Secrets of Extraordinary Customer Service | Bellwether Spring 2016

Volume 7, Spring 2016

Volume 7, Spring 2016

SECRETS OF

EXTRAORDINARY

CUSTOMER SERVICE PAGE 22

TAX

The You Probably Owe But Aren’t Paying PAGE 13

How CRM Solutions Supercharge Customer Service PAGE 24

12

The Tax You Probably Owe But Aren’t Paying

16

Achieve Your Business Zen

22

SECTIONS

Spring 2016

Secrets of Extraordinary Customer Service

24

How CRM Solutions Supercharge Customer Service

Letter from the Editor

5

Leadership

8

Corporate Finance

12

Cover Story

22

Customer Relationships

30

Customer Profile

34

Industry News

38

Technology

42

Sales and Marketing

46

34

Six Keys to Cultivating Customer Delight

bell•weth•er -noun:

30

Bad Customer Service: Are you Committing These Crimes?

one who takes initiative or leadership

Spring 2016 | Bellwether

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LETTERFROMTHEEDITOR

BELLWETHER Volume 7 Spring 2016 www.blytheco.com www.bellwethermagazine.com EDITOR Apryl Hanson

Hello Bellwether Readers!

zation provides to your

level of service your organi

the Are you passionate about clients?

tomers’ experiences ’s length away from our cus arm am I ist, teg Stra er tom As a Cus nt of our business. touches almost every segme tely ma ulti role My co. the Bly here at e an opportunity to ies, ALL team members hav pan com st mo in t tha I believe tomer experiences. either create or influence cus ative feelings about your er create positive or neg Those experiences can eith speak to a customer, can , even if they don’t directly company. Every employee eived. impact how your brand is rec ked this magazine with ut this issue. We have pac It is why I’m so excited abo experience, which will can improve your customer’s information about how you ater profitability. ultimately contribute to gre ent speaks about how he nts, Evisions, whose Presid Check out one of our clie have other articles with servicing customers. We also keeps his teams focused on of meaningful information can help you keep track specifics on software that you. and their interactions with related to your customers er service. There is so iceberg related to custom the of tip the just is e issu This check out our blog at would love to give. Please we t tha tion rma info re mo much tions. And if you are tomer service recommenda cus re mo for m .co eco lyth www.B don’t hesitate to give us ter customer experiences, bet ate cre to p hel for g lookin a call. ship,

We appreciate your reader

COPY EDITOR Denise Renee Phinn ART DIRECTORS Gary Dahl Jennifer Vo ADVERTISING SALES Denise Renee Phinn SUBSCRIPTIONS www.bellwethermagazine.com Or contact Denise Renee Phinn (949) 583-9500, Extension 2209 dphinn@blytheco.com Bellwether Magazine is published

by Blytheco with principal offices at: 23161 Mill Creek Dr., Suite 200 Laguna Hills, CA 92653 If you wish to be removed from the mailing list or to add names to the mailing list, send your request, including name, business name, and mailing address to the above address or to dphinn@blytheco.com This is a copyrighted publication and all articles herein are covered by this copyright.

Any use of the content for commercial reasons or other form or reproduction of material herein is strictly prohibited without prior, written approval of Bellwether Magazine.

Spring 2016 | Bellwether

5

by Tim Brown and Dan Streeter

M

5

Tried and True Sales Methods You Should Still Be Using in the 21st Century

ake no mistake; the world of sales is changing. Technology seems to be driving the sales vehicle in today’s society, but it’s the old school, tried and true, consultative techniques that separate the good from the great sales professional. When we discuss old school techniques, we reminisce on our old school heroes such as Zig Ziglar, Harvey McKay, and Dale Carnegie, who taught the world a few fundamental rules of sales, which can be encapsulated primarily by this one statement, which will always be true: People buy from people they like and trust.

As painstakingly obvious as that cardinal rule of sales is, there’s a diamond hard kernel of truth inside it that many salespeople overlook. The ability to cultivate and sustain trust with people is the X factor that the best sales professionals rely upon to consistently excel at what they do. Trust is a sales professional’s most valuable currency.

There are five old school techniques to master, which will help you to build trust:

1. Remember, You Are ALWAYS Selling

Whether you are in front of a huge client, at the grocery store, or posting your favorite beach photo on Facebook, you are always selling. Be aware of the image you are portraying and have alignment with your professional and personal image. Maintaining a personal brand of trust is a 24/7/365 proposition. People will keep a mental file on you. Every action, word, and interaction with people goes into the lasting impression you make on them, whether or not it happened during the workday. Directly or indirectly, you are always building or losing trust. You never know when a new opportunity to establish or nurture a relationship is going to crop up. Make trust building a part of your persona, make it genuine, and keep your brand switch “on.”

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Bellwether | Spring 2016

LEADERSHIP 2. Develop Your Personal Brand

Speaking of keeping your brand switch “on,” take the time to build a personal branding statement. Write down a description of your unique talents, skills, and practices, and why people with whom you do business value them. Then revisit this statement and ask three fundamental questions:

a. Am I living up to my personal brand? b. Do I need to revise it and why? c. How could I strengthen my brand?

As you focus on developing and living up to this personal brand statement, you will find that your actions automatically become aligned to the statement. You will actively seek out opportunities to become an expert in your field and demonstrate that expertise on a regular basis, you will be sought out for your counsel, and ultimately, your customers will see you as their ally in their purchasing decisions.

3. Always Be Serving

the “F” word: “failure.” Pessimists tend to let failure get wrapped around the axle of their success and talent.

Instead, your mindset should be that there is no failure; there are only opportunities to learn and move forward.

Zig Ziglar never promised us it would be easy. Just listen to his journey as a door-to-door salesman, and you will see that sales are hard. It’s filled with rejection.

Judging yourself based on that rejection serves no one, so silence the critic inside yourself…it serves no one.

Every salesperson takes their lumps. So, replace the “F” word with the “E” word: “Experience,” and treat those experiences as gifts. Through focusing on experiences rather than looking at failures, we build a sense of selfcontrol, we persevere through even the most difficult of hardships, and we develop an indomitable spirit.

Your capacity to use the tools developed by the old school masters will become the bridge that provides any sales professional the 5% more power to allow them to move from Good to Great. By using these five strategies, you will be able to move the sales needle.

It’s time to make your old school heroes proud.

An always-serving mindset means you are serving the people you work with, whether they are your peers, you report to them, or vice versa. These are the people you need by your side to succeed; they are the ones in the foxhole with you. By serving them and by treating them with respect and humility, you’ll engender a culture of serving in the workplace. While you are out serving your customers, it certainly helps to have people back in the home office serving you!

4. Be a Challenger In a published study (https://goo.gl/vMqINB), five different and distinct seller profile styles of salespeople were rated by performance. Coming out on top was the king of the sales jungle: The Challenger Sales Type. Challengers take control of the conversation through the use of questioning to develop a deep understanding of their customers’ businesses. Then, they positively assert their viewpoints which help to push the customer’s and their own personal thinking to develop creative solutions. Ultimately, customers do not simply want yes-people. They want to know that you truly understand the problem and that you are promoting the best solution possible.

5. Eliminate the “F” word

Show me a person focused on problems, and I’ll show you a person with a lot of problems. The same goes with

About the Authors Tim Brown and Dan Streeter are the co-authors of Old School with New Tools: The Extra 5% That Takes You to the Top of Your Sales Game and Keeps You There. Learn more at www. oldschoolwithnewtools.com. Listen to their “Old School with New Tools” podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Spring 2016 | Bellwether

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Are you the de facto

CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER?

C

by Denise Renee Phinn and Kathy McCoy, MBA

ustomer service is more important than ever in today’s business world. Social media has given everyone the ability to instantly broadcast high praise or harsh criticism about your brand to the world. In response, new roles such as Customer Experience Management and Design have emerged so as not to leave customer journeys to chance.

B

ut what happens in businesses where a large part of the organization is in a client-facing role? Or what if there is no dedicated service team or a named leader?

Whose responsibility is it to champion the customer’s cause? Someone usually ends up without the title but with all the responsibilities… they become the de facto leader.

Is that person you? If you’re unsure, let our quiz help you figure it out!

Whether you are a named leader, a de facto one, or you work in a client-facing role, here are four key areas where you should put your focus.

1. Develop a calm and reassuring communication style.

Everyone in a customer facing role must be able to remain cool under pressure. Listening effectively without being defensive is a great way to help calm clients who are feeling angry or agitated over an experience with your company. This technique works best over the phone or in person, but also applies to email and social media interactions.

2. Know your product/services and company inside out.

Customers can smell incompetence and indifference a mile away. Nothing irritates them more than speaking with a representative who either doesn’t seem to know anything about the products or services your company offers or doesn’t appear to care to enough to provide the 10

Bellwether | Spring 2016

necessary help. The more competence your reps display, the more your clients will trust you and give you repeat business.

3. Use your tools to your advantage.

Answers to many questions a client could potentially ask are likely found in your accounting, ERP, CRM or another system. Raise your hand for any and all training sessions on the tools your company utilizes and get good at extracting relevant data quickly.

4. Be a problem solver.

It’s your responsibility to solve the customer’s issues.

They will love you for it, and upper management will take notice. Better still, get good at anticipating problems before they start. For the best results, start predicting what your customers might want and make recommendations to them before they come to you.

You’ll transform your company’s relationship with them into that of a trusted advisor!

These four tips should get you started down the path of improving your customer service management skills. For more tools, visit (http://www.blytheco.com/ customerservicetools).

Take our short quiz to find out if you’re the unofficial customer service leader in your company or department.

LEADERSHIP Quiz: Are You the De facto Customer Service Manager?

1. How much do you like dealing with customers? a. It jazzes me up more than my morning cup of coffee! b. Can’t say I LOVE it, but I am pleasant to clients. c. I run from them like the plague!

2. How often are you the “go-to” person for customer issues? a. Always, and with pleasure! b. Sometimes. c. Uh, never!

3. Do customers seek you out because you have helped them before? a. Yes…I get asked for by name and I love it! b. No, but I’ve never received a complaint or write up. c. No, and that’s fine with me!

4. Does upper management trust you to handle more challenging customer issues? a. Yes, I always handle the doozies... and clients walk away smiling! b. I’m only asked if someone else isn’t available. c. They don’t ask, and I don’t volunteer!

5. If you hand off a customer issue to a colleague, do you follow up to make sure the issue is resolved? a. Yes; I want to make sure they’ve taken care of my peeps! b. I only follow up on a customer issue if I’m afraid someone may drop the ball. c. Why would I? Once I give a customer issue over to someone else, it’s their problem!

6. Have you developed customer service policies in an effort to improve customer relations? a. Yes, I’ve written policies to improve our service and make sure things are handled the right way. b. I’ve thought about how things should run in our company, but it’s not really my job to set policies or write documents. c. Seriously??

To score: “A” answers =10, “B” answers = 5, “C” answers = 0.

If your score is between 45 and 60 points: Congratulations! You are the de facto customer service manager for your organization. This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly, so review the articles and resources in this issue carefully. And don’t forget to check out our tool kit at http://www.blytheco.com/customerservicetools.

If your score is between 20 and 45 points: You could potentially be on your way to being organization’s de facto customer service manager. You know your stuff but you could step up your client happiness game, if you want to keep advancing in your career. Let our tools help orchestrate your next moves: http://www.blytheco.com/customerservicetools.

If your score is less than 20 points: No worries! You are in NO danger of becoming your organization’s de facto customer service manager! But there are elements of customer service in every role. You could use some of our tools to sharpen your skills and improve your performance. Check them out at http://www.blytheco.com/customerservicetools.

About the Authors Denise Renee Phinn is Blytheco’s Content Marketing and Social Branding Specialist. She is a copywriting geek who likes to share morning motivations, personal branding and career tips on her personal blog and on social media. Connect with her at www.LinkedIn/in/DeniseReneePhinn.

Kathy McCoy, MBA, is Blytheco’s Demand Generation Specialist. She has written on software and business management for over eight years and has more than 17 years experience in continuing education. Connect with Kathy on Twitter @kathymccoy.

Spring 2016 | Bellwether

11

TAX THE

YOU PROBABLY OWE, BUT AREN’T PAYING: A closer look at consumer use tax compliance

by Kerry Alexander

CORPORATEFINANCE

U

se tax, the lesser known counterpart of sales tax, suffers from a fundamental lack of PR. Buyers and sellers alike pay it no mind. Despite 27 states having a dedicated line item in tax returns for reporting use tax owed, only 2% of taxpayers pay it. As a result, participating States have been left with a $23 billion deficit annually in uncollected use tax.

It is much harder to enforce use tax compliance on individuals, so State governments expect businesses to close this gap. The propensity for companies to overlook use tax makes it an easy target for auditors. In fact, state auditors say it is the number one audit risk for businesses.

Don’t get caught with your compliance pants down! Here is a quick rundown of the basics to get you up to speed and out of the danger zone.

What’s in a name?

There are two types of use taxes: sellers use tax and consumer use tax. As a best practice, you should familiarize yourself with both. However, between the two, consumer use tax typically causes businesses the most trouble. Blame it on the name. The trick with consumer use tax is that the consumer isn’t always an individual; sometimes the “consumer” is a business or even the seller that owes the tax. Consumer use tax is owed on any taxable purchase where sales tax wasn’t collected at the time of the transaction. If you didn’t pay sales tax (or you paid a lower sales tax rate than your state charges) for taxable products or services you used in your business, you are obligated to pay consumer use tax.

you collect and pay sales tax, you should also confirm the correct use tax rates to ensure compliance.

Owe or no?

Like sales tax, certain exemptions also apply to use tax.

One of the most common is manufacturing equipment.

Typically, use tax is not due on equipment used to manufacture other goods. But the distinction can be very specific and varies by state. So it’s important to look at these exemptions carefully before applying them.

Keeping track of these exemptions – and any changes to them – can be challenging, especially if you do business in multiple states or jurisdictions.

Getting buy-in Certain states require remote vendors to notify customers of use tax obligations. Oklahoma and South Carolina, for example, require use tax notices on websites, catalogs, and invoices. North Dakota extends this to purchase orders and packing slips. Colorado requires remote retailers to submit a detailed report annually to the Department of Revenue of all in-state customers and sales, an unfavorable compliance burden that led to a lawsuit.

As a business, your obligations around consumer use tax can be difficult to manage. Get a deeper understanding by reading “What’s the Use of Use Tax? Five Tips for Consumer Use Tax Compliance.” http://bit.ly/1RlPm0X

A tale of two rates All 45 U.S. States that have a sales tax also have a use tax.

The two rates are often the same, but not always. Despite a federal law that says use tax rates can’t exceed sales tax rates, some jurisdictions still impose higher use tax rates on certain transactions, for example in Alabama. Even if you know the sales tax rates in the jurisdictions where

About the Author Kerry Alexander manages marketing programs for Avalara. She writes about the business challenges of managing sales tax and the benefits of automating compliance.

Spring 2016 | Bellwether

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Get Cash Back on Your Tech Puchases…

Courtesy of theIRS

by Mark Grimes

I

‌ f you are a small business owner or CFO, you’d be interested to know you could net significant savings on your company’s technology investments this year via an unlikely source: the IRS.** Improving your business’ technology infrastructure to provide higher quality products and the best customer service possible comes at a cost. But it’s important to know the technology you purchase today could potentially be written off by taking advantage of the bonus depreciation under Section 179 of the IRS tax code. In 2016, you can deduct the first $500,000 and then 50% up to 2 million!

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Bellwether | Spring 2016

CORPORATEFINANCE

W

hat often prompts a need to update or switch software platforms is the need for comprehensive data, complete access to data, data discovery, and self-service Business Intelligence (BI), among other benefits. In the process of exploring the best options, executives seeking to solve these can uncover a few pleasant surprises.

About Section 179 Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment or software purchased or financed during the fiscal year. That means that if you buy or lease a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the full purchase price from your gross income.

It’s an incentive created by the U.S. government to encourage businesses to buy equipment and invest in themselves.

Several years ago, Section 179 was often referred to as the “SUV Tax Loophole” or the “Hummer Deduction” because many businesses used it to write-off the purchase of qualifying vehicles at the time (like SUV’s and Hummers). That particular benefit of Section 179 has been severely reduced in recent years, however. Today, Section 179 is one of the few incentives included in any of the recent Stimulus Bills, which helps small businesses. Although larger firms can also benefit from Section 179 or Bonus Depreciation, the original target of this legislation was much-needed tax relief for small businesses

How Much You Can Potentially Save?

What kind of savings can your company potentially see?

Let’s say you are having a great year and your profits are up. To get here, you invested $650,000 in various software and professional services to help you implement new CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. The investment helped you increase your overall efficiency and sales. As a result, we’ll assume that you fall in the 35% tax bracket.

With those numbers, the IRS will let you deduct the first $500,000 and then take 50% on the next $150,000.

Let’s break it down: Your technology investment was $650,000. Your firstyear write-off will be $500,000, which is the maximum allowed in 2016. You’ll be able to take a 50% Bonus First Year Depreciation: $75,000. The average first-year depreciation is $14,000 (20% in each of 5 years on the remaining amount). Your total first year deduction will be $590,000 ($500,000 + 575,000 + 15,000). Your total cash savings will be $206,500 (or $590,000 x 35% tax rate).

Your Equipment cost after taxes, assuming the 35% tax bracket, is $443,500.

What if you saved your hard-earned cash and financed your purchase? No problem! You can still use the IRS Section 179 deduction. You would receive a benefit of 206,500, assuming you received a 5% loan over 36 months. The interest on this purchase would be $51,318.00. Ultimately, you’d still be saving $155,182. Using a conservative 1.5% inflation rate (the national average is currently 3.22% according to www.

InflationData.com), your company would be better off in a leasing situation, rather than using your capital!

Does that grab your attention?

Will You Qualify for This Benefit?

All businesses that purchase, finance, or lease less than $2,000,000 worth of new or used business equipment during the 2016 tax year should qualify for the IRS Section 179 deduction. Additionally, the equipment or software must be placed into service between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2016. Most tangible goods, including “off-the-shelf” software, professional services and business-use vehicles qualify for the IRS Section 179 deduction. To learn more, you can visit www. dimensionfunding.com/section179. You should also consult with your accountant or CPA for the restrictions.

Sometimes, it may be hard to see the return on investment when looking at all the upfront costs of investing in technology. But knowing you could potentially earn “cash back” from the IRS should help make the decision a little easier! ** This discussion is not intended as legal advice, and cannot be relied upon for any purpose without the services of a qualified professional.

About the Author Mark Grimes is the National Account Manager for Dimension funding. He has been an equipment financing and leasing industry professional for 17 years. He specializes in working with small to medium size businesses. Dimension Funding uses its 38 years of expertise and knowledge to create leasing programs that best fits clients’ needs. Learn more at www. dimensionfunding.com.

Spring 2016 | Bellwether

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Achieve Your Business Zen

I

Balancing Your Wants and Needs Against Your Budget

mproving efficiency does not mean cutting corners. Your organization should never have to sacrifice spend control for increasing the effectiveness of your organization’s processes.

by Peter Glenn

CORPORATEFINANCE

M

aking organizational enhancements to efficiency without proper spend controls is not only counterproductive but significantly increases your financial risk. Unchecked rogue spending and abuse are just a few of the pitfalls of minimal controls.

The goal of efficiency enhancements is to expedite processes and remove bottlenecks that would usually slow or stop critical transactions. For every process improvement, there needs to be an equally improved control to account for it.

FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE Finding the right balance often starts with the initial spend management selection process. We recommend working with your partner or vendor to handle a detailed requirements review to help you prepare for and avoid possible gaps through planning.

You may be able to discover more enhancements you can make through regular maintenance and software updates.

Take the opportunity to explore updates for ways they will affect your current setup and possibly new ways to tailor the experience to boost efficiency.

There are simple ways to increase efficiency that nearly all organizations can benefit from. We’ve found that the following three methods make a great launching point and can help effectively balance effectiveness and control.

1. Automate Common Actions Automation can be as simple as creating automatic notifications or implementing out of office approval routing. Many automated processes can be used to remove requisition bottlenecks, so be sure to explore every option available.

2. Use Budgets to Control Spending Employ the use of budgets for easy spending management (for GL or Project or both).

3. Maintaining Detailed Records Keep a detailed log of approvals and purchases for audits and compliance. The ability to easily search, review and report on the granular details of your organization’s spending can equate to substantial time savings.

CREATE THE RIGHT BALANCE Work with your partner or vendor at an in-depth process level to uncover enhancements tailored for your organization. Explore ways to make your spend management system better fit your unique requirements.

In most cases, older methods can be updated or replaced to yield higher returns, speed up workflow, and increase efficiency.

In depth process analysis often reveals unique, balanced, and organization-specific solutions. In several cases, we’ve seen organizations embrace the flexible nature of their spend management system to handle more than just financial transactions. For example, one team used the approval workflow engine to handle day-to-day approval requests for documents. The change quickly boosted user adoption of the software and made financially driven improvements easier to implement. The audit trail capabilities of their spend management system made handling all manner of requests easier to manage.

ACHIEVE THE RIGHT BALANCE Achieving the right balance between send control and efficiency enhancements comes from using your spend management system as it was intended and exploring ways to tailor the experience. When handled correctly, your organization will never have to sacrifice spend control for efficiency enhancements.

About the Author Peter Glenn is a Senior Level Manager for Paperless Business Systems, Inc. and Product Manager for eRequester Purchasing and Expense Management Software. Peter has a long and varied history in managing custom software development projects across multiple industries and over 15 years of experience in software. He has been a key player in the recent growth and direction for the eRequester platform and has been an integral part of the eRequester team since 2009.

CORPORATEFINANCE

How AP Automation

Empowers Great Client Experiences

by Kelly Smith

G

reat customer service is not the sole responsibility of the sales team or customer support department, but everyone within your business. Even your accounting department can give clients great service experiences! Those experiences, whether good or bad, will frame the perception of your brand and will become the basis for their future buying and referral decisions.

AP Automation makes it easy for everyone in the accounting department to offer positive client interactions. By automating routine tasks, your businesses can run up to 70% faster, giving your staff more time to respond to vendor and customer issues. A document management system makes dispute resolution simple by enabling your team members to have a 360-degree view of when invoices were submitted, paid, or refunded, along with easy access to supporting documentation.

Accounting automation delivers three primary benefits: it helps your team members work smarter while keeping workflows simple and effortless.

• Smart - Work smarter, not harder!

Document management systems can automatically monitor, receive and archive documents, images and all electronic information. This technology allows your staff to locate quickly and easily the proper information needed for immediate customer or vendor response.

you configure your workflows, you have instant visibility into your entire AP process for management review and to resolve any potential issues.

• Effortless - The right technology can make your

workday flow effortlessly. With document management it’s no longer a matter of paper file vs. ERP record; now all of your information is together. Invoices get linked to client information and other related documents for easy access. You can also instantly retrieve them directly from your ERP screens or via the web.

AP automation can help your accounting department providing great customer service by being able to answer vendor and client inquiries in a matter of minutes instead of hours or days. You’ll be primed to exceed your customer’s expectations and strengthen your brand in their mind.

• Simple - Setting up workflows makes dealing with

routine business matters a mere click of a button. Once

About the Author Kelly Smith is a Senior Marketing Coordinator at ACOM Solutions, a Sage Gold Development Partner. ACOM has provided AP Automation, Enterprise Content Management and Paperless Payment solutions to more than 4,000 organizations worldwide. Learn how ACOM can help your organization go paperless with Sage by visiting http://www.acom.com/sage.

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Bellwether | Spring 2016

“Always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be.”

-Og Mandino

( in field service, easier said than done )

Better field service requires better service management tools.

Service Pro® software can help.

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Calls, Assets, Parts, Contracts, RMA & more

Service Pro® is an end to end system for automated repair center and field service management, including mobile, scheduling, back office & integration with Sage 100 and many other ERP systems.

Learn how Service Pro® can help your field service business at www.msidata.com/blytheco

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262.241.7800

“There’s no avoiding it, Betty... we have MSTS”

If you’re struggling with “Manual Sales Tax Syndrome,” isn’t it time you asked your accountant about AvaTax?

Find out if Avalara AvaTax™ is right for you: www.Avalara.com/BlythecoMSTS WARNING:

1-855-562-6874

Some side effects of AvaTax implementation are common and well documented. These include, but are not limited to: greater sense of ease and well-being , significantly reduced risk of penalties and interest in the event of an audit, greater focus on profit-making activities, more free time to enjoy the things you love — including family and friends. If you experience any of these very common side effects, contact your accountant immediately and inform them of your AvaTax discovery.

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Secrets of Extraordinary

Customer Service

by Apryl Hanson

T

he value of the customer service department is often taken for granted. As companies grow, the client service role tends to evolve over time. It begins with someone handling in-bound phone calls and questions and turns into a fullfledged department. When it is grown organically, there is a tendency to manage as situations arise instead of pre-planning for the types of scenarios that can happen and create guidance around how they should be driven.

The customer service department is the heart of any organization; it’s the main connection to a company clients have. Your customer service agents are the voice of your company and they are creating a great experience for your clients and prospects or are turning them off.

Why is this department so critical to your success?

Consider these factors:

• Customer Retention – Most companies have a cost

of six to seven times more to acquire a new client. It is exceptionally cheaper to sell again to an existing customer who has had a positive experience with you than it is to acquire a new customer. Some companies (like wireless phone or credit card providers) have a subset of specialists dedicated to saving and winning back clients. If you have high customer turn-over, deploying someone in this specialty to figure out the issues and change your clients’ experiences will be well worth the investment.

• 14x More Revenue – An entirely satisfied customer

contributes on average about 14 times more revenue

22 Bellwether | Spring 2016

than a somewhat dissatisfied customer. That alone is enough to think differently about your strategies in your customer service department. Your Customer Lifetime Value is a metric that can help you determine if you are moving in the right direction from a client service perspective.

• Brand Differentiation – Companies like Zappos and Nordstrom pride themselves on their outstanding customer experience, and it has become their differentiator in comparison to their competitors.

• Word of Mouth – Word of mouth is the most important

and least expensive form of advertising that you will ever have. Why not take advantage of today’s social media platforms and create great experiences that people want to talk about socially. This is the least expensive way to grow your brand. With today’s marketing automation products, you can listen to social conversations plus track if your WOM is positive and if you are gaining new customers from it.

COVERSTORY • Net Promoter Score – Your Net Promoter Score (NPS) is the measurement of customers that will either promote you or not help your business and what that says about your brand. It is the response to the question: “On a scale from 0-10 would you recommend XX brand to a friend or colleague?” The response in the 9-10 are promoter and 0-6 are considered detractors. If you took the percentage of 9-10 answers and subtracted them from the rate of 0-6’s you will get your NPS score.

This score, if negative, shares that you have negative sentiments out there about your company and you may be slowly going out of business if you don’t change.

Positive scores indicate how fast your growth pattern is in relationship to others in your industry. This is the only predictive indicator of future revenue that is out there.

Key Performance Indicators Your customer service department is at the helm of assisting your organization with either growing or decaying. To you assist you in planning for success, here are a few key performance indicators you can use to measure, analyze and improve your customer service department’s performance.

• Net Promoter Score (NPS) – Your NPS can be one of the predicting indicators of future revenue and growth. This requires you to ask your customers questions in the form of a survey and to calculate the response.

• Customer Churn – Analyze how many customers have left (if you have regular purchases or services) or how many do not continue to buy. You need to have details of your customers and their purchase information in a customer relationship management (CRM) product in order to create this metric.

• CLV – Customer Lifetime Value is a great metric to look at. This is can be determined if you have the ability to see your customer’s purchases over time from some tracking system (like a CRM). Learn your CLV by calculating your average value of a sale X the number of repeat transactions X average retention time in months or years for a typical customer.

• Escalations – If you are tracking incoming calls, you should be able to have different escalation protocols.

Follow up on these issues with a ticketing system that can either be a part of your customer relationship management system (CRM) or one that integrates with it.

• New Customer Acquisition Rate – If you are tracking the new customer acquisition rate, it will help

you determine the variance between how much it costs your organization to sell a new customer versus retaining an existing one.

• Average Customer Sale – You should know what your average customer sale is so that you know what the value is of one interaction with a customer.

• Cases – There are a few metrics here like open cases, resolutions, first-time response and any backlog.

These keep your finger on the pulse of your customer service department issues and if anything needs to be escalated to a higher level.

About the Author Apryl Hanson is Blytheco’s Senior Director of Customer and Partner Strategy. She has more than 15 years of management experience within the software industry, including serving as Director of Partner Programs and Development and Director of Sales at Sage. Connect with her on Twitter @aprylhanson.

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How CRM Solutions Super-Charge Customer Service

by Bridget Gleason

C

ustomer Relationship Management (CRM) software solutions are known for doing the heavy lifting on the front end of the customer life cycle: lead acquisition, nurturing, opportunity tracking and closing business. But great CRMs are also a powerhouse when it comes to keeping your new clients happy and retaining their business for years to come. There are four major ways you can use your software to ensure you continually deliver high-quality experiences that keep your customers loyal to your brand.

Key benefits include:

COVERSTORY

Consistent Communication Be proactive with your client communications and create a strategy for each customer segment. Your CRM solution can give you the ability to set a schedule for your messages, create templates and personalize communications. You’ll automatically have a record of what was sent, so that your team members will be well informed when conducting follow-up calls, meetings, and onsite visits.

Instant Access to Customer Data Having instant access to all your customers’ data is mandatory for anyone in a client facing role today. Having updated intelligence allows your team to demonstrate to your customers that your company cares about them. Your CRM solution keeps all your relevant data in one centralized location so there will be no need to make clients wait while you track down their current status and history in another database. Adding and editing client information happens right inside your solution, saving your team and your customers’ valuable time.

Reward & Target Loyal Customers Nurturing relationships is not just for new client acquisition.

You can also use nurture campaigns to grow your customer loyalty. Supplement good customer experiences by showing your appreciation and rewarding behaviors such as business and personal milestones reached or referrals given. Client engagement workflows are easy to set up inside most CRM solutions and you can quickly identify which clients could best benefit from a little extra treatment.

Keep In Touch Keeping in touch with your customer base is critical to the longevity of your business. It might seem like a “no-brainer,” but you’d be surprised how many companies fall short in this area, from not being consistent, to not having an established nurturing series, or simply not keeping track of what types of communications went out to customers and when. With a CRM solution, you have the ability to set up communication series, alerts, and reports based on the last touch your client received.

Your team can reach out as often as necessary and deliver valueadded services with a personalized approach. Everything from product updates, newsletters, recalls, and warranty expirations can be easily managed with a CRM.

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CRMs In Action Now that we’ve talked about the theory, let’s look at some solutions in their customer service super hero mode! Here are three screen shots of customer service friendly tools inside three leading CRM solutions along with tips on you can best utilize them. See two more on our blog at http://info.blytheco.com/blytheco-blog/ how-to-use-your-crm-as-a-customer-service-tool.

A. Sage CRM: Customer Service Pipeline Get a 360-degree view of all customer service activities. Easily identify and sort cases by status, service rep, product, territory, and more. This is the visibility into the pipeline necessary to maintain a high level of customer service and ensure no customer is falling through the cracks.

About the Author Bridget Gleason is Blytheco’s Marketing Specialist. Bridget has a passion for the ever changing digital marketing era and writing about it. Her marketing and technology experience has spanned through a wide variety of industries, from sports to finance, real estate and software solutions. If you can’t connect with her at the office, track her down at the golf course or at www.linkedin.com/in/bridgetgleason

26 Bellwether | Spring 2016

B. Salesforce: Customer Service Leader Dashboard Reporting, tracking, and detailed analytics necessary to lead your team. Customizable so you can view the analytics you need and easily identify where your focus needs to be. Real time data from your team allows you to stay in the know on cases currently being handled and the end results.

C. Infor CRM: Service Ticket Open a service ticket directly in your CRM solution, automatically recording the details of that ticket in the account. The ticket auto populates with account information and is timestamped. This saves time by eliminating the need to go back into the account and record the ticket details.

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27

DataSelf Analytics Business Intelligence Busi

5,000+

reports, dashboards and KPIs Powered by

Supports Infor CRM, Sage 100, Sage 500, Sage CRM, Sage PFW, Sage Pro,Sage X3, system Salesforce and other ERP and CRM systems.

www.dataself.com

Bad Customer Service Are you committing these crimes?

by Denise Renee Phinn

I

’m sure you can easily probably think of a time when you had a not so nice exchange with a company. Bad customer service is usually easy to spot.

But just in case it isn’t, we asked a few of our team members to share some of their “nightmare” experiences by answering these two questions: “Bad customer service looks like…” and “You know you’ve had a bad customer service experience when…”

T

hese are their horror stories.

Bad customer service looks like… “… when I ask a question and my inquiry seems to have burdened or angered a rep.”

-K.A.

“…when you’re waiting 5-10mins waiting to be let into a fitting room while the workers are in the front gossiping with each other!”

-A.H.

“… when you call customer service and get referred to handle your issue through their website!”

-A.H.

“…when you’re told, “We don’t do that,” or “That’s not my department.”

-C.M.

“…when the customer service rep argues with you about your concerns.”

-S.H.

30 Bellwether | Spring 2016

CUSTOMERRELATIONSHIPS You know you have had a bad customer service experience when… “…you hang up the phone or leave the store and you don’t have a smile on your face; you’re feeling frustrated and disgruntled.”

-K.A.

“…you swear to never work with or conduct business with someone again!”

-K.R.

“…the customer service rep says hold on, but the next thing you hear is the dial tone.”

-S.H.

“…you leave a store or finish a call and have no feeling whatsoever about your experience.”

-K.D.

“…you contact a service provider for service and you never hear back from them.”

-M.F.

“…you’re the one who has to continually follow up to get a response.”

-C.M.

“…you’ve purchased a product or service from a company and they continue to hound you to buy the same thing you already bought!”

-S.H.

It’s easy to spot other companies’ bad customer service mistakes, but are you or your team committing them inside your own business? Be sure to follow the guidance we share throughout this issue to help you and your company sidestep these branding bombs and create the best client experiences in every single interaction all the time! Happy selling!

About the Author Denise Renee Phinn is Blytheco’s Content Marketing and Social Branding Specialist. She is a copywriting geek who likes to share morning motivations, personal branding and career tips on her personal blog and on social media.

Connect with her at www.LinkedIn/in/DeniseReneePhinn.

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4

Ways to Improve Customer Service in your

Supply Chain

by Jason Averill

N

o matter the type of company you are, aligning your corporate goals with your client’s demands typically ensures a positive outcome for everyone. Usually, businesses have a business strategy to deliver optimal service. When your company is part of a supply chain, timeliness, forecasting demand, and setting priorities are crucial for ultimate customer satisfaction.

32 Bellwether | Spring 2016

CUSTOMERRELATIONSHIPS Often, failure to put customers first amidst the sea of “to-do’s” actually hurts your business in the long run.

However, a change of perspective can set you back on the right course to retaining customers that help your company progress.

Here are four ways to simplify your supply chain and guarantee customer needs are fulfilled.

processes and 1. Streamline eliminate spreadsheets Maybe your company uses spreadsheets to keep track of inventory and for creating schedules. While it may work, it is highly inefficient because it eats up a lot of time. Invest in a product or software that will cut busy work and give your team members the best tools possible to manage multiple tasks at once and to see changes in real time.

Consolidating your supply chain tools will directly affect your productivity and will help you provide your clients with the excellent experience they desire.

2.

Provide employees with clear visibility

Every company has a core team that plays an important part in achieving the business’ success. Teams and departments work better together when they are striving for a common goal. If you don’t talk about or properly plan for your goals, it’s difficult to achieve them. So pay particular attention to continually reinforcing your overall company, department, and team goals with your staff.

Show individual contributors how their role is designed to achieve specific goals.

Your employees are a part of your company’s big picture.

Their actions have a direct effect on your customer’s ultimate happiness. Managers and executives are responsible for motivating their departments to achieve goals and improve the quality of work. Provide each of your employees with a tangible plan of action relevant to their position. Micromanagement should not be necessary; just create an effective way to remind workers of the big picture. Follow-up on a weekly basis to regroup and refocus as needed.

customers & 3. Segment products with individual supply plans

One attribute of leading companies is their ability to segment customers and products into individual supply chain solutions. Each product line and its’ consumers are different from the next, so honing in on the individual segments will eliminate wasted inventory and improve shelf availability.

Segmentation ensures better organization, reduces complexities, expands integration between suppliers, and provides better forecasting. A segmented Sales and Operations process align demand, inventory and production capacity into various supply chains based on actual and forecasted demand, giving you more time to focus on another aspect of your business.

communication 4. Maintain with suppliers to ensure inventory arrives and is sent out on time.

Have you ever been to a store that doesn’t have what you need because they hadn’t received their shipment?

Suppliers add another face to your operation. They are critical to ensuring you remain in business. Maintaining open communication with suppliers will help you get ahead of problems and will provide you with the opportunity to ensure satisfaction to each customer you serve. There are several “best practices” you can follow to facilitate open communication: always pay on time, provide adequate lead times, visit your supplier’s office, or invite them to participate in some of your company’s activities.

By creating a streamlined process and eliminating spreadsheets, setting clear and visible goals for employees, segmenting customers and products into different supply chain solutions, and maintaining a healthy relationship with your suppliers, you will see an improvement in your customer’s overall satisfaction with your company. Happy clients make for a healthy, longlasting business.

About the Author Jason Averill is the Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of Avercast, LLC Supply Chain Software. He is an expert in supply chain management with 20 years experience overseeing global sales, marketing initiatives, and product development. Learn more about the most comprehensive supply chain software at http://www.avercast.com.

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Six Keys To Cultivating Customer Delight Q&A with Evisions President

Matt McLellan

by Samantha Goniea

B

lytheco client Evisions specializes in creating software solutions exclusively for higher education & research organizations. Their software boosts efficiency, manages daily tasks and eases their customers’ administrative load. Blytheco helps Evisions manage their business by providing consulting and services for their NetSuite ERP and CRM software.

Spend just a little time with Matt McLellan, President of Evisions, and one thing will become glaringly apparent: Evisions is passionate about helping people. Period. That passion is infectious, and it permeates their entire team. It’s been the driving force to their unified company culture and fuels their outstanding commitment to good customer service. Matt shared some secrets on how they were able to develop overjoyed clients.

Customer Service Strategy: Q. What role do you believe your company culture plays in achieving outstanding customer service?

A. “I cannot overstate how important values and culture are to providing superior customer service. We make it explicitly clear to our team that being helpful, solving problems, plus meeting and exceeding expectations consistently is who we are as an organization. It’s the standard for all our employees. The definition of culture is “learned and repeated practices.” We deliberately ensure our team learns how to provide great customer service.

We encourage and rewarded for practicing it all times and at every touch point.”

Training: Q. What is your process for bringing employees up to speed on your customer service standards & expectations?

A. “Bringing employees up to speed starts with our hiring process. We screen for individuals who are naturally comfortable in a service-oriented environment.

Our onboarding includes training on what great service

34 Bellwether | Spring 2016

means to our company, which is continually reinforced throughout the first few months. Maintaining a high standard of customer service requires setting specific and measurable expectations, such as replying to a request the same or next day. In this way, everyone knows what it means to do a “good job” and what criteria they will be measured against. We also make sure to monitor how our customers perceive our service through surveys, interviews, etc. We track back to our internal findings and standards and compare often.

It is always possible that what you think is great service may not be perceived the same way by your customers.

This is especially true for service-oriented companies like ours. We work with organizations across cultures, countries, regions, or even multiple generations within a company. What a Millennial expects for great customer service may be vastly different than a Baby Boomer. We often have to test our perceptions across different customer bases to find out what great service means to them and do our best to meet those various expectations.”

CUSTOMERPROFILE Creativity:

Trust

Q. What do you do that sets you apart from the competition?

Q. Do you have a system internally for encouraging or soliciting feedback from your employees when it comes to creating and maintaining such a dynamic culture?

A. “The basics. We focus on being responsive, knowledgeable, helpful (actually solving their problem) and friendly - every single day. What sets us apart is employing high-quality individuals with domain expertise, and we empower them to take care of customers effectively. In addition to customer support, we employ professionals with deep industry expertise across all departments including product management, professional services, marketing and executive leadership. This helps us align our perception of great customer service with industry expectations.”

A. “Yes. We use Custom Insight (www.blytheco.com/ engagement). It is a third party feedback tool that measures employee engagement and collects information about our culture and perceptions. We also use a weekly check-in system called 15Five.com. It’s where an employee can give feedback, share ideas and raise concerns. This tool also allows our team to recognize those who do a great job and consistently go above and beyond.”

Communication: Q. What role do you believe CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools plays in your ability to maintain/document effective internal communication about customers and accounts?

A. “Once a company grows past the early start-up phase, a central system of record for customer data (CRM) is a prerequisite to providing great service. Nothing frustrates a customer more than having to say the same thing to multiple different people at your organization or having someone join a service engagement without account knowledge. Knowing what commitments have been made, what problems have been solved and what service projects are currently active is incredibly important. To scale great customer service, we use NetSuite to capture all relevant information on our clients. We consistently analyze trends and make informed decisions about how and where to improve/refine our customer service approach.”

Spirit of Service: Q. Understanding the importance of good communication & timeliness is key.

What measures do you take to ensure you are going above and beyond for your clients?

A. “Like most software companies, we have SLAs (Service Level Agreement) for our customer support services organization (how fast we respond based on the severity of the issue). We measure our compliance weekly, publish results to all employees internally and discuss whether actions are needed to correct missed targets. Outside of support we set goals for responsiveness (same or next day reply to all customer communications) and hold people accountable to meeting these goals.”

About the Author Samantha currently serves as a Business Solutions Manager for Blytheco. She has worked as a member of the Blytheco sales & marketing team as a coordinator and junior analyst for the last year. Samantha’s previous experience as a business manager and marketing specialist allows her to provide customer guidance in a variety of arenas.

Currently, she is focused on customer strategy and delivering excellence for small to medium sized businesses. sgoniea@bytheco.com | (800) 425-9843 x1168

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INTEGRATION TECHNOLOGY RESCUES A STARTUP W

‌hen Bob McKee at Mountain View Services, a Blytheco client, entered into e-commerce on a whim, he never imagined it would turn into a multi-million-dollar business in a short 18 months. “It was a fluke,” proclaimed Bob.

by Ruth Richter

36 Bellwether | Spring 2016

CUSTOMERPROFILE

M

ountain View Services, Inc, has been the leading supplier of nutritional supplements, incontinent supplies, groceries, durable medical equipment, household and janitorial supplies and medical supplies to healthcare facilities since 1988. They began selling incontinence supplies, nutritional supplements and medical supply items via the internet in late 2014.

“I started to sell a few products online after fumbling my way through opening an e-commerce site. As more orders came in, I’d add a few more items to the store.” Bob began to see the benefits to the bottom line, which prompted them to add Amazon and eBay to their e-commerce channels. Mountain View Services now has over 2,000 items on Amazon and 1,000 on eBay and their Volusion web store.

“At first, we were receiving six orders a day, then twelve, then twenty-four,” Bob explained. “And before we knew it, we were coming in on Monday mornings to 1,000 orders that needed to be processed! On average, we were receiving 500 per day and had to pull team members from other departments plus hire temporary staffing just to handle the orders.”

Processing the orders was a time intensive, multistep, manual and error-prone process. Bob’s team entered the orders into their accounting system, then into their supplier’s order entry system. Next, they would double back into the e-commerce platforms to enter tracking numbers. Data entry quickly became a full-time job for four people.

On the one hand, management was thrilled with the success of the new startup. But happiness was quickly being overshadowed by the high volume of irritated or angry customer calls. One major problem Mountain View had was data entry errors. They were causing delays or incorrect deliveries. Sometimes the customer entered their address wrong; there was no way of knowing in advance. Most often, it was internal keying errors. So many incorrect shipments were affecting their customer service. “We had reached a boiling point and finally turned to our technology partner for help,” said Bob. Blytheco recommended IN-SYNCH®. “We’ve been a long time Sage 100 user and automation

and integration seemed like the perfect solution to our issues,” Bob stated. “We implemented in phases; first was the integration between our Sage 100 accounting solution and the e-commerce sites so that orders would feed directly into Sage. Then came integrating the order data in our ERP with our 3rd party supplier to generate purchase orders with them automatically. Once the order was shipped, the tracking numbers were exported back to Sage, then to the e-commerce sites and store. That final piece is what provided our customers with the peace of mind that their order was on the way, and shipped as ordered.”

What had been a 100% manual process was now a 100% automated process.

What had been a 100% manual process was now a 100% automated process, thanks to the integration technology. Automation improved efficiency while eliminating three full-time positions. But most importantly, it virtually eliminated all customer service issues. In fact, Mountain View Services began receiving phone calls and emails from clients who were thankful for the quick shipments.

Bob concluded, “We never dreamed we’d have this kind of business, and we weren’t ready to support it.

By automating the processes using technology, our customers receive what they ordered, sooner than they expected it, without issues. Our integration vendor even set up a system to catch data entry errors on the customer’s part. As a result, we’ve seen an increase in repeat orders in growing quantities, which speaks volumes for the value of streamlined processes all the way around. We could not have kept up the pace or improved the customer experience without technology. And, building our credibility with merchant channels like Amazon and eBay, where excellent customer service is required, has been priceless.”

About the Author Ruth Richter is the Customer Experience Director for ROI Consulting, Inc, home of IN-SYNCH®. ROI Consulting has been maximizing Sage 100 customer’s technology investment through integration and customization since 1997. Learn more at www.roi-consulting.com.

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Omni-Channel Customer Service

Are You Ready?

C

by Paul Ziliak

ustomer Service Managers in 2016 have their hands full! And that is mainly because the modern customer is, quite literally, all over the place.

38 Bellwether | Spring 2016

INDUSTRYNEWS Today, clients expect a lot more of the companies they are purchasing goods and services from. They expect to be able to interact through multiple mediums… and they want a quick resolution to their problem or query. Today’s customers want to be able to place an order with you whenever and however they want… and whereever they are! And let’s not get into the multiple, secured ways they want to make payments… mobile wallets, anyone?

While keeping up with the omni-customer’s demand can spell considerable investments of time and resources, the good news is that with all of these new client expectations comes new opportunities for your team to earn their loyalty.

The companies in your industry who are winning are the ones ready, willing and able to meet, greet and serve consumers on their terms.

Is your company ready to compete for that business? One way to answer that question is to take inventory of your sales processes, technology, and tools.

What is your client’s experience of doing business with you today? What are they requesting that you are not fulfilling? Are you equipped to accommodate their wide range of buying expectations? How many channels can your customer use to interact with you today when it comes to things like requesting a quote, placing an order, checking on inventory or shipment status?

Here is a great question to ask: what means do your clients have to place an order with you?

• Fax machine?

• Telephone?

• In Person /In Store / In Office?

• E-commerce website?

• Online Customer Portal?

• Mobile app?

Our experience tells us it’s highly likely your sales channels are still built around the first three choices on the list: fax, phone and personal visit. While that may seem sufficient, you may want to investigate what your industry will look like two, three or five

years from now and where you’d like your company to be. Keep in mind that new competitors will be cropping up into your space. Do you think that those new Millennial businesses will be asking their customers to fax in orders?

Today’s customers want to be able to place an order with you whenever and however they want… and whereever they are!

Have you noticed the tendency of the newest generation of workers and consumers? Their use of the telephone is a fraction of that compared to earlier generations. They are far more inclined to interact with you by going online, chatting, messaging, or by accessing an app on their smart phone or tablet. Is your company ready on the other end to receive and respond to those interactions?

I mentioned earlier that all of this is good news. If you explore the marketplace, you’ll see multiple options to create and connect E-commerce sites, customer portals, and mobile sales apps with your back office ERP / accounting system, CRM and other data-rich software you use to operate your business.

Naturally, you want to offer your customers access to you in ways that help you win more business and solidify client loyalty. So make sure what you choose is reliable, dependable and sustainable for you and your business.

You just might discover that it’s safe to retire your fax number!

About the Author Paul Ziliak is the co-founder of xkzero. xkzero specializes in mobile sales, route sales and direct store delivery automation for small and mid-sized manufacturers and wholesale distribution companies. They create integrated and embedded mobile solutions into some of North America’s most popular and powerful ERP and accounting systems for the mid-market.

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How Companies Use

Salesforce As a Customer Service Tool

by Patrice Ruane and Rachael Folsom

T

here is no shortage of software tools in the marketplace for sales and customer service teams. Among the most popular is Salesforce. If you are considering making a switch, a quick Google search can put a tremendous amount of information right at your fingertips. You can take a deep dive into the “information overload” pool by reading feature comparison lists, watching video demos, taking guided tours of the software, case studies and much more.

There is, however, one burning question this plethora of information can’t answer for you: “Will this software help MY business?” New tech is always exciting, but the manufacturer’s marketing materials can’t show you exactly how it will fit your unique situation. It is hard to tell from a few video clips if Salesforce will become an essential “third limb” for your business, or if it will collect virtual dust sitting in the cloud, underutilized.

Sometimes, knowing how other businesses are using a particular tool can give you insight as to how it might work for your team. According to Rachael Folsom, Blytheco’s resident Salesforce expert, there are at least four common customer service situations where clients successfully use Salesforce as a solution.

See if some of their challenges are similar to your own.

40 Bellwether | Spring 2016

“I’m on the road and can’t access my laptop. But one of my clients is having a problem and needs help now. I don’t want to have to ask them to wait until tomorrow for an answer.”

There is no need to let being on the road stop you from providing excellent customer support. With Salesforce’s mobile app, you can access real-time client information anywhere, anytime! The Lightning Console consolidates the most important information into one dashboard (no multi-tab views or switching necessary). It helps narrow the view – a big plus when you need to find answers quickly.

INDUSTRYNEWS When conducting onsite visits, your team members don’t have to return to the home office to deliver actionable next steps. Salesforce’s mobile app empowers you to monitor performance, create work orders, dispatch technicians and more on the spot, plus gain the client’s quick signoff.

It’s easy to make all your clients feel like they are receiving VIP treatment! Salesforce’s Omni Routing Queue helps ensure that all incoming cases get routed quickly to the appropriate agent. Urgent cases get prioritized so that critical customer issues are addressed immediately.

“I have a customer with a doit-yourself business ethic; they are independent and like solving problems on their own. I want to support their company culture and give them the tools they want so they can learn about their system.”

“My customer has a simple question, but they don’t have time to sit on hold or search through the Knowledge Base.”

Salesforce has a robust Self-Service Community, which includes discussion forums, articles and FAQs. Customers using the Self-Service Community can interact with other Salesforce users, allowing them to trade tips and tricks, ask questions and share their experiences. As a bonus for you, when your user base is active and engaged on the Salesforce SelfService Community, it allows your team members to focus on the most complex and difficult issues only your company can handle.

“When my customers call in for help, sometimes it takes a while for them to get connected to the right person and have their questions answered. My high profile customers end up frustrated and angry.”

Salesforce has a Live Chat feature for your website that will give your customers immediate access to an agent who can provide answers quickly. It enables personalized interaction and helps you resolve minor issues quickly so you can get back to serving your other clients’ bigger issues. With Salesforce, you can also offer live video support, screen sharing and on-screen guided assistance, giving you a wide range of up to the minute tools to help solve customer questions.

No two companies are alike, so the customer service challenges you need to solve may have some differences. But hopefully exploring the top ways other companies are using Salesforce as a customer service tool has brought you one step closer to a decision. Salesforce is highly adaptable to a variety of companies in diverse industries. It can help your business be the best advocate for your clients and make them feel like they are receiving a luxury experience from you.

About the Authors Patrice Ruane is Blytheco’s Proposal Analyst. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and has over ten years of business writing experience, focusing on business development, sales and proposals. Connect with her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/patriceruane-a0344425.

Rachael Folsom is a CRM Consultant at Blytheco. Rachael is a Salesforce.com Certified Developer, Certified Administrator, and Certified Advanced Administrator and spent three years with Salesforce, in roles including Account Support Representative, Product Coordinator, and Data Analyst.

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5

Ways Business Intelligence

INFLUENCES CUSTOMER SERVICE

by Joni Girardi, CEO DataSelf

The cliché in business is that the customer is always right. That made sense when the client’s feedback supplied much of a vendor’s data. But with the adoption of data analysis for customer service applications, vendors have much more to go on, and it has changed the field profoundly.

Today’s new, customer-centric focus is enabled by data reporting and data discovery. Business Intelligence (BI) is the modern company’s crucial partner and it has changed how you can better service your clients in five different ways.

1. BI can help you assist

and win over prospects.

2. BI can help you stop

problems before they start.

Good, regular reporting will help you keep track of winning and losing sales and service experiences. Reports on trends, market segments, product lines, and other aspects can help you monitor routine shifts and patterns.

You’ll be able to spot problems early and head them off at the pass. As you take deep dives into your data and have trouble with interpreting trends, data discovery can be a ‘special ops’ tool in your data arsenal.

By the time a prospect emails or calls your company, chances are they have already done their homework online and are well informed. They could already know your prices and possibly those of your competitors. As a result, many may be clear about what they want while others may not be.

3. BI can give you a bird’s

In either case, this is an opportunity for your customercentric reps to shine by further educating your prospects on what their research may not have revealed. You can help them come to the best decision. Your firm will be best equipped for the task though ongoing study of your customer data. You should understand your client segments, the variety of individuals within them, and know how those segments and archetypal individuals correlate with product categories.

Data lets you monitor your brand and retail or supply networks. You can even zero in on specific stores and employees. You’ll be able to effectively explore questions such as: “Why did returns spike last month?” or “What caused this particular supplier to perform so well?”

Blended with customer feedback you receive via surveys or your call center, the right data insights can help you identify where to put your attention.

42 Bellwether | Spring 2016

eye view of your supply chain.

4. BI can help you monitor customer contact.

A truly customer-centric approach keeps tabs on all customer contact, and the results of those conversations.

When a client raises an issue, you can ensure that their concerns are properly resolved, when you have the right workflows and intelligence in place.

Better still, data discovery could alert to you lurking dissatisfaction in long-term relationships. Caught in time, you can prevent reliable clients from suddenly bolting for the competition.

5. BI can help you “feed the winners.”

Every business has repeat customers and influencers who have the power to affect your sales. It’s worth it to give these clients extra attention. But how do you identify or track them? With data, of course! Influencers are those who seem to lead a crowd to your door, usually through generous mentions of you on Twitter, Facebook, and

TECHNOLOGY other social media.

The customer-centric culture takes root in organizations where all decision makers have easy access to all of their data located inside of their ERP, CRM, and other datarich software. Company leaders must be free to create and modify reports anytime and anywhere, based on data that comes from a consistent, reliable source, like a data warehouse. The customer-centric culture requires nothing less.

About the AuthorJoni Girardi is founder and CEO of DataSelf, provider of DataSelf Analytics. He launched his venture 16 years ago to help small and medium-sized businesses to get value from their data using data warehousing and analytics platforms such as Tableau and Power BI.

Improving Customer Service

Through a Faster, Smarter Warehouse

by Tess Boros

I

t is easy for consumer products companies to become internally focused when it comes to warehouse management. Looking for ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs is good but only a partial contributor to success. When you shift your thinking to an outwardfocused perspective, looking to understand the customers’ needs in order to increase revenue, that is when you will truly start experiencing the results you are looking for.

What Does an Outward-Focused Warehouse Look Like?

Internal measurements from your ERP and other data sources can tell you how your business is performing from a revenue standpoint, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. What do your customers think and are

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they truly satisfied with your performance? Are there opportunities to improve their perception and increase your revenue?

Having a customer driven, well-oiled warehouse machine includes having a warehouse management system that offers immediate visibility, instant communication, and error free supply chain management to ensure the order is fulfilled correctly and on time. Making the sale is only the first part of the process; what happens after the sale is even more important. In order to create a seamless and positive experience for your customers, you must understand how each aspect of warehouse management affects your client’s experience and optimize your entire warehouse operation accordingly.

TECHNOLOGY Visibility Keeping an eye on where your product is at every stage of the delivery process is a critical element to customer service. When your representatives are speaking with your customer, knowing what is happening with their product at any given moment, or when they can expect to receive their order, is imperative. This is where an advanced Warehouse Management System (WMS) can come into play. With an advanced WMS system, you can have precise visibility on every aspect of your products with realtime dashboards. More importantly, your team won’t be caught off-guard; being able to quickly and accurately answer your client’s questions, it increases their faith in your organization and keeps them from looking elsewhere to make their next purchase.

Communication Communication is power in the warehouse and crucial to providing great customer experiences. If you can’t connect your clients to the right information quickly and honestly, their perception of your service will plummet. Being able to correspond instantaneously with your warehouse team will bring your customer service to a whole new level. Have systems in place that talk to each other and make it easy for users to access the data they need.

Supply Chain Your clients’ orders are invaluable. Perfection is not a goal, it’s the rule! If you want to retain your customers, you need to have an operation that ships the right product every time and meets delivery schedules.

A strategic approach to warehouse and distribution functions means aligning the process to meet your customers’ business needs, including:

• Time to fulfillment: When you use a warehouse

management system to analyze product sales, you can have your most popular items in stock and ready to fulfill a customer’s order.

• Pricing: More efficient operations means that pricing levels can keep you competitive while meeting your client’s expectations.

• In Stock: Having visibility to real-time inventory at all times means that you can offer the customer accurate inventory information.

Field Service Let’s not forget about your field service team! These team members are the face of your company after the sale. This connection point is critical to maintaining customer satisfaction. Studies show that the majority of customers who take their business elsewhere do so because of poor customer service or lack of human interaction. The field service team can be a personal contact with the customer who knows their history and can solve their problem quickly and efficiently.

In order to empower your field service team to solve customer problems, they need to have instant access to product, client and order data. Mobile field service capabilities integrated with your operations should be a vital part of your field service strategy.

According to Ovum’s 2015 LogMeIn study, 76% of shoppers stop doing business with a brand after a bad customer service experience. “Bad” client experiences are also advertisements that end up killing your reputation. Today’s consumers demand higher levels of service. They won’t hesitate to voice their dissatisfaction across multiple social channels when their order is delivered late, has wrong items or, even worse, it does not show up at all. With so much relying on the warehouse to fulfill and ship orders, it’s important to be client focused and allow their satisfaction to drive your optimization processes.

About the Author Tess Boros is a Partner at ONE Software. Tess has been in the Supply Chain Management industry for over fifteen years and is the owner of the leading Bar Coding solution for Sage 100 and Sage 500. Learn more at www.OneSoftwareSolution.com.

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What

Makes an Effective

Lead Nurture Campaign?

by Joy Milkowski

N

urturing is a well-known practice in marketing and business development where software tools such as email engines, CRM systems or marketing automation platforms are used to maintain and grow a relationship with prospects and customers. Commonly known as “lead nurturing,” the applications are wide ranging, from to top-of-funnel audiences, to active leads, existing customers and even lost opportunities.

In a perfect world, companies could have individual, tailored conversations with every prospect and customer in order to form strong relationships and constantly move them toward a sale. But time, money and limited resources prevent such a one-to-one approach. Fortunately, digital tools have helped establish a feasible middle ground where semipersonalized interactions with large numbers of leads are scalable and, when done right, profitable.

The most compelling nurture campaigns start with the human side and end with technology. Too many companies, however, attempt nurturing with the opposite approach - by starting with the

platform first. The keys to effective nurturing involve understanding your customer types, focusing your messaging, integrating various channels and reinforcing the right content and offers at the right times. When automation tools are used to deploy programs designed with an empathetic approach, the combination can greatly increase the connections with your prospects and clients and result in a steady stream of closed business over the long-haul.

Segments: People First Each prospective and current customer is a person with unique attributes and motivations. The more you can group people into segments, the better your nurturing strategy will be. Nurturing programs that take into account who the individual recipient is, what they’re most interested in and where they’ve interacted with your company can greatly inform how you market to them and nurture a relationship.

While demographic segments are a great start, segmentation that goes deeper into an audience’s needs and actions is even better.

For example, if your company is selling sunglasses, you may identify at least three different persona segments: athletes, parents and the fashionconscious. For athletes, the associated campaign might communicate the benefits of improved

SALES&MARKETING performance, while the parent-oriented messages could highlight scratch-resistant surfaces or protection from sun glare while driving. And for the fashion-conscious, showcasing sunglasses in lifestyle content, describing similar styles on celebrities and using vivid imagery could be the best approach. The important take-away is that effective nurturing avoids one-size-fits-all messages and instead speaks more intimately to recipients according to their segment.

In addition to demographic or persona-oriented segments, a nurture campaign can also tailor messaging according to a prospect’s trackable behavior. Great nurture campaigns are built on a platform that can react to data like the website pages a person visits and how long they viewed a certain page, and which emails were opened and the links they clicked on. These behaviors help you understand your audiences’ true interests and indicate how “hot” they may be. The guidance for a winning relationship building strategy can be found in the behavioral data as well as a company’s ability to understand its key audience personas.

Buying Stage: It’s All About Timing The old adage “ABC: Always Be Closing” may work in sales, but it’s not a good approach in nurturing.

How you communicate with your audiences should be a direct reflection of their buying stage. Your messages and content should change and evolve as someone progresses through their buying decision (and your customer funnel). Here are common phases a buyer transitions though and what they typically need from you in the way of information: 1. Unaware - Tell me something I don’t know or highlight a latent issue.

2. Aware - Help me commit to change; establish the benefits of me taking action.

4. Justify Decision - Show me the value I’m receiving for the price; what’s my ROI? How can I get support from other stakeholders?

Too often companies start (and end) at #3 with series of promotional drip emails that are largely ignored by audiences or lost in all the noise. With a well-planned nurturing campaign, you can adapt the message and engagement strategy as your lead progresses through the buying stages and give recipients what they want in the way of information, education, offers, case studies, etc. The more you connect with prospects and customers with a meaningful approach, the more engaged they’ll be and the more likely they are to take the next step toward an eventual purchase.

Scratching the Surface Highly developed audience segmentation and carefully mapped buying stages are just two elements of effective lead and customer nurturing.

Other important aspects of your nurture strategy include having the right technology to deploy your campaigns and a well balanced library of content in a variety of formats. Prepare to share your messages across multiple channels. Finally, have relevant offers ready with appropriate calls to action that pique’s your prospect’s interests based on where in the buying cycle they are.

What makes nurturing campaigns work well is looking at the strategy not as a simple series of emails, but rather as a dynamic experience for your audiences that spans online and offline activities relevant to their specific stage. When companies align human empathy for their audiences’ motivations and timing with their technology platform, they see engagement grow, brand reputation improve and sales increase.

3. Evaluating Options - Why is your solution the best; why should I buy from you?

About the Author Joy Milkowski is an avid proponent of empathetic marketing and loves to marry the soft side of marketing with the hard data and innovative technology available today. As founder of Access Marketing Company, a Blytheco marketing partner, she loves to tackle projects with companies that are ready to re-think their marketing using the right tools and a customer-centric approach to their messaging, tactics and content. Connect with Joy on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/joymilkowski or follow her on Twitter @joym.

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