» Customer Service

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Where has the service gone? Do we really want to go in to a place of business and not be greeted? Are the employees really being paid so low that they do not care about their job or their customers? As consumers do we really not care anymore about the service we get when we walk into a place of business.
 
It is sad that we have gotten so busy that we just walk in to a store get what we want and pay for it and then leave. We do not care if the cashier smiled or even said a word, as long as they are quick and we get out. What ever happened to hello or how are you? If a cashier asks, how you are, it is almost like they have wasted our time, we shrug them off and out the door we go.

Retail stores now think they are giving better service with their self-check out lines. Not dealing with human beings is considered better service? Doing it all yourself is better service? With self-check out the customer has to scan their own merchandise they have to bag it themselves put the money in the machine, there is no smile, or no hello, or no one to say thank you for shopping with us and have a nice day. And this is better service?

There are some people who do not mind this kind of service if that is what we are calling it. But there are still people out there who want the attention when they go in to a business. These people what to feel like they are the only customer in the store. They want to have small talk with the cashier and they are very happy when the sales clerk asks how they are doing. Those customers are more than likely to return to that place of business before going somewhere else.

Maybe service is just the way we should treat people. Or the way we expect to be treated in return. Probably more like the golden rule is to treat others the way you would want to be treated. And this really should be done at a place of business and at our own places of business. We should treat our co-workers and our employers the same way, with respect and consideration. We should smile at them and ask how they are today. If a supervisor or manager of a department asks one of their employees to do something it should be done with kindness not demand. Sometimes we get busy and someone above the supervisor needs something done so they snap at their employee to get it done not meaning to upset him or her. But we do not stop to think how we should say it or how we would want it said to us. Once again we are so busy we do not stop for the service, we just want it done.

It might be wise at this time to mention a service that most businesses can use to help with their service issues. Hiring a secret shopper is a great way for a business to evaluate their service and sales skills. A secret shopper can be an unbiased voice that can help showcase good skills and highlight not so good skills at the business. Businesses that are looking for a secret shopper can find information on the internet about hiring a secret shopper . Let us all make an effort to provide better service to our customers, our co-workers and each other and if hiring a secret shopper will help, do it!

Miami Furniture Storage

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Where do you go to shop? Why do you shop there? Have you ever thought about helping the other companies achieve a higher level of customer service ? Most people have good service from a company and they do not share that experience with anyone else. How selfish is that, that they keep that great experience to themselves? Most people would tell five to ten friends or family, but if that is the case, why do so many companies fall short of the bar when it comes to customer service ?

Let us take a moment to think about the different people in our great nation. It is wonderful that everyone has the same point of view and the same likes and dislikes as their brother or sister American. Wait a minute, that is nowhere close to the truth! Everyone has his or her own opinion about almost everything under the sun. From what car to drive to how to style their hair, no one person is the same. With that said, why are most companies treating every customer the same? Do they really believe that one size fits all? That is so far from reality it is scary. However, reality is that most companies operate that way.

Right now in America, a big issue is about how health care should change for the whole nation. Some of the politics believe in the one-size fits all approach. Some companies can only offer their hard working employees one option in health coverage that cost the individual hundreds of dollars a month. Then, there are big companies that offer several choices with affordable costs. If the employee is being taken care of by the company, the employee, for the most part will take care of the company.

Your employees are the ones that face the customer more. The happier you make these people, the better your clients will rate the customer service they received. They will do whatever you ask of them and they will make those people they touch return to get great service. The way your company grows from year to year is to keep your current clients and to then add to that list. You have to, as a company, find a way to grow or you will die.

Let us return to the earlier questions. Where do you shop and why do you shop there? Most people like the atmosphere and how warm and inviting the place is for them. When they walk into some of these environments, they feel as if no other place they visit can compare. Some people feel when they are greeted by an associate and assisted, they are comfortable and willing to cooperate. Some people are not willing to give any information to the sales person because they do not feel they are genuinely there to help them. They believe their level of customer service is there just to put money into their own pockets.

If your company expects to stay in business, they need to have the highest level of customer service available to meet the needs of the variety of clients that they encounter. They need to determine how each customer has different needs and how to accommodate them. If you cannot do that as a company, you will not survive as your competition is doing everything necessary to grow year to year.

Dania Beach Boat Storage

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Self storage has become a very competitive industry. There are many parts of the country where it is not uncommon to see several different self storage facilities within a short distance of one another. And nowadays almost all self storage companies provide their customers with basically the same types of security and amenities. All self storage facilities have some kind of access panel so only customers can get into the area. They are equipped with door alarms and video cameras. And most locations usually have an onsite manager living on the property. 

If two storage facilities are located very close to each other, and offer virtually the same amenities and prices, then what differentiates the two of them? It is the people. And the excellent customer service that these people provide.

Everyone is accustomed to okay customer service in this day and age. We see it everyday at the bank and the grocery store and the dry cleaners. If anyone was really rude or incompetent, then that would stand out in our minds. But as long as the customer service is all right, then everything is, well, okay.

The service at a top notch self storage facility needs to be more than just okay. That is what everyone has, and what every customer is expecting. Going above and beyond good, to excellent customer service, is what is going to bring about devoted customers. These elated tenants are the people that are going to rave about the self storage facility, tell their friends and families and coworkers how fantastic this location is. And all business people know that word of mouth is the best and the least expensive form of advertising available. Plus, these loyal customers will keep coming back to this self storage location anytime they need self storage, or boxes, or a rental truck, etc.

The only way to get employees with awesome skills is with awesome training. They need to first learn the very basics of their job, and to be able to do it almost in their sleep. They need to be familiar with how to use the computer and answer the phone and how much stuff will fit in a 10×10 self storage unit. Anything they do not know from memory they need to be able to find the answer to quickly. Nothing says poor service more than incompetence!

Once the employee is proficient and feels comfortable with their new position, then the training needs to go deeper. 

The way to get the best possible customer service skills out of employees are through proper training. They need to be trained on the basics of their job, but the training needs to go deeper. They need to be taught the little intricacies that go along with it. Often these things are a learn as you go type of a thing. But even more often seasoned employees forget to mention it to the newbie. A written step by step check list needs to be gone over with new employees to be sure nothing vital has been neglected. And the list needs to be updated, as this is an ever changing industry. 

Veteran employees also need to be periodically updated on new information. It is vital that everyone stays on the same page. Nothing says incompetence and poor service more than two employees saying different things. 

Basalt RV Storage

Storage Concierge is your premier Storage , Storage Unit , Car Storage , RV Storage , Furniture Storage , Boat Storage , Yacht Storage and Self Storage finder .

June 2005 Self Storage Blog Archive

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If you are one of the many people who work in customer service, you understand what a demanding job this can be. There are many types of jobs that relate to this, all with pros and cons, but there are some general rules and suggestions that make it easier for employees to see that their work performance is the best it can be. If you are someone working in this type of job, there are several tips that can lead you to remarkable working habits.

One thing that many employees of various companies focus invariably on is fixing the shoppers problem. Obviously there will be problems occasionally with any product or service that a given company offers. But one of the flaws in this ethic is that there is a problem to begin with. Eliminating problems that cannot be helped, ask yourself if it is something that could have been prevented with a little forethought. If so, make your customer service skills go the extra mile by trying, in future, to avoid or check any problems that are possible to avoid.

The main idea behind good customer service is not merely recruiting clients, but keeping them. You want to find creative and friendly ways to bring those same people back again and again. You want them to feel a connection with you and the products or services you offer. And you want them to feel at home in your work place, whatever it may pertain to. These things sound fairly easy to do, but if you are not naturally a people person, it may be difficult to reach out in this way. Just remember, practice makes perfect!

A lot of customer service is about relationships. Whether it is a long term relationship with shoppers who come back time after time again or a short term relationship with shoppers who only come once or twice, this is a vital part of being a good salesperson. You have to form some type of connection with the person you are serving. Selling them something once is very good, but you will know that you have passed the test as a good salesperson if you can get them to come back a second and third time for your services.

Many sales people make the mistake of saying and not doing. If you say you will do something for a client, do it. Follow through with promises you make, or just do not make them at all. If you say five minutes, it had better not be six minutes. If you say Thursday, it should not be Friday or Saturday. It only takes one time for a client to lose his trust in you or your business. Do not take the risk of turning away a shopper forever.

Even if there seems to be no immediate reward for being helpful or friendly, do it anyway. If you do not think a certain shopper will actually buy anything today, help him with whatever he needs regardless. He may come back next week. And even if he does not, maybe he will recommend you to someone else.

Lastly, make sure you know your product and service. Nothing is as big a turn off as a salesperson who does not know what he is talking about. It makes the client have no faith in you as an individual or as a retailer. 

Customer service can be tricky, yes, but if you know your stuff, have faith in your products, and treat your clients with the utmost respect, you will rarely go wrong.

Secret Shop

South Carolina Furniture Storage

Franklin Park Storage

April 2006 Total Quality Assurance Service Blog Archive

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Research companies have helped retail and service businesses measure the quality of their services through the use of a mystery shopping agency. These providers help improve business quality.

These companies hire people to act as anonymous shoppers in exchange for free products and services, discounts or reimbursement of purchases. A mystery shopping agency is hired by businesses to help them figure out what the customer wants or needs and ways to improve upon their service or monitor employee interactions with the consumer. Every store or service business has different tasks based on the goals they are trying to achieve.

The shopper working for the mystery shopping agency is provided with instructions before the assignment on how to act or what questions they should ask. They might interact with customers with complaints or to assess the time they are waiting before they receive attention from the employee. The shopper involves recording responses and evaluating the replies of the employee. The task might involve noting how clean the establishment is or evaluating the customer response to the product

This job began around the 1940s when companies needed a way to measure the honesty of its employees. A shopper uses a variety of tools to make assessments, the most basic being a questionnaire. A more complicated tool shoppers use is to take video and audio recordings of the job. The newest tool the shopper has in its arsenal is the internet. Shoppers register as participants in an assignment online, find jobs on the web, and receive payments.

People wanting to provide these services complete an online application to be considered for assignments. Every mystery shopping agency will have a different procedure to follow but there are some basic rules in almost every job.

The most important rule is to not pay a fee to apply. Real shopping companies never charge to file an application.

One of the reasons applications are rejected by the hiring company is because they are incomplete. Answer all the questions. Provide a writing sample when asked for. It is estimated that a good percent of all applicants will not make it through the first process or screening simply because not all the required information was provided.

Normally, a typical job application is restricted on asking certain types of questions for hiring purposes. However, you may be surprised by some of the questions on an application. They might seem odd or inappropriate, especially if you are asked your age or race, if your married or how many kids you have and their ages. You could be asked if you own a car, have cats or dogs or other pets or even if you wear glasses. On some applications the questions are optional. Others make them required for certain shops. These questions are asked to include you not offend or exclude you. The questions may be necessary for assignments where certain demographics need to match the typical customer of the client.

Shoppers can be male or female, young or old and any race. The main requirements to be a shopper are to have good communication and observation ability, good grammar and report writing and reliability.

The mystery shopping agency provides the businesses with the necessary market research to make improvements to their products, customer and employee exchanges and their service to the customer. They provide unbiased recommendations through the use of questionnaires and detailed reports. Businesses and the consumer both benefit from the use of these marketing tactics.

Self Storage Rent

Rhode Island Self Storage

Miami Storage

June 2006 Self Storage Blog Archive

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Self Storage Article Directory – Boat Storage

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Customer service seems to be a remnant of the past, especially when it comes to getting help on the telephone. Nowadays telephone customer service consists of a prerecorded voice with endless prompts. You have to go through ten minutes of craziness before you get to a real live person. With all the outsourcing, you may even be talking to someone in another country. Some companies are using the personal service as a marketing tool, this is quit perplexing.

People use to go out to eat because of the good service. However, restaurant service has diminished drastically. Waiters still work for their tips, but it seems as though they are not as attentive. Once you have been seated, you are at their mercy. But every once in awhile you can stumble upon an eatery that has good service, they tend to be locally owned restaurants, where word of mouth is extremely important. Fast food restaurants have become even worse. They just want to move you through as fast as possible. They used to always say, please and thank you, but not anymore.

Another change in customer service is within the retail market. Self service has become prevalent, especially when it comes to buying groceries. There are less checkout lines with real people. Instead, they have the self serve checkouts with an automated voice. Throughout the grocery store there are little computers that check prices, and vending machines for stamps, coins, and soda. These are all self serve. There is however, still a customer service desk where you can pay bills, cash checks, and leave customer complaints.

Customer service for leisure looking around in department stores and clothing chains has changed as well. There used to be great personal service, so going out to shop on your own was a lot of fun. There was always someone there to help you. For instance, if you needed a pair of pants in a different size or an opinion about how something looked an associate was ready to help. There seems to be less sales people, and they are busy doing other things. Boutiques usually have better service, because they are small and privately owned. They take the time to get to know you for repeat business.

Customer service in the service sector has become rather contradictory. There are certain service sectors that take advantage of us. The automobile, plumbing, and the appliance industry are in this special sector. It is because we need them, they are a necessity, and they know this. Good service is not a priority. We all dread the day when our car starts to act up and we know we have to take it in to get fixed. Most of us have the basic knowledge about cars, but we are still at the mercy of the mechanics. We make erroneous transferred phone calls just to find out what the problem is. Then we have to haggle about the price, and most often get a second opinion, because unfortunately there is an unscrupulous and fraudulent practice in this sector. Believe it or not, during dire circumstances price gauging is not uncommon. The government is also part of this special sector. We all must follow their laws and guidelines, but they do not make it easy for us – take the department of motor vehicles. The lines are arduous and we are confused about what documentation we need. The government is taking steps to stop the illegal practices regarding fraud and price gauging, however they really have not taken steps to better their own service sectors. Service is regrettably becoming a remnant of the past, but with good and dedicated leadership we can bring it back to the forefront.

RV Storage

New York Car Storage

Merriam Storage

April 2007 Total Quality Assurance Service Blog Archive

Craft Storage

Self Storage Article Directory – RV Storage

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When dining out, you expect it. When looking for that perfect gift, you hope it will be there. At Christmas time, when that red sweater with a reindeer on it could not be given to even the coldest of recipients, you gave them your receipt and hoped for cash. We all depend on customer service.

This is the most basic offering of any good business. It is the ability for a company, person or establishment to give their customers what they want in a timely and kind manner. But what has happened these days? It seems that somewhere in the last five or so years this oldest of consumer traditions has been all but tossed out the window. It used to be that you could walk into a nice restaurant with a date and you would not have to think twice about their customer service. But now, all too often one could walk into the very same place and wish there were some way to give a negative tip, a discount for how lousy the waiter was.

It is hard to determine what caused this. Maybe it is something in the water making people more self-centered and care less about the job they are doing. It could be in the air, with all of the exhaust fumes finally causing disconnect between people and the society they are a part of.

If you do not think this is happening where you live, just go to the airport. Remember those days when you would be excited about going to fly somewhere? The commercials of old, with stewardesses smiling and gleefully helping you to your seat are laughable now. Instead of the comforts of old and the effort of airlines to help you relax, it is all about doing what you are told, in the name of security of course. Well, security is necessary and all well and good, but who decided that security meant that absolutely everyone employed by the commercial airline services can be rude?

It is just taken as a matter of course, but it should cause people to step back and question why this is happening. Ticket prices are going up and customer service is going down. Hmm, does not make very much sense, does it?

The airlines are just one example. Restaurant wait staff has suffered from this negative shift as well. Instead of staff working for a tip, it is now just expected. Yep, if you go eat and have a terrible waiter, you better still tip them. If you do not, and you cannot make it out of the door fast enough, you better look out. It is not unheard of these days for staff to follow you outside and accost you for daring to not give them a tip for their lack of service.

If you think about the way things are changing with the Internet, this especially does not make any rational sense. Small businesses are suffering because of the array of cheaper offerings which can be found online. The difference between the Internet and the small business is that most basic offering: customer service. If businesses neglect to offer any kind of customer service, than they are doing nothing but shooting themselves in the feet. Surely they will begin to realize that positive human interaction is what builds positive business relationships. If not, their products are just a cheaper click away.

Self Storage Manager

New Hampshire Self Storage

Miami Storage

September 2007 Property Management Blog Archive

Shoe Storage Revisited

Self Storage Article Directory – Self Storage

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How does your facility or sales environment stand out from the rest? In the market place, today, this is a question that you have to ask yourself consistently. If you are not asking yourself this question on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis, then you might be falling behind the curve. Most businesses are constantly finding ways to stay in front of the curve. Anyone that deals in customer service needs to find innovative ways to satisfy their needs and have them come back to their place of business time and time again.

When you think of customer service, is there any one business that comes to mind? It is certain that there are many businesses associated with this term that are at the top of the charts and first on our minds. Have you ever gotten into that companys business to see what makes them tick? Why does their name come up first when you think about customer service? Some people, when they are focused, would go into that business or call and see how they are taken care of. They would take notes back to their own business and see what is different. They would do this often to ensure that they doing similar things as the company that was on top. The moment they stop looking at what their competition is doing, the will fall behind. Is there someone in your area that is doing well in your field that you can evaluate their business?

Who is at the top of the customer service world? Why are they there? There have been multiple studies around businesses evaluating the different customers that are coming into the building. They do exit interviews with them (interviewing them when they are about to leave their store) and they have them take online surveys. They ask questions about their experience during the sales presentation, etc. The key thing is now, what they do with all the data they collected. They take that data and form types of people they are having trouble with. They dig deep into those groups of people (could be age, sex, culture, lifestyle, income, etc.) and find out how to better serve them. That is the important part, being able to see where your trouble areas are and finding a way to make the biggest impact on their business. If you can truly see some kind of lift from your hard work in collecting client data, you will win big.

When your company profits and losses based on they level of customer service you provide, you have to be good at what you do. When potential clients walk into your building what kind of experience, will they receive? That is what you need to be at the forefront of your minds when trying to determine what you need to do to be at the top of the client development world.

Now it is up to you. What do you do from here on out. Do you become stagnate in your everyday routine in your workplace, or do you go out and make a difference? Clients are not always going to tell you what you need to do in order to take better care of them. Sometimes you will just have to roll up your sleeves and get dirty. The more work you do around client development and taking care of their needs, the better your company will be in terms of profits. 

Finding Storage

Nebraska Self Storage

San Antonio Storage

October 2007 Secret Shopping Blog Archive

Self Storage

Self Storage Article Directory – Wine Storage

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What do you expect when you buy a product, purchase a service or eat a meal at a restaurant? You probably expect the same things that many people expect, quality assurance. Quality assurance can mean different things to different people depending on what the individuals expectations are. Some peoples expectations are high, some are low and some are right in the middle. To be able to please all of these types of expectations, a business must be able to provide a certain level of quality assurance to the customer. Basic quality assurance things are, guarantees, warranties, contracts, promises, and more. If a business guarantees you the best quality assurance and you do not receive the best quality assurance, then you have the guarantee to fall back on.

When breaking down the term quality assurance you can see that it is the assurance of quality. Now the quality part is the part that can be so varied. Quality to you might not be the same level of quality that is expected by your neighbor or someone in another country. Usually quality means good workmanship, good value, and long lasting. Quality does not usually mean, cheap, flimsy or badly made.

Quality assurance is everywhere. It is the little tag on your underwear, it is printed on your box of cereal, it is advertised on the TV, and it is on your shampoo bottle and lots of other places if you look. With all these promises of quality, can you really believe that everyone out there has a promise for you? Or do all these promises of quality water down the real meaning of quality and make it less important. Everyone is promising quality, but is everyone wanting quality all the time, probably so. As more quality is promised, more people want higher levels of it for less money. This can drive the economy crazy.

Sometimes you have to shop around for quality. If you know you need a certain item, then you can look online, in print advertisements, or in the stores for the best deal. The best deal does not always mean the best quality but you will have to compare for yourself. A five dollar tshirt is a great bargain, but how long will it last? This is where you need to figure out what you can spend and what quality you can afford.

If you are looking for quality assurance, then you do not have to look very far. Many businesses out there are willing to promise you the world for your business. Competition is stiff and every business needs to have a way to lure in potential customers. Some businesses offer quality assurance by saying that their service or product will be done quickly. Some businesses offer quality assurance by guaranteeing a level of satisfaction.

All markets in all businesses watch consumer needs very closely. There are market surveys, polls and more to help companies provide products and services that the consumers are looking for. Staying one step ahead of the competition is the best way to assure that your business has a future. The moment you let your guard down, the next business will take your place and not look back. So, do not let your guard down and do not skimp on the quality assurance services that you offer.

Self Storage Blog

Maryland Boat Storage

Miramar Storage

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Lets get a show of hands of who loves great customer service. Wait a minute. We cannot see each other raising our hands, but it is safe to say that everyone will have their hands raised. Why do we expect great customer service from everywhere we go, but not always provide it in our self storage facilities? We as consumers have needs that we need fulfilled, as do the people that call us on the phone. Do we always volunteer all the information to the person helping us, or do we just answer whatever questions they ask us. With people on the phone, we have to dig deep sometimes to figure out their needs and then find a way to satisfy those customer service needs.

We all know there are a variety of reasons people are in need of storage. You should provide them great customer service based on their needs not what special you are running at the time. They might be declutering their house, moving from an apartment to a house, storing business documents, etc. It is up to us to determine that and then find a storage solution that would benefit them the best. With someone who is attempting to sell their house within two weeks, would they need information on how they can save money by renting for three to six months? Probably not, but will that same customer like the idea of being prorated for the days they use so they do not have to pay for the full month? Yes. Would the business customer who needs to store business documents like to know how they can save money towards their bottom line if they store for a year? Absolutely. What customer would love the idea of paying one dollar for a week (some companies run a one dollar move in special) so they can transition their belongings from one house to another? There probably is not one person that would not. Your level of customer service is going to mean the world to this customer. The person who can give them the best customer service by satisfying their needs will gain the customers business.

Good customer service is different to many people. What you think a high level of service is not the same as your competitor. It is about what the customer thinks. Take the time to think about the last time you got great customer service. What was so great about it? Why are you thinking about going back? Would you tell your friends about this service you received and why? Those are the questions you should ask yourself in reference to your self storage facility. What makes your facility so much better in terms of customer service than your competitors customer service? What do your customers think about your customer service? Do you know how you can find out? You ask the customer. Their feedback is crucial to your business.

The whole idea of customer service in self storage is to get people to rent and to have repeat business. Let us get out of the mundane one-size fits all strategy, dig deep, discover their true storage needs and find a solution that can work for them. Treat customers like you want to be treated and providing them and excellent experience will flow naturally. If the caller does not want to volunteer information, ask questions that get it out of them. The more information you have, the better you are able to accommodate their needs.

Storage Bins 

Louisiana Boat Storage

San Antonio Storage

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