In his timeless work How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936), Dale Carnegie traces all human motivation to one sensation: feeling important. Quoting American philosopher John Dewey, Carnegie emphasizes “that the deepest urge in human nature is ‘the desire to be important.’” Flash forward to 2009, when the most innovative business leaders are applying Carnegie’s dictum to the workplace through Employee Engagement Management. More than just an “HR buzzword,” Employee Engagement Management is a leadership approach that values each employee’s well being and input, with the understanding that passionate, engaged employees are more productive. This article will explain why gathering and implementing employee suggestions is an effective technique for improving both employee and customer engagement.
Archive for the ‘Customer Service’ Category
Why Acting on Employee Suggestions Boosts Employee and Customer Engagement
Thursday, November 5th, 2009Earn More Business From Current Clients: 4 tips for up-selling and cross-selling existing accounts
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
As we recently discussed, long-term customers provide many financial benefits to your company. In fact, strengthening current accounts is one of the most effective methods of boosting profits. Recruiting new clients usually costs a pretty penny, so many world-class organizations focus on increasing up-selling and cross-selling to current customers instead. Unfortunately, many salespeople avoid these techniques because they are afraid that suggesting additional products or services could scare off customers. However, as long as you follow a few basic strategies, as outlined below, you can successfully cross-sell and up-sell to your current customers.
A Manager’s Role in Customer Engagement
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Customer service training guidebooks traditionally focus on molding the worker, not the manager. Similarly, many firms deliver customer engagement training only to new entry-level employees. Sales managers, it is often assumed, already have customer service skills, since they must have acquired them in order to be promoted. And yet managers impact customer engagement in unique ways. By understanding managers’ roles, executives can better train and equip them for delivering unparalleled service.
Reward Programs: Are they Effective for Creating Engaged Customers?
Monday, August 31st, 2009Most Americans are members of at least one loyalty program, if not several. Whether they carry around a R.E.I. dividend, a key chain tab for their grocery store, or a card for their airline, Americans love to get a little something extra for their patronage—and loyalty programs claim to give it to them. The American love for loyalty programs is strong, even in the recession. As loyalty research firm COLLOQUY’s Rick Ferguson put it, “Despite the recession, more consumers across all demographic segments are participating in rewards programs than ever before.” In fact, COLLOQUY found a 25% increase in American loyalty program memberships since 2006. So, reward programs are popular, but are they effective from a business perspective?
Customer Engagement Management Tools for Organizing Customer Feedback
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
Most business owners and executives would concur that customer satisfaction is key to long-term business success. And yet, it doesn’t take much these days to lose a customer. Even if customers are satisfied, they may switch companies. After all, Business Week has reported that 60% and 80% of defecting customers describe themselves as “satisfied” or “very satisfied” just before they leave. Especially in today’s challenging economic environment, customer satisfaction is not enough.