customer service Archives - Get Off The Wheel

Teach Office Staff to Care for Your Customers

June 16, 2020

Teach Office Staff to Care for Your Customers When hiring new office personnel, we tend to focus on the expectations for interoffice behavior. We discuss dress code, appropriate workspace personal belongings, and even acceptable conversation topics. We often forget to inform them of one of the most important parts of the job: how to care for customers. A small accounting firm usually finds success by providing unparalleled customer service. It’s when the company grows and adds employees that these initial values begin to erode. It’s vital for firms to maintain excellent customer service as they grow. This must be communicated
Read More

Out Of This World Customer Service When Managing Stressed Customers

April 14, 2020

Smart executives who look forward to a long and happy life for their companies know two things about customer service: 100% of your customers won’t be 100% happy with you all the time. Interactions with stressed customers are critical to the strength of a business. A company’s reputation for poor customer service spreads quickly, especially in a time when social media has such a powerful effect on shaping public opinion. Even before the days of social media, the rule of 10 applied. A bad night’s sleep and a cranky morning that results in a negative interaction with a customer spreads to the next 10
Read More

Three Easy Steps To Retaining Your Best Clients

March 24, 2020

We all have those clients we consider our best or maybe even favorite. They are easy to work with, transparent about details and probably personable. But that doesn’t mean they’re loyal. Chances are, if they’re a great client for you, they’ll also be a great client for your competition. Landing new clients is an ongoing effort, but retaining your existing clients is equally important. Here are three easy steps to building strong customer loyalty. Business Checkup Ask your clients for a meeting to perform a business checkup. These can be conducted seasonally, annually or quarterly. A business checkup will give
Read More

Keeping it Together in the Office

December 24, 2019

Creating a work environment in which many types of employees feel respected and at ease is essential to building a solid team who are in it for the long haul. Conversational Guard Rails Some subjects just shouldn’t be brought up in the office environment. In general, these topics can be inflammatory and divisive … not the greatest at bringing employees together. Subjects to avoid: Politics Religion Compensation Personal details including relationships, health problems, etc. It’s also important to stay away from gossip or openly speaking detrimentally about any employee or coworker. This can create distrust among the team. Email Etiquette
Read More

How To Maintain A Positive Attitude During The Workday

October 22, 2019

When you’re an accountant and a business owner, the busy pace and unpredictable nature of operations calls for you to have the ability to be flexible, resilient, and maintain a great attitude. Inevitably business owners will experience days full of mishaps, mix-ups, and misunderstandings, which can leave you feeling more like the business’s punching bag instead of the owner. Still, it seems that the hardest times to stay positive are usually the most important, as a positive attitude equips you with the best ability to problem solve and handle stressful situations. Some of the most effective ways to maintain a
Read More

3 Reasons to Answer Phone Calls with a Script

September 17, 2019

How your employees answer the phone says a lot about your company. Establish standard conventions so no one says too much or too little about your company. This keeps communications quick, positive, and well-organized, especially if you have new employees or multiple offices. Here are three elements you should focus on. 1. Standardize your company’s external tone. When someone reaches out to your company by phone, you need to ensure that they’re treated professionally. While your employees know how to be cordial, especially if you hired them for customer-facing positions, sometimes that pleasant tone can slip. Stress, frustration, and even
Read More

4 Untapped Ways To Celebrate Wins In Your Business

August 20, 2019

Celebrating wins is as a vast untapped resource with your team members. Here are four tips to catapult you in the right direction. But first, we need to know why celebrating your wins is crucial. Here’s the thing, successful businesses aren’t successful because of a one-time occurrence. It’s usually because of tiny calculated steps over time. Companies often miss the opportunities to celebrate the inches they’ve made quarterly or annually. And like life, it’s essential to acknowledge the small (and big) wins along the way. When you celebrate the small stuff, you add to the perseverance bucket, which is critical
Read More

Know Your Role As Manager/Owner

July 30, 2019

Management can be one of the biggest roadblocks to great customer service. What is your reputation as a manager or owner? Are you a slave driver, naysayer, devil’s advocate, overly negative and discouraging, or are you a consensus-builder, coach, nurturer and facilitator? Successful managers and owners truly are part of the team. They want to see team members thrive and grow along with the business’ bottom line. Excellent customer service is dependent on every team member from the top down. Remember, your team members will take their cues from you. For information on this topic, please go to www.getoffthewheel.com ____________________________________
Read More

Be Considerate Of Team Members’ Opinions

July 23, 2019

Everything you do at your business should reinforce good customer service, including how you handle complaints. I’m not talking exclusively about complaints from clients. Welcome feedback from your team members and respond if there is a way you can make it easier for them to be providers of good customer service. Examine the systems you have in place and scrutinize your procedures to determine if there are ways to streamline and make things smoother for your team members. Sometimes the smallest changes can make a difference. If they are entering information into a database, do they really need to hit
Read More

Know Your No. 1 Asset

July 16, 2019

Have you ever stopped to consider what is your company’s greatest asset and biggest liability? The answer to both is people. Having the right people on your team gives you the best chance at success. Having the wrong people on your team hurts your business more than any competitor. Nearly every business has some competition at a national, chain level. Your business is competing against big buying power, discount prices, internet presence and name recognition. The good news is you can crush the competition in the area where it matters most. The No. 1 reason clients go elsewhere is because
Read More