Too Legit?

Your reputation is always visible.We are in a new age of customer service.  Things are changing.  I may not go so far as to say we're at a "zero tolerance" level, but businesses now have to live to a higher standard.

The online standard.

Yelp is a smartphone app/website review tool for restaurants. Edmunds.com? Same thing for cars. Rottentomatoes.com is this for movies. Consumers are armed with a wide array of options with which they can review, complement or bash your business.  Just about everyone has a Facebook account, many have LinkedIn and a growing number use Twitter.  Some have set up partnering between the three social tools so one posted message goes to multiple social media sites. And once they do any of the above, it sticks, it gains traction and it gets noticed. It becomes searchable on that system and also on the web with Google, Bing and Yahoo. Gone are the days of a person leaving disappointed and silent about a poor experience. People can access their apps and the web via smartphones to issue a product or service review instantly! Uh oh...

If your service isn't A+, be prepared to hear it. If your products aren't high quality, fasten your seatbelts.  The costs to your business in "acquiring"a dissapointed customer just went up. You know the truth, so many people do their homework with the Internet before making a purchase. Imagine someone finds your business online due to your shiny and polished website, your SEO efforts and your pay-per-click expenditures. Then they see a Better Business Bureau posting with a customer complaint or rant. How likely is it that they'll use your business with that information staring them in the face? Studies used to claim that one bad customer would tell 11 or so other people about your businesses' ineptitude.  That's changed. Today, many more than just a dozen word of mouthers will discover an online complaint about your service.  And think of this - because its online, the issue in question will remain long after the bad taste leaves the customer's tongue. Almost like it happened yesterday, everyday, for years to come.  Franchisees need to realize this and go double-scoop on all customer service issues effective immediately. When we deal with customer complaints here at our office on behalf of hundreds of franchisees wearing our brand names, we see both sides. The franchisee has a business to run and need to be profitable.  The customer expects service, quality and a fair price. Thankfully we don't get too many that aren't handled at the store/franchisee level. Those that do make it to our office are usually disagreements where both parties have already taken a shot at a resolution and they look for us to be the deciding voice. Conflicts are best handled where they started however, between the two parties directly involved, each with a stake in the outcome. 

If you can't avoid a service-related disagreement, then what? Before we look at the options and the possible outcomes, some questions to ponder. How much do you pay to get a customer, to begin a business relationship? How much do you pay to get just a sales lead? What does your advertising and marketing cost? Knowing these answers and considering them prior to resolving issues is important. Here's why.  If you pay $50, $75, $100 to get a customer, do you choose to argue about a job that's value is $35?  It sounds crazy, but I've seen people do this! They can justify bickering with a customer over a logo charge, which was $35 (and cost the store $15-20!).  The customer, after this experience, is not only less likely to come back, he or she is very likely to spread the word about their dealings to others. And trust me, their assessment of the incident will be 101% one-sided. How do you stand to fare in this situation? Having paid more to earn the customer than the issue at hand is worth, it is CLEARLY beneficial to please the customer, bow on the charges you'll incur, and most importantly, keep and satisfy the customer.  You have options. You can do nothing and allow the customer to rail on your business online. You can compromise and come to an "in the middle" solution.  This may work. There is some risk that charging the customer more money for the resolution could prompt he or she to post negative comments anyway, soured on his or her experience.  In general, customers will wait longer for a suitable remedy and pay you with their time, but they are less likely to pay you more money for a perceived "mistake."  Here's where excellent customer service practices should surface.  Number one is being accountable and owning the issue. You may not (in your mind) be wrong, but swallowing hard and making things right is imperative.  Recommit to a new deadline. Offer delivery, a discount on the next purchase, or something free that will sweeten the customer's experience as you mend a torn relationship.  Raised voices and bravado will not help, nor will washing your hands of the issue and sending the customer out among the masses dissatisfied.  You exist because customers choose to give you their choice, their loyalty and their money.  Don't let this "business basic" elude your consciousness!

Not everything on the Internet is true.  Another "Uh-oh" moment.  What if you're wrongly represented online as being unfair, uncaring and poor in service standards? If every consumer has a button that can launch an online barrage at your business post-sale, what to do?  Prepare beforehand for this possibility by bolstering your online presence with positive, satisfied customer reviews. Your best clients keep coming back for a reason - do you know the reason? Let them review and represent how you've helped them on your Facebook business site, post as many testimonials on your websiteas you can, link to their online assets that may positively mention your contributon to their success. Have customers give you LinkedIn recommendations, the new digital "thank you" card.  In doing this, you're preloading the online scene with good, sincere and truthful information that speaks well of your efforts.  If a maligned review appears, it will now reside among many good experiences shared by your advocates. No company has 100% satisfaction across the board, as a result it is not uncommon to read of instances where a customer would not be contented. Look to keep this to a minimum, especially online.  Do not be tempted to arguing online and offering rebuttle after rebuttle for the world to see.  These discussions are best held in person and offline.  Remember that it's easier for someone to be courageous in their attitude and demands online, a bit tougher on the phone (where a voice gives clues as to intents) and still more difficult in person, body language being what it is. Look to always employ the method that can best solve the problem. 

The online spectrum allows for so many new ways for a business to promote its high points. Customer reviews are a big part of succeeding now that everyone's voice can be heard.  Do your very best to build a culture in your business that is customer service centric and online aware. Everyone knows of amazing stories of how businesses redouble their efforts to keep and enamour their clients. You have to adopt that mentality towards the customers in your business. Your team has to become better than just "good" at surpassing customer expectations through their attitudes and their deeds. The "great" make it to the top of the list when it comes to online reputation management. To be great, you have to be uncommonly prepared to give when you may not feel like it, sometimes admit fault when you're not wrong, and send your customers away with an experience so dazzling they'll stop and tell others about you.  Years ago it would be enough just to be good at this.  It was sufficient to be simply legitimate. Now the game has changed. It's time to be "too legit" in your customer service efforts. Get started.

It should be called Mal-Aware!

When you think about or try to list things that you have to manage each day to be productive, you'll find they add up quickly!  Personally and professionally, each of us is responsible for so many items that we've somehow incorporated into regular life, it's is amazing.  Reflect for a minute as I pass through a list that comes to me - obviously not complete but a good start...

• My personal hygene, hair, teeth, shower, skin, etc.
• My nutritional needs, eating all three meals and choosing good healthy foods.
• My automotive needs, it HAS to work perfectly everytime I want to use it. A/C, brakes, tires, wiper fluid, windows up and down. I rely heavily on my vehicle to work well.
• My communication tools - iPhone, XM satellite radio, email for personal and work, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter accounts, these things have to operate properly or I'm a bit off...
• My office environment - the computer, printer, mouse batteries, wide screens in the conference rooms for presentations, this stuff I rely on. (As do many others that trust me to perform)

So now that you've seen my example and done some quick mental hopscotch to parallel to your own list, imagine this. Someone is outside your home before dawn loosening the lug nuts on your driver's side front wheel.  Just because. A person is in the supermarket is slicing open the dental floss packaging and spinning out the 350ft of floss in the container and placing it back empty in the wrapping so carefully, you cannot see it was tampered with when you make your purchase. In a dimly lit room oceans away, a person types code into the body of a pop-up ad. The code secretly stays on your computer, captures your keystrokes, and sends them back to "never-never island" to be used against you fradulently.  What I've just descibed is the now 20+ year old process known as malware creation.  People knowingly trying to undo what you rely upon ever day - the safe operation and security of your computing environment.  Malware is short for malicious software, which are any types of viruses, trojans, rootkits, spyware, tracking cookies designed to disrupt your computing or online experience. Guess what? Defending against this type of threat is also part of my daily "things I always do" list.

Our retail brands, SIGNARAMA and EmbroidMe are ripe for such malware attacks because they exchange graphics, logos, text, photos and lists with customers and suppliers all day every day. Many people know the basics - like to keep their virus software up-to-date and scanning. Most have a firewall software system guarding against known threats that come through your Internet connection vs. through email. We don't just open attachments to mail from sources we don't trust anymore, the past has probably shown us why this practice is ill-advised.  Thumb or USB drives? Handle with care, they are responsible for many security breaches and malware transfers.  So are portable hard drives, popular and inexpensive as they have become.  It's a great practice for me to remind you BEFORE an incident arises that malware defense is imperative.

It takes a new step forward, however, when you consider that it's not just your PC that deserves attention. The first phone virus surfaced 6 or 7 years ago. Tablets soar in popularity.  More targets for the maligned app and software creators!  Any savvy or would-be developers looking to gain noteriety make fictitious or "play" viruses to see how far they'll spread.  Others use this practice of creating hoax viruses to test response methods of the general public or anti-malware firms.  SIGNARAMA and EmbroidMe stores are exposed to many scams involving viruses, trojans and the like.  Scams and virus hoaxes are easily refuted at www.scopes.com and www.sophos.com and www.hoax-slayer.com . Worth a look every once in awhile, some of them are very clever and entertaining. Scams of all types coming from email, malware, pop ups, apps for droids and iPhones, and Macs are a popular target now too.

Currently making headlines are the reports of state sponsored "cyber battles" between China and US-based Google. China retorts by saying the US digitally engineers and controls many of the happenings of the "Arab Spring" that reshapes the political scene in the east.  So as the stakes escalate, your daily "to do" list must include some awareness of what's happening with malware and what disruption would be the result of not paying attention and keeping vigilant. Scams and frauds have always been present, lurking and searching for those who will believe maybe it's not "too good to be true."  PC users, there are many good softwares poised to help keep you safe.  Mac users? I've used Sophos free antivirus software and that looks to be a good option. Tablet and smartphone users - you get the most attention right now because of the popularity of your devices. Just like looking for a new app, you can research and discover means by which you can protect what you do every day.  That is, you reliably use your devices free of interference, intrusion, theft, scam, fraud and the like. Be prepared, be aware!

The Pulse is BACK!

Shirts, hats, promotional products, that's EmbroidMe!Our custom apparel and embroidery franchise, EmbroidMe, has cut an interesting path through the recession of the last two years. Year 2008 saw some growth and new units opening and 2009 was a year of retrenchment for the brand. My experiences saw our franchisees recommit to following their marketing plan; with fewer buyers came the reality that you'd have to press a bit harder to get each order. Pricing has become more aggressive, clients demanded the same items and quality on lower margins. Thankfully some relief in this area did come from preferred suppliers. A few kept prices at previous season levels longer than expected, which helped our stores.  Employees to create, embroider and sell the products were readily available with unemployment reaching the highest levels of the decade.  To their benefit, some franchisees quickly realized that you could hire a top notch person below their market value as jobs became tougher to find. Those that adapted well to the rapid changes and tighter budgets have weathered a storm. They are uniquely poised to build their stores in an environment with less competition and tremendous opportunity.

There was a shakeout in the industry, some of our franchisees report that embroidery failures hit their competition locally. From our vantage point, we saw this too, some of our stores closed or were forced to relocate into less expensive leases and locations. To see an EmbroidMe fail is to watch a breakdown in the implementation of a business plan. Sales cures all. If the effort to sell product falters, the system is not prepared to operate normally.  Production, design, purchasing - all these vital functions need sales to fuel their existence. Indicators that our group survived better than the average business owner is all around us. EmbroidMe resells or resales, when a franchisee sells their business and book of customers but the store remains in the same location, were at regular levels and percentages over the past 18 months.  I have been in three EmbroidMe stores in the last 7 days. Things are on the upswing. The mood has improved, the need for the products is constant, and the spending restrictions some companies imposed upon themselves have been lifted, equating to more commerce in our stores. I believe that membership in the group, the franchise, aided people that may have faired otherwise had they been independent. I speak with EmbroidMe franchisees every day.  I work on projects that involve the business owners and their teams. The change is here and it's happening now. EmbroidMe is a viable business and a valued member of the business community.  This is a great time to be doing what we do... and for customers to GET NOTICED!