Marketing Strategies: Commit to Customer Service

Everyone agrees that customer service is an important marketing tool but, as just about anyone can tell you, not many companies get it right. This week's episode of Help! My Business Sucks looks at a couple of simple ways to commit good customer care.

I enjoyed meeting many of you at Yanik’s Underground Online Seminar in Washington, DC last week. It was a phenomenal event as usual. At the hotel for the event, I got short changed by an ATM, by $20. Has that ever happened to you? I couldn’t believe how difficult it was to sort out the issue. I finally had to call my bank. It was very frustrating.

What’s your opinion about paid blogging? There are many companies that are willing to pay you to write positive reviews of their products, but I think it’s a bad idea. You’ll lose credibility because you can’t be objective.

Managing outsourcing personnel is not easy when they’re located in a different area. However, I have an awesome resource for you that will revolutionize the way you interact with remote workers. It allows you to collaborate in real-time, so that you’ll both see the same screen, and interact with it by pulling up Web sites, making notes, send and receive files, and chat like Skype. You don't need to register, and it’s completely free.

It’s been awhile since I gave you an update about GotBiz.tv. As you know, GotBiz was my original concept, but due to circumstances beyond my control, things didn’t go according to the original plan. Still, the good news is that Randy Charach has now taken over as CEO of GotBiz, and he’s planning to re-launch the site on April 1st, 2010. It's very exciting to see my original concept getting back on track again. It’s been a rocky road for sure, but Randy is enthusiastic and believes in GotBiz 100 percent.

Luci and I were at The Cheesecake Factory restaurant here in Salt Lake City recently. My order didn’t come out as I’d asked for it, but the server immediately took action. Watch the episode to see what he did, and how you can adapt the lesson for your business.

Let me know your opinion about the topics covered in the show this week-- leave your comment below, it’s really easy to do.

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Andrew Lock is a self-described maverick marketer and the creator and host of Help! My Business Sucks, a free, weekly Web TV show full of practical marketing tips, advice and resources to help small businesses "get more done and have more fun."