But I stand by it when I say that customer service is the key to every bit of your business. Even with a mediocre [...]]]> Sometimes, it’s hard. We all know that. And it’s easy to find faults in a company as a customer. It’s also easy for the company to ignore the customer.

But I stand by it when I say that customer service is the key to every bit of your business. Even with a mediocre product or service, if you shine in building trust and loyalty, you can go far in the world of small business. In the end, it’s all about your know-how on how to defuse an irate customer and bring them back onto your side of things and from a customer’s perspective, it’s how to understand the company’s angle.

Thus, I think it’s important to say that I stand by the Company-Customer Pact. This pact lists out requests that both sides of the customer-relationship should follow and they are not unreasonable at all. In fact, any business should be operating as such and those that are not, I find I question their customer relations or perhaps even more importantly some of their business ethics. It never hurts to let your customers know where you stand, nor vice versa for the customer. In the end as the company though, realize that you’re not just some corporate entity. You’re as real a human being as your customer and a human-face to a corporate entity always wins out over the one that acts cold and relentless.

Customer relations is something that any person that has been in any corporate CSR position knows it ranks solidly as the very first thing. If you don’t listen to your customers, you won’t have a product to sell. Many larger corporations over time fail to take this into account, thinking that they can [...]]]>

Customer relations is something that any person that has been in any corporate CSR position knows it ranks solidly as the very first thing. If you don’t listen to your customers, you won’t have a product to sell. Many larger corporations over time fail to take this into account, thinking that they can produce something that is state-of-the-art and customers will just flock to it. While I’m not saying that this doesn’t happen, it is seldom and rare. It takes a great outside-the-box thinking company to provide customers with such products without listening to them.

This particular video by Jeff Bezos, shows that if you’re not willing to commit to your customers, then you’re at a serious disadvantage. In this video, he highlights some key points.

• Obsess about Customers

• Invent
• Think Long Term
• Always Day #1.

I’ll let the video speak to what it means, if you don’t understand this particular business strategy. But what is important is that once you get past the first two points, the third comes as the corporation matures. And the fourth point is just a circular aspect that redirects you through the same strategy instead of working from a top-down point of view.

If there is ever one thing to take away from all of this, remember that in your corporation regardless of what it does customers are your primary concern. Always.

Interestingly enough, I’m actually surprised that so many IT people actually fit into the super-ego stroking maniacs. Having worked in the industry for a number a years, it never fails to amuse me that these same very smart but non-people persons don’t realize that they’re easily replaceable and that their positions are not [...]]]>

Interestingly enough, I’m actually surprised that so many IT people actually fit into the super-ego stroking maniacs. Having worked in the industry for a number a years, it never fails to amuse me that these same very smart but non-people persons don’t realize that they’re easily replaceable and that their positions are not so much technology as much as technology and customer support.

In this older SNL skit, it really hits home on how NOT to treat your internal customers. People are usually frustrated and their expertise is not in computing just as your own is not in accounting. So lay off, put a smile on your face and develop this great thing called “patience.” It’s amazing how it helps with all types of customer service positions, not just Information Technology.

I think the one big thing that IT divisions often forget is that they’re primarily a support function. You’re there to be unseen and unheard when you do your job well, and when it fails, that’s when you’re called. So the less calls you get, means the better job you’re doing. This is the same as other transparent organizations like HR where they do a lot of things for employees but most employees don’t even call them on a regular basis. All the work is really in the background and a support of the company. Think of these organizations like the spine in a human body. It’s important, and you can’t send messaging from your head to your toes without it, but it’s really in a quiet support scenario.

The problem that I’ve seen with customer service issues usually stem from larger corporations. There’s always an obvious disconnect between the communication between customer support and actual service. Those that solve this problem seem to be in a better stance on customer approval ratings.