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Actual for You - Loyalty Programs May Keep Customers Coming Back - But First You've Got to Earn their Trust
Guests of hotels and resorts at the top end of the hospitality range of properties are being under-serviced. The impact is felt directly on the top line of sales and potentially indirectly through return visits.The under-servicing is manifested at the organisation level through low levels of up-selling and cross-selling. Most hospitality staff do not see the value in cross-selling and up-selling for themselves or for their guests.However, research by The Forum Corporation of North America confirmed that 88% of customers value being advised on products and services that better meet their needs. Further, 73% are interested in hearing about new products and services and 42 percent buy "sometimes" or "frequently"The hospitality industry more than any other, has segments whi
On-time Deliveries: If you’ve ever ordered a product and been told that the delivery time is 6-8 weeks, you’ll understand the frustration a customer experiences. Unless the product is out of stock, or is an international delivery, there’s no earthly reason why a product should take 6-8 weeks to deliver. Similarly, if you promise a certain delivery time, you must abide by it. If you say the product will be shipped within 72 hours, then ship it within 72 hours. If for some reason you find you can’t meet the delivery time, notify the customer and give them the option to cancel their order.
If you are sending a resume, you need to send a cover letter as well. A cover letter is a personal introduction that accompanies your resume. Even if the job posting doesn’t specify submitting a cover letter, it’s expected that you submit one with your resume. Yes, this requires extra work on your part but consider this: the cover letter gives you another chance to emphasize what you can contribute to the company or organization.What Should be Included in a Cover Letter?Following are the key elements of a cover letter: Introduction - Whenever possible, indicate how you came to apply to the company, such as you are responding to an advertised opening, you identified the company through research, you read about the company or its executives in a publicat
These stamps were one of the first loyalty programs. They kept customers loyal to a particular product or merchant because they offered an incentive that encouraged the customer to keep coming back – and spend more money.
While trading stamps are a thing of the past, a wide range of industries still use loyalty programs to establish long-term relationships with their customers. By far the most successful and well known is the frequent flyer program.
On the surface, frequent flyer programs appear to be all about rewarding customers with free flights just because they choose to fly with a particular airline – the more miles you fly the more free miles you get. But, if you asked the airlines who really benefits from these programs, chances are you’d hear a resounding, “We do.” Ask them to explain, and they’ll likely tell you that frequent flyer programs allow them to collect data on individual customers, help them tailor their mailings and special offers to the customer’s specific needs, allow them to promote higher fares, and ultimately increase their sales.
But, as popular as frequent flyer programs have become they only work if the service offered by the airline is good enough to earn the customer’s trust. And that means not only offering a quality flying experience but great customer service and on-going communication.
For smaller businesses, the benefits of establishing a loyalty program are no different to those enjoyed by the major airlines. And equally, the program’s success depends on first establishing the three most important elements of building that loyalty:
1. Treat your customer’s right, and they’ll be yours for life.
Your customers will not only judge your company by the quality of your product, but also by the level of service you offer. Offer one without the other and you may as well give up now.
Great customer service includes, among other things:
Credibility: Your customers should be able to trust you. No one wants to be on the alert for the small print or hidden charges. They want to know that your company can be trusted and has their best interests at heart.
Flexibility: Never use the words, “I’m sorry but it’s not our policy.” Always solve your customer’s problems, even if it means losing the sale. There’s nothing worse for a customer than a company that will not go out of their way to accommodate their needs.
On-time Deliveries: If you’ve ever ordered a product and been told that the delivery time is 6-8 weeks, you’ll understand the frustration a customer experiences. Unless the product is out of stock, or is an international delivery, there’s no earthly reason why a product should take 6-8 weeks to deliver. Similarly, if you promise a certain delivery time, you must abide by it. If you say the product will be shipped within 72 hours, then ship it within 72 hours. If for some reason you find you can’t meet the delivery time, notify the customer and give them the option to cancel their order.
I’d like to offer you a few customer service tips in this article. Great customer service is more than just giving the customer what they want. It is also giving them what they need. Great customer service involves taking the time to learn more about your customers and making sure that their goals are met, sometimes even to the detriment of your sales. Keep in mind that customers are buying your products because they want to get the highest value for their money. Customers buying in bulk orders may seem very attractive to you at first especially if you are selling perishable goods, but the limitations of your product or goods may not have been taken into account by your customer and the purchase may be to his detriment. For one, he may not be able to use all the products he has ordered
On the surface, frequent flyer programs appear to be all about rewarding customers with free flights just because they choose to fly with a particular airline – the more miles you fly the more free miles you get. But, if you asked the airlines who really benefits from these programs, chances are you’d hear a resounding, “We do.” Ask them to explain, and they’ll likely tell you that frequent flyer programs allow them to collect data on individual customers, help them tailor their mailings and special offers to the customer’s specific needs, allow them to promote higher fares, and ultimately increase their sales.
But, as popular as frequent flyer programs have become they only work if the service offered by the airline is good enough to earn the customer’s trust. And that means not only offering a quality flying experience but great customer service and on-going communication.
For smaller businesses, the benefits of establishing a loyalty program are no different to those enjoyed by the major airlines. And equally, the program’s success depends on first establishing the three most important elements of building that loyalty:
1. Treat your customer’s right, and they’ll be yours for life.
Your customers will not only judge your company by the quality of your product, but also by the level of service you offer. Offer one without the other and you may as well give up now.
Great customer service includes, among other things:
Credibility: Your customers should be able to trust you. No one wants to be on the alert for the small print or hidden charges. They want to know that your company can be trusted and has their best interests at heart.
Flexibility: Never use the words, “I’m sorry but it’s not our policy.” Always solve your customer’s problems, even if it means losing the sale. There’s nothing worse for a customer than a company that will not go out of their way to accommodate their needs.
On-time Deliveries: If you’ve ever ordered a product and been told that the delivery time is 6-8 weeks, you’ll understand the frustration a customer experiences. Unless the product is out of stock, or is an international delivery, there’s no earthly reason why a product should take 6-8 weeks to deliver. Similarly, if you promise a certain delivery time, you must abide by it. If you say the product will be shipped within 72 hours, then ship it within 72 hours. If for some reason you find you can’t meet the delivery time, notify the customer and give them the option to cancel their order.
Automatic Spanish translation tools are all over the Internet these days and it's easy to see how many people get the false idea that these tools can currently or in the near future will replace professional translators.Well, most people know that these free online Spanish translators are not ideal translators andien shouldn't be entrusted to translate important documents. However, there are times when these automatic Spanish translators can provide some value to you or your business, even as a translator.Along these lines, here are five ways that you can take advantage of these free online automatic Spanish translators:1) Translation practice Translators always need to keep their skills in practice and one way to do that is to use free translators. You canltimately increase their sales.
But, as popular as frequent flyer programs have become they only work if the service offered by the airline is good enough to earn the customer’s trust. And that means not only offering a quality flying experience but great customer service and on-going communication.
For smaller businesses, the benefits of establishing a loyalty program are no different to those enjoyed by the major airlines. And equally, the program’s success depends on first establishing the three most important elements of building that loyalty:
1. Treat your customer’s right, and they’ll be yours for life.
Your customers will not only judge your company by the quality of your product, but also by the level of service you offer. Offer one without the other and you may as well give up now.
Great customer service includes, among other things:
Credibility: Your customers should be able to trust you. No one wants to be on the alert for the small print or hidden charges. They want to know that your company can be trusted and has their best interests at heart.
Flexibility: Never use the words, “I’m sorry but it’s not our policy.” Always solve your customer’s problems, even if it means losing the sale. There’s nothing worse for a customer than a company that will not go out of their way to accommodate their needs.
On-time Deliveries: If you’ve ever ordered a product and been told that the delivery time is 6-8 weeks, you’ll understand the frustration a customer experiences. Unless the product is out of stock, or is an international delivery, there’s no earthly reason why a product should take 6-8 weeks to deliver. Similarly, if you promise a certain delivery time, you must abide by it. If you say the product will be shipped within 72 hours, then ship it within 72 hours. If for some reason you find you can’t meet the delivery time, notify the customer and give them the option to cancel their order.
Like anything in life, if something is important to you, it is worth putting in the necessary effort and planning for your success. Usually, if you give any goal some thought, you will discover a number of smaller steps which can make the task easier. This is particularly true when you wish to succeed at an interview, and give yourself the best chance of getting that job.Here are some suggested steps to ensure that you have prepared as thoroughly as possible for your interview.Do you really want the job - is this your kind of work?Now is the time to decide whether this job, with its various tasks and required skills, is what you really want to do. Although the job title and salary might be attractive, you need to give serious thought to whether the role is one not only judge your company by the quality of your product, but also by the level of service you offer. Offer one without the other and you may as well give up now.
Great customer service includes, among other things:
Credibility: Your customers should be able to trust you. No one wants to be on the alert for the small print or hidden charges. They want to know that your company can be trusted and has their best interests at heart.
Flexibility: Never use the words, “I’m sorry but it’s not our policy.” Always solve your customer’s problems, even if it means losing the sale. There’s nothing worse for a customer than a company that will not go out of their way to accommodate their needs.
On-time Deliveries: If you’ve ever ordered a product and been told that the delivery time is 6-8 weeks, you’ll understand the frustration a customer experiences. Unless the product is out of stock, or is an international delivery, there’s no earthly reason why a product should take 6-8 weeks to deliver. Similarly, if you promise a certain delivery time, you must abide by it. If you say the product will be shipped within 72 hours, then ship it within 72 hours. If for some reason you find you can’t meet the delivery time, notify the customer and give them the option to cancel their order.
Depending on your state and what type of business you are in, employee background checks may or may not be mandated by law. In businesses that deal with children or seniors, Federal law requires background checks on all employees and/or volunteers. The reasons should be obvious: the Federal government wants to ensure that those served are safe from hard and employers need to safeguard themselves against negligent lawsuits.If an employee will be doing any type of driving for the business, it is important to know their driving history. For insurance purposes, employers need to have up-to-date information regarding the candidate’s Motor Vehicle Records (MVR) report. This report details any moving violations or accidents. Information such as this can assist the employer in making a solidl not go out of their way to accommodate their needs.
On-time Deliveries: If you’ve ever ordered a product and been told that the delivery time is 6-8 weeks, you’ll understand the frustration a customer experiences. Unless the product is out of stock, or is an international delivery, there’s no earthly reason why a product should take 6-8 weeks to deliver. Similarly, if you promise a certain delivery time, you must abide by it. If you say the product will be shipped within 72 hours, then ship it within 72 hours. If for some reason you find you can’t meet the delivery time, notify the customer and give them the option to cancel their order.
Accurate Billing: We all know mistakes happen. But when you make a billing error or you overcharge, you immediately lose credibility. Add to that the time is takes for a customer to contact you to complain or get you to adjust the bill, and you may well have lost a future sale – and the potential sales of friends and family they’ve complained to.
Hassle-free refunds: We’ve all been there. For some reason we change our minds about a product, or it doesn’t work properly, or it’s not quite what we expected. And we want our money back. Make sure your customers know this is an easy process, up front.
2. Obtain Customer Information
If you want your loyalty program to succeed you must obtain background information from your customers. A program that only requires a name, address, and proofs of purchase isn’t building a long-term knowledgeable relationship with them. And it makes sense that a customer who will take the time to complete an enrollment form is going to be more interested in the product than a casual purchaser. When designing your enrollment form make sure you get information on product usage, purchasing habits, attitudes etc. That way you can tailor your products and services to your customer’s specific needs. And build a database of customers who actually want a long-term relationship with your company.
Keep Communicating
One of the easiest ways to keep customers loyal is to establish on going communication. This can be in the form of emails promoting special offers, letters announcing new products, electronic or print newsletters or even offering educational materials. Another good way of continuing communication is to send them something useful with your company name on it. These simple, inexpensive gifts keep your name in front of a customer, and help to keep them loyal.
Need some help thinking up a loyalty program for your business? Here are some suggestions.
- Gift certificates: Offer your customers a gift certificate when they spend a certain amount of money. For example, if they buy $200 worth of goods during a six-month period offer them a $25 gift certificate.
- Offer point programs: Give your customers points for every $10 or so they spend. When they’ve acquired a certain amount of points they can exchange them for selected goods or services.
- Free Shipping: This incentive is a sure-fire winner for mail order and online companies. Offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount or on future orders.
- Communications: Newsletters, pamphlets, direct mailings, postcards, magazines, white papers
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