Ruby

DECEMBER 6, 2019

Why personal connections make all the difference in customer service People are tired of bots and interactive voice response systems (IVR). They want—and increasingly, they expect—to be able to call or chat with a business and speak to a live, friendly human being. This isn’t only about customer experience for big-name brands.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Sales Technology Small Business 52

Ruby

FEBRUARY 20, 2020

Customer service skills—every business needs them, but not every customer service professional has them. That’s a shame, because in this day and age, customer service skills are more important than ever. Customer service is the key differentiator for any business , regardless of size or industry.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Mentoring Problem-Solving Sales 52

Ruby

JULY 10, 2020

When did customer service become so complicated? From Google to Yelp to Aunt Irene, everyone and everything has an influence over a customer’s thoughts and behavior. As a result, customer service is more challenging—and more important—than ever. What are the most important customer service skills?

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Advertising Training Technology 52

Ruby

MAY 17, 2019

In theory, sales should be easy. A customer wants something, your business has that something, and so you sell it to them. In reality, of course, selling is almost never that easy—especially for a small business. By increasing sales friction. What is sales friction? Rinse and repeat.

Sales 52

Sales Customer Service Training Small Business 52

C-Suite Assistants

AUGUST 12, 2024

As a business owner, you have many responsibilities, from overseeing daily business operations and marketing and sales campaigns to creating a business plan, financial management and bookkeeping, customer service, and ensuring legal compliance. Some owners will try to handle everything with a small staff.

Correspondence 59

Correspondence Travel Arrangements Bookkeeping Administrative Assistance 59

Ruby

AUGUST 20, 2020

Leads are indeed crucial for business success (especially small business success), but the concept is often abstract and poorly understood. Thinking in terms of “leads, leads, leads” removes the human element and turns sales and marketing into numbers games rather than actual drivers of value. Ready to learn some lingo?

Sales 52

Sales Purchasing Customer Service Mailing 52

Ruby

OCTOBER 20, 2021

Here are a few ways to use website chat as a way to boost sales: 1. In numerous respects, your website is a lot like your lobby or storefront—it’s many people’s first impression of your business. Live chat specialists are trained to proactively address sales situations early and effectively. That platform? Live chat , my friend!

Sales 52

Sales Healthcare Consulting Legal 52

Ruby

OCTOBER 13, 2021

In recent years, sales teams across the business spectrum have shifted toward a needs-based approach. And more importantly, does your business need it? Most conventional sales methodologies are entirely transactional. Effective at making customers feel like your solution was tailor-made for them? Not really.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Small Business Sales Purchasing 52

Ruby

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

Every customer is different. But their expectations around customer service remain remarkably similar. No matter where they are in their sales journey, they want an exceptional experience… … before … during … and after they make a purchase. Live chat accelerates your sales cycle.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Sales Purchasing Small Business 52

Ruby

DECEMBER 28, 2020

The question has long baffled philosophers, educators, researchers, and leaders of all kinds—not to mention salespeople and customer service professionals. Our unique approach to customer service translates into happier customers, improved brand loyalty, and—ultimately—better business.

Sales 52

Sales Customer Service Purchasing Equipment 52

Ruby

APRIL 24, 2024

Even some small businesses have gotten to the point where they’d rather redirect incoming calls to some interactive voice response (IVR) system. That’s a shame because if you’ve ever called a business as a consumer and got rustled into one of those automated systems, you know how irritating they can be. For the caller?

Small Business 52

Small Business Technology Customer Service Sales 52

Ruby

APRIL 10, 2024

For callers, nothing is worse than having a dead space in a phone call, especially when you’re on the phone with a business. Silence signals that the business’ customer service representative either doesn’t care—or doesn’t know what they’re doing. Converting callers into customers is half art, half science.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Small Business Onboarding Purchasing 52

Ruby

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

Like most owners, you’re too busy running your business—serving customers or clients, fulfilling orders, managing employees, and getting work done. Some companies have receptionists or customer service professionals on staff to pick up the phone (at least during business hours ). The best part?

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Small Business Sales 52

Ask a Manager

NOVEMBER 22, 2021

I am the owner of a very small company, around 15 people total. We do the vast majority of our sales through a popular online marketplace, but also have a company webstore where customers can order our products. Because we are so small, we cannot accommodate order cancellations, and we rarely offer refunds.

Customer Service 67

Customer Service Problem-Solving Small Business Retail 67

Ruby

OCTOBER 11, 2019

If there’s a box in the corner offering live customer support, you can be confident the business is experiencing better than average customer service, conversion, retention, and satisfaction. The benefits of live chat for businesses are numerous. 42% of all customers prefer chat over other communication channels.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Sales Problem-Solving Communication 52

Ruby

DECEMBER 18, 2023

Customers are more demanding than ever, putting pressure on small businesses to be more responsive. First contact with customers is often over the phone, so most businesses need someone manning the lines at all times. They also screen spam callers and filter out time-wasting robocalls.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Healthcare Sales Software 52

Ruby

OCTOBER 25, 2022

Indeed, Forbes discovered that a whopping 86% of consumers prefer humans to AI chatbots, with 71% of consumers saying they would be less likely to use a brand if it didn’t have human customer service representatives available. CUSTOMER : What’s up? The (people) power of live chat Scenario #1: The cracked swimming pool.

Legal 52

Legal Customer Service Maintenance Logistics 52

Ruby

NOVEMBER 23, 2021

Despite appeals from retailers big and small for customers to get their shopping done early this year, the National Retail Federation is projecting that holiday sales from November to December will grow by 8–10% from last year. Plus, of course, it can also result in a lost sales opportunity. Triple bummer.

Retail 52

Retail Supplies Customer Service Sales 52

Ruby

NOVEMBER 4, 2021

For them, every conversation is an opportunity to make a sale, delight a customer, or improve their community. But putting a price tag on small business conversations is a much more complicated science. Carry the price of customer happiness… Businesses are often measured by their level of customer service.

Problem-Solving 52

Problem-Solving Customer Service Small Business Communication 52

Ruby

JULY 14, 2021

The shortage includes a dearth of candidates for highly technical positions in the fields of operations/logistics and manufacturing/production as well as countless unfilled roles that emphasize communication—jobs in areas such as customer service, office administration, and sales/marketing. And that’s just the beginning.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Logistics Problem-Solving Manufacturing 52

Ruby

MAY 11, 2022

Here are two loaded statistics: Increasing customer retention by 5% increases profitability by 25%-95%. Someone referring a friend or family member or neighbor to your business results in an additional sale 80% of the time. In other words, repeat customers spend more, and they do the customer acquisition for you.

Sales 52

Sales Customer Service Purchasing Retail 52

Ruby

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

All year, small business owners have exemplified this trait. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic and the various turmoil 2020 has wrought, small business owners have found new ways to continue serving their customers and clients. Download It doesn’t even have to be directly related to your main line of business.

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Creativity Small Business Real Estate Customer Service 52

Ruby

APRIL 30, 2024

Small businesses can make major strides without spending a fortune—or changing a single aspect of the products and services they market. Run themed sales. Who doesn’t love a sale? Offering discounts from normal prices is a time-honored method of attracting new customers. Customer service 22.

Small Business 52

Small Business Customer Service Sales Advertising 52

Ruby

DECEMBER 10, 2019

It means business opportunity. Any business looking to grow should consider using a live chat service. In fact, live chat might be the most important sales and customer service channel today. Approximately 42% of all customers prefer chat over other communication channels. Overcome sales objections.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Sales Banking Communication 52

Success

OCTOBER 27, 2021

Maria came on the show with two questions that I’m guessing most entrepreneurs reading this have experienced: How can I attract more customers to my business when there are so many cheaper options? What should be my strategy for increasing my sales when my competition has much more capital to invest?

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Sales Supplies Small Business Project Management 119

Ruby

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

Call centers are large operations that specialize in sales, marketing, and customer support over the phone. They’re used by businesses that need to handle a high volume of low-complexity calls at once—as quickly as possible. They excel more as calling services than answering services.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Real Estate Automotive Sales 52

Ruby

JUNE 6, 2023

It’s easier than ever to outsource work to experienced freelancers and contractors who can support your small business remotely. They want flexibility and freedom of choice…so maybe your business should look for such qualities, too. Should your small business hire or outsource? So…to hire or to outsource?

Insurance 52

Insurance Onboarding Training Small Business 52

Ruby

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Here are just a few ways live virtual receptionist services fuel business growth: Get the virtual receptionist guide! Discover to turn your callers into loyal customers. Download Strengthen your customer service reputation. Discover must-know customer service stats Reduce overhead and supplement existing resources.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Advertising Onboarding Purchasing 52

Ruby

JUNE 29, 2021

Many business owners and professionals can’t or choose not to pick up the phone, sending most—if not all—calls to voicemail. In fact: 64% of phone calls to small businesses don’t get answered. 70% of small businesses miss over half of all calls they receive. Your customers or clients are going elsewhere.

Small Business 52

Small Business Customer Service Government Sales 52

Ruby

FEBRUARY 21, 2022

They see the opportunity as chance to be part of something big—they’ve already expressed a lot of interest in your business model and your sales, marketing, and customer communication strategies. Carlos excels at customer service and has a knack for answering questions quickly and efficiently. Who would you hire?

Finance 52

Finance Sales Customer Service Communication 52

Ruby

JANUARY 24, 2022

By contrast, customer loyalty is when a person has had a positive enough experience with your business to engage with you regularly. It can result from great product or service offerings, as well as excellent customer service, and it goes hand-in-hand with customer satisfaction. Start here.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Sales Problem-Solving Manufacturing 52

Ruby

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

Today, small business websites have replaced the need for consumers to flip through physical directories. Live chat is now able to answer customer questions that previously fell on deaf (cartoon) ears, making it the preferred communication channel over email and phone calls. It’s certainly been a while since we’ve seen him.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Retail Banking Communication 52

Ruby

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

If it’s a business call, a fear of failure can make even the simplest sales pitch feel like an episode of Shark Tank. The people you serve don’t just expect a quick response from you; they want you to deliver exceptional experiences across every touchpoint they have with your business. Still need help? We’ve got you covered.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Sales Learning Training 52

Ruby

MARCH 25, 2021

They have multiple channels through which to reach your business, but perhaps those channels don’t “talk” to each other. In omnichannel customer service, channels share information and coordinate to ensure a continuous, harmonious, convenient experience. Let’s say, for example, a customer is shopping on a website for a product.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Purchasing Technology Sales 52

Ruby

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Jill McKenna: Another thing you said that is probably one of the most exciting realizations to come out of all this for me is just for small businesses is the fact that the talent pool now opens up. So for instance, we get a lot of inquiries about outbound sales. Let’s start out with kind of a trial. Here is one or two staff.”

Delegation 52

Delegation Banking Training Sales 52

Ruby

DECEMBER 31, 2014

They serve to solve the issues facing small businesses everywhere. For small businesses, initial success and subsequent growth in customer management can mean an ever-growing number of calls, more than can be personally handled. Remote receptionists can help businesses save money.

Customer Service 52

Customer Service Small Business Sales Flexibility 52

Ruby

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

Anyway, in this article, you’ll learn… what an answering service is different ways answering service providers price their services and plans why cheaper doesn’t always mean better how the right answering service pays for itself …and more. Initially, an answering service can seem like an additional cost.

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Automotive Real Estate Sales Small Business 52