Every once in a while an entrepreneur understands that it is sometimes smarter to get taken advantage of by a client, than it is to argue with the client to try to prove a point about who is wrong.
Saying “we had a contract” is crap. When you pull out a contract, the relationship is dead. And the word of mouth starts…
Negative word of mouth travels a lot faster than good word of mouth.
My advice – Take the high road, the view is a lot better from up there.
I’ve started to get tired of hearing CEOs raving about their customer service. Our call center team is great. We answer calls quickly. Our online chat is busier than ever. Our customers rate our customer service team an XYZ… Our cost to handle customer calls is at the industry average…
Who gives a shit cares?
The reality is, if your products were awesome, if your services rocked, if your website was crystal clear, then your customers wouldn’t EVER have to call customer service. Companies truly doing it right, don’t need teams as large as yours.
One metric to consider. Start trying to get this number as close to zero as possible – Customer Service Cost / Revenue. Think of the increased margins you’d have.
How often do you call the customer service group at Amazon…
Perhaps it’s time to start thinking that customer service sucks. Inspire your leadership team to ask the right questions, and really dig into the core issues. Perhaps you can really start to inspect what you expect at your product level. You’ll uncover areas to improve and thereby eliminate customer service teams completely.
Thoughts ?
(Guest Post by Mike Faith, CEO Headsets.com)
See if this chimes with your call center experience.
You’re trying to get help from someone who seems to only be concerned with barely walking you through a series of steps. You can hear the click of their computer keyboard as they ‘process’ you.
They don’t fully understand what you’re saying and they can’t get to grips with a problem that may be slightly out of the ordinary, or not covered by the script on their computer monitor. Meanwhile, time passes, blood pressure rises and it would require something extraordinary to convert your frustration into a desire to deal with that company ever again.
Customer service often leaves a lot to be desired. Most CEOs find their call center to be an expense rather than an investment. I suggest you change that. I’ll quickly explain.
I run one of Americas highest quality, and possibly most expensive, call centers. Back in 1996, I decided to take a risk and start investing heavily on Customer Service. Our sales started to rise, repeat business increased, average sales value doubled and our profits increased. During the past 15 years, I’ve learned how Customer service done properly can be one of the best value-for-money sales tools ever invented. Your Customer Service is one of the most important touch points between your company and your future business.
Our Headsets.com Customer Service reps in San Francisco and Nashville are some of the best trained and highest paid in the US today. And we receive a pay back on this investment. Next time you think Customer Service, I hope that my experience helps you to change your mind-set. Rather than think cost, think quality of care for your Customers…Think of the unbreakable link between sowing service and reaping sales…Think how judicious investment, not too little, not too much, will positively impact your business.
Fifteen years of experience of running my own in-house call center, in one of the most expensive parts of the world, tells me you’ll find a big payoff by investing right.
We all know that meetings suck, right?
You hear it all the time. It’s the one thing that almost everyone in business can agree on.
Except it’s not actually true…
Meetings don’t suck.
We just suck at running meetings.
When done right, meetings not only work, they make people and companies better.
In Meetings Suck, world renowned business expert and growth guru Cameron Herold teaches you how to use focused, time effective meetings to help you and your company soar.
This book shows you immediately actionable, step-by-step systems that ensure that you and everyone in your organization improves your meetings, right away.
In the process, you’ll turn meetings that suck into meetings that work.
In life, we always hear about people who’ve made huge decisions from their gut – without data.Today, I want you to make a decision, not only from your gut, but also from some data. A decision that is only $12 per employee but will be priceless for your business.
Right now, your gut is telling you something is wrong with your company’s meetings. You KNOW everyone complains about meetings.
People HATE going to them, they HATE running them, and they really have NO idea which meetings are truly necessary but they hold meetings simply because they think that is what they SHOULD do.
Even some of the smartest CEOs in the world complain about meetings – Elon Musk publicly told employees at Tesla & SpaceX to walk out of meetings if they weren’t being run properly.
I sent Elon a message saying that wasn’t going to fix anything – the key is to fix the root of the problem – NOT continue to ignore why meetings suck.
A Meeting is – Any phone call, video call or occasion where 2 or more people meet to discuss or work-through office topics.
Most employees on average spend 1-2 hours per day in meetings.
And likely, none of those employees – front-line staff or leaders – have had any training on how to attend meetings or participate in them, LET ALONE How to RUN THEM.
Consider this…
If the Average employee spends just 1 Hour per day in meetings – that’s 1/8th of their time.
If the Average employee earns $50,000 per year.
And they’re spending 1/8th of their time in meetings, that means you’re paying $6,250 dollars per year for just ONE employee to attend meetings.
The reality is, employees spend 1/8th of their time – and 1/8th of your company’s payroll – doing something they have literally NO idea how to do.
The Reality is…
95% of employees are booking & leading meetings – and they have NEVER been trained on how to run them.
95% of employees have had NO training on how to show up and participate in the meetings they attend daily.
And 95% of employees and companies have no idea what meetings are even necessary to hold.
Meetings CAN be hugely effective – IF you know how to run them
Meetings don’t SUCK, we just SUCK at running meetings.
Investing $15 per employee – to help ensure the $50,000 a year you spend on them is an obvious and easy choice.
This could be the most impactful $15 you’ll ever spend and will save the company’s money, time and resources instantly.
Buying a copy of Meetings Suck for 100% of your employees and having them read it this month will have a huge impact on your company’s success.
Public relations has always been an essential part of doing business which is probably why you’re shelling out big money to an outside PR firm. But the truth is that you don’t need them. You already have all the necessary tools in-house to do as good a job as the so-called experts.
Cameron Herold and Adrian Salamunovic have taught thousands of company execs how to exploit free media coverage and ditch these expensive, often ineffective outsiders.
Cameron & Adrian have also built in-house PR teams, spent decades learning how to generate Free PR and how to leverage public relations to complement their sales and marketing strategy.
In Free PR, you’ll learn how the media world operates while you gain invaluable insider knowledge and actionable advice on how to:
Landing public relations coverage for yourself and your company is a powerful tool to help elevate your personal brand. PR is easier to generate than marketing, PR is easier to leverage than marketing and PR is more cost effective than marketing. In other words, Public Relations is more critical than ever in growing your brand and your business.
You’ve got more passion, commitment, a larger stake, and a deeper understanding of your business than any outside PR firm could ever have. So stop wasting money and take the reins yourself. Learn the secrets to landing TONS of Free PR for your company.
What they’re saying:
“I think PR is the core for promoting any business. Public relations acquires customers! That’s what’s cool about this book.”
– Kevin O’Leary, Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank
“The ultimate guidebook for those looking to get press, grow their brand, and get in front of the masses. Free PR is the roadmap you’ve been looking for.”
– Peter Shankman, Founder, Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
“Adrian and Cameron will show you the secrets of getting massive exposure for your business. This book is packed with actionable insights from two guys that actually know how to to do it.”
– Dan Martell, Serial Entrepreneur & Investor (Intercom.io, Unbounce)
“I told Cameron to write the book on generating free PR. I’m excited to see that he’s finally sharing his secrets with the world. This is a must read for any entrepreneurial company and marketing team.”
– Verne Harnish, Founder of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and author of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)
Many corporations have slick, flashy mission statements that ultimately do little to motivate employees and less to impress customers, investors, and partners.
But there is a way to share your excitement for the future of your company in a clear, compelling, and powerful way and entrepreneur and business growth expert Cameron Herold can show you how.
Vivid Vision is a revolutionary tool that will help owners, CEOs, and senior managers create inspirational, detailed, and actionable three-year mission statements for their companies. In this easy-to-follow guide, Herold walks organization leaders through the simple steps to creating their own Vivid Vision, from brainstorming to sharing the ideas to using the document to drive progress in the years to come.
By focusing on mapping out how you see your company looking and feeling in every category of business, without getting bogged down by data and numbers or how it will happen, Vivid Vision creates a holistic road map to success that will get all of your teammates passionate about the big picture.
Your company is your dream, one that you want to share with your staff, clients, and stakeholders. Vivid Vision is the tool you need to make that dream a reality.
A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.
Hal Elrod’sThe Miracle Morning has helped redefine the mornings and the lives of millions of readers since 2012. Since then, careers have been launched, goals have been met, and dreams have been realized, all through the power of the Miracle Morning’s six Life S.A.V.E.R.S.
Now The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs brings you these principles in a whole new light—alongside the Entrepreneurial Elevation Principles and the Entrepreneur’s Elevation Skills. These are essential skills that you need to create a successful business and personal life. Cameron Herold— Bestselling Author and a widely-respected expert on entrepreneurial mindset—brings his wisdom and insight to you using Hal Elrod’s powerful Miracle Morning framework.
The principles and skills you’ll find in this book will help you to channel your passion and achieve balance in a remarkable new way. – Learn why mornings matter more than you think – Learn how to master your own self-leadership and accelerate your personal development – Learn how to manage your energy—physical, mental, and emotional – Learn how to implement Hal Elrod’s invaluable Life S.A.V.E.R.S. in your daily routine – And much more… You’re already an entrepreneur. Now discover how to take your success to the next level by first taking yourself to the next level. The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs is your roadmap to masterfully building an empire with a powerful vision, utilizing your areas of personal genius, with the right team at your side.
A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.