Conduct a meeting with the staff members who will answer the phones for your store. The goal is to make sure not to confuse or frustrate your staff and customers. The best way to do this is to inform your staff of the phone blast so they know what to expect and how to answer questions they may be asked after the phone blast occurs. PGN suggests holding a meeting the day of the blast 1-2 hours before the execution time to keep the info fresh in the minds of the staff members. Many customers will call the number (your store number) and ask why you have called. Please have a copy of the message used for the blast so the staff member can reiterate the message to the customer. Also be sure to review the message before the 12:00 noon call out. The better we prepare, the better the results.

What to expect:

Your store number is used on outgoing calls so that your customer knows who has called, and who to call should they have questions. There is always a group of customers that will cut the message short and ask “Did someone call me and why?” This is an ideal time to use the copy of the script to tell the caller the message that they should have received if they had listened to the recording. Some customers may call with questions like, “I only got part of the message,” or, “no one was there.” This could happen because when the call is answered, it waits for a greeting (i.e. “Hello”) and then a brief pause occurs before playing the recorded message.

In some cases, there may be too much background noise for the message to recognize a pause. Also, if the customer is talking while the message is playing, the listener might only receive part of the message. They may think that the whole message was not presented but it was but not heard. If this is the first time you have done a phone blast, you may have some customers ask to be removed from the call list. In this case, you should gladly ask for their number. Make sure they give the number that was called during the phone blast.

In the past 3-4 years, less than 1 in 10 people have opted-out on correctly executed Harley dealership calls. Recently, one of our Harley calls only had about 1% of their calls that opted-out. This is why PGN prefers to write and review the recorded call to minimize any conflict to the caller. Your staff should tell the caller that at the end of each and every call there is an opt-out option for their convenience. This eases the customer’s mind. Always thank the customer for calling, and if they wish to be taken off the call list, you MUS T get the number to PGN so we can remove their number from the list for future calls. Most customers will thank you.

Give us a call to setup your next phone blast. 248-414-6860

- Goe Harley-Davidson

- Ken Fletcher

• 11×11 flyers are printed on 60# gloss text. They are 2-sided, 4 color on both sides. Design is included.
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We’ll help you serve up some business throughout the metro-detroit area.

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VIDEO

Want to do a video for your company? Give us a call now 248-414-6860. Or take a look at a few of our other videos we’ve done in the past here.

Today business reach out to their customers in many ways: phone, email, social media, and occasionally walk-ins. Each form presents its own challenges, but all can be improved. The quality of your customer service can answer the question many customers have, “Do they even care?” Cleaning up your process is never easy, as it involves training employees on new ways to interact, using technologies to make it easier, and coming from a mindset that the customer doesn’t need to be right, they need to be helped.

Some questions to ask while refining your process:

1. Does your customer service process have an exit? Rather than to be caught in an infinite loop of transfers, empower your representative help to solve the issue completely when traditional automated systems are too frustrating.

2. Is your process customer-centric? It may be easier to have a customer contact each department their problem affects, but it also sends the message that the company is disjointed. Make a single point of contact for your customer service and let your people work out the details.

3. The golden rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Your service should evoke the same empathy you’d like to be treated with. Use the opportunity to build a relationship and give a positive story for your customer story to share.

4. Making good again. Work to heal broken relationships with customer follow-up. After customer service interaction, reach out to the customer about they felt their problem was dealt with.

Customer service can be a challenge but with a very rich reward. Satisfied customers are the foundation of a successful company, especially when those customers buy with confidence, knowing that if there is a problem your company will respond in kind.

Photo: Mark Crossfield

If you run a company today, having a Facebook page is practically essential. It’s free to create and a great way to stay in contact with your customers. Below are some tips to keep your customers engaged on the social networking site:

1. Post consistently. Not everyone has the time to post every day, but posting a few times a week helps to make sure your company isn’t forgotten. Remember to mix it up. Post a combination of links, photos, or status updates, all staggered.

2. Respond! Unlike Twitter or your website, Facebook is a two-way conversation that demands dialog. Be sure to respond to posts on your page, as they are expected and offer a good opportunity to do some customer follow-up or answer customer service questions.

3. Be exclusive. Give a reason for people to like your company’s page. Offering deals or showing some behind the scenes photos or sneak peeks can help make your followers feel more inclusive.

4. Asked to be “liked”. Driving traffic to your Facebook page is only half the goal. Once there, your customer have to click the like button near the top of the page. Don’t be shy. Ask visitors in your description to like the page.

5. Get a custom URL. By visiting www.facebook.com/username you will be able to get a short URL for your page. You must have 25 people to like the page before this option is unlocked, so be sure to suggest it to all your friends.

If you have any tips to share about making your Facebook page, be sure to leave them in the comments below. If you’re new to Facebook, don’t worry. You can sign-up for a page for your business at http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php.

Photo: Sean MacEntee

Technology leader Nokia announced their new program, “Invent With Nokia,” which allows inventors to develop their product in partnership with Nokia’s development team and resources. If your idea is chosen, Nokia applies for a patent and rewards the you financially. The benefits are numerous, including covering all the costs of protecting the idea (which can reach into the millions of dollars), as well as the creative and technological geniuses of Nokia to develop, test, and market the finished product. The convince of the program does come at a cost. Any idea submitted because legal property of Nokia, even if it isn’t chosen to develop. This could result in submitting your best concepts into an intellectual property black hole.

Although Nokia’s business incubator program is one of the first large programs offered online, the actual concept is not new. Since the 1960s, incubators have been providing entrepreneurs with resources, education, and networking opportunities in selective fields. In 2005, North American incubation programs assisted more than 27,000 companies, which provided employment for more than 100,000 workers and generated annual revenues of $17 billion. Successful products can become a win-win for the entrepreneurs and investors.

So why should you care about business incubators? After all, you may already run a successful business. Many entrepreneurs are serial entrepreneurs, often investing and creating other companies outside of a core competency. Organizations such as the National Business Incubation Association can help you develop your first (or second) business from scratch by partnering entrepreneurs and business professionals with regional incubation programs. Remember, a well-researched opportunity can be the difference between success and failure.

Photo: Eurofruit

If you have a location-based business, then you have to check out Foursquare, a social network built around the concept of “check-ins”. When customers come to your front door, they’ll have the ability to check into your business using their mobile device, allowing their friends to see where they are.

For more information on the technology, check out this great video tutorial, which details how to sign-up for an account. Also, check out Inc Magazine’s article on tips on how to best utilize the service for your business.