and help others. Luckily, you can even make some money in the process, such as offering care services for older people. There are many elders out there with no family to take care of them, and without the means of living into a full-time center; you can help them around the house, do their shopping, even cook for them and so on, depending how far you are willing to go.
As you can see, there are so many side business ideas out there that anyone can find something profitable to do in their spare time. The only requirement is that you mustn’t be afraid of a little hard work, and your efforts will be rewarded.

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