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Customer Service Reps: Resist Kicking Your Customers Out The Door!
I was trying to cancel my satellite TV subscription about five weeks ago, and something very interesting and foolish happened to me.As I was terminating this relationship by phone, and trying to gently slip away, and gracefully move on to the satellite-less part of my life, I felt a strong boot on my rear-side!The CSR’s wouldn’t let me go without threatening and insulting me.Let me set the scene.Fed up with over 100 channels and nothing good to watch, I figured what the heck, I’m going to just do the cave man thing: Grab raw signals from the air with a tiny antenna, and not pay a nickel for my programs.Like ice fishing, there’s some difficulty in it, but the rewards are great, and the feeling of independence is remarkable!Anyway, I planned to ditch the dish the day after the BCS Championship battle between USC and Texas. I explained my wish to the first CSR who took down all of the information, and then said I’d have to speak to a second rep.Number two interrogated me. Why was I leaving their happy electronic family? What did I like to watch?Growing impatient, I said enough of the survey! Give me your supervisor.This honcho tried to get through the same survey, which I disallowed, and then he made four threats:(1) He wasn’t sure I was disconnectable because I might ow

provide significant advantages for a company over the medium to long term. However, they are both extremely time-consuming activities and can create a significant strain on internal resources, making them difficult for a company to justify. Hiring a third-party to do this job is often the best solution, allowing valuable information to be gained, without disrupting day-to-day business activities.

Data Mining

Analysing the information that your company stores in connection with all customer interactions can reveal a lot of remarkable facts about the buying behaviour of your customers, what motivates them and what might make them stop buying from you. It also provides a scientific method to monitor your business performance.

When deciding to mine information from a d

Making Time to Market Your Private Practice
1. Start with a six-month plan. If you are not doing very much marketing or if you are unhappy with your marketing efforts, a six month marketing plan is a good place to start. Schedule some time in your agenda to create a marketing plan. Anticipate marketing opportunities related to holidays or special events like mental health week or national depression screening day.2. Set monthly and weekly marketing goals. Once you’ve developed a six month plan, the next step is to include marketing time in your monthly and weekly agenda. How much time is enough time? If you are seeing less than 10 clients per week a good guideline is to spend at least one day per week on marketing.3. Create a marketing to-do list.Include a variety of marketing activities like distributing your brochure, presenting a free seminar at your local library, or writing a newsletter. Create a weekly to-do list and use it!4. Double-up your marketing efforts.Keep a good supply of brochures and business cards in your car and in your briefcase so that you can take advantage of impromptu marketing opportunities – drop off brochures at a doctor’s office that is next door to a networking event you are attending.5. Take time to get your office organized.A messy office can and will distract you w

A white paper on how companies should analyse customer data to gain better business intelligence and how they can use that knowledge.

In an increasingly competitive world, using your client database smartly, to gain a better understanding of your number one asset – your customers – can make or break the success of your company.

Most companies use databases to store information about their current customers, previous customers, business partners, and potential customers. The challenge lies in finding a way to harness the useful information contained within these high volume databases in order to produce intelligent business solutions.

Business intelligence (BI) refers to the process for increasing the competitive advantage of a company by intelligent use of available data in decision-making. Business intelligence consists of sourcing the data, filtering out unimportant information, analysing the data, assessing the situation, developing solutions, analysing risks and then supporting the decisions made. This white paper describes the business intelligence process, some elementary methods of data mining, and how you can use business intelligence in your company.

Database Enhancement

The first step towards gaining business intelligence is to start with a ‘clean’ database. Incomplete and inaccurate data invariably translate into incorrect management decisions. Duplicate data is also a problem as it can wrongly weigh management decisions to one side. Whilst a good quality database does not automatically lead to intelligent management decision-making, it is a pre-requisite for all types of analysis that attempt to elicit intelligent management. We could draw an analogy with cooking, where starting with the right ingredients does not guarantee you will bake a good cake, but there is very little chance you will bake a good cake if you start with the wrong set of ingredients.

One of the primary reasons companies do not fully realise the potential competitive advantages they can gain from their own databases is the lack of proper integration of datasets across departments. Even though all the information might reside within the company, it may remain elusive due to a fragmentation of the data across incompatible databases. Regrouping all internal data into a single dataset or a series of interconnected datasets could be the single most useful step a company might take towards providing a solid foundation on which quality business intelligence can be developped.

In some cases, data entry errors and/or missing data can also severely impair the quality of information that can be derived from corporate databases. Sorting these issues can range from very straightforward fixes (e.g. matching one list against another) to more time consuming processes (e.g. contacting all client companies to update contact details of individuals working there). Ideally, all inaccuracies should be weeded out of the databases. However limited time and monetary constraints dictate that you should bear in mind how this database will be used. The level of accuracy required will vary greatly depending on the expected use for that data.

Data cleansing and database integration can provide significant advantages for a company over the medium to long term. However, they are both extremely time-consuming activities and can create a significant strain on internal resources, making them difficult for a company to justify. Hiring a third-party to do this job is often the best solution, allowing valuable information to be gained, without disrupting day-to-day business activities.

Data Mining

When deciding to mine information from a da

Credit Card Machine Buying Tips
The credit card is preferred by most people when paying for purchases and services because of its safety, security and ease of use. The use of credit cards is growing exponentially fueled by the growth of e-commerce and the increasing usage of credit cards in business-to-business transactions. Accepting credit cards in a business has many advantages. Not only will it help expand your consumer base, it will also provide an easier and more convenient alternative to paying by cash or check. When you accept credit cards, funds can be transferred to your bank account as soon as possible. If you are planning to sell online, accepting credit cards is a necessity.Credit card processing equipments essential to any business, especially in today’s fast-paced lifestyle. In whatever business, the exploding use of credit cards and debit cards necessitates an investment on a reliable and secure credit card machine. There are a number of companies you can consider when shopping for a credit card processor such as banks, third party credit card processors, independent sales organizations, financial service providers and associations. Inquire about credit card processing equipment and make an informed choice when you decide to purchase.I. Pervasive TechnologyCredit card machines are being used extensively in almost every store and re

data in decision-making. Business intelligence consists of sourcing the data, filtering out unimportant information, analysing the data, assessing the situation, developing solutions, analysing risks and then supporting the decisions made. This white paper describes the business intelligence process, some elementary methods of data mining, and how you can use business intelligence in your company.

Database Enhancement

Data Mining

When deciding to mine information from a d

Trade-Marking Your Logo Design
Trade-marking your company name and logo can pay dividends down the road. A logo design trademark can prevent competitors from infringing on your brand name and identity. It can also protect your own company from accusations of logo design infringement. This article addresses some of the key trade-marking issues of logo design, as it’s a topic that many businesses will come across.Trade-marking a logo design can be a complicated process. Because of the many other companies the registrar will have to compare your logo against, the process will often be time-consuming. There is always a certain amount of subjectivity involved in making the comparisons, and it often depends on the type of industry you’re in. Software companies for example often trade-mark their logo as they depend on it for their packaging and branding etc. Construction companies on the other hand may not be as attached to their logo, as it won’t find itself on the end-product.Also, because a logo is comprised of different design elements, sometimes only one aspect of the logo will be able to be trade-marked at a time. This is because a logo design is often comprised of a graphic design element and a word element. The words may also comprise of a design element. Such an example can be found in the lettering of “Coca-Cola.” It’s common that you will need to su

n-making, it is a pre-requisite for all types of analysis that attempt to elicit intelligent management. We could draw an analogy with cooking, where starting with the right ingredients does not guarantee you will bake a good cake, but there is very little chance you will bake a good cake if you start with the wrong set of ingredients.

Data Mining

When deciding to mine information from a d

Finding Work You Love
Values & NeedsPick your top five values. Our personal values are our secret motivators. These are not moral values, they are what give us energy whether we are aware of what they are or not. You find it easy to be your best when you are engaged in them. They are part of us, we are born with them, and maybe we can add to them, but probably can’t get rid of them. Look here for a list of values. Quiet other people’s voices in your head, the only wrong values are those that are not truly yours.Meaningful lives and careers are built upon bringing your words thoughts and actions in line with your values.Assessment Whether it is your first job or your fifth, unemployed or employed, figure out what you want before you start the search. Identify and evaluate all your gifts, skills and abilities; look at all your previous jobs, volunteer work, etc. What was it about these experiences, that you liked? What are you good at? What came easy? What did you hate? What are the ideal elements you want in your career? Salary, commuting time, type of people, independence or structure, benefits, organization size, etc. Create two lists of the above elements. The first should include all of the elements and skills you want in next your next job, and the second list should be the elemen

ompany might take towards providing a solid foundation on which quality business intelligence can be developped.

Data Mining

When deciding to mine information from a d

Five Principles of Effective Communication
The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred. George Bernard ShawI’m sure this has happened to you: a colleague has just done the exact opposite of what you wanted him to do. How can that be, you ask yourself. I told him exactly what I wanted. Yes, maybe you told him but did you check that he was listening, that he understood, that he agreed and that he would carry out the required action? Obviously not. The first principle of effective communication is to get appropriate feedback.The second principle of effective communications is to really connect with your audience. It is a fallacy that the mere sending out of information is a communicative act. It isn’t, especially in the current climate where everybody is drowning in information that overwhelms on us all fronts. To connect with your audience you need to address their different needs as partners because communication is a two-way process. You have to decide what you want the outcome of your communication to be: are you trying to inform, persuade, shock, praise, criticize, shame, please, inspire? Whatever your aim you need to plan your message, and the medium for the message, to trigger the emotional and cognitive responses that will ensure you engage your audience. And how do you know you’ve done that? By getting the appropriate fee

Data Mining

When deciding to mine information from a database, one is faced with a wide number of available techniques. Some of the more popular data mining methods are described below:

Statistical models
Basic statistical measurements – such as means, variances, and correlation coefficients – are useful in the early stages of data analysis to gain an overall view of the structure of the data. By revealing simple inter-relations within the data, statistical modelling can show which in-depth technique is likely to bring further information relevant to your interests.

Clustering
Clustering is a technique that aggregates data according to a pre-determined set of characteristics. It can be used to differentiate groups of customers that behave similarly on certain factors, for example it can classify customer behaviours according to credit worthiness, income, age or any other factor of interest.

CHAID Analysis
CHAID, which stands for Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detection, can be seen as the opposite of clustering, in the sense that the CHAID analysis starts with the overall database, and then splits it according to the most important variable until it achieves homogeneous sub-groups that cannot be split any further. A major advantage of this technique is that the results can be presented as an easy-to-read classification tree; each split in the tree being accredited to a single variable (e.g. credit worthiness, income, age, etc).

Propensity models
Propensity models – also known as predictive models – have proven to be very valuable in predicting which customers are most likely to purchase a certain product based on a set of current customers. The results of such a model can be directly used to develop more appropriately targeted marketing campaigns.

Other recognised techniques to extract information from datasets are database segmentation, neural networking, and wavelet analysis among others. It can be intimidating to choose which method will provide the best results. As shown above, analysis tools can differ greatly in their approach of the problem. It is therefore very important for a company to consult someone with extensive experience in data mining processes before going ahead with a business intelligence project. The best method to use will vary greatly depending on the time available to do the analysis, what the results will be used for, and the type of data that is available for the analysis.

An important point to consider is whether your analysis is guided by pre-defined questions or not. Predefined points of analysis are aimed at understanding certain types of behaviours by analysing relationships between various pre-decided influencing factors. For example, a predefined analysis of customer service Vs sales would illustrate the effect of good and bad customer service on sales, and would answer questions such as how important customer service is to customers and how much it influences future sales. On the contrary, the objective of an open-ended analysis is to discover trends that are not anticipated by ordinary immersion in the day-to-day business. Performing an open-ended analysis internally is often impaired by the expectations brought on by individuals working within the company.

The techniqu

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Anybody can be a web copywriter, but not everyone can be a great web copywriter. More to the point, not all great copywriters are also individuals that clients – all kinds of them – will constantly wish to hire. Only a few people are blessed to be described such, and if you wish to be part of the Hall of Fame for web copywriters as well, here’s what you can do to improve your current standing:

Declining a job offer is something you may consider at some point in your career if you’re a bit unsure about whether or not a job opportunity is worth taking. There are legitimate reasons for turning down a job offer but there are also considerations you should be aware of.

Many companies are realizing that it is high time they ramped up their service delivery. This article discusses assessing the service level you currently have, the service level you want to have, and how much skin you want to put in the game to attain that level. Customer service is about action, not talk. And while talk is cheap, action takes commitment, from senior management on down to the front line personnel.

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