Four Simple Customer Service Lessons

1. People Love People who get Back to Them Quickly

Your customers will be so happy just to know someone responded to their inquiry. The response doesn’t need to be a whole dissertation, just an acknowledgement that someone cares to answer in a timely manner. In the online world, people have become accustomed to sending requests via email thus making it very easy to respond. Make it a point to respond timely or you chance losing a customer.

2. Show and Tell Them; talk is cheaper today than ever before

Nowadays, it’s easier to show people what to do rather than write a long email explaining how to do something. If you really want someone to believe you with hopes getting a response, then provide an easy road map to view.  Most people love visuals while others just don’t like to read.

3. Try to be Everything to Everyone…even though it's not really possible

Remember that people may want you to fix a problem they’re having with your product or service; but just trying to solve the problem will go a long way.  Businesses can’t do what all customers want, but they can sure think about it, and act in caring manner. 

4. Create an FAQ Page

It doesn’t take long to figure out that most customers ask the same questions 95% of the time.  So keep a log of questions and provide direct, yet easy, answers.

In brief, providing great customer service is free. Every company can do great service, but many find themselves getting caught up in complicated processes, old school business practices, and other things that make many others feel lost and in need (of something). In today's world, it is so easy to stand out by doing a few things right. 

Keep It Simple and Smart!

 

SMC expands its marketing and communication services with a new online division

It is true that SMC launched the most powerful online, real-time reservations platform on the planet.  For parking, self storage and automotive detail services, SMC is capable of providing its clients with a proven method to convert "lookers into bookers" 24/7 while tracking revenues through multiple channels.

SMC completes its business model with a new online marketing and communications division. The new division will offer and manage search engine marketing (SEO/PPC/VSEO), email marketing, social media and strategy assistance for those clients who want to strengthen their web presence and increase the efficiency in order to enhance brand awareness and capture new market share.

SMC will showcase its new division during the User Conference, January 15-18, 2013.

EMAIL MARKETING: Best Times for Email Opens and Click-Throughs

Email Marketing for the Holidays.

A recent study on the best times during the day for email opens and click-throughs come from an email marketing software provider (GetReponse) who analyzed 21 million messages sent from US accounts during the first quarter of 2012.  The results are as follows:

•  23.63% of all email opens occur within the first hour after delivery;
• Within the second hour after delivery, the results drop by half; and
• Top engagement times for email are in the mornings, 8 AM to 9 AM both for opens and click-throughs; and in the afternoons, 3 PM to 8 PM for opens, and 3 PM and 4 PM for click-throughs;

For regional and national companies, time zones are a consideration. Companies should keep in mind the following:

•  Local times and work routines around the country; and
• Stagger their mailings in accordance to the points mentioned above

Get ready for the season!  And remember, the "aggregator" websites are preparing to market your customers (via email) so they can sell your customers back to your company and then charge your customer for a reservation fee.   Put a plan in place today to convert aggregator customers to your website.

How Important is BING for SEO?

WE all know that Google is the 'grandaddy' of all online search engines. However, if you believe that everyone searches on Google for information (service, product or brand), you would be somewhat naive with your assumption.

REAL FACTS:  (Marketshare: Google 66.7% - Bing/Yahoo 31%)

1. Not everyone searches on Google. 
2. Bing and Yahoo use their own algorithm to rank pages.
3. The Bing/Yahoo partnership is growing in market share. 

What does this mean to your business?  You should be optimizing for Bing and Yahoo?

Click Here

Bing-specific keyword searches are displaying more accurate results than Google.  Why?

• Domain age. It is said that Bing puts more emphasis on domain age than Google.  In other words,  if your domain has been around for awhile, you have one foot in the door.
• Titles. Bing also puts a greater emphasis on title tags; be sure your title includes your keyword.

NOTE: Because of the partnership between Bing and Yahoo, by optimizing Bing, you are also optimizing Yahoo.  Simply said, Yahoo results are powered by Bing.

If you have not taken the BING IT ON TEST, do it now!  Click Here. 

7 Proven P's for Retaining Customers

Although many businesses and people may believe this posting is full of common sense, I don't think so.  In today's environment, customer retention is just as important as customer acquisition. So what are the 7 P's for retaining customers?

1. People.  One word - Relationships!  If you are able to connect with your customers - online and offline - you are farther ahead of the game than your competition.  You hear all the time "treat people like you want to be treated", hogwash.  Treat people like they are family

2. Product/Service.  Your product/service is your brand; a.k.a. your greatest asset.  Simply take care of it from A (attitude) to Z (zealous).  Customer Service is FREE....so is Great Customer Service.  Have you implemented these 7 traits; smile, eye contact, use customers name, remember customers name, respect of customers time, empathetic to situations and good-byes/have a nice day!  In other words, act like you care every day with every customer.

3. Place.  Let's compare - your home (inside and out) to your business (inside and out).  So what is the difference?  Thirty-three years in the business world and 95% of the companies I worked for, the owner’s house was far cleaner and more organized than the office.  Why is that?  Back to #1, people notice your place too. 

4. Price.  You have to take care of your loyal customers, period.  Do you have to be the lowest in town? No.  Your customers must know that you will separate them from the once-in-awhile customers.  You know, drive up's versus pre-booking in advance.  SMC clients have the ability to strategically make this happen.

5. Promotion.  You know or should know your customer.  If not, this is a different matter. You know what the customer bought from you, how he or she uses your service and where they are from. You can use that information to message customers in a more targeted, appropriate, helpful, and effective way. Don't spam them with the same generic info you send to everyone else. Send them targeted emails and in-context messages.

6. Processes.  You need good processes to monitor and track all channels; website, accounts, social media, etc.  By engaging with your customers, surveying customers for satisfaction, and implementing marketing channel strategies help any business plan and prepare for #7.  

7. Positioning.  Huge for any business.  Assuming many understand the concept of the game Chess - and if you don't, think football - it goes without saying that positioning and precision is critical to take a "knight" for "return a punt for a touchdown".  Positioning players is the difference between winning and losing over the long haul.  Similarly, with the internet, it is all about positioning your brand for success. 

BONUS POINT:  Happy Employees make Customers Happy!  That works in reverse too!!!!!

Bing vs. Google: Do the test!

Who does not like Google outside our Government, Microsoft and Facebook?  Everyone likes Google and the majority uses their search engine to find a product, service, brand and/or information. 

For months I have stated that Bing's search results are more true than Google.  Google became the one, the only simply because of the results presented in a search.  If you asked for plumbers in a a market, the results were plumbers in the market.  It has been my belief that Google is slipping.

Bottom line is, Bing is moving in on Google.  Click here and test your market. 

Marketing is evolving as fast as Technology

Many of us read articles or watch the tube to learn more about evolving technologies.  It is crazy when you think about the big guys launching so many new products throughout the year.  Exciting for some...scary to others for a variety of reasons.

I was asked earlier this year in an interview - "Can you share with me your thoughts on how technology is changing business today?"  

I hemmed and hawed (Read:  Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson) laughing a little and said, "are you kidding me?"  I proceeded with this remark, "People who do not adapt to innovation in the business world will be of no value to most organizations by 2020, if not 2017".  After trading some words about technology, I persuaded the mood over to MARKETING.

Then came the response I was hoping to hear - "So can you elaborate on how marketing and leveraging technology is changing the ways?." 

"Technology is useless without customers.  I have seen and been a part of a few organizations using great technology in the travel industry, but with no plan to capture new customers, these companies are either in the history books or barely surviving."  

I continued with the interview by offering up my humble opinion - "any size organization must leverage their technology with marketing initiatives in order to make significant progress in absorbing market share from their less nimble and formerly formidable competitors."  

To summarize the 30-minute interview, companies who are not tracking (please stop with the clicks to your website on Google Analytics) every marketing dollar are clueless to what an ROI is and stands for.  Just ask any organization how their "social media" is working out for them.  Unless a tracking system is in place, the answer will always be the same - dunno!

  

SMC Software allows its clients to segment real-time data through multiple channels, thus helping you measure which channel is impacting site traffic from your marketing (i.e. social media).

 

SMC Software Introduces SMC INSIGHTS Blog

Welcome to the new SMC INSIGHTS Blog.

This blog is intended to help our business clients stay ahead of the curve with respect to innovative technologies, internet marketing and branding initiatives.  In addition, this blog will serve as a guide to protect our clients against brand erosion, data scraping, trademark infringement and other harmful business practices.  Simply put, SMC is looking out for you! 

We hope you find this blog to be a value-added resource as the internet evolves with both the good, the bad and the ugly.

Mike Harley

President

SMC Software