Telemarketing Fraud

T J Madigan offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: Telemarketing Fraud
Author: T J Madigan
Category: Communication, Corporate, Customer Service
Word Count: 572
Keywords: Telemarketing,Fraud,business,articles,information
Author's Email Address: articlesubmit@ebooks.net.au
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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As the telemarketing age continues to grow, more and more companies and businesses sell or advertise their products and services through telephone marketing. Many of these companies are legitimate and they do this approach either by calling the prospective consumers or advertising their products and services to a number of consumers to call them. Charities even use telemarketing. The bad news is, telemarketing is not only used today by legitimate companies and charities. Most of those who solicit consumers by phone are fraudulent telemarketers. They rob people through their expertise in the so-called sales talk everyday with the telephone as their weapon.

Statistics show that there has been a growing number in cases of telemarketing fraud. Last year, 2005, it was revealed by the National Fraud Information Center that the top ten telemarketing frauds include prizes or sweepstakes, scholarships and grants, magazine sales, credit card offers, face check scams, advance fee loans, lotteries, work at home plans, phishing, and travel or vacation scams. Of these mentioned telemarketing frauds, the scholarships or grants scams top the list.

Now lets take a look at the common definition of telemarketing fraud. According to some experts, the term telemarketing fraud refers generally to any scheme to defraud. In telemarketing fraud scheme, the persons carrying out the scheme employ the telephone as their primary means of communicating to their prospective targets. They tend work with their telemarketing fraudulent scheme to persuade people to send money to their scheme. Usually, when these telemarketing fraudulent companies solicit people to buy their products and services, to donate funds to charitable causes, or to invest money, the telemarketing fraud operation typically employs a number of false and misleading statements. In addition to this, most telemarketing fraudulent operations even use representations and promises just to trap their unfortunate victims.

There is one particular telemarketing fraudulent tactic commonly used by most telemarketing fraud companies, the so-called reloading. Reloading is actually a term that refers to fraudulent telemarketers practice of re-contacting victims after their initial transactions with the telemarketer. This term also refers to the telemarketing fraudulent operation in which the fraudulent telemarketers solicit their re-contacted victims for additional payments. Perhaps one concrete example of this telemarketing fraudulent operation is the prize-promotion scheme, in which victims are often told that they are now eligible for even higher levels and values of prizes for which they must pay additional fees or taxes.

Today, although many consumers apparently find it difficult to believe that there are telemarketing fraudulent people who will contact them on the phone and lie and misrepresent facts just to obtain their money, the sad reality is that at any given time, there are at least several hundred telemarketing fraudulent operations. Some of these telemarketing fraudulent operations employ as many as several dozen people. Much worse is that not only the individual consumers are victims of telemarketing fraud. Businesses, from large corporations to small Mom and Pop stores are targets for a variety of telemarketing fraudulent schemes as well.

With the rapid growth of telemarketing fraud, perhaps the best way that people can do to avoid telemarketing frauds is to do business with companies they only know and trust. People should also understand the offer, check all the bills and invoices carefully, guard their financial or other account information, and educate their employees about avoiding telemarketing fraud.

T J Madigan has been established in online business since 1998 and is director of a number of successful online projects one of which is http://www.articles.net.au your best source for FREE and private label articles.
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Customer Service: A Little Means A Lot

Laurie Weiss offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: Customer Service: A Little Means A Lot
Author: Laurie Weiss
Category: Customer Service, Communication, Small Business
Word Count: 539
Keywords: Customer Service, Rude Phone Service, Professionalism
Author's Email Address: media@laurieweiss.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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I lost my composure during a phone call.

It was 2:30 on a Friday afternoon. Six hours after I left a message at my Doctors office I called again. Since I had not received a call back and the pharmacist had not received my prescription, I was afraid the matter wouldn't be handled before they closed for they weekend.

The on-call doctor had prescribed painkillers and an MRI for my injured back. His last communication had been to tell me to call a neurologist for an immediate appointment. I was able to schedule an appointment for 6 days later - a special accommodation.

I was in pain and knew the meds would not last me 6 days - or even through the weekend. The on-call doctor left early and his nurse told me to call my own doctor first thing in the morning to get the prescription I needed. I called, as instructed, at 8:30 Friday morning.

Okay, sometimes things take longer than I want them to. But I didn't think I was committing a transgression by calling again 6 hours later. The telephone receptionist let me know how wrong I was! She immediately informed me that the nurse was busy and did not have time to return my call.

Message I heard: "You are not important."

When I (in pain) tried to explain the problem, she cut me off and told me how busy the office was. She implied that I was being completely unreasonable by asking her to do anything to make sure the nurse had received my message.

Message I heard: "You are stupid for thinking you deserve any help."

Then she informed me that by law they had 48 hours to respond to a request for medication (not true, I learned later). She then told me (sternly) to stop blaming her; she couldn't do anything to solve the problem.

Message I heard: "I (telephone voice) am right and you are wrong. There is something wrong with you for wanting a narcotic."

That's when I lost it. In tears, I said, "You could at least be nice about it," and hung up the phone.

I left another message for the nurse who called back immediately and helped me solve the prescription problem.

I told the nurse about the discourtesy and she told me that the telephone receptionist had just complained to her about me! (The nurse also told me that the 48-hour law was nonsense.)

Wouldn't it have been a lot easier for the telephone receptionist to simply say, "I'm sorry for the delay; I'll ask the nurse to call you?"

Message I would have heard but didn't: "I care and I will do my best to help you."

A tiny bit of empathy would have gone a long way.

I called later and left a message about the discourtesy for the office manager. The person I spoke with at the business office was polite, professional and helpful.

I have consulted with many professional offices and I know how hard they usually work to maintain good client relations - and how a single employee can ruin a company's reputation. I'll also send the office manager a copy of this article.

Perhaps someone you know should read it also... Please pass it on.

Communicate skillfully about sensitive subjects. http://www.DareToSayIt.com
Laurie Weiss, Ph.D. is a Master Certified Coach and communication expert. Dr. Weiss has spent 35 years helping clients resolve conflict in business and personal relationships. Email feedback@laurieweiss.com
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Humor in Customer Service and How It Can Help Your Business

Josh Stone offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: Humor in Customer Service and How It Can Help Your Business
Author: Josh Stone
Category: Customer Service, Business, Marketing
Word Count: 1093
Keywords: business, customer service, management, employee, work, job, career, humor, sale, marketing, manager
Author's Email Address: barringersteve2@yahoo.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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Now, wait a minute. You are not a stage comedian or an actor. Your job is to sell something, not put on a clown act. How does humor fit into customer service?

And that's exactly why this works: Everybody thinks just like the above paragraph. Because everybody thinks that way, nobody uses humor to ease a customer transaction. This causes the business world to take on a droning, monotonous tone: "How are you?" "Would you like a receipt?" "Thank you for shopping with us." "Can I get you anything to drink with that?" "How may I assist you?'

It goes on and on, a routine that everybody sleepwalks through. Clearly, you don't have to be very funny to break up the rhythm. Even a little, tiny bit funny does very, very well in the jet stream of flowing consciousness that is the consumer's day. And they will remember it for the rest of the day.

Here is one of the best examples I've ever seen from real life. Do you like calling a business and hearing one of those droning phone menus that tell you to push a button for each option? Well, here's another one:

Welcome to International Discount Brokerage!
This call may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance.
For stock trading, press 1.
To order a new account kit, press 2.
For stock quotes, press 3.
For other customer service, press 4.
If you are a netware points benefits customer, press 5.
To hear more about our easy-buy program, where you can secure future stock credits, press 6.
If you would like to hear a duck quack, press 7.
If you know your party's extension, press 8.
To return to the main menu, press 9...
Or stay on the line for the next available customer service representative.
Thank you.

By the book, isn't it? This is a real example from a real business. When customers pressed seven, they got exactly what they asked for: a recorded sound of one, routine duck quack. Then the menu came back. Believe it or not, this simple, silly trick led to millions of additional calls and eventually a 75% increase in new accounts! No really logical reason, except that people tended to view the business favorably if they could be a serious business and yet still have the grace to make a little fun of their own menu. This also helps to alleviate the tension of customers calling, since many people report that they don't like automated phone menus.

Another co-worker had an interesting, amusing story he could tell. It was just something funny that happened to him. It took two minutes, tops, to run through, was very simple, and had no possibility of offending anyone. Those of us who worked with him heard it so many times that we got to memorize it ourselves. The handy thing was that he could bring it out to keep a customer occupied for two minutes while they were waiting for a transaction to be completed.

He could use it to break tension, lighten a customer's mood, make a new friend, and sometimes he even changed it a little in order to work it in. To those of us who heard it all the time, it sounded almost like a recording, but the first time everybody heard it, they laughed or at least smiled, because he could tell it so naturally. I never once heard a customer complain about this employee; in fact, he got bonuses and good reviews all the time. It was simple, and yet brilliant in its simplicity.

You must always be careful not to have the possibility to offend anyone. Make sure that if the joke must poke fun at a target, the target is you. The shorter it is, the better. People who simply have no time or aren't in the mood won't mind that way, but the rest will smile or laugh. You, yourself might get tired of hearing yourself say it, but professional comedians do this all the time; they can memorize a spiel and tell it naturally and fluidly, from years of practice. The point is that you lightened the mood, made somebody smile, they subconsciously like you a little more, and you have also headed off a potential bad mood if the customer was already feeling a little stress.

Computers are a popular target. Stress from the inadequacies of dealing with computers are something any of us can identify with. And we all have computers at point-of-sale transactions, waiting for them to bring up an account, print out a receipt, or get an order loaded into the database. When working with computers behind a counter, I always took advantage of a hesitation on the machine's part. Again, this is just something fast, simple, and silly. Pick up the mouse and talk into it like a microphone, as if trying to wake the computer up, or move your hand by the side of the monitor as if you were turning an imaginary crank to make it run faster.

When it did what I wanted it to do, sometimes I'd pat it on top of the monitor and say "Good boy!" before turning back to the customer. This quick, silly gestures help to establish that I couldn't control everything, that slowness on my part was due to the machines and not my lack of trying. And it almost never failed that customers would launch into a remark or story about their frustrations in dealing with computers as well. It just helps to lighten the mood a little and everything goes more smoothly.

Sometimes, as in the phone menu example, it is also helpful to make a little light fun of your company's own bureaucracy. We all have to deal with filling out complicated forms: stamp this, staple that, file it somewhere, sign something, and so on. Be sure that you have your manager's approval for this one, and be sure you aren't putting down your own employer. The key here is to make a light poke at the system itself, so that your customer understands that it's the best way you have of dealing with something, but you realize it's not perfect. Paperwork, like phone menus and computers, is another minor hassle that we all have to put up with, and so this also helps to identify that you empathize with frustrations the customer might have with the inadequacies of your system.

Surprisingly, humor in customer service isn't actually so silly at all. It is serious business, costs nothing to implement, and in most cases can show an improvement on the bottom line. You just might laugh yourself right into a promotion!

Freelance writer for over eleven years.

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Building a Strong Customer Service Team

Amy Nutt offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: Building a Strong Customer Service Team
Author: Amy Nutt
Category: Customer Service
Word Count: 677
Keywords: customer service training
Author's Email Address: amy@searchenginepeople.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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There are more and more demands being made of front line team members, and sometimes the pressure can be heard by your customer. As the leader of a customer facing team you must be aware of what is going on with your team members - how to best support them, develop their skills and handle some tough situations. Building a strong customer service team is no easy feat. Here are some suggestions for building and strengthening your team:

Hire the right people
Decide up front what skills, strengths and personality you want on the team. The team creates its own culture based on your leadership. Be clear in interviews about what expectations you have for the job, what will create success and how it will be measured. As you narrow down candidates it's a good idea to have them meet a few people on the team. Let the candidates get a feel for the team they may be working with.

Be a team member as well as a manager and leader
A successful team is only as successful as each individual team member. By viewing each role as an integral part of the team, not as a subordinate, each team member feels valued. This results in greater trust, smoother communication and better individual and team results.

Model the behaviour you want to see
As a leader you are the role model for the team. They set the tone based on you. When things go wrong they look to you for help. After a tough customer call it's important that they feel they can tell you about it - for two reasons: you never want to be broad sided by an irate customer or customer issue, and you want your team to have trust in you. You can information gather after a tough call which allows you to identify any trends in product issues or identify any training or interpersonal issues. The sooner these are identified the better.

Jointly set objectives
It's amazing what happens when team members are asked to set monthly objectives! They gravitate toward those tasks that best utilize their skills. Once your team members are clear of the overall objectives they can begin to make them their own. They explore how they can best support and advance the departmental objectives. In a monthly one on one meeting you invite your direct reports to prepare what they each feel are reasonable objectives for the next month. Your role is to ensure that these objectives are moving the individual and team forward in achieving the overall objectives. Delegate any task that you feel is best done by this person if they haven't already added it on to the list. Inform the team member why you would like them to take it on (remember that the buy in is much greater when you provide scope). If the team is working in harmony the progress toward completing these objective increases. Result: a more motivated, productive team.

Handle problems as soon as they arise
Just as we want customer problems to be handled immediately, it's important to assist in problem resolution as soon as it arises. Here's a watch point: you want to let your team members to step out and try new things, take chances and manage the consequences; however you need to be there as the support system if they need you and to help as needed. Be there, be available and be supportive.

Develop your team members
Look at each team member as an individual. If one of your team members is very detail oriented try to give that person process tasks that utilize those strengths. If another team member is a high level type of person who achieves good results with the efforts of others get that person involved in a team project. Taking this individual approach will result in happier, more productive and satisfied team members.

The bottom line is that you as the manager set the tone, direction and expectations for the team. How you work with each person, the team and each situation is an important part of creating a positive, focused and energized team!

Canadian Management Centre's Customer Service Training seminars, provide the skills and techniques to improve customer satisfaction.
http://www.cmctraining.org/
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How to Identify With a Customer in Your Business Industry

Josh Stone offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: How to Identify With a Customer in Your Business Industry
Author: Josh Stone
Category: Customer Service, Business
Word Count: 746
Keywords: customer service, business, customer, hospitality, industry, restaurant, people, job, work, career
Author's Email Address: barringersteve2@yahoo.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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No matter what industry you work in, this can be applied to your line of work, especially in the hospitality industry.

Nearly half the jobs held at any given time are service positions. It's the way our economy works. The vital function of helping customers get the service and goods they want is pretty much everything that keeps the wheels going round. Amongst the special skills this position takes is being good with people.

"Good with people"; we hear that phrase so much, but what does it really mean? It means understanding people on the same level that a rocket scientist understands a rocket. A service and sales person is, in short, an expert in interfacing with the public.

Your customer is typically looking for an efficient transaction. Especially in today's society, they are probably pressed for time and have a million other things on their minds. There are harried parents running errands, stressed business persons who don't have a lot of time, and all manner of people with a hundred other concerns besides the immediate matter at hand.

An old saying that you should keep with you at all times: "Be kind; everybody's fighting a battle, even if you can't see it." It is just a fact of life that you will encounter customers who are rude, obnoxious, offensive, or even... just between us professionals... just plain disturbed. But you are forced to cope with them within the space of your brief transaction, hopefully to make the best of it. But, without many exceptions, you will discover that if you were to see below the surface of some of your more difficult clients, that there is much more going on in their big picture than you can see.

Every now and then, this happens: You get into a confrontation with somebody, maybe it gets pretty heated, and then something odd happens where you have to get to know each other a little better - and suddenly you make up and become friends! Now how in the world did that happen? What actually happened is, you're both good people, but you got off on the wrong foot, because you were strangers.

Nothing magnifies this problem like the Internet. People get in outrageously heated fights on Internet forums all the time, taunting each other back and forth as if they were in kindergarten, and yet if you met each of the participants face to face and talked with them for five minutes, you'd usually conclude that neither of them were all that bad. But the nature of the computer screens out facial data, tone of voice, gestures, and all of the other subtle cues we use to understand each other. We have only the printed text, which is great for articles and books but not always good for casual conversation.

Back in the "real world" where you deal with people face to face, many of the same effects apply. Some of your days in the customer service industry go by where your longest transaction is two minutes. Filtered through that short a period, a tiny misunderstanding can bloom into a full-scale fight - without either parties' intending it.

You also have to take factors of position in life into account. People who aren't fluent in your language, the very old or very young, the disabled, or people with impaired cognitive functions may all be prime candidates for a communication accident. These are the times when you have to be extra courteous and patient. Give these people an extra minute to sort things out than you would a regular customer.

For those "problem people" who seem determined to make trouble for you, the thing to focus on is to not react emotionally. People can not rage forever at a blank wall; their single-person, one-sided fight will expire in a matter of minutes, and as any customer service phone representative can tell you, their emotional state will dip and they will be remorseful for what they have done. The best thing to do is to protect both your own dignity and that of the hostile person as well. this isn't always easily done - some people seem so determined to make fools of themselves that you have to wonder if they get some kind of thrill out of humiliation.

At the end of the day, forgive the difficult people, be happy for the much larger number of well-adjusted people, and forgive yourself, as well. We are all imperfect humans, even with as hard as we try to correct that.

Freelance writer for over eleven years.

Looking for a discount on your work uniforms and accessories? You might want to check out these sites.
http://www.bestbuyuniforms.com
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------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------

15 Tips to Help You Increase Sales, Profitability and Customer Loyalty

Pat Hassett offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: 15 Tips to Help You Increase Sales, Profitability and Customer Loyalty
Author: Pat Hassett
Category: Sales, Customer Service, Small Business
Word Count: 825
Keywords: sales training, sales coaching, customer service training, customer service coaching, sales articles
Author's Email Address: phassett@salesnowonline.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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You may find some of these tips to be familiar. Maybe you practice some of them now. Or maybe they have slipped from your memory and your daily routine. Others may even be new to you. Whatever your circumstance, they're just as valid now as they ever were - and perhaps more relevant today than ever before. Put them to regular use and watch your sales, your profits and your customer loyalty increase to new heights.

1. Employ a consultative approach to selling. Learn about your customer's business and find out how you can help them achieve their strategic goals. Propose solutions that will alleviate their "pain", and allow them to realize reduced costs, higher productivity or increased revenues.

2. Offer what you know - not just what you sell. Customers expect more today than ever before. Share your expertise with them. The value you add to your relationship with your customers will come back to you in the form of increased sales and customer loyalty.

3. Find out "what's in it" for your prospect. How would a successful outcome affect them personally? What do they hope to achieve by doing business with you? Sure, your proposal needs to make good business sense - to be a good business decision for your prospect. But dig deeper. Find out how they'll personally benefit from doing business with you and make their "dreams come true."

4. Work with your prospects to prioritize their stated goals. Whatever change to their situation your solution offers, it must align with your prospect's priorities. Help them identify, rank and place a value on relieving their "pain points."

5. Remember that you're selling benefits, solutions and results - not features. Your customer doesn't care how many bells and whistles your product boasts. They just want to know what it will do for them. Show them how your product or service will streamline operations, foster higher employee retention, increase sales, reduce costs or help them achieve their highest-level strategic priorities.

6. Become a trusted advisor. Demonstrate to your customers that you will serve their best interests by staying informed about their business and their industry, by offering only those products or services that will truly benefit them and by providing relevant, meaningful information to them before and after the sale.

7. Be disciplined. Move yourself to take action - plan your day in writing - use a database of your contacts. Make yourself do the things you know you should do.

8. Systematize your process. Script what you'll say, when you'll say it, and how you'll say it. Practice until it flows naturally. Become the script.

9. Follow up. Implement and support your solution. Don't become a "one hit wonder." Stay in touch with your customer. Continue to add value to your relationship. Be in it for the long haul.

10. Adjust your mindset to be customer-focused rather than outcome-focused. This mindset will yield benefits to you during the entire sales process - from the early stages of prospecting to closing the sale - and beyond. It will ease performance pressure and allow you to become a strategic partner with your customers. Can you say "customer loyalty?"

11. Use success stories to illustrate the results your prospect can expect by doing business with you. Customers don't want to be "guinea pigs." They don't usually want to be the "first kid on their block" to try something untested. They just want to know that your product or service will give them the results they want and need.

12. Quality beats quantity when it comes to prospecting. Working backwards, determine the number of prospects you need to talk with to reach your sales goals. Determine what characteristics are common among your best customers. Then contact the number of prospects required to meet your sales goals who also share those characteristics. By doing so you'll be selling to a very targeted market.

13. Be ready to resolve customer complaints with a cool head. Actively listen. Find a mutually agreeable solution.

14. Selling is a high level of customer service. Customer service, when delivered properly, equals additional sales, higher profits and more loyal customers.

15. Welcome your customers to your business as if you were welcoming friends to your home. Customers are all we have. Treat each of them as if they were your only customer. Don't be too quick to jump from customer to customer based on which one appears to hold the most promise at any given moment. You're in it for the long haul. Be sure to bring your customers along for the ride as you travel the road to sales success.

Really knowing your customers, and treating each of them as if they were your only customer; focusing on their highest priority needs and helping them solve their problems; being a trusted advisor to them: these are the "stuff" of great customer service and of successful, professional selling. Practice these tips. Your efforts will result in increased sales, profits and customer loyalty.

© 2005 Patrick A. Hassett. All rights reserved.

Pat Hassett draws on more than 30 years experience in sales, sales management and sales support in a number of industries. He specializes in helping non-traditional salespeople become competent and confident in their sales efforts. Learn more at www.salesnowonline.com and http://blog.pathassett.com.
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How to Deal with a Hostile Customer

Josh Stone offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: How to Deal with a Hostile Customer
Author: Josh Stone
Category: Customer Service, Business
Word Count: 1017
Keywords: customer, service, job, work, employment, manager, employer, business, worker, uniforms, company
Author's Email Address: barringersteve2@yahoo.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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Any job which involves customer service will, before long, involve a few unpleasant encounters with at least one customer who has a problem about something. There is a notable difference between customers who have an understandable complaint, and those who seem to just seem to have a personal problem.

Some complaints will have merit. For instance, if something was defective or missing. The chef made the wrong order by mistake, or you brought one too few items to the table. The purpose of this article is not to diminish the importance of expecting certain services to be done in a satisfactory manner. But inevitably, some people will cross the line. Anyone who has ever worked in a service-related position will have many stories to tell about people who threaten legal action or try to get people fired. Many companies even offer training videos and seminars that explains how to effectively handle verbal abuse from customers.

Remembering these rules will help you get through the situation with both your dignity and your sanity intact, while preserving as much goodwill for the company as possible.

Body language actually matters, for purely psychological reasons. When the customer is complaining to you, do not cross your arms. It is perceived as a message that you don't actually care about what the customer is saying, even if you don't really mean that. If the customer picks up on the idea that you have dismissed their complaint as petty, you're going to be in for a bumpy ride. Many managers even advise that you keep your arms at your sides while the customer speaks to you, because then you are not creating a subliminal barrier between the customer and yourself.

These things seem so little and minor, but have two friends help you by letting you each tell them something, where one keeps their arms open and the other folds their arms in front of them. You really do get the feeling that the person with the arms folded is blocking you out and they don't understand you!

Eye contact, even though sometimes it is unpleasant and scary, is also a helpful tool. If customers get the feeling that you understand what they're trying to convey, they are more likely to discuss their problem with you in a calm, rational manner.

At the very least they will understand that you are trying to see their point of view. Though it might sound like a simple tactic to appease them, a few head nods as they explain their situation can also do wonders. This is not something that you should overdo. People can tell when you're just trying to make them stop talking, and that might be pretty obvious if you look like you are nodding too much.

The customer service training that many employers provide also suggests that you take notes. This is only in the case of time and circumstance permitting, as obviously you wouldn't be able to pull out a notepad and start scrawling if you're standing at a cash register and the lineup behind the irate guest is in danger of turning into an angry mob at a moment's notice. It is more likely only something to do if you know the customer's issue is extremely complicated or it is something that you're going to have to relay to someone else later on.

Be calm and be quiet. It might not be easy, but you will have an easier time if you don't talk too much during the interaction. It may be tempting to give some of these people a taste of their own medicine, but don't. You will feel better for about five seconds, then the customer will renew the attack. People are not going to give up until things are fixed to their satisfaction. Snapping back at them will inevitably make things worse every time. Shouting matches are always a bad thing; they tend to attract the attention of everyone else in the general area. You will not want that kind of attention, especially not from your manager.

That being said, it's also not usually a good idea to stand there and say absolutely nothing. This is because it tends to make people feel as if you either don't understand their problem or that they're not going to get anywhere by dealing with you. If they're complaining, chances are they want something from the company.

But what do you say to such a person, when their anger has transcended the boundaries of good taste and common sense? In this case, short sentences like "I see," and "I understand," can work wonders. Repeat what the customer has told you. It makes them feel like they have been heard. This has has the power to calm some very irate people down. Sometimes they will even surprise you and apologize, later!

The last thing to remember is, don't take it personally. Some inconsiderate people will think they can mock you for making an innocent mistake or even insult your intelligence. Some people can be downright rude, but you have to remember that they're angry at the situation, and you are just a bystander. Get used to all the usual tactics of the rude customer: they might yell, they might scream, they might throw a fit, and they frequently might vow never to patronize your place of employment again and threaten to see that you lose your job.

They are probably not actually mad at you, especially if they're complaining about a wrong order or something similar. Many innumerable factors could have contributed to this situation. Chances are that you're just the person who happens to be taking the flack. Your co-workers will understand that it's not fun. People will always have complaints, however, and until people stop having complaints, there will always be people who let their emotions get the better of them.

All you have to do is resolve not to be one of them. And by all means, make it easy on yourself; if at all possible, have another employee or a manager take over for you, especially if you feel your emotions getting a rise out of you.

Freelance writer for over eleven years.

Looking for a discount on your work uniforms and accessories? You might want to check out these sites.
http://www.bestbuyuniforms.com
http://www.restaurantuniformsonline.com
http://www.uniformscrubsonline.com
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Simple Tips For Pleasing Your Customers

Adrian Adams offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: Simple Tips For Pleasing Your Customers
Author: Adrian Adams
Category: Customer Service
Word Count: 431
Keywords: happy customers
Author's Email Address: articles@thompsonenterprisesonline.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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The first tenet in pleasing customers is very simply - treat customers the way you would like to be treated. A happy customer will return and potentially be your best marketing asset as they tell their friends. This usually leads to a very successful business. A great start would be to hire employees who are 'people friendly.' Courtesy should be your policy. Give your staff a good deal of latitude in resolving customer issues. One and done is a great slogan. Of course you can't 'give the shop away,' but strategic authority for your customer service representatives will go a long way towards satisfying your customers.

It's very important that your staff is well trained, understand your products, can explain their use to your customers and clearly and precisely answer questions. In some industries, your sales associates can help with color selection or accessories. Pleasing your customers and knowing their needs is important for a thriving business.

Ensure you have an ample supply of merchandise on hand or ship your goods very quickly. When customers are ready to buy, you want to be able to fill their order. Merchandise or the service you are selling should be top quality. This will bring in repeat customers and help your business grow. It's also good business to clearly display your return policy. The policy should be easily understood and fair to your customers.

Always respect your customer's time. Having enough sales help or cashiers to meet peak demands will be very pleasing to your customers. If you have a call service center, you should alert those on hold to the approximate waiting time and suggest alternative times to call when there will be very short hold time. Many call centers are being moved offshore and staffed with cheaper foreign employees. It's important they speak slow and clear. Even so, surveys indicate that customers are much more s satisfied with US based call centers. Customer's satisfaction scores for foreign call centers are 25% below domestic call centers and clients are almost twice as likely to find another business partner due to difficulty in understanding and issues with solving customer problems.

A great way to build a loyal customer base and build a profitable business is to be honest and tell a customer when a specific product is not right for him. Your customer will be pleased you are a concerned and caring businessperson and you will have a life-long loyal customer.

The author would like you to visit http://www.davidwilliamsonline.com/
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What Ever Happen To Customer Service

Fred Hueston offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: What Ever Happen To Customer Service
Author: Fred Hueston
Category: Customer Service
Word Count: 554
Keywords: customer service
Author's Email Address: fhueston@aol.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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The other day I went into drug store and was standing at the counter to ask the gal where I could find a certain type of aspirin. She was on the phone apparently talking to someone she knew. She looked up at me and didn't even acknowledge I was there waiting. The pharmacist was busy filling an order and totally ignored me. I waited until she was off the phone and she walked over to the pharmacist and then left out the back door, leaving me standing there. Needless to say, I will never go back there again. My question is; what ever happen to customer service?

Fred: You're not alone my friend. I have seen this same trend over and over again not only in retail stores but throughout the business world.

Lyna: I have too. Just the other day I was getting a cup of coffee at one of those fancy coffee shops and the guy behind the counter couldn't even get my drink order straight.

Fred: Gone are the days when you would walk into a store and they would fall over backwards to help you out.

Lyna: you can say that again, Fred.

Fred: I know I have been starting to seek out businesses that are more customer friendly. A good example of this is a little drug store in town that I now visit. When I go in there they call me by name and go out of there way to be friendly.

Lyna: this is just the type of service that needs to be brought back into business.

Fred: and if one is smart they will make sure that they implement this type of service.

Lyna; we all like to be recognized and treated with respect

Fred: and the business that provides this type of service is one that will succeed.

Lyna: it's a great way to grow your business and doesn't require a lot of effort.

Fred: I don't care if own a restaurant, a retail store or even if you do business over the internet, good friendly customer service is key and you will be growing your business in no time

Lyna: what are some of the things business can do to make sure they are providing great customer service?

Fred: The first thing would be to listen to your customer. Don't make assumptions and learn to develop a good ear. Don't be afraid to ask the customer what they need or what you can do to improve.

Lyna: Remember your customers don't purchase a product or a service they purchase what makes them feel good.

Fred: This is true, you don't buy a type of car because it's practical, you buy it because it makes you feel special.

Lyna: I would also make an effort to learn your customer's name.

Fred; Nothing is more impressive when you walk into a store and they know you by name. That makes me feel special almost all the time.

Lyna: Constantly strive to improve your product, the services that you offer, etc

Fred: And remember to always give more than expected and the return will be reflected in your bottom line.

Lyna: There are several excellent books out there on customer service and I would suggest that you Google customer service books to find them

Fred: and if you don't do anything else, make sure to thank your customers. Be sincere with your gratitude.

Fred and Lyna host the popular radio show called Growing Your Business. It can be heard at http://www.growingyourbusiness.net
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Finding New Customers Is Not Always Easy

Hans Hasselfors offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: Finding New Customers Is Not Always Easy
Author: Hans Hasselfors
Category: Customer Service
Word Count: 1336
Keywords: customer, customers, customer service
Author's Email Address: hans.hasselfors@telia.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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So what is new customers really all about? The following article includes some fascinating knowledge around new customers--info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

Good times, bad times, business ups and downs. Profit gains and money loss in a merry-sales-go-round. Oh yeah! Finding new customers is not always simple, and you can suffer for it during those times when it's not.

You can keep putting out the deals in expensive advertising, but when that fails does that mean you go broke? Definitely not!

Not if you have already built up a customer base, and have provided those customers with acceptable service and good products. What you have built up by carrying out this is your company's number one asset.

Do you know how much that asset is worth? Do you know the lifetime value of your customers? That is how much a customer spends a year on average with you, times the number of years they stay a customer, times the number of customers you have.

It can add up to a lot, if you are doing things in the proper way.

Do you have marketing geared toward your present customers?
Do you take the trouble to discover out things they specifically and generally like and dislike? Do you ask what you might do to serve them better? Do you publicize a solid guarantee and honor it?

With the right customer service you can maintain your customers for LIFE!

Find out information about your customers. Keep a register of their names and addresses so you can keep in constant communication with them by sending a heads-up on deals, new stock, and anything that would make them feel special. Postcards are perfect for doing that. Even get their month and day of birth so you can send them birthday cards giving them their own special discount on anything they want.

Give away things to your customers. Make promotional items freely available like pens, pencils, pocket planners, calendars, calculators, key-chains, mugs, you name it. All those things will have your business name, address, and phone number on them. Sending something like that to them in the mail would even give it more value in your customer's eyes. The more useful the item, the more you will be in the customers sight and mind. That is a good thing!

If you have a clothing store, get to know your customer's sizes. As soon as they walk in the door, greet them by name and say you have saved something for them that you know will look great on them. Then pick the newest most expensive piece of clothing to show them. Say that they simply must try it on, and while they will be in the changing room anyway, fix them up with everything to go with it for trying on as well. You will collect sales for more items once they see how good they look in them. Throw them over the edge by giving them a break in price if they get the entire outfit with accessories.

If you do not have a clothing store, find a way to get samples of what you do have to your customers that they can try. Get them to use something on a trial basis. Once you do that, their ownership of it is practically assured! Once someone is in possession of something, giving it up creates the painful emotion of loss.

A happy customer is a loyal customer. Loyalty comes by your customers knowing you care about them, are actively educating them in the things they are interested in, and knowing you will continuously be able to meet their needs in the best way for them.

The customer is always right in that they know what they want. You are always on top of it by presenting what you have as not only something they want, but something they've got to have. And not just something they themselves got to have. Maybe they have a husband, wife, or children. Compel your customer to treat the family too.

Here is something to jump on. Perhaps your customer is a business owner. Get that person to send the customers for their business over to your business. Beyond word of mouth referral, they can do that by giving coupons good for things in your store, or maybe you can get permission to put a raffle box in their store that gives prizes given by your store. You can either pay them to do it or return the favor. There can be many ways to help each other in cooperation, even paying each other commissions, and also bundling your two company's products and services together at favorable prices for customers. You will find that such arrangements, called Joint Venture Partnering, can be very lucrative as it quickly builds your customer base.

It pays to know your customer, and to know how to supplement and expand your products and services with things like go-along additions, deluxe automatic maintenance service, special package deals, premium upgrades, complimentary products, etc. Think of anything you can.

Give your customer something to put in their purse or wallet, something that equals money to them. A discount card that gives discounts on purchases, or a buyers card that gives rewards after a determined amount of purchases accumulated from multiple visits are two examples. The surest way to get your customer to spend more with you is getting them a charge card. Your own store credit card in your customer's possession is guaranteed to spike sales.

You will have a solid relationship with the customers you have already gotten, and through that relationship, your business will evolve!

This gives lifetime value of a customer a whole other meaning. You are finding ways to improve yourself and your business. Take periodic customer surveys. That way the customer is giving intellectual input as well as money into your business, and if you are innovative enough to make use of them, the customer will more than likely also be giving you new customers by recommending you to their friends.

Other things you can do: offer your customers incentives for making referrals & collect testimonial stories from them to use in your ads because the best advertising comes from satisfied customers. Not only that, a customer that gives a testimonial for you will become even more loyal by doing it. Imagine that! It just goes to show how things get solidified when written down. Do you write down the goals you have for your business? How about the goals of your business?

Write a Service Pledge to your customers. Post it up where you do business so your customers know what great service they can expect. Find the greatest benefit that solves the most major concern to your customers, perhaps something unique that no other business in the area offers. Make a catchy slogan out of it. Use it wherever the name of your business is displayed so that your business will be known by the slogan. When employees eagerly answer the phone, have them not only say the name of the business, but the slogan as well, followed by giving their name and asking "how may I help you?"

If you spruce up your business enough to make it an interesting topic of conversation, your customers will even talk you up to strangers they meet. Your reputation will travel by work of mouth.

Instead of you looking to find new customers, they will be finding you. And on top of that, their lifetime value will be much greater by your building the greater value into your business. This happens just by catering to your present customers rather than doing the usual routine of chasing after new ones.

That is why you will never lack if you keep your customers coming back.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of new customers. Share your new understanding about new customers with others. They'll thank you for it.

About the Author:
Hans Hasselfors is the founder of http://www.SubmitYourNewArticle.com. You may find varied customer service articles in our article directory.
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How to Guarantee You'll Get Referrals

Jim Klein offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: How to Guarantee You'll Get Referrals
Author: Jim Klein
Category: Sales, Customer Service
Word Count: 876
Keywords: customer service tip, customer service article, quality customer service, sales training, sales
Author's Email Address: articles@fromtheheartsalestraining.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------

"Customer service is the never-ending pursuit of excellence to keep customers so satisfied they tell others of the way they were treated in your place of business."

A big problem in the sales world today is that many salespeople and companies spend more time and money to get a new client than to keep their current clients satisfied.

One of the keys to customer service is go the extra mile. Give the client more than they paid for. Treat everyone like they are the most important person in the world and they will become "raving fans".

Let me give you an example of bad customer service and then an example of good customer service.

I contract a company to take care of my lawn in the summer and plow the snow for me in the winter. I had one company that's been doing both the lawn care and snowplowing for me the last couple of years.

The guy who rides the mower drives at a very quick pace over my lawn. In my backyard there is a line of pine trees along one side of my lot line on the east side. When it rains, as it did quite frequently last year, the ground along the trees stays wet.

If you've seen the latest riding mowers they use, when the mower turns, the back wheels turn 180 degrees. As a result of the speed he was traveling and then turning so quickly, he was digging up my lawn. I talked with him on numerous occasions; however, it didn't seem to make a difference. He came back the next week and did the same thing.

My dissatisfaction with him continue this past winter. I opted not to sign a contract for snowplowing. Instead I decided to pay him per trip. He never came out and said anything directly, however, I could tell by his attitude, he wasn't happy about my decision.

The agreement was for him to plow when there was three inches of snow. At least three or four times he plowed my driveway when there was one inch or less of snow on it. I called and had a conversation with him on each occasion. With each conversation he became increasingly annoyed to the point of getting downright belligerent. In the end I ended up paying the money I would have spent on signing the contract.

Instead of trying to find a solution that would be a win-win for both of us, he decided he was right and it didn't matter what I thought. He was more concerned with the money he would make than he was providing his customer with good quality and service.

Needless to say I fired him.

This spring I hired a new company to do my lawn service. I made the owner aware of the issue with the lawn along the trees and he has been very conscious of not digging up the lawn.

About a week and a half ago on Thursday I received a phone call from the owner of the new company. He was calling to let me know that he would be cutting my lawn on Friday that week instead of Thursday because he was running a day late on account of the rain.

He also wanted to know if his work was to my satisfaction and if there was anything I would like done differently. We had a very pleasant, short conversation and when I hung up the phone, I turned to my girlfriend to tell her what had just happened.

I was absolutely blown away by this phone call. It wouldn't have mattered to me if he cut it on Thursday or Friday, however, the fact that he took the time to let me know, and to see if his work was to my satisfaction, showed me he cared, and was willing to go the extra mile, to over deliver.

In two years with the other company I never once received a phone call like that and the conversations we did have showed me he cared about only one thing; himself, and the money he would make

I know your probably thinking it was a little thing he did making that phone call, however, it's the little things that make a big difference. It made a big difference to me, and I'm the one paying the bill.

Which company do you think I would recommend?

How does your customer service compare to the two examples I've given? Or do you fall someplace in the middle?

Are you going out of your way to make your clients and customers happy, or are you doing just enough to make the sale and then move on to next one?

When you go the extra mile, and when you do the little extra things, you will stand out from the competition and turn your clients into "raving fans".

When you ask for referrals they will be more than happy to give you some. When their friends and associates ask who they purchased from, they'll be more than willing to sing your praises.

It doesn't take a lot of effort to please people; however, the returns you'll receive will be more than worth the effort.

How can you go the extra mile and provide better customer service for your clients and turn them in to "raving fans"?

Jim Klein helps salespeople fine tune the sales process so they can confidently close more sales and create long term relationships. Get free sales training by subscribing to our free newsletter "The Sales Advisor" at: http://www.fromtheheartsalestraining.com/sales-advisor.html.
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Loyalty Shouldn't Be Your Customer's Problem

Robert Howard offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
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Article Title: Loyalty Shouldn't Be Your Customer's Problem
Author: Robert Howard
Category: Customer Service, Management, Small Business
Word Count: 1980
Keywords: loyalty, customer loyalty, loyalty program, loyalty card, customer experience
Author's Email Address: rhoward@everestkc.net
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------

Not all loyalty programs are created equal: some work like super glue to keep customers coming back again and again while others can backfire. Loyalty programs can backfire when they put too much of a burden on the customer for participation. In order to do it right, companies should look for ways to make their loyalty programs as convenient and transparent as possible to the customer.

WHEN LOYALTY PROGRAMS GO BAD

Customers may visit your business for a variety of reasons. They may love the convenience, quality, price, or experience. But when they know that they won't get their "reward", it can sour even the sweetest customer experience. In some cases, the customer may shop a competitor to get that little item just to avoid the perception that they'd be paying too much without their loyalty card.

Our neighborhood grocery store has a discount program that is activated when I scan my frequent shopper key fob. I've been a loyal customer for years and have spent piles of money at this store. However, I recently ran in to buy a few items and forgot my frequent shopper card. Despite my loyalty, they refused to provide me with the frequent buyer discount: no card - no discount. The entire experience was tainted by the fact that I felt like I paid too much and wasn't treated like a loyal customer.

In the case of club membership cards, it can be even more black and white. Consider how a few of the larger membership-only retailers such as CostCo or Sam's Club require physical proof of membership: no membership card - no deal. Personally, I don't carry my CostCo card with me unless I'm planning a trip to their store. If I'm out without my membership card, I have no choice but to shop elsewhere for items I could get at CostCo.

Loyalty programs are intended to treat your best customers - better. They are intended to create barriers to defection, increase shopping frequency, and improve the customer experience. But when the customer forgets their loyalty card, the customer is the one that is penalized. As a result, the customer pays the price and the relationship can be damaged. When that happens, all of the good intentions of the loyalty program can backfire.

Love the Card or Love the Experience?

In my experience, I have seen companies launch loyalty card programs with the hopes that the card itself will build loyalty. It doesn't work that way; customers don't become loyal just because of a loyalty card. Sure, frequent flyer programs that are synonymous with airline and hotel chains can influence customer choices and behaviors, but that doesn't mean that the card was the sole reason for loyalty.

Let's not lose sight of the primary driver of customer loyalty; it's about the experience. I once heard a story about an airline company that was contacting its most loyal customers based on participation in its frequent flyer program. They asked one customer why he liked their airline so much and were taken aback when he replied, "I don't like your airline. The only reason I fly on your airline is that it's the only connection between point A and B." Make sure that your customers are loyal to your company because of the experience, not because of the loyalty program!

Buy 10 Get 1 Free

Another popular and low-tech loyalty program is the reward punch card. You've probably run into a business somewhere along the way that offers one of these reward cards. Each time you make a purchase, they punch a hole in the card. After your tenth purchase, you get the next one free. The idea, of course, is to increase the frequency of the customer visits and increase loyalty. Again, too often the punch card gets lost or forgotten - and so do the benefits intended for the loyalty program.

If we've learned anything, it's that customer behaviors and habits are hard to change. If Joe gets his hair cut once very four weeks, a punch card probably isn't incentive enough to change that behavior. A 2006 study conducted by Assistant Professors Wesley R. Hartmann and Brian Viard at the Stanford Graduate School of Business supports that theory. Their study indicated that such programs had only minimal - if any - effects in increasing buying frequency. Too often, companies that utilize a punch card reward program may not be getting the intended return on investment. Customer behaviors are hard to change; just try to get them to carry around another punch card in their purse or wallet.

HOW TO DO LOYALTY RIGHT

Today's customer is already burdened with a dizzying array of offers, promotions, coupons, and loyalty programs. Asking the customer to add your company's loyalty card to the pile is only exacerbating the issue. Instead, companies should look for ways to make loyalty programs as convenient and transparent as possible to the customer. After all, customer loyalty isn't about the card - it's about delivering a great customer experience. You can do loyalty right by considering a few methods for making your loyalty program as convenient as possible.

Keep a Customer Database

Let's go back to a time when customer loyalty was personal. A time before cards, tokens, or key fobs permeated our purses, wallets, or glove compartments. There once was a time when personal relationships really mattered. In the local neighborhood store the owner knew everyone personally. He knew you by name, probably knew your kids and where they went to school. It was this level intimate familiarity that created a loyal bond between customer and store that was nearly unbreakable.

If you want to build loyal customers, treat them like you know them. Don't put the burden on them to bring along their collection of reward cards with the hope of finding yours. Managing a customer loyalty program should be the company's problem - not the customer's.

Take on the responsibility of identifying your customer's enrollment in your loyalty program. A simple and effective way of doing this is to keep a customer database that is easily accessible from your storefront or point of sale. For example, I am currently a member of Rimann Liquor's wine club and my reward for being a member gets me 10% off wine purchases. Thankfully, there is no physical loyalty card required. When I check out they simply ask if I am a member - look up my information at the register - and I get the discount! It's a very simple and convenient loyalty program. They take on the burden of the program - not the customer.

Surprise!

Sometimes, the best way to build loyalty is to surprise your customers. Most loyalty programs are very predictable - to the point of being downright boring. I know, for example, that I'll get a small discount every time I visit my local grocery store and flash my loyalty card. The fact is, I would go to that grocery store with or without the loyalty discount; I value the convenience more than the few dollars that the loyalty program might offer.

I might think differently about my neighborhood grocery store if they surprised me now and then. Let's say the next time I stop in to buy a gallon of milk they surprise me by saying, "Mr. Howard - for being such a great customer - we're giving you a free gallon of milk!" Surprise rewards can make a customer feel special, shows that the company was paying attention, and demonstrates that they truly care about individual customers.

Predictable loyalty programs are fine, but think about ways to give your best customers a special surprise now and then. Don't wait for your customer to get that tenth hole punched in her loyalty card - just surprise her. A simple and heartfelt surprise can create a more lasting impression than a boringly predictable loyalty program. Furthermore, a surprise reward - if done right - can create a lasting impression that lasts well beyond any promotion or transaction.

Get the Experience Right

Building customer loyalty should begin with a great customer experience - not the loyalty card. Although buying behaviors differ between customers and industries, it is more likely that customers will place experience factors ahead of loyalty programs when making a choice where and when to buy. As a result, getting your customer experience right can have a bigger impact on customer loyalty than a simple loyalty card or program.

McDonald's, for example, has experimented with various loyalty reward programs, but they don't rely on them to drive their business. They don't have to; McDonald's has established a strong brand that delivers a consistently good customer experience. Customers visit McDonald's - not because of some loyalty program - but because it offers the experience that they want or need.

Get the experience right by developing a deep understanding of your customer's wants and needs. Then focus on customizing the delivery of your products and services to stand out from the crowd. When it comes to customer experience, average just won't cut it. You need to deliver your products and services in a manner that is special. If your customer values convenience, make it easier for them than ever. If your customer values good service, provide the most complete and robust customer service possible. Get the experience right and customer loyalty will follow.

The Universal Loyalty Card

We may never truly get away from the plethora of cards, key fobs, and other devices that are used as loyalty program identifiers. But what if there was an alternative that consolidated all of these things into a single device; a device that could be a credit card, a debit card, and store any number of loyalty programs. This universal device would certainly help to minimize the problems associated with having a unique card for each loyalty program.

Although a widely accepted universal loyalty card may sound futuristic, the technology is here today. In fact, the concept of a universal payment solution has already begun to take shape online. Paypal, for example, provides an effective way to tie multiple customer payment sources into a single account. Customers can then execute financial transactions using their universal Paypal account rather than entering their credit card information on each web site they visit.

The universal loyalty card concept is also making the leap to the bricks and mortar world in the form of an electronic wallet. One such example is the Pocket Vault(TM) from Chameleon Network. In this case, multiple credit, debit, ATM, and loyalty cards can be consolidated into one device. Although the universal card concept has not yet been widely adopted, it may indicate the future of loyalty programs.

Regardless of which payment solution wins the customer adoption battle, the loyalty program landscape will certainly change. Make sure that your loyalty program can adapt to take advantage of these emerging technologies.

CONCLUSION

Loyalty programs have become commonplace among businesses everywhere. Unfortunately, customers are often overwhelmed with loyalty cards, rewards programs, key fobs, and other physical items that are required to identify their participation in the program. Instead, companies should look for ways to make loyalty programs as convenient and transparent as possible to the customer. Potential solutions include the utilization of a customer database, implementing a customer surprise program, and improving the underlying customer experience. As a result, companies can reduce the customer's burden and get better returns from their loyalty program. After all, loyalty shouldn't be your customer's problem.

Robert G. Howard is an experienced business advisor with over 20 years of experience. He founded ClearBrick LLC in 2006 to package world-class professional advice into convenient do-it-yourself solutions. Learn how you can solve your own business issues at http://www.ClearBrick.com
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The Business of Helping Others to Get Online Tasks Done

James Lowe offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum.
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PUBLICATION GUIDELINES
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Article Title: The Business of Helping Others to Get Online Tasks Done
Author: James Lowe
Category: Customer Service, Business Opportunities, Entrepreneurship
Word Count: 633
Keywords: customer service, business, entrepreneurship, business opportunities
Author's Email Address: cashtomarket@aol.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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There are many thousands of new entrepreneurs wanting to give up their full time jobs to explore their personal Internet home business dream.

A logical, potentially successful Internet home based business idea, may be to help them get their online business tasks and needed services done.

What I am suggesting is starting a business support service that helps entrepreneurs take their Internet home based business idea to the next level.

You can offer many services including transcription, desktop publishing, word processing, writing, editing, ghostwriting, designing spreadsheets, database management, accounts payable, bookkeeping, resume services, photocopying and faxing, notarizing.

Web research and Web page design and oversight and many different consulting services are probably the highest in demand. These are skills new web site entrepreneurs are not usually skilled in and need.

Antiquated secretarial services of years past involved typing, answering the phone and taking dictation by shorthand using tools that are almost ready for museums now. As you know today, the services are far more complex.

Business support services have become a top notch Internet home business concept as the complexities and technology involved in serving these growing small businesses lead to fewer and fewer adequately trained full time employees.

Small business employers, especially home based ones, typically do not need or want the headaches of full time employees. Also, they do not want to involve themselves in the complexities of employment law and taxation regulations and taking on another partner in the form of the government with all of this.

Technical business support service is an excellent Internet home based business idea because it is needed and in much demand by these start up business owners. They are just learning their way around the proprietorship and Internet business worlds and need help jumping over these fences to get to the next step in their businesses.

While, amazingly, typing and dictation are still important functions in the working world, other new services have evolved as equally or probably more important ones.

Offering business and technical support as an Internet home based venture should include desktop publishing, Web research and skills with spreadsheet software such as Excel.

While you can, and maybe should, specialize as part of your business support services the greater the proficiency you have in the various office software products and equipment the better chance you will have of landing new and repeat clients.

Knowing how to do jobs like setting up web sites and building them are and always will be needed skills for talented marketers who are lacking in programming skills and in need of them for their businesses.

There are at least two important factors in getting your Internet home based business idea off the ground. The first is to prepare yourself by training in the equipment and applications you will offer.

The second is to find your potential clients. That is good old fashioned marketing skills, especially, target marketing.

Since your business dream is to support others who have their own Internet business ideas your leads might be easy to find. In fact, they may be hanging out at the same places you do.

For example, your local community college business start up classes, the local Small Business Development Center, the Chamber of Commerce meetings and perhaps even Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) seminars or meetings.

There are many opportunities here to subtly let others know you are willing to support their new business start up and kick off your own business as well.

Have some business cards printed up by Vista Print dot com telling exactly what you do and pass them out, trade them and leave them everywhere. This will let your leads seek you out and get you started on the road to a second income.

James M. Lowe writes original articles, press releases, e-books, blogs and websites about home business opportunities.
http://www.contenttomarket.com/articlewriters/
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800 Numbers Bring Leads - If It Doesn't Cost Anything, They'll Call

Anna Woodward offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print.
Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum.
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Article Title: 800 Numbers Bring Leads - If It Doesn't Cost Anything, They'll Call
Author: Anna Woodward
Category: Customer Service, Start Up
Word Count: 595
Keywords: 800 directory, 800 numbers, toll free directory, 800, 800 number directory, toll free numbers
Author's Email Address: streditorial@searchinfluence.com
Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com
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How do I find you, how do I find out where you are, and how fast can I talk to you? These questions are ones we all wish a consumer would ask and then pursue aggressively to find our business. The problem is that the consumer is often fleeting in their pursuit if it is not easy, thorough, and cost effective.

Think about how you look for a business or vendor when you have a broad choice.

If your two choices are to look through a phone book or look something up online, which one will you choose? You choose online, if you're like me, since you can't remember where the hardcover phone books are, if you still have them, and not to mention they're out of date when they're printed. When you do eventually find those phone books, they're not particularly helpful with outdated listings. So the real question is, how fast can I get that information reliably?

Following this train of thought, it seems that the best option is to do a search online. But, once you get online, where do you go? Most people have identified one or two search engines or sites and frequent them regularly, but when those options run out or yield information that is not convenient for them to use, without 800 numbers, they will most likely find somewhere else to look.

If you do a search by business type or title, often you will come up with several businesses to choose from. Sometimes selecting the right business will depend on their advertising, who else uses them, or these days, what kind of positive feedback is received. That is if you believe the feedback posted.

Is it honest, is it part of a larger marketing plan, and how recent is it?

The business could have taken a nose dive in service years ago, but we wouldn't know it by reading the feedback. Most of the time, though, we choose the option that won't take money out of our own pockets. If there is a choice between contacting a business via a toll free number or incurring a cost, most will decide to use the 800 number every time.

The frustrating part of the search can often be the process of being forced to look through several different sites using the same key word in your search, trying to find the same information. There are occasions when we will see the same listing again and again on different sites, but since the number listed is a long-distance call, we will not dial that number. No matter how reputable a business might be, many of us are loathe to call long distance on a chance.

The safer and more cost-effective bet is to call toll free.

The more the toll free numbers appear in our searches, the more apt we are to contact those businesses, and anything that makes consumers contact a business will certainly create opportunities to sell our services or our products. Better still, if there is an 800 number directory, that surely would make life easier and allow us the opportunity to shop around easier and give businesses a better chance that we will contact them.

And as everyone knows, any increased traffic to a business is welcome. It gives more opportunities to convert that call into a paying customer. In the long run, it seems a small price to pay to have a toll free number listed on an 800 number directory to bring in more business.

Published by the editorial staff of National Tollfree Directory. For more information about the 800 Directory, Toll Free Directory and 800 Numbers, visit The National Tollfree Directory: http://www.internettollfree.com. Please direct any feedback on this article to editorial@strbusinessmedia.com.
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