Empower Employees to Keep Customers Happy

Modern day technological advances are definitely making my life easier. I can recall scoffing at an article I read years ago saying there would come a time when we would pull up to the gas pump, insert a card and fill the tank and drive away without ever seeing a clerk. Hah! Now I find I enjoy the convenience.

I am a fan of the big multi pump operations with bright lights and a host of snacks inside, should I desire. The other day I noticed on of my favorite stops had changed hands and brands.

After filling up, the little monitor said "see clerk inside for receipt". Receipts are important to my
record keeping so I trudged inside.

There was no one in sight. After a minute or so a sleepy looking girl came out of the back.

"Hep u?" she slurred.

"I need a receipt on number 5."

She sighed heavily and started pressing buttons.

"Is that because the machine is out of paper out there?" I asked.

"I do not have a clue, buddy" was her reply as she handed me the slip of paper and disappeared through the door to the mysteries of the back.

I have a clue. I do not have to go back. There are hundreds of stores. The new owners have failed to empower employees with the responsibility to make customers happy and want to come back.

There are many places like that. At minimum wage, and most only pay that, employees will still do what management expects. If you expect them to be cheerful and helpful, they will be.

Even the giant Wal-Mart set a rule that if a customer asked where to find something, the "associate" was to walk them clear across the store, if necessary, to point out the correct location.

It worked for a while, now many stores are back to the "I dunno, that's not my department" answer.

Every employee, even those who rarely deal with your customers should be empowered to keep them happy.

Empowered to make it right. Look at the long term. How much is a customer worth? How much would it cost if the employee actually got something away to make a customer happy?

Every employee should be empowered to correct a wrong, or discount a problem without a call to New York City.

"No tops for the coffee cups?" I asked at a small town convenience store. I was the only one in the store and I really wanted a cup of coffee. The place looked inviting. It was all lit up and inside was clean and shiny. And it smelled good.

"They promised me 20 minutes ago a messenger would bring some of our other store. Get a big cup and fill it only half way up and it will not slosh out."

She was smiling and I liked the idea, so with a half a cup I went to the counter. "How much?"

"No charge, enjoy" she said with a smile. "I promise to have lids next time."

What did that cost the company? Pennies. But I am a customer for life. She was empowered to make a decision. And I made a decision to come back often. Are your employees empowered?

Think about it.

Tips on How to Trade Stocks Online

Investing in stock market should not be lightly, trusting anyone and buying any product. You have to get as much information as possible on the products you're looking to invest in, and feel comfortable entering an industry managed by the law of supply and demand where no output is guaranteed but where significant gains can be reaped from a mixture mix between: Objective - Dare - Study - Maneuver - Win

1. Set a goal and dare to jump in

On the stock markets, the goal is to increase your capital through stock transactions. Once you have a clear objective in mind, you must go for it! In other words, you must decide how much you're willing to invest and develop your own risk management strategy to figure out how you want to diversify your portfolio.

2. Study

Learning and studying the stock market mechanism, in place since 1600. Do not forget to activate the "common sense" option in your brain! Knowing the basics of reading a balance sheet is important, as well as knowing how to analyze and calculate certain ratios, sort the opinions of analysts, know what share exactly is and how it works, cash flow, dividends, increase capital, and know how to buy, how to sell, knowing the costs of routing orders ... No matter how much you already know, or there's always room for improvement!

3. Operate

Once you have acquired the basic knowledge, you must know how to select a good broker and learn how to deal with purchase orders, sales and timing. Always calculate your purchase prices on a "net" basis in advance and know the consequences of interpreting an event on a stock price (Fed meeting, unemployment figures, natural disaster, etc.). Finally, be familiar with the societal world, try to memorize the top 300 listed securities on the planet and invest in tools or financial newspapers.

4. Win

To achieve a good return on the stock markets, you must set targets for gains (or "guards losses"). You have to create a selection of companies that you feel have the ability to achieve your goals. Obviously, if you're having trouble screening your stocks, remember that listed companies are legally bound to publicly file their quarterly results and forecasts. They must really communicate any changes that would be able to influence the future results or / and the stock price itself. Therefore, studying a company's past results will help you anticipate a rise or fall in the underlining stock.

If you want to be a winner on the stock markets then the best way to start is to learn the most successful methods from the most profitable traders. This is actually possible and for FREE thanks to what could be the most interesting system ever made available to the general public: the Tailwind Trading System . That package contains 4 ebooks written by experts, 500 pages of top-quality content, and is given away for FREE! You should definitely get a copy while it's online.

Ancient Greek Writing - 3 Important Writing Styles

In its earliest days of being written, Mycenaean Greek was written using a syllabary. However, for nearly 2700 years, Greek has been written using an alphabet. As with other writing systems, over time, different writing styles developed. Similar to how modern English has many variations from cursive to script writing and uppercase to lowercase letters, Ancient Greek had different written variations as well.

Three important variations were the early Greek alphabet (uppercase), the Uncial script and the Greek minuscule script (lowercase).

Early Greek Alphabet - Writing with "Caps Lock" On

This is the easiest of the alphabets to learn. The most common place to use letters was to carve them into monuments. To facilitate the carving process, the letters tend to have few curves. They were also uniformly sized similar to what we call "uppercase" letters today. In fact, many of them are used as capital letters in the Latinic writing system that English is written in.

Here is an example of the early Greek monumental writing:

,, Χ, Κ, Λ, Ο, Π, Ξ, Ο, Π, Ξ,,, Π, Ρ,,, Β,

The early alphabet was written without any spaces or punctuation. The burden of differentiating between words and sentences would fall on the reader. A great example of this type of writing can be found on the Rosetta Stone.

Later Uncial Script - Uppercase with Some Style

The Uncial script appeared in the early part of the first millennium AD It was very similar to the monumental script. The letters were all uppercase and there were no spaces between words when it was written.

This script was often used for writing on parchment and vellum. This is a key script to study for those interested in Greek as a large volume of Greek works come from this period including early Christian writings.

Greek Minuscule Script - Good Things Come in Small Packages

Somewhere in the past two thousand years, Greek letters shrank. A writing style known as minuscule (similar to lowercase letters) developed. Some works were written entirely in minuscule. Others were a mix of the earlier uppercase (majuscule) and minuscule scripts. Where the two writing styles appeared together, the minuscule was always more prevalent. Just as with English, proper nouns and the first word of a paragraph would be capitalized. However, in ancient Greek, the first word of each sentence was not capitalized (unless it was a proper noun or the beginning of a paragraph as mentioned above).

Here is the alphabet in minuscule script:

α, β,,,,, ε,,, η,,, ι, κ, λ, μ, ν,,, ο,,, ρ, σ, τ, υ,,,,, ψ, ω

Just as the monumental script has survived as the uppercase letters of Modern Greek, the minuscule script exists as the lowercase letters of Modern Greek. A student of Modern Greek would learn both the majuscule and minuscule scripts in order to be able to read and write the language.

Google AdWords Services

Google AdWords services proliferated into the hearts of traders looking out to reach more people quickly and in a cost-effective way. AdWords is a marketing constituent offered by the leader of Internet search engines - Google. AdWords management is what Google prides itself in as this has added another feather in its cap. Not every single merchant who wants to advertise has the business acumen to handle the technicalities of designing their AdWords, publishing them, or collecting the turnover with a flourish. Google AdWords' services are an answer to all AdWords management problems.

These pay per click (PPC) services consist of professionally qualified personnel who have the expertise to guide you to your ultimate goal - maximum earnings! There are many firms offering Google AdWords services to small and big businesses who are coming to realize the importance of online marketing. By hiring the professional help of Google AdWords services, you can outsource AdWords management to agencies specifically working for your benefit who will take the reins of product campaigning into their hands. All you have to do is provide the necessary details, review progress from time to time, and watch your bank balance swell.

Google AdWords services can analyze your needs and configure a well chalked out advertising plan. The way they go about their task of AdWords management is totally safe and should any loopholes arise, these trained specialists can plug them with expertise honed over years of experience.
Some of the aspects that Google PPC services take into their stride are:

• Designing custom-made ads and placing them in strategic places on the Internet to draw voluminous traffic with a high conversion rate.
• Choosing catchy keywords to be used in your ads
• Offering free no-obligation consultation
• Managing your finances
• Critically analyze competition and device methods to supersede them.
• Work toward enhancing the campaign and increase income.
• Since AdWords management is their business, Google AdWords services are a blessing with a price tag.

This is just a preliminary overview of AdWords. Google PPC services can weave magic for the product you are promoting online. These firms can lead your marketing to the peak of financial excellence. Many such companies are also experts at organic search engine marketing, which is used to make websites show up naturally in the search engine results pages (SERPS) for specific keywords and phrases. This is commonly accomplished through SEO article marketing, backlinks, and quality on page SEO content.

What Equipment Do I Need To Open A Salon Or Barber Shop?

Opening a barbershop or even a salon can be a challenging job. There are many rules and regulations governing the industry usually set by the state boards and by the city codes and ordinances. Many cities have barbering educators who are licensed to teach in their shop or school and who have a wealth of knowledge of what's required in your city to be able to run a violation free shop. They typically love the business and love talking about it. If you can seek out their support you will have an advantage in getting started.

Now lets talk about learning the old fashion way and researching it yourself by reading the rules and regulations. The best sources for finding information regarding specific requirements is from your State Boards or Regulatory Commission. But you still have to deal with your city or town building and occupancy codes to get a "C of O" approval (Certificate of Occupancy). We have compiled an alphabetical list by States and their web addresses related to the regulation of barbering and cosmetology. Remember each state requires different things but some important safety items have been a Sharps Container (used razor blade disposal), certificates / licenses displayed and have on file a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for every chemical you use.

Lets start with the Basics or MUST have items:

· A shampoo sink / chair combo with hot and cold running water

· A styling chair, all purpose chair or barber chair, one per person

· One hand held or hood dryer with or without the chair

· One work station (wall mount, stationary), per person

· A disinfectant container with disinfectant or sterilizing solution

· Seating accommodations in reception area

· Cabinet for clean towels and supplies

· A receptacle for used towels

· Reception Desk

· Floor Mats

· Child Booster Seat

The best places to get the information you need on the equipment requirements for a Salon or Barbershop is your local Chamber of Commerce and your state board.

The following links are to all of the State Boards:

Business Success at Your Fingertips - E-Mail is Your Sales Staff

When you asked anything more than a wonderful question, the seemingly irritated salesperson had you wait - yet again - while he went to find someone who might know the answer for you. You waited again. When he returned, again it was clear that whomever he asked knew only slightly more than he did.

You left.

Nobody won. Everyone's time was wasted; you were frustrated that you did not acquire anything new (material or information) and the store lost a sale, while the seller - who could have been arrested busy providing yet another customer with poor service - lost his commission. It's also safe to say that you will not be going back. The store lost you as a future customer.

Is not it interesting how this entire exchange (and consequent loss of sale) had nothing to do with the quality or price of the merchandise? The item in question was never mentioned because it is irrelevant.

If your web site is the face you show the world to invite prospective clients into your "store", then e-mail represents the quality of staff you have to service those customers once they've decided to step inside. Any successful shopkeeper knows that even the most attractive, well-stocked and organized commercial arena is a waste of money and energy without courteous, knowledgeable sales people who can answer clients' questions, direct them effectively, see that they leave with everything they need, and that they feel welcome to return.

When you run a business on the Internet, your e-mail is your front line customer service staff. If you do not manage your e-mail well, then the time, energy and expense you have put into setting up your web site so meticulously have been a waste.

It's quite reasonable that the vast majority of your customers and prospective clients will have contact with you exclusively by e-mail. Most Internet business can be completely connected without ever having a live conversation or meeting. People tend to prefer this medium for the very reason that attracted them to the Internet in the first place: they choose the time; they can focus and communicate at a time that's convenient for them.

You need to be sure you're never in the position of the shop owner with the poor sales staff, or the flustered, rude, unknowledgeable sales person.

You need to become an expert in e-mail customer service.

Remember that your intelligence, your personality and your credibility will all be judged by how you conduct your e-mail! Every person who e-mails you will judge you (and whether or not she wants to do business with you) sometimes exclusively based on your written communication ability and etiquette.

If this sounds like a big deal, it is.

If this sounds like a lot of pressure, it is.

Your e-mail will make or break your business. Be sure that whomever is charged with this tremendous responsibility knows this, and knows what s / he is doing.

If your business thrives, you're going to get a lot of e-mail. Ergo, you want e-mail. Tons of it. E-mail is good. The more you get, the better your business should do (if you know what you're doing once you get it). Instead of constantly scrambling and seeing it as a necessary evil, approach it like this:

1. ATTITUDE SPEAKS LOUDLY.

You can never harbor the attitude (even quietly) of an incompetent sales person; we have all, at one time or another, felt like we were inconvenienced the person supposedly waiting on us in a store. This attitude comes through just as clearly on e-mail.

You must see high volume e-mail for what it is - potential sales for you. If you approach the task with the respect and focus that exemplifies, that too, will come through clearly in your communication with your customers and prospective clients. Without you saying the words "I respect your business and I want to help you in any way I can" this message will in fact, be conveyed - or not - in your e-mail. You must appreciate the fact that, just as in face to face communication, a great deal of your written communication is non-literal. This is called "tone" and it comes through - loud and clear - in everything you write.

2. TIMING IS EVERYTHING.

I'm currently doing some renovations on my house. I called three contractors and left messages asking them to get back to me and say when they could come by to give me a quote. Two of the three had come and gone within 24 hours. The third called me back - I'm not kidding - 10 days after I left the message. I literally asked, "Who?" when he said who was calling. By the time he called, I had had three meetings with the contractor I'd chosen. I'd selected my tiles and fixtures, agreed on a work schedule and he was due to begin work the day Unlucky Number Three called me back. I simply said that I no longer needed estimates.

Contractor Number Three was not unlucky; he was either a very busy person (in which case the loss of my puny fifteen thousand dollar job will not bother him at all) or his poor business practices explain why he is not nearly busy enough. Not only did not he have a chance on this job, but I'd never consider calling him again.

You can not be Contractor Number Three. It should be your practice from the outside to check your e-mail several times a day, and not just to check the numbers, but when you make some time to sit and actually attend to it. Answer inquiries regarding your products and services. If, for some unknown reason, you need to check or verify something, take a moment to e-mail the person and inform him that you're working on his request and will forward the clarification within a certain amount of time. And be sure you meet that time limit. You'll be sending the message, "I mean what I say," which goes to your credibility, which goes to your products' credibility.

Think of the "ball is in your court" cliche. Whenever e-mail comes in, answer it. It should go out fast. No matter what the nature of the message to you, a sender should receive a "Hi, I received your message / request / order / whatever and here is what I'm doing about it. a date or time. "

This is true regardless of the nature of the correspondence to you !!! Your credibility will build quickly if you treat all incoming e-mail the same: answer it. Now. Inquiries, orders, complaints, whatever. Treat each as requiring immediate attention from you and your clients will appreciate it. Simply send a note acknowledging that you have received their order and credit card info, their question, or their concern. Then get on it. No one is more impressed than when an answer comes into their e-mail box before they have even left their computer after sending off their message. You love to be acknowledged. I love to be acknowledged. When I enter a store and the only salesperson on the floor is being run off her feet, I love when she cheerfully says, "Hi! I'll be with you in two minutes, right after I ring up this sale and find this gentleman His size. My partner is out of the store for just a moment. " Everyone loves to be acknowledged. You're working hard to satisfy your customer's request; tell her that! Such information should be shared.

3. EXPLAIN THE OBVIOUS

You will find yourself frustrated by the frequency with which you need to answer the same question (s) on-line. What's obvious to you is not immediately clear to a prospective client, and each and every person needs to know the basics before he can continue. Remember that what is obvious to you is news to your 700th customer.

This is where high volume E-mail becomes especially frustrating, but you can not let that tone slip into your answer. If you feel frustrated, imagine the outcome if you cause your prospect to feel stupid or like his inquiry is a bother to you. Each person making an inquiry wishes to be treated as the first and only client your business will ever serve.

If the volume of e-mail that fits this description becomes unmanageable, consider adding a FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) section to your web site so your prospects can get by the basics on their own. Then the questions that they e-mail to you will be of a more sophisticated, individualized nature. Another alternative is to create a text document, or series of documents, which you can simply attach to your outgoing e-mail with a quick, personalized note: "Dear Fred; Thanks for your interest in the Walawala Hoop. I've enclosed the information you requested and hope you find it useful. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. "

Or, you can create an autoresponder which bypasses you and allows information to be forwarded from the autoresponder directly to the inquirer's e-mail box. This is good news and bad news: the good news is that you do not get bogged down with repetitive e-mail; the bad news is you do not get bogged down with repetitive e-mail (meaning you get less e-mail since the prospect client has no need to contact you directly). You lose your ability to follow up.

This is a great option for any business that has a very high "weed-out" factor; that is, a very high volume of prospects who need to read preliminary material before a reduced percentage proceed to the next level - dealing with you directly.

4. FOLLOW-UP.

It's an important habit to routinely follow up when you send information via e-mail. Many users get high volume e-mail and yours might be lost, reshuffled, whatever. A quick note asking if your prospective client received what you sent and if s / he has any questions that you are interested and happy to work for him. This gives him a boost of self-importance and you a leg up on the credibility ladder. Do not be afraid to do this as many as three times within a few days of your answering a request.

5. SIGN YOUR CORRESPONDENCE

You must have a signature block (or signature file) on every piece of correspondence that leaves your computer. This "stamp" can be automatically added to the end of any and all outgoing messages. When you do this, you're providing every recipient with your name, company's name, web site address and phone and fax numbers. Correspondence without this information has a "plain brown envelope" quality about it, that is, less credibility. Your "signature" tells a reader you're legitimate while it plugs your name or logo. Make it easier for people to return to you.

6. LET YOUR CORRESPONDENTS DO YOUR MARKET RESEARCH

Provide a Guest Book type of form where a visitor can sign in and give information about himself and his comments. This is invaluable information for you regarding your clients' demographics and changing needs. You can learn how visitors came to access your site, what their interests are, whether they would like to be kept updated on your products and services, etc. This builds your client base and allows you to refine your products and services, as well as providing you with an inventory of potential future customers. When you get to the point where you circulate your own newsletter or e-zine, you'll have an electronic Rolodex ready to go.

7. NO HOW TO RIGHT GOOD

If you were not the stellar grammar student, but you're a smart business owner, be intelligent enough to have someone with good - no, great - writing skills handle your correspondence. Remember you (your company, your products and services) will be judged by every aspect of your written customer service. Granted, some of your prospects may not know the difference, but a great number of them do. Many surfers looking for products and services on the web are quite literate, and will associate the quality of your product or service with your writing ability. You may think twice about purchasing a major appliance from a salesman who says, "So, you're lookin 'for a dishwasher that runs good?" The dishwasher may be great, but its credibility would be harmed by the quality of the communication of the sales staff. Similarly, poor writing style and glaring errors always make me think twice about the writer, and therefore his wares. I find myself wondering how smart a person can be if he does not know basic grammar and sentence structure. This is not snobbery; it's free-association.

E-mail will be the life-blood of your on line business. Treat it as such, and entrust it to a sales person who is well versed in e-mail customer service and etiquette; consider this the next time you walk into a store and get lousy service - and you take your business elsewhere. Be sure your e-mail correspondences says: "Hello, I'm pleased you chose to visit here; I will not waste your time; I'm intelligent; your needs are my main priority; I'm listening to you and I 'll give you whatever attention it takes to satisfy you. I want you to be happy you chose to visit and I want you to return.

How to Choose a Software Development Company - Here Are 5 Criteria

When evaluating a software development firm, pay attention to the questions they ask. Are they taking their time to learn about you and what you want, or are they rushing to handing you a proposal and a quote? We've done a research and selected the 5 key criteria we consider important for businesses to make their choice of a web or Mobile Application Development Company that would suit their needs. The criteria are listed by priority below:

1) The Range of IT Services a Company Provides

Any project development should be treated as a complex process that requires a comprehensive approach. It involves not only quality code writing but also preliminary business studies, team development, quality assurance, quality audit, risk assessment and mitigation on all stages of web development and post-release support. An outsourcing company that provides the full range of IT services can guide you on how to bring out the best of your project idea that provides a non-trivial solution and create the product that will hit the market. Nowadays, rendering the full scope of IT services is a must-have for IT companies to produce a successful project.

2) Software Quality and Professional Approach

You should choose an outsourcing team based not only on their technology skills, but also their ability to apply useful tools and frameworks that accelerate development and increase work efficiency and productivity. Figure out what mockup tools, delivery process / methodology, tracking systems and quality software metrics the vendor uses to make software, and discuss your expectations with the vendor.

3) Methodology and Project Delivery Process

A reputable IT company should follow a structured and well-defined project management methodology (such as Scrum, Kanban, etc.) to optimize project development and provide effective collaboration between a customer and a vendor. It is especially critical for outsourced projects to ensure their proper monitoring and coordination in real time. Find out how you, as a customer, can be involved in the development process and keep track of your project implementation. Ask to prepare a communication management plan.

4) Language and Cultural Compatibility

So, you want your project to be delivered as expected and within a reasonable budget and time frame. A communication gap and cultural differences can cross all the efforts you've made before. Focus on your vendor language skills and cultural compatibility. To facilitate communication and interaction, choose an outsourcing vendor that has similar cultural and educational backgrounds.

5) Location and Time Zone

Preferably, your vendor should be located within a close reach to your company. Proximity decreases travel costs and times veryly. And finally, make sure your vendor is located in the right time zone with similar working hours. That makes communication better and allows you to settle issues without delay.

When you partner with another Software Development Company , sudden astonishments can happen. Due dates get missed, finished results some of the time frustrate and spending plans are infrequently surpassed. So, keep in mind these 5 criteria when choosing a Software Development company.