Name: Jason

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Web Site: http://www.gmlconsulting.co.uk

Posts by jason:

    Have you got an F1 race strategy?

    June 16th, 2011

    As a Formula One racing fan, I am usually glued to all television coverage over a normal race weekend, which includes practice, qualifying and race day. During these sessions it is easy to observe the ongoing need for a team to have a focused but flexible approach to their race set up strategies. Often a particular change in strategy can mean the difference between winning and losing a race.

    What has winning a race got to do with anything in the world of business?

    We are all involved in some kind of race, whether it is a race to make our businesses more profitable, a race against our main competitors, a race to communicate brand awareness and product portfolio. The list goes on, but you get the point.

    Even F1 Teams themselves are in business and the closer they get to winning the race, the more lucrative it is for them.

    The same can be said for the business community, it’s better to have a strategy than not, but more importantly you need the right strategy to have the best chance of succeeding in the “business race”, and you need to be prepared to review it on a regular basis. Why? Because that’s what your competitors will be doing.

    Try using new web technologies, such as social media, content management and CRM systems, in conjunction with your website, you need to take a step back from your normal activities and try to look at things from your customer’s point of view.

    Gone are the days when you can simply put up a website and leave it!

    You may already have some or all of these systems in place, but are you getting the full streamlined benefits that they can provide if used with the correct strategy moving forward.

    When was the last time you reviewed your online strategy?

    The saying goes…

    “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got, and you’ll always feel what you always felt “

    When working on your online strategy, apply basic principles such as “know your customer”. Once you understand your customers’ needs with regards to communication and customer service, you can decide on the best strategy to not only retain existing customers but gain new ones.

    Take for example an email newsletter that you may have sent to existing customers, don’t just think of instant effects, yes it’s great if an hour after sending you get an enquiry, but remember often people will keep your email as a reminder for when they may need to use your services in the future. This has improved your brand awareness and will provide future payback.

    So if you haven’t got an online strategy plan one, if you have review it regularly , as Mr. Google says in his latest TV advert…

    “The web is what you make of it”.

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    The Evolution of Customer Service

    May 25th, 2011

    Whilst the basic principal of good old fashioned customer service will always apply, we cannot afford to become complacent ignoring the rate at which web technology is growing and the amazing affect to business levels it can have if used effectively in conjunction with customer service.

    Technology based customer service can play a very important part in the new and evolving world of digital marketing. Get it right and your business will thrive, get it wrong at your peril. When considering how to get the best out of a marketing budget often considering how to get the best out of the web is over looked.

    The perception of a website only being used as a shop window is now considered old school. By using the web effectively, you can continue to provide best in class customer service and succeed in the creation of long term financially beneficial business relationships.

    The biggest mistake made with regard to having an effective online marketing strategy is falling into the “we haven’t got time” trap. Believing it more productive to continue pushing for short term sales often spending valuable marketing budgets only on traditional new sales marketing activities, that at best replace customers lost as a result of poor communication. Nowadays customers are using the web as their first port of call when deciding on whose services to buy and whether to stay with that supplier after buying.

    Having an advert in a magazine, on the radio or on the back of a bus no longer compels people to use a service, at best it confirms a company is still trading.

    If a business could just take the time to consider their online strategy and direct their budget in this area far better results in respect of customer retention, cross selling opportunities and new sales could be achieved. At the same time using technologies such as back end databases, CRM and content management systems would save time and money allowing the back office operations that customer service rely on to be streamlined and therefore saving on administrative costs.

    Once set up correctly you can utilise blogs and email campaigns to broadcast services to existing customers, you can reach more people via social media and news updates, customers can sign up for your newsletter.  Do not under estimate the effect that good communication has on a customer’s perception of a company that it deals with.

    By focusing on merging your customer service activities with your online activities, it is not uncommon to find that all of the benefits discussed above come in at a lower cost than more traditional marketing methods. Therefore by simply committing to changing your mindset you can position yourself to move forward in the most productive way in the future.

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    Is Customer Service Dead?

    May 11th, 2011

    As a consumer purchasing products or services, I often stop to ask myself this question especially when dealing with the larger corporate organisations of this world, sadly in a lot of cases the answer is yes!

    It is sad when the pressure of surviving into today’s economical climate means that organisations feel the need to strip their business model down in order to cut costs, however I strongly believe the lack of focus on the importance of “best in class” customer services has been growing over years and not just a result of our recent credit crunch. After all it’s often about keeping shareholders happy, when in fact the focus should always be on the customer who is our life blood. Look at any job site out there advertising for customer service positions and you will often see the salary levels offered indicate the level of priority given to the area of customer service.

    But it doesn’t have to be this way.

    By focusing on best in class customer service you can maintain client retention and gain referrals, let’s face it, it’s hard to get new customers on board, and why do so many people over look what’s on their doorstep?

    I recently received a recommendation from a family member for the services of a local garage, I followed up on this and used the services of this company, they were really good and I in turn have recommended them to others. I have calculated that the initial recommendation has generated no less than 7 new customers for this company in as many weeks.

    The approach I apply with all dealings I have with customers is called “the no news approach” This simply means you contact your customer with an update even if there has been no movement for whatever reason.

    “That’s a waste of time I hear you cry” well I am sorry to say you are missing the point, think of a time in your life where you became angry and frustrated over a situation, not because there had been a hold up but because no one had bothered to keep you, the customer informed.

    How much better would you have felt in the knowledge that the people you had entrusted your business to cared about you knowing what was happening, after all you place your business with an organisation in order to release your time to focus on the things that you as an individual or organisation excel at.

    The saying in this situation often goes “If you want something done properly do it yourself”. For me customer service is all about doing the job properly for my customer. It’s just good old fashioned business etiquette.

    A breath of fresh air

    As a recent addition to the team at GML Consulting Ltd, it was truly a breath of fresh air to find a company that shares my approach to customer service, It did not take long for the first signs that this was the case to occur, on receiving my company procedures document, which in its self is not something all organisations focus on, I read the following statements:-

    •    Keep in constant contact with client from start
    •    Ensure client is totally happy with drafts prior to issuing the build request
    •    If needed please feel free to bring clients in for a meeting to discuss
    •    Keep client updated throughout the process of drafting etc to ensure they know we are working on their project
    •    Keep in constant contact after site has gone live to iron out ‘go live’ teething problems

    I am pleased to be working with a company that shares my views and believe that among others this is a key strength for me and the GML team.

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