REPOST: What would grandma do? Getting customer service right

The dehumanizing treatment that some customers experience from business establishments is very upsetting. According to Jesse Lipson of Forbes.com, businesses would do well to treat their customers more like family.

Why do so many businesses treat customers like numbers, or, worse, inconveniences?

Maybe the problem starts when we think of customers using the wrong metaphors.

The software company I founded is all about raising the bar for service, so I’ve become a pretty close observer of customer service in my daily life. One thing I’ve noticed is that most businesses treat customers like a counterparty to a business transaction. It’s true; customers are counterparties to transactions. But in the same way that it would feel inappropriate to tip my mother for cooking a great meal on Thanksgiving, we’re missing something very important if we treat each customer interaction as if we’re fulfilling a business contract.

About five years ago I read a great book called Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization. The book outlines several characteristics of excellent customer service: producing a perfect product, interacting with customers in a caring way, delivering on your promise in a timely manner, and effectively solving customer problems.

Two of those characteristics really resonated with me; I’m going to explore the concept of caring for customers here and discuss what it means to solve customer problems in next week’s post.

When describing how you should treat customers, the authors of Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profits call to mind the archetypal Italian grandmother. If her grandson runs too fast and trips and skins his knee, she doesn’t chide him for running too fast. She scoops him up, comforts him, and makes him a fabulous dinner to help him forget his woes. “You poor baby!” she’d say in a crooning tone. “How can grandma make it better?”

So what if your customer service was modeled after grandma?

Your grandmother never blames you— even when it’s your fault. When a customer comes to you with a problem, don’t behave in a way that shows her you think she caused the problem herself. Your first response should always be: “I’m so sorry. I can see why you are frustrated! I would be, too.”

It’s simple: No matter what the call, no matter what the problem, your job is to show empathy. Make sure the customer knows you see this is your problem to solve. When you respond this way — sincerely and profusely — you have a good shot at disarming the customer and reducing frustration right off the bat.

When it comes to empathizing, authenticity matters. Exceptional Service notes the importance of hiring people for customer support positions who exude genuine personal warmth and who have the innate ability to show empathy. When you apologize to a customer, it’s got to be genuine. For some people, this comes easily; they’re the ones you want dealing with your customers.

Your grandmother knows what’s bugging you before you do. When you’re down, your grandma knows it. And she knows how to make it better. A cup of tea, a chat, a little walk, a kind word. How much better would your company be at customer service if you could train your team to read your customers’ moods, anticipate their needs, and provide those extra touches that let them know you care?

A colleague of mine went into a fast-food restaurant recently, with her two kids and their two friends in tow. They were in line for less than 30 seconds when the manager approached, welcomed them to the shop, handed the kids toys and hats, and helped my friend get the kids’ orders before taking the kids to a table so she could pay in peace. The manager then delivered the food personally, and brought over extra napkins and condiments. My colleague was floored, and thankful enough to tell her friends about it.

That last part is key — good customer service turns into a story worth repeating, otherwise known as free marketing. One customer’s good — or bad — experience can be tweeted to hundreds of friends in an instant.

So when you are providing customer service, ask yourself a simple question: What would Grandma do? If you treat your customers like family, they’ll return the favor with loyalty.

Securus Payments offers billing and payment outsourcing solutions that help businesses improve their customers’ shopping experience through convenient payment processing. Visit this website for more updates.

Employment and retail sales records bode well

Suffice it to say that the employment and retail sales records are on a sudden cloud nine since the large decrease in number of people applying for unemployment is continuously rising to 0.6 percent. This percentage in numbers is equivalent to 334,000 declines in application for such benefits, a good sign that many economists consider a powerful turn for the American economy.

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This is balanced by the fact that employment is going steady and sturdy, as employers have added 175,000 jobs in May, jobs that match the monthly average for 2012. This numbers are a result of the government’s continuous effort to not just patch up the past economic downturn’s aftermath with stopgap solutions but to create solid and long-term programs to create jobs with quality and longevity—or those that match the job profiles of the Americans.

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Now that employment is strong, many Americans are gradually going back to a behavior of rewarding themselves through buying things from their newly obtained salary, as spending extra dime for such then-considered trivial and luxurious because of unemployment is now attainable. In a separate report, the Commerce Department said that the 0.6 percent increase last month in retail sales has surprisingly let the consumers become more resilient despite higher taxes, a thing that could drive faster growth in the last quarter of 2013.

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But experts also say that any trend could lost its track if not kept well, hence the government should uphold whatever that it is doing now yet must not stop in creating consumer and industry-balanced programs.


Securus Payment knows that there’s a need for small-scale businesses and industries to maintain exemplary operations with their consumers, an occurrence that could only be possible in the presence of strong economic programs. This website offers a full range of products and services that would allow even a small trade to kickstart an authoritative operation.

eBay: At the shores of a boom

2015 may be a golden year for online buying site eBay, as the company predicts racking up 200 million users and having a sales growth of nearly 50 percent by then. This news serves well to downplay growing edginess about the security of online shopping. Apparently, this boom will be driving merchant and buyer welfare up on the priority list for innovation, as confidence on the platform grows.

Image source: digitaltrends.com

Previously threatened by a drift to Internet wasteland, eBay was, in reality, neither short of appeal nor security. A hulking Amazon came away with a huge portion of its market share, and eBay, inert at the speed of consumer caprice, slept through competition for a few moments. However, it’s safe to say that it’s finding its feet and direction, and one of the best ways it’s doing so is in improving payment options to assuage hesitant newcomers.

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eBay has largely left it to buyers to choose the most convenient payment method. PayPal has been its weapon against the mostly credit card-dependent Amazon, a brisk channel that credits transactions to sellers immediately while doing away with shaky credit card information sharing. It also receives props for breaking down the advantages of the method on its website, something that Amazon users could only psychically grasp from the get-go.

At the turn of 2013, eBay’s payment services have been little recognized as sales propellers. The January holiday binge saw to the demand for its site offerings, but it was ultimately eBay’s mobile workarounds of PayPal that renewed its pioneering image. Mobile devices have introduced new slips in online transactions, and the company readily invested to plug loopholes and create a user-friendly environment for buying through smartphones and tablets. The results brought the company back to the consciousness of Wall Street and turned profit tables, frittering away any sense of impending doom.

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The commonness of online shopping presupposes a schooling on various payment methods that will allay the fears of buyers. Securus Payments has a huge hand in providing equipment and technologies for merchants seeking to break into the worlds of eBay and Amazon. Learn more about various payment methods for online transactions here.

The market for quick payments

Quick payment methods facilitated by working point of sale software, terminals, and wireless devices may seem the dominion of huge businesses that can easily fund the technology. Small businesses with low margins and mom-and-pop operations, however, could benefit just as well, even exponentially.

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The beauty of offering customers a variety of payment methods is in giving them upfront funding choices. Generally, credit card terminals are standard and are currently in high demand as banks increase incentives for good credit. But in every industry, no matter the scale of the business, there’s a payment method that will suit customers from various market segments.

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Small shop owners have learned to accept debit cards, but they could benefit most from mobile payment options, as these attract customers without smaller financial resources. Quick-service restaurants are also learning they could deliver faster food by installing credit card and PIN-activated debit card terminals on their counters, which eliminate the need for counting cash and
change.

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Small-scale merchants who give their customers the credit card option are qualified to avail of merchant cash advances, which are paid for through a portion of credit card sales. Small shops that tend to attract a loyal following can also track customer records through more advanced point of sale software and terminals, which also note their inventory turnovers and sales, allowing them to strategize their supplies.  

Providers of payment technologies, like Securus Payments, understand the need for small-scale businesses and industries to present smooth operations to their customers. Visit the company's website for its full range of products and services.

Mastering e-commerce

To save on rent, merchants have gone by way of e-commerce, especially in industries that deal in virtual goods like gaming and digital bookstores. Online retail also pushes prices down, so merchants can also realize competitive margins in dry goods and consumer products. The only thing e-commerce has to skirt is the cash mode of payment, which is nearly impossible if not for meet-ups between the buyer and seller. To step over this logistical hiccup, online merchants have to offer a full range of electronic payment options.

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But first, they have to secure their networks against fraudulent transactions and breaches of confidential information. Providers of e-commerce software integrate safety as a priority in their systems; integrating the most preferred payment solutions is the second order.

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Most merchants would want to include payment systems for major credit cards, eCheck systems, gift cards, signature debits, and Internet auctions. Managing the security of these transactions is a tricky undertaking that also begs expediency in processing payments. The software has to be intelligent enough to spot dubious transactions from the get-go, and deploy its filter mechanisms as early as possible.

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E-commerce merchants operate independently. They prioritize comprehensive software with easy installment procedures and simple implementation interfaces. Technology providers have set up websites for the exclusive use of e-commerce merchants so they could monitor, process, and secure their transactions online. These websites are provided by some of the biggest names in entrepreneurial IT.

For more information on payment technologies for e-commerce, visit the website of Securus Payments here.