By adding iPad support, LiveChat fits naturally into today’s mobile workflow and lifestyle. Support personnel can respond to website visitors and supervisors can keep track of website traffic and monitor chat sessions from virtually any device they choose.

LiveChat is a real-time, live-chat software tool for ecommerce sales and support that is helping ecommerce companies create a new sales channel. The company serves more than 1,000 businesses large and small, including Linens ‘N things, Adobe, ING, Orange Telecom, Better Business Bureau, and Air Asia. LiveChat products are simple to use, integrate, and customize so companies can quickly start increasing sales, offering support, and monitoring the web.

“We’re continually extending our mobile strategy since we believe that putting LiveChat in your pocket makes it even easier to provide a great ecommerce experience,” said LiveChat’s CEO, Mariusz Cieply. “Our goal is to make it as seamless and affordable as possible for ecommerce teams to be available for their website visitors at all times, and freeing support personnel from the desk is the best way to accomplish this.”

The new release is a universal app that supports both iPad and iPhone devices. The application can work in the background on these devices, automatically notifying the user whenever there’s an incoming message from a website visitor. The iPad app supports the major LiveChat mobile features, letting users:

• Preview website traffic in real-time
• Invite website visitors to chat and respond to customer-initiated chats
• Chat with multiple users at the same time, including the use of canned responses
• Monitor any ongoing chat (supervisors)
• Review sneak-peeks of customer messages, as well as survey results and client status and details (supervisors)

With LiveChat’s support for simultaneous multi-device sessions, users can be logged into LiveChat on their laptop, iPad, and iPhone all at the same time. This flexibility gives support personnel the freedom to use their preferred device at any given moment…from answering chats while working on a computer in the office, an iPhone at the bus stop, or an iPad while resting on the couch at home.

“Whether I am on the road or sitting in the office, my LiveChat iPad app is running in the background, keeping me up to date and in touch with my customers,” said a beta user of LiveChat’s iPad app, Sam Akbari, Managing Director at Webitecture (an Agile Corporation Company). “Just the other day, I used the app to convert a web visitor to a lead during my train commute to the office.”

The LiveChat for iPad app, along with all LiveChat mobile applications, is free for active LiveChat customers and is also available for use with the LiveChat trial. LiveChat starts at $36/month for a single agent, with additional discounts available for larger plans. For more information, visit http://www.livechatinc.com.

Consumers today have a household full of digital devices – computers, laptops, tablets, wireless routers, smartphones and WiFi-enabled printers – just to name a few. Adding to the growing sophistication of these individual devices is their dependence on each other for functionality, data transfer, and access to the Internet.

In May of 2010, The Consumer Reports National Research Center published a survey about living with technology which found that computers topped the list of user frustrations. Ninety-five percent of those surveyed said that they’d had some kind of computer problem that needed solving, but only one-third of respondents reported reading the instruction manuals. In a separate report recently conducted by Harris Interactive in December 2010, 45 percent of people said that they would rather do household chores than to try and fix their computer or digital devices on their own and almost 1 in 2 people (41 percent) found it difficult to troubleshoot digital device problems by themselves. Clearly, consumers need help.

“When you finally come home with the latest must-have computer or gadget it can be incredibly disappointing to realize you don’t have the technical skills you need to make it work,” said Kevin Chapman, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Consumer Services, Symantec. “Most people don’t want to read lengthy instruction manuals required for set-up or to trouble-shoot problems on their own.”

Small business owners face similar issues. The 2010 Small Business Technology Survey found that 43 percent of owners spent more than two hours a week on technology problems, while 49 percent said that the cost of maintaining their business technology is a significant challenge.

Fortunately, some companies have recognized this void and are finding creative ways to help consumers connect the dots. One example is the new Norton Ultimate Help Desk. Norton, best known for its computer security software, has introduced a consumer help desk service to deliver 24-hour access to expert assistance for technical problems.

The subscription-based service provides both general consumers and small businesses live technical support for almost any electronic device or network.

In addition, Norton Ultimate Help Desk offers solutions for slowly running and virus-infected computers. For example, technicians can remotely access an Internet connected computer to help with a tune-up, run virus scans, remove malware and viruses, and other similar trouble-shooting activities.

“As our lives increasingly become digital with Facebook, Twitter, emails, important documents, photos, home videos, music, etc. all stored on computers or online, losing access and data  can be devastating,” Chapman said. “Knowing there is a help desk service for consumers to turn to that is available anytime offers great peace of mind since computer problems always happen at the worst time, like just before a big presentation or right when you want to show your friends your recent vacation photos.”

Recognizing this need, savvy companies are working to provide their customers with extra assurance that their money is not wasted. A few have even gone so far as to offer their consumers money-back guarantees. After all, there’s no better way to convey belief in a product and sensitivity to the current financial climate than to say, “If you’re dissatisfied, we’ll give you your money back.”

Today’s risk-averse consumers can feel secure in the knowledge that, if they dislike an item or service, they won’t lose their money. These financially conscious consumers can look to the following industries for money-back guarantees:

Mailing and Shipping. If there’s one place where customers value reliability, it’s in mailing and shipping; goods need to arrive on time and in good condition. For this reason, FedEx backs its FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipments with a money-back guarantee in the United States and Canada. On Express packages, FedEx allows customers a refund or credit on all shipping charges if a package arrives even 60 seconds later than its stated delivery time.

Telecommunications. Dropped calls and other technology annoyances are a big deal in today’s world, which requires fast, reliable communication. No one wants to find themselves stuck in a two-year contract with an unreliable provider. Luckily for new Vonage customers, the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Food and Wine. The trend has even found its way onto supermarket shelves and wine racks. Known for producing high-quality wines for every-day enjoyment, including the best-selling Merlot in America, Sonoma-based Blackstone Winery offers wine drinkers its own money-back guarantee. Any consumer not 100 percent satisfied with their Blackstone wine purchase can use the winery’s “Count On It” money-back guarantee for a full refund.

We want to hear from you — how are you boosting consumer confidence in your business?

Most of us can relate to these customer service experiences. These experiences frustrate consumers, and vendors lose business as a result. In fact, did you know that on average, 96 percent of customers who’ve had a bad service experience don’t report it, and 91 percent of those unhappy customers don’t come back?

To help ditch these frustrations and the negative consequences that come with them, a new online resource is now available for both consumers and vendors. Created by Interactive Intelligence, a provider of software used in customer service centers around the world, the “Ditch the Frustration!” Web site offers a single repository for the best-of-the-best customer service resources. These include white papers, articles, blogs, videos and podcasts all produced by industry experts. The site also enables visitors to submit questions, as well as their own tips to qualify for a monthly prize drawing.

“There’s a lot of customer service advice out there,” said Interactive Intelligence chief marketing officer, Joe Staples. “But it’s tough to sift through it for the really valuable stuff. That’s why we created Ditch the Frustration. Based on our own insight from over 15 years in the customer service software business, as well as expert knowledge from industry analysts, consultants and others, we’ve created a single place for consumers and vendors to easily find the most educational and current guidance available.”

The site offers all sorts of information designed to ditch customer service frustrations. For instance, an effective final effort in getting your customer service problem resolved is to call the company’s headquarters office and ask to speak to head of operations or marketing — and let them know you’re cc’ing their governing body if they have one. Armed with documentation and a calm disposition, you’re likely to find resolution.

Another helpful tip for getting what you want is to have your ideal solution already figured out before you call customer service — and keep it reasonable. For instance, if your newly received couch has a rip in it, perhaps you would prefer a small monetary reimbursement instead of being sent a new couch. (Just don’t ask for a free couch!)

Visit http://ditchthefrustration.com for more customer service tips.


When business is slow

Particularly during times such as these, it’s a good idea to survey present and recently departed customers in order to check the pulse of your business.

While hearing from customers that were unhappy with your service may be difficult to hear, this feedback will enable you to make changes to improve your business. They give you a starting point for improvement.

Survey results reported by the CornerStone Leadership Institute show that for every person who registers a complaint, there are a couple of dozen who don’t say anything at all.

Everyone seems to be talking about engaging your customers on the social networks — but what about your own website? What measures are you taking to provide world-class customer service on your website?

Do you have a Help Desk section on your website? If cost concerns have prevented you from initiating one for your business, here’s some good news — there are many free and low cost options available.

Initiating conversations with your customers demonstrates your commitment to and interest in them. Here are some resources to help you interact with your customers, respond to issues and solicit their feedback.

Free & Free Trial Help Desk Solutions

Web Help Desk – http://www.webhelpdesk.com/free-help-desk-software.html

Spice Works – http://www.spiceworks.com/free-help-desk-software/

Hesk – http://www.hesk.com/

Trouble Ticket Express – http://www.troubleticketexpress.com/

Manage Engine – http://www.manageengine.com

Sending out Postcard Surveys

Amazing Mail – http://amazingmail.com

Premium Cards – http://premiumcards.net

Vista Print – http://vistaprint.com

On-line Surveys

Survey Monkey – http://surveymonkey.com

HowMutch – for pricing feedback only http://howmutch.com

Micro Poll – http://micropoll.com

KissInsights – http://kissinsights.com

As an entrepreneur, it can sometimes be quite difficult to find new customers and build business, especially given the current economic situation.

Two years ago, Dr. Chris Woolaver launched his state-of-the-art orthodontics practice, Woolaver Orthodontics, in Ahwatukee, Arizona, on the outskirts of Phoenix. A Canadian by birth, Woolaver opened his office amid some fairly challenging circumstances.

“It was the middle of a recession and we were going into a well-established neighborhood,” Woolaver said. “I knew we’d have to work hard to get noticed, so we focused heavily on branding and building a reputation for providing the latest in advanced orthodontic treatment in an edgy and progressive atmosphere.”

His award-winning facility has more of a sports-bar feel — definitely not your typical dental or orthodontist office. Patients who come to Woolaver Orthodontics feel confident they will receive the most advanced treatment with the latest technology from the moment they walk in the door.

With his focus on branding and marketing, Woolaver is a master at maintaining and supporting his brand message throughout every aspect of his business. It’s a strategy that any branding expert will attest is spot-on for growing any kind of business, but one that isn’t exactly commonplace among private-practice medical or dental professionals.

In fact, Woolaver has even carried the branding theme through to his referral program, giving patients a $100 custom-branded Woolaver Orthodontics prepaid Visa debit card for each new patient they refer who begins treatment. Woolaver says that, while offering patients rewards for referrals is quite common in his industry, most practitioners might hand out Starbucks, Walmart or AMC movie cards, which essentially promotes those brands, rather than the practitioner.

“We’ve taken it to the next level by making it consistent with our brand. If I’m going to reward my patients for referrals, I’d rather do it in a way that promotes my business, rather than another company,” Woolaver said. “I hope to see thousands of these cards floating around the neighborhood. The more people use them, the more likely someone will see them and maybe ask, ‘hey, where’d you get that?’ That top of mind awareness creates continuous exposure, which helps build brand recognition and bring in new business.”

To create the cards, Woolaver uses IncentiveCardLab.com, a service of CardLab, Inc., that allows him to design his own customized card, complete with the Woolaver Orthodontics logo, and whatever message he’d like to include. The cards can be loaded with any denomination desired, but Woolaver says the $100 cards provide a compelling incentive for his patients. He gives out an average of 15 cards per month-meaning the cards bring in at least 15 new patients to his practice each month.

“Considering that the typical fee for complete orthodontic treatment is around $4,500 to $5,500 in this market, I’ll spend $100 for that,” Woolaver said. “The ROI makes it well worth it for me, and it’s great for patients too. There’s no limit on the number of cards patients can earn. I have some patients who have literally paid for almost half of their own orthodontic treatment by referring their friends.”

Woolaver issues the cards to both adult and adolescent patients (or their parents), and says the relatively small investment of $5.95 he makes to customize each card is well worth it to continue promoting his brand and his business. The cards can be used anywhere Visa is accepted and can be reloaded, if the recipient desires.

As Woolaver has found, when it comes to growing your business, it sometimes takes a bold new approach to a tried-and-true tactic. By thanking customers for their referrals with a unique and memorable gift like customized, prepaid Visa cards, any small business can create the kind of top of mind awareness and brand recognition that can increase revenue and build long-term growth.

About the Author
David S. Jones is CEO of CardLab, Corp. the global leader in customized, pre-paid Visa incentive cards for employee incentives, customer rewards and personal gift-giving. The company’s easy-to-use custom card design and distribution services make it simple, fast and affordable to send FDIC-insured incentive cards in any denomination from $5 to $2500 to anyone, anywhere, with no minimum order and no setup fee. For more information, visit http://www.giftcardlab.com.

An unprecedented transformation has occurred. For the first time ever, Internet empowered customers

“Today’s confident, intensely aggressive buyers have taken control of the entire purchase progression. This is the most dangerous situation that business leaders have ever experienced,” says Robert Bloom, former U.S. Chairman & CEO of Publicis Worldwide and author of The New Experts: Win Today’s Newly Empowered Customers at Their 4 Decisive Moments.

Business success is possible only if marketers and sellers can persuade these highly informed, techno-savvy, assertive customers of every age, gender, and income to buy from them, and that is becoming increasingly difficult to do.

In The New Experts, Bloom focuses entirely on this serious challenge to businesses of all types and sizes. He identifies the 4 Decisive Customer Moments that influence the outcome of any potential sales transaction and shows companies how they can create Customer Preference – the fundamental difference in the new brand-agnostic world. Bloom’s solution enables businesses to win customers by delivering to them what they want most, when they want it – at each of the 4 Decisive Moments.

Decisive Moment #1: Your Now-or-Never Moment
The Now-or-Never Moment occurs during the buyer’s all-too-brief initial contact with a company’s product or service. This is when building Customer Preference must begin. Bloom urges businesses to view the selling process from the customer’s perspective, showing business leaders how to improve the effectiveness of their websites, increase their conversion rates, and align their organizations to win prospects at this critical selling juncture.

Decisive Moment #2: Your Make-or-Break Moment
“If you are like most business leaders, you never stop worrying about pending sales because you know from experience that far too many transactions fall through at your Make-or-Break Moment, the extended period of consideration, negotiation, and decision to purchase,” writes Bloom. Bloom maps out a plan for making Customer Engagement the top priority at this pivotal stage in the selling process. Customer Engagement leads to Customer Preference which results in a sale.

Decisive Moment #3: Your Keep-or-Lose Moment
The Keep-or-Lose Moment is the period when the buyer is actually using a company’s products or services. “Customers must feel just as ‘loved’ after the sale as they did during the selling process, or you will not be able to generate the high-margin repeat purchase, advocacy, and referral you want,” Bloom warns. This is the most overlooked opportunity in business.

“The best time to reinforce the Customer Preference you created during the purchase progression is when your product or service is being tried, used, or consumed by your customer,” he explains. Bloom shows how to prevent customer churn; how to lay the groundwork for developing repeat buyers; and how to maintain top-of-mind ranking with customers when hungry competitors are everywhere.

Decisive Moment #4: Your Multiplier Moment
This is a company’s chance to convert a one-time customer into a repeat customer, an advocate, and a referral source. According to Bloom, “the Multiplier Moment is the successful conclusion to your customer’s purchase progression . . . it is the highly profitable moment when your customer buys again (and again); recommends and refers you to business associates, friends, family, and anyone who seeks a product or service like yours.” Bloom presents powerful strategies for success at the highly valuable Multiplier Moment.

Essential to the business community as it struggles to recover from the profit-draining recession, The New Experts is a provocative, topical book. Robert Bloom reveals the secrets he discovered in the business trenches, demonstrating how businesses can combat the “New Experts” at each decisive moment in the purchase progression. His advice and solutions are practical, straightforward, and cost-effective to implement. Bloom emphasizes the need for all business leaders to change the way they think and work in order to survive in the irreversible customer-centric economy. The New Experts is destined to become a business classic.

About the Author:
Robert H. Bloom is a widely respected authority on business growth and the author of The Inside Advantage: The Strategy That Unlocks the Hidden Growth in Your Business (McGraw-Hill, 2007). Bloom advises firms of every type and size on their growth strategies.

As U.S. Chairman and CEO of Publicis Worldwide, the centerpiece of the $4.6 billion global marketing services company, he helped craft and implement the growth strategies of some of the world’s largest companies and brands, including BMW, L’Oréal, Nestlé, Southwest Airlines, T-Mobile, and Novartis’ Theraflu and Triaminic. As an entrepreneur, he grew an advertising agency into a successful national business. Robert Bloom lives in New York City and Italy.

On the book jacket of The New Experts is a QR code. It is a recent development in the multitude of new technologies and illustrates how to stay connected with the “New Experts” throughout their purchase progression. More information is available at http://www.thenewexperts.com.

It was 4:45 p.m. on a warm Friday afternoon in Traverse City, Michigan.

In the extremely competitive business of lawn supplies and equipment, the Fergusons had a large area to cover. It included the upper half of the state of Michigan and the upper peninsula. Mackinaw City was 110 miles away, not including the ferry boat ride across the straits to the island. In addition to that, no motorized cars or trucks were allowed on the vacation island. It was going to take a minimum of four hours for them to reach the golf course via service truck. Chuck knew they needed to act fast if they were going to help solve this dilemma. After briefly conferring with his dad, Chuck asked Bob Jenkins if he could have the mower loaded onto a horse-drawn wagon and hauled over to the small airport that was located on Mackinac Island. The general manager answered yes, but asked Chuck to explain. Chuck replied that in an emergency like this, the Fergusons could use their family airplane to fly the repairman with the parts necessary to repair the mower.

After Chuck hung up the phone, he quickly called down to Larry, his top mechanic, to see if he would be willing to work a little overtime. Larry eagerly agreed. As an extra measure of service, they decided to pull out the back seat of the airplane and load up a brand new Jacobson greens mower to take along as a loaner. Chuck and Larry took off, and when they landed, they were greeted by a very worried Bob Jenkins. Chuck’s mechanic, impeccably dressed in his dark blue uniform, shining tool box in hand, went right to work on the disabled mower. It was repaired within 15 minutes. Bob was ecstatic. Then, in a grand gesture, Chuck and his mechanic unloaded the brand new Jacobson greens mower. They explained that they wanted to leave it as a backup (free of charge) just in case anything else went wrong with the repaired mower. They would pick up the loaner on the next service call. The general manager was more than satisfied. The next morning, the greens were mowed and the players commented on how beautiful the golf course looked. The prestigious golf tournament was a success. As it turns out, the brand new Jacobson greens mower never left the island. The general manager thought it would be a good idea to have a back- up mower just in case they ever needed it again.

The story doesn’t end there. A few months later, Ken Ferguson and his son attended the Annual Turf Grass Conference at Michigan State University. As they were sitting at their table finishing their dinner, one of their main competitors walked over and said, “Ken, I don’t know how you do it. I don’t know how you keep the Grand Hotel golf course account. We’ve been calling on that place for years. We buy that general manager the best steaks, bring him the finest scotch, and we still can’t get any of his business! How do you do it?” Ken Ferguson looked up at him and replied “Uhh, I don’t know, it sounds like you’re doing everything right to me. I wouldn’t change a thing.” Through this lesson, the message is clear. By going the extra mile for our customers, by being there when they need us, we will keep them as loyal customers for a long, long time.

About the Author:
Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting Development & Training. He is a small business consultant, trainer, and author.

Over the past 27 years, he has worked with his clients and helped them to change their business paradigms. Tom shows small business owners how to “think outside the box,” tap the potential of their managers and employees, and take action to help make their businesses more profitable and successful.

He is author of two books, Making Service Count – Leveraging Customer Satisfaction to Make Your Small Business More Profitable and his second book, How to Keep a Positive Attitude in a Sometimes Negative World. His business articles have been published in over 47 countries and have appeared in local publications such as Crain’s Business, the Detroit Free Press.

When businesses decide to move forward on a purchase, they base their decision on a value assumption of what they feel they’ll get out of the product they buy.

Understanding how price is linked to value can help your company position its products and services to garner the attention of prospective customers.

Increased Competition from a Global Economy:
We’ve all heard about the global economy. While we know what it means, sometimes we are not fully aware of its impact. We tend to operate in our own little world, and see our competition as being closer to home, or at least relegated to whom we know and see.

In truth, your competition is but a few clicks away; if customers can find a product they perceive as being a better value, your company will lose business.

A global marketplace brings global competition — customers don’t lack for options to select from, and they no longer have to accept the status quo. Your company has to be faster, smarter, and better at everything in order to keep your customers, and sell to new ones.

Case Study Analysis:
Does your product last longer? Does your product offer more benefits to customers and allow them to save money? If you’ve ever had a product that does these things, but not been able to turn these selling points into sales, then you’ve failed at putting these product attributes front and center in the eyes of your customers. Effective supporting documentation about your product or service can help you address this.

Now, we’re not talking about infomercials — you need solid, substantiated data that illustrates the benefits of the product or service your company is offering. It’s not enough just to say it does what it does. Customers hear that same pitch from everyone. Instead, give them proof. Keep it simple and provide them real case study analysis on how the product works.

Social Proof in the Form of Testimonials:
Anyone can get a testimonial from a customer. A company could sell the worst product in the world and still find someone, somewhere, to say it’s the best thing since Wonder® Bread. Therefore, forget about the simple and straightforward testimonial that says the product does what it does. Been there, done that.

What you need is to provide your customers the ability to speak directly with other customers who’ve benefitted from working with you. Perhaps you conduct a teleseminar with a client, and allow them to share their results — and field questions directly from other prospects during the call. If you have an active forum or community within your website, this provides an excellent platform to allow customers to share their results. Focus on developing excellent customer service both before and after the sale, and the raving fans and product evangelists will follow.

Product demonstrations that matter:
Forget the controlled demonstration. Take it a step further and perform a product demonstrate at your customer’s facility. Being able to show the product is one thing, but having the ability to troubleshoot problems for your customers is something else entirely.

Customers need to feel taken care of — if they see your product and your sales people as the solution to their problems, they’ll come to see your company as a valued and trusted partner. Your sales team must be seen as experts in their field. If they are seen as experts, they’ll have the ability to make your products shine.

Selling products and services is all about solving problems — alleviating the concerns and apprehension of customers. While your company may be both professional and reliable, your customers may have dealt with companies that were less than dependable. Focus on addressing those concerns and providing proven solutions, and you will consistently turn more prospects into customers.

About the Author:
Traci Hayner Vanover, aka The Promo Diva®, is a business consultant and publicity expert specializing in working with small businesses, authors and startups. Drawing on over twenty years experience in the fields of marketing and promotion, Traci’s blog, located at http://www.PromoDiva.com, blends helpful tips and resources with a healthy dose of humor. Traci is the founder and publisher of ESBJournal.com.

In today’s economy, many businesses struggle to stay afloat, much less profit.

Believe it or not, sales and discounts hurt businesses more than they help. With so many businesses offering sales, it takes a steep discount to stand out from the crowd. Put items or services on sale too often, and customers will wait for another sale before they buy, meaning that the company will make less money per purchase.

What does drive sales? Well, happy customers. Customers are much more likely to use a company with friendly, capable employees. So instead of devaluing their product, companies need to find ways to improve customer service while drawing in new customers and keeping old ones.

One Wisconsin bank seems to have found a solution — in travel incentives. The Madison Branch of Anchor Bank hired a company called Motivation Advantage to run a travel incentive promotion in all of its 60 locations. Motivation Advantage designed a three-day, two-night package that customers could use for a trip to nearby cities and states, or as far away as Florida or California.

The promotion offered vacation getaway packages when customers chose the branch for a loan. But the bank made sure that its regular customers could also qualify for the travel incentive, either by taking out a new equity loan or refinancing an old one.

Employees also participated. Those who encouraged customers to sign up for loans could earn vacations.

Travel remains a large motivator — everyone wants to get away for a while. Ninety-one percent of Americans take a vacation every year, making travel incentives especially appealing. Savvy companies can use such incentives to boost employee morale, retain valued customers, attract new business and launch new products.

For more information, visit www.motivationadvantage.com.