Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Customer Service and the 21st Century Business Model

Customer Service and the 21st Century Business Model
Free Download - Should you really care about market movement? By James Dicks
Name: Email:

The changing dynamics of our everyday lives in the business community dictates what we must do to build a completely satisfied customer base. Our immediate reaction to any customer comment is necessary because if our consumer is left out of the equation (as seems to be the case in so many business structures today), the very foundation of why you started your business in the first place will be demolished.

One of the most important things any business needs to do is determine what type of service you are able and/or willing to give your customer. Many times, businesses get too comfortable with the type of service offered and never take into consideration how our changing environment may be affecting your core business. Are you keeping up with the available technology? For example, once people finally became accustomed and comfortable with downloading music and video onto their MP3 players and computers, the need to actually sell hard copies of CD's and DVD's became obsolete. So those companies that dealt in such things had to change their business structures to sell the people what they were ultimately interested in buying and get rid of the services they didn't use any longer. Times change, technology changes and so must your direction.

I'll bet around the turn of the 20th century when Henry Ford started creating the first automobiles, there were buggy whip manufacturers that had to change their own direction and start selling something else or simply go to work for Henry Ford. As technology changes, what you offer your customer must also change.

A wise business owner will also check out the competition to see what the "other guys" are doing to gain market share. If your company isn't doing what the competition is doing, it's worth an internal discussion to determine whether your purpose is to build a specialized niche or whether the competition may be leaving you in the dust. It's important to find out your best and most profitable direction sooner than later. If you wait too long you may lose your opportunity.

I also feel that the corporate hierarchy must get closer to their specific business situation to better understand what is really going on with the customer base. Each manager, leader, or vice president must get a clear understanding of what the customer is thinking and needing from your company. Many times, decisions are made by individuals who are not in tune with what is actually happening in the day-to-day operations of their own field locations. Corporate leadership should consider placing their management teams in actual store locations to give them a first-hand understanding how the customer truly interacts with the company.

Let's say you work in the corporate office of a leading department store chain. Imagine having the corporate leadership sent out to work with the store employees and interact with the customer base at that location for a week or so. Observing how employees are scheduled, understanding the inventory needs and experiencing the hardships by actually running a facility could be an eye opener. I believe that after a week of this kind of experience, the corporate management teams might have a much better perception of how their decisions in the board room impact the field operations. Hopefully that would improve the way business is conducted and ultimately improve the customer service aspect of the business. If it's done on a continuing basis, the customer base should certainly feel a difference which might just translate into added revenue for your bottom line.

One thing is certain; the need for effective customer service has never been more important than it is today. There is so much information that is immediately available through the Internet, and communications has never been easier and cheaper. While I agree that technology makes customer service efforts a lot easier, never lose sight of the fact that your customer is a "real" person with "real" needs. It is incredibly important to make sure that your company "touches" as many people as possible throughout the day, through personal phone calls or even individual visits (when possible) to insure that your credibility and your concern for their success is completely understood. While a customer may appreciate your service or product; the need for personal contact is, in my opinion, the "make or break" task that can generate a devoted customer base. If you do that, you might just create a customer for life.





Customer Service and the 21st Century Business Model - To learn more about this author, visit James Dicks's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Tags: business, consumer, customer service, forex, goals, james dicks, premieretrade, sales
Recent Search: in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback
Dave Kurlan
Dave Kurlan is a best-selling author, top-rated speaker and thought leader on sales development.  He is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website

David Acheson
David Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns.  David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website

Michiel Jonker
As a Certified Information Systems Auditor, Michiel assists businesses in a professional capacity by evaluating the threats to their businesses. He acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and techniques to minimize a business owner’s risk of business failure and to maximize his chances of high growth and success. He strongly believes that you CAN maximize your chances of business success, by implementing the business solution he has advocated for more than 12 years in your business plan and planning. Michiel has decided to share his experience with business owners by putting almost everything he knows in a business plan and survival guide (compiled in an e-book format) and written as a high growth SMB coaching course for SMB business owners, directors and managers - titled as the “Survival Kit for Small and Medium Businesses - Profit from your Business Risks!” According to Michiel, his goal was to add new techniques to a business owner’s business planning survival kit and instruct him or her in using these in the future - without any help from a consultant! For more information about the benefits of implementing profit protection planning in your business, please visit: http://www.business-around-the-globe.com - Visit Michiel Jonker's Website

David Barr
David Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website

Anne Barr
Anne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website

Casey Gollan
Casey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website

Kim Castle
With nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website

Jeff Foster
WebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas.  We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing
- Visit Jeff Foster's Website


To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication About The Author
in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication

James Dicks
(Visit James's Website)
For more than a decade, James Dicks has been one of the nation's leading educators on the subject of Real Estate, Stocks, Options, the Foreign Exchange Market and empowering investors to handle their own investments. James is living his dream by helping investors and businesses overcome the hurdles of reaching their financial goals. Millions of people have heard James message of diversification, money management and financial freedom and thousands have attended one of his many free workshops. Increasing investment knowledge is James' goal and he strives to reach this goal by using a common sense approach that investors of all types can utilize on their road to financial freedom. He is the author of the bestselling book FOREX Made Easy Six Ways to Trade the Dollar and his most recent book from McGraw-Hill, Operation Financial Freedom. The newest book, released in April 2006, also from McGraw-Hill, centers on a tremendously hot topic today, Real Estate, How to Buy and Sell Real Estate for Financial Freedom. His newly developed trade recognition software, PremiereTrade AI, is generating interest and sales on an international level. James is a dynamic trainer and motivator, speaking on nationally syndicated radio shows and appearing nationally before thousands of people educating them on personal finance, real estate and investing. As both a former Marine and dedicated family man, He strives to make a positive difference in the lives of every person he meets, and is proud to have served in the United States Marine Corps.


in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication James Dicks is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication About The Author

in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication Author Blog
in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication Author Blog

in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication Video
in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication Video

in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication Free Downloads


James Dicks's

Complete
List Of
Personal-Finance
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get James Dicks's Complete List of Personal-Finance Articles For FREE!

More James Dicks
Your Most Valuable Business Asset
Doing it Debt Free
The Challenge of Investing
Sign of the Times
Cant See the Forest for the Trees
Protect Your Children and Their Teeth
Finances and the Year Ahead
New Year New Plan
Next Year I Will Save
I Made More Money with Bad Credit Paying 18 Percent and 5 Points
in 21st century one for the most important thing to run the business in profit is communication Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Leanne Hoagland-Smith  
Dianne Crampton  
Marcus Arkan  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video




Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
How To Double Your Business Icon How To Double Your Business
7 Sales Meeting Strategies Icon 7 Sales Meeting Strategies
Write A Bestseller Icon Write A Bestseller
5 Step Action Plan Icon 5 Step Action Plan
Women Embracing Franchising Icon Women Embracing Franchising
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs To Watch In 2008
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008
 
Guide To ERP Software / Business Management Software
Guide To ERP Software
Business Management Software
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Binta Chukwudi Benin City, Nigeria,
Binta Chukwudi
Benin City, Nigeria
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Julie Mitchell, $470k to $1.1 Mil in 2 years
Julie Mitchell
$470k to $1.1 Mil in 2 years
Frank Cianciulli, $2.3 to $7.5 Mil in 2 years
Frank Cianciulli
$2.3 to $7.5 Mil in 2 years
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
J.C. Penney, J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
Jim Henson, Henson Assoc.
Jim Henson
Henson Assoc.
Famous Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Advice
Timothy Ferriss, 4 Hour Work Week
Timothy Ferriss
4 Hour Work Week
Paul Kedrosky, Venture Capitalist
Paul Kedrosky
Venture Capitalist
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Ten Reasons to take Notes during Sales Meetings
By Niall Devitt
     Guidelines for Men who Sell to Women
By Niall Devitt
     How to make Cold-Calling work for you.
By Niall Devitt

Have A Suggestion?

Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!

Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More Information