Monday, May 31, 2010

The Right Fit!

With the economic turns in recent years, everyone seems to be watching their dollars a bit more closely. Whether this means shopping for the best deal or making due with less it has definitely impacted the way most people approach their shopping experience. What I have found most interesting, however, is that most people still desire the superior customer service they received back when they were paying top dollar for items. Some companies have found a way to rise to this challenge delivering great customer service without sacrificing product quality. Others have taken the discount route and encourage customers to overlook average customer service in return for very low product costs. Which approach is better? Well, I think that is up to the person doing the shopping.

Just like most things in life, people have different priorities. When shopping for items - whether personal or business related - what really matters is that the needs of the shopper are met. If their primary concern is cash, then the best possible price is the way to their heart. Other shoppers may need a combination of service and price making them more willing to pay a few dollars more to ensure that the attention to customer service is given to them. How do you make sure that you have the right fit?

From the shopper's perspective I encourage you to be honest with yourself about your priorities. If you are shopping for business products that directly impact your company's ability to deliver great customer experiences, you might be best suited with a supplier partner who offers attentive customer service. That way if something does go awry with your order, you have the comfort of knowing they are jumping through hoops to make it right for you. You may pay a few extra dollars for the product up front, but the peace of mind you receive may save you money in the end. If you are running on a tight margin yourself to keep business flowing and customer experience is not the primary focus of your product/deliverable, you may be in a better position to work with a supplier focused primarily on low costs. Again, its all about knowing what your needs truly are and then shopping for the right supplier partner fit!

On the other end of the spectrum is the business perspective. How do you ensure that what you deliver meets the needs of your customers? My first suggestion - stay true to your company philosophy. If you started your company with the belief that customer service is king, don't try to compete with the low cost companies focusing on dollars rather than delivery. Your customers came to you for a reason, so spend your time revisiting that reason and focus on giving them the best possible experience to ensure that you are true to your company intentions and their needs are met, as well. This should make for a beautiful business relationship where everyone's needs get met.

In the end, a relationship between shopper and supplier is not that different from any other personal relationship. Both parties need to know what their needs are and what they can deliver to the other. If those things are not compatible, neither party is going to be happy for long! Focus on finding the right fit and your shopping experience should be a wonderful one.

Monday, May 24, 2010

The Best Email Marketing Service

Anyone in charge of marketing these days is familiar with the use of email as a marketing tool. For those of us just learning the ways of this tool, the instruction manual sometimes seems to be written in another language. Research attempts to self-educate can be equal parts exciting and overwhelming as the intricate details of the email marketing genre continue to grow. No longer a simple method of sending your customers emails to maintain active communication, shopping for the right email marketing tool to meet your company needs is a little like walking into the tool aisle looking for a drill - there are LOTS of options and each one does something just a little different. So the question becomes... how do you know which is the right fit?

While I cannot claim to be any type of expert in this area, I can share my experiences with shopping for the right tool. My number one helpful suggestion - Take Your Time! Although it seems as though the use of email marketing should be a "no brainer" implementation, you really have to stop and think about what you need from the service and what your budget can accommodate. The power drill that has all of the professional carpentry bells and whistles might be REALLY cool, but do you really need all those extras to accomplish your marketing goals?

My second bit of advice is to consider taking advantage of the limited time free use offers that many of the email marketing services offer. Since most of the contact lists are uploaded to the sites via Excel you can keep copies of your lists for future use without losing contact data. There are, of course, some downsides to this freebie use. Visual consistency - most of the services offer templates allowing you to easily build your email messaging, but if you hop between several services you may lose some of this consistency until you settle on one service. Reporting - the bonus draw of most email marketing services is the tracking and reporting tools allowing you to quickly gather feedback and information on the receipt of your messages. Switching service hosts may mean that you lose the data for future use.

Since I don't wear the blogger equivalent of the "how can I help" apron, I did a little digging to provide some additional resources. One that I found particularly helpful is an article comparing the features and costs of the most popular email marketing services. Providing a simple side by side comparison, this chart offers a quick glance shopping overview to help ensure that you have purchased the right tool for your company's marketing needs (see below).

One recent newcomer on the scene that I am currently test driving is Easy Contact. It offers all of the standard service features for a fairly competitive cost. So far my only challenge has been the slow upload when utilizing the reporting tools.

Another recent development in the world of email marketing is the acquisition of Nutshellmail by Constant Contact. Rumor has it that this merger will allow for easier cross-posting of email marketing information on social media sites. I am not sure when all of this will take effect - assuming the rumors are true, but feel free to check out the article posting for yourself. Contact Contact Nutshellmail Merger

Happy shopping and please share your thoughts/experiences with these or other email marketing services!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Tracking Yourself

Imagine yourself in the middle of a hectic work day juggling calls and paperwork for various clients. Trying to keep the details of each client file straight is an exercise in Type A training – at the very least. Now imagine that in addition to managing the entire client file content, you also have to document who you called, sent emails to, had meetings with and which file you spent time working on today. I am not sure about you, but I think my head would be spinning by the end of the day!

Anyone in a professional field requiring the tracking of billable hours is very likely familiar with this scenario and the resulting head spins. For those of you dealing with this scenario, I have a suggestion to end your head spinning days. There is a new software service available that digitally tracks all work related activities freeing the user from the task of remembering to log every telephone call, email, etc. How does this work? Let me explain… (visual aid shown below)


After a quick installation of the hosted software, the user can set the program features to link their PC, mobile phone, office phone, and email for information tracking. Every time one of the pre-assigned devices is used the system tracks the activity in a comprehensive communications log. When it is convenient for the user, they simply log into their account and assign the activities to the appropriate client files for billing purposes. The system intelligently integrates with most legal billing software providing a quick and efficient transfer of the assigned information for client billing purposes. Imagine the time you can save and the hours you can recoup for additional billing!

This is, of course, a simple snapshot of this product’s features. The full range of its capabilities allows the user to customize and easily manage their daily work allowing for increased productivity and fewer headaches.

For more information on this product, click here: WorkTRAKR

Monday, May 3, 2010

Business Checks 101

In our high tech world we have become accustomed to using those fabulous pieces of plastic to pay for a variety of services. While these handy little cards have their benefits, the old fashion payment method of check writing is not yet a lost form. Many businesses continue to use these paper pieces for their many accounting needs. Whether your checks are manual or printer friendly, they all consist of many pre-printed features to make them an efficient and secure method of payment. Let’s review with the diagram below!

1. Voucher Feature – This is a special area of the check used to provide additional details of the check/selling information. The placement of this area can vary depending on the exact style of business checks you select. Before purchasing business checks, be sure to review your printing and/or software to ensure that you select the correct check style!

2. Company Logo Feature – This feature is considered optional, but offers an opportunity to brand your checks with your company logo. If you do not have a specific company logo already developed, there are stock options available for selection. Existing company logos can be added with minor re-sizing adjustments.

3. Imprint Area Feature – This is the area in which you add your business information including company name and address. Most business checks offer up to 5 or 6 lines for listing your information.

4. Routing/Transit Number Feature – Also referred to as “Bank Code”, this number identifies your banking institution. Please note that the number does not include the special symbols shown on either side.

5. Account Number Feature – This number identifies your company account with the banking institution. When ordering your business checks be sure to triple check that this number was entered correctly on the order form!

6. Signature Lines Feature – The all important area of the check, this feature indicates the location for the authorized signature to be placed. Options of a single or double signature line feature are available.

7. Text Over Signature Line Feature - This optional feature allows you to pre-print a text statement above your signature line.

8. Consecutive Number Feature – Located in the upper right corner of your checks, these numbers identify the consecutive order of your checks for optimal accounting of checks written.

9. Bank Information Feature – This area lists the name and address of your banking institution. As an added benefit, many business check suppliers maintain active with changes in the financial service industry which means that should the contact information for your banking institution change the supplier database is automatically updated ensuring that your checks are printed correctly.

Why Quality Matters…
The use of high quality, laser grade paper based on industry guidelines ensures that printing your business checks is a seamless process. However, paper curling may still occur if changes in temperature and/or humidity shift the moisture content of the paper. When this takes place you may experience challenges feeding your checks through the printer and/or stacking them post printing. Here are a few ideas to help prevent such challenges from taking place:

• Be sure that your check storage area is climate controlled. The optimal temperature for storage 65 – 75 degrees Fahrenheit with 45-55% humidity.

• When moving your checks to an environment with different temperature and/or humidity settings let them sit for at least 24 hours prior to printing. This will allow them to acclimate to the new environment.

• Store your business checks in a flat position. For the best results, store them in their original inner carton. Do not stack other items on top.

• When printing, completely fill the printer tray – even if you are only printing a minimal amount of checks.

• Before loading the printer tray, fan the paper to remove any static.

• Keep your printer well maintained to prevent mechanical issues resulting in paper feeding and/or jamming issues.