Customer Service For Nasa Education Programs

Writen by Lance Winslow

One of NASAs missions besides space exploration and the forward progression of mankind is to foster goodwill and educate the next generation of aerospace leaders. They do this in a number of ways and this is where the Shuttles Tires meet the runway.

It is very much about customer service. Who is the customer? Well the American People for one and lately the whole world, as so much is riding on what they accomplish up there and down here.

NASAs customer service is a good case study in public relations and how to propel our next generation. Their teams help in education of our young up and coming astronauts. In what ways does NASA give great customer service?

Well go take a look at their website and each page of important information has a link to more information and often a contact name. You can email them and they will respond to your questions, comments or ideas. I have and have been quite astounded by their excellent work.

In this case study we see that one of our nations greatest assets allows for dialogue, input and works with the public for the benefits of all. If more government agencies did this and offered this level of customer service we certainly would have more citizens praising their efforts. Please consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Prove Yourself Every Time

Writen by Larry Galler

Last week a disgruntled salesperson told me about a long-time customer who stopped buying from her. "Gosh, I thought we were good friends; we even went out together socially. I never thought I would have to worry about losing her as a customer." As soon as I heard that last sentence, I knew that I had discovered a new business-medical condition, "SCS." Salesperson Complacency Syndrome!

Too often we confuse relationships. These people had a business relationship. In the course of that relationship, it sounded as if they became friendly. But somewhere the salesperson became complacent, feeling that, "my friend would never take her business elsewhere." I don't know what triggered the defection but SCS (Salesperson Complacency Syndrome) can be identified in three possible scenarios:

1. The Relentless Competitor

An aggressive salesperson worked hard to separate the buyer's personal relationship from her responsibility as a purchaser and strove to offer better service, terms, quality and / or price.

2. She's Mine Forever Unless I Really Mess Up

The original salesperson thought her "friend" was somehow "tied-to-her-for-life" and began spending less time and effort, giving the rival an opening.

3. It Will Be Overlooked

Somehow the salesperson didn't fix an error, extend a proper discount, or give the type of service she gave at the beginning of the relationship.

Every salesperson, when dealing with a long-term purchaser, must know about SCS and never become complacent, even if they become friends. One must remember to always give that client, friendly relationship or not, the best consideration, effort, and business perks because lurking just under the surface is a rival aggressive salesperson. That rival will pounce and take over the account eventually if complacency starts eroding the business relationship.

The problem is that it is so easy to become complacent. We work hard to get a new account and to impress in the early stages of the relationship. Then we work on getting more new accounts, then more. But slowly, as relationships mature, they also erode, because of time management pressures, production quotas, and complacency. Fight "SCS." Give your long-term clients your best, every time!

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" For a free coaching session, email Larry for an appointment - Larry@larrygaller.com. Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com

What Do Your Clients Really Think Of You

Writen by Laurie Hayes

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Know Thyself - Socrates

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I'd like to start this article with a test …

What do you get when you cross a Northern Canadian male, a 4x4 truck and heavy rain?

You guessed it! … Mud Bogging!!!!

That is how I spent my morning. My husband's new truck was too shinny, so he felt he had to get it dirty again just so he could wash it for the fourth time this week.

Of course, I won't say no to adventure so I hung up my leather coat and pulled out my bush jacket. Put away my fashion footwear and pulled on my rubber boots.

Then we hit the trails! I bit my tongue, possibly dislocated a shoulder and lost my sunglasses, the whole time yelling, "Yahooooo!"

We made it home in one piece but I think our mechanic is going to make some real easy money in the next couple of days. :0)

What does this have to do with business you ask? It's called balance … and if you don't have balance, work and business are a whole lot tougher and a lot less fun.

This week I created a rather enlightening assignment for myself. My coach and I were discussing the importance of knowing what kind of an image we portray to the world.

How we think others see us and how we are actually perceived may be worlds apart.

Being a successful business owner, or achieving success in any endeavor, has a strong connection to how others regard us.

Building a solid, successful business is highly dependent on the relationships we build with our clients and customers.

You can provide a top quality product or service, but if a potential buyer does not feel comfortable with you or a sense of trust or caring on your part, it doesn't matter how good your product is.

In order to measure how I was portraying myself to others, I created a questionnaire and distributed it via e-mail to my family members, friends, peer coaches, clients, and acquaintances.

I asked for feedback from people I have known for only a few weeks, and some who have known me for years.

I wanted to capture a good cross-section that would cover the many different relationships over varying time periods.

I asked them to list for me the first five words or images that come to mind when they hear the name, Laurie Hayes.

The results came quick and I received close to 90 different answers. Many answers were also the same and this greatly assisted me in determining what the top five images were.

There was a tie for first place between "caring" and "funny." Actually, I collected, "humorous," "funny," "very funny" and "funny as hell!"

This gave me great peace of mind knowing that if some day I decide to abandon entrepreneurship, I can always join the circus! ;-)

This exercise was wonderful in that it demonstrated I am on track with my purpose.

My goal is to move others to where they want to be by providing support and inspiring action while keeping it fun. And through the feedback received, I know I am on course.

This was a great (and very important) exercise. How many businesses have failed because owners have failed to solicit feedback?

Often times, people will not tell you where you are falling short. And if they do, are you listening to them?

Instead of sharing their thoughts, some may let the friendship fade, find a new supplier, or even though they continue to associate with you, not recommend you to anyone else although they have ample opportunity.

It is very important to ask for feedback so you can measure your position.

If you want to portray a certain image, ask for others' opinions. This will help you know if you're accomplishing what you set out to or to the degree that you could be.

You must let those you ask know that absolute honesty is desired and that you respect their input and candor.

You should also be willing to accept what is presented. If you don't like some responses or if you disagree with them, look at the math.

If several people have indicated, "uninterested," take this seriously. Do not allow your judgment to step in and decide that they are wrong.

Think about what role you play in creating this feeling for them, and then decide what you will do about it.

If this response has been generated by several of those questioned, how many others may not have felt comfortable enough to offer you the same feedback even though they share it?

How do you think you portray yourself to others?

How are you really portraying yourself?

Measure and remain open to the results.

If you want to achieve success, you need strong, healthy relationships and you play a pivotal role in creating and maintaining them.

Laurie Hayes, founder and visionary behind The HBB Source™ helps government and corporate employees break free of their jobs to live their dream of entrepreneurship. To subscribe to her FREE e-zine for valuable resources designed to create business success, visit http://www.thehbbsource.com

Customers No

Writen by Ron Kaufman

Customers...NO!

We were visiting in Gisborne, an attractive small town near Melbourne, Australia.

Walking along the main street I saw a small clothing store with a very bold sign pasted on the door directly above the doorknob. It read:

CUSTOMERS NO… jam donuts, sticky buns, fizzy drinks, mucky boots, cigarettes, ice creams, gooey lollies, water pistols, fairy floss or half-eaten fruit in this shop. Thank you.

I understand the need to keep a shop clean, but the largest, loudest and strongest message in the sign is clearly:

CUSTOMERS NO...

In the window next to the door was an even larger sign:

UP TO 50% OFF!!

What an odd way to do business! The first sign scares customers away. The second begs them to come back by slashing prices (and profits).

Key Learning Point
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Customers form opinions about every aspect of your business: your place, people, products, packaging and procedures. Anything not 100% customer friendly is a message that screams (or whispers): `Stay Away!'

Action Steps
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What messages are you sending to your clients? Review your website, application forms, product information, customer service counters, returns procedures, etc. Actively seek out moments that are unpleasant, inconvenient, problematic, confusing, offensive or difficult to understand. Then go to work and smooth the way. Make sure every point of contact says it loud and clear: CUSTOMERS WELCOME!

Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed educator and motivator for partnerships and quality customer service. He is author of the bestselling "UP Your Service!" and founder of "UP Your Service College". Visit http://www.UpYourService.com for more such Customer Service articles, subscribe to his Newsletter, or to buy his bestselling Books, Videos, Audio CDs on Customer Service from his secure Online Store. You can also watch Ron live or listen to him at http://www.RonKaufman.com.

Why You Should Always Honour Your Guarantees Even When The Customer Is In The Wrong

Writen by Debbie Jenkins

The Reason Why Direct Internet Marketers Have To Work So Hard To Earn Our Trust

A bad attitude to customer service can literally destroy your business.

So, I thought I'd share my response to what I read on an Internet Marketing Forum recently to illustrate my point.

It started with a genuine request made by someone looking to do the right thing despite having a frustrating run of luck...

"I've been asked for three refunds this WEEK. The product is a proven one that I've sold for 6 months and my refund rate is normally TINY. I have only been asked for four refunds ever. One of the reasons I've been given are crazy - He thought the product in question (which is about creating Income streams) was about Gardening - I kid you not!

I gave the refund because I couldn't think what to say to him, but it brought up the question of refunds? Should you ALWAYS give refunds when requested or do you sometimes argue the point?

So do you ALWAYS give refunds?"

One response which (due to the added fact that other people agreed with it) made me livid was...

"A seller on eBay was asking a similar question to yourself and the response was: 'eBay isn't a branch of Marks & Sparks, tell them to get stuffed!' Brilliant! I have actually used this response myself when dealing with timewaster buyers on eBay (minus the 'get stuffed' bit as I always try to be polite and professional) and it hasn't resulted in a tit-for-tat negative rating yet!"

So here's what I wrote...

"This is for all people who think it's funny to treat unhappy customers like a**holes!

I always give refunds when offering an unconditional guarantee - even when the mistake was "their fault". Unconditional is exactly that - without conditions. I also suggest talking first and getting clear exactly why they want their money back - you may be able to save the sale but even if you don't then all feedback is useful, right?

People who automatically assume someone who's made a mistake (or is unhappy) is a "timewaster" need to check their attitude. In fact maybe they shouldn't be in the business at all - because glib remarks, by people who should know better, telling unhappy customers (in one way or another) to "get stuffed" when they want their money back gives us all a bad name.

If your product/service is good, and you've described it accurately (giving samples where possible) then the number of refunds will be low. My experience is people who have a bad attitude when customers are unhappy get it (the attitude) because they have a higher return rate than they'd like - and think the world is full of crooks and timewasters. But maybe they should take a look at how they're describing their product and the product itself (they may unkowingly look like crooks themselves) before assuming the rest of the world is wrong."

So why am I so emphatic about this! Surely some people are crooks and timewasters?

Well you'd be right. Some people are. But many more are not.

If you recall back a few issues you'll remember I spent a lot of effort to help you hone a Bold Promise and Awesome Guarantee. Being able to offer an honest and audacious promise helps complete strangers to trust you and buy without risk of getting taken for a ride.

In fact, where Internet Marketing is concerned, a guarantee is essential. People are rightly wary until they know and trust you. It's so easy to set up a website that looks like it has something of value for sale and to take payments online that there are bound to be cheats and scoundrels out there happy to take your money without giving the promised value in return.

So a guarantee is a very powerful way to make prospective customers feel more secure in making the decision to buy from you. The problem is that scammers can make the same promises without having any intention of delivering on them.

This sorry state of affairs is why it's still difficult to gain trust from strangers on the web. And that's why it's essential to build a relationship using the pipeline and then to continue building on that relationship (again take another look at the pipeline) even if a customer later decides to call in your guarantee.

So, if we agree that our end goal is to have lots of paying customers and an army of cheerleading, evangelists telling anyone and everyone how great we are then you'll see it makes sense to be squeaky clean, to accept the odd loss and to focus on making your product and service great.

If you fail to play it straight (even when you suspect your customer isn't) then you'll be certain to completely trash your reputation faster than I can say, "Bankruptcy". The reason, quite simply, is that when a customer has a good experience they'll tell a handful of people, but when a customer has a bad experience they'll tell anyone and everyone who will listen!

This goes back to the fact that us humans will do a hell of a lot more to avoid pain than we will to gain pleasure. We simply focus on the bad stuff. Plus, a story of how AWFUL something was is far more dramatic than one about how NICE it was.

So it's simple. If you make a promise then stick to it. If you don't bad things will happen. Let the Universal Law of "What Goes Around Comes Around" take care of customers who are genuinely cheating you. You can focus on all the good stuff, like profits, instead.

In summary:

* If you make a guarantee then honour it (even if you feel you're being wronged).

* Always try to save the sale by asking questions - even if you still lose the sale you may learn something to make a return less likely in the future.

* Don't take people calling you on your guarantee personally - that's what it's there for. Be gracious and you may even gain a new evangelist where you first thought there was a problem.

'Dangerous' Debbie Jenkins debs@debbiejenkins.com (c) Copyright 2005 www.BookShaker.com SUMMER CAN BE SLOW FOR BUSINESS But don't let that get in the way of your success. This is the ideal time to work on your business rather than in it. Get 2 F'REE eBooks and prepare for more success with less effort here... http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk I'm wondering if... You Know Other People who should be reading this too? So do us all a favour (they get 2 free books - we get a new subscriber - you get to look good) when you Pass On This link... http://www.leanmarketing.co.uk