Improve Customer Service in 2008

Only 4% of UK customers have had a positive call centre experience, YouGov surveys have shown. Over a third of customers get so annoyed and frustrated that they have resorted to shouting and swearing.

OneCompare.com an online mobile phone comparison website conducted a survey in 2005/2006 which revealed that 39% of customers were dissatisfied or unhappy with the level of service provided by their mobile networks customer service help lines. It also revealed the shocking statistic that 35% of basic questions were answered incorrectly by call centre staff. Lets hope that 2007-2008’s surveys findings are more positive!

Due to the amount of inaccuracies that can be made whilst taking to call centre staff, EasyCallRecording has been developed to allow customers to record their important telephone conversations. The system allows customers to call a special number before making their important call to their bank, loan company or network, the call is then recorded and held online, available to be forwarded to the relevant institution if ever nessesary.

You can use EasyCallRecording on a pay as you go or monthly basis. The recordings will be completely legal and hold up in court as long as the caller notifies the person on the phone that they were recording their call.

This will hopefully be the ending to rude customer service staff and also stop misleading sales and information. Companies should ensure that their customer service staff are correctly trained for their job role and have all the relevant information to hand that they may need. This would help when taking customers calls to be helpful and give correct information.

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Ebay and Customer Service

If you use eBay, you can not notice the realization that the need for a large customer service still are – even for online auctions. When a seller is awarded top quality customer service from you, they could be one of two things – or both. They have a lot of great feedback, and they are selling lots of products either in auction or from their store.. If you hope earn a living from eBay, you have to stop thinking in the latter as an “auction” and start running as a “Business”.

If you own a business of brick and mortar, how could you treat your customer when they were up to your counter, waiting for you for their order? You would be useful and respectful of the them!

You would do everything that you could to ensure that the customers back to your institution in the future. You would bend over backwards to ensure that their purchasing power experience with you was both satisfying and pleasant. Why would you not treat your ebay customer the same?

First, act quickly, at the end of your auction. Stay in contact with the winner and congratulate them. Make sure to answer all questions they have and how the item will be shipped. Ship or deliver the item as soon as possible. Even if information is already part of the description of the auction. Ebay sends a message at the end of every auction with methods of payment and also at the end of digital deliver show where to download the item. On my download items I always send a message with the link cause new customers do not know the procedure and may miss the download link. For the shipping items I contact the person with shipment details with the tracking number in it.

Always thank your customers for their orders at the end of the auction and let them know to please contact me if they have any concerns. You can take this opportunity to tell them about other products or service you may have too. Do not treat them as a one time customer and they will not be.

Do not ever think of a online store or auction as a place where you can not give the best of yourself. A personal touch with your name in it and thank you goes a long way to a good feedback rating. Once payment is made you should always answer all questions or problems they may have right away. Even if it means giving a refund. Always treat the customer as if you would a friend and neighbor and you will keep a great feedback and also a life long buyer.

Give the customer enough time to make his payment and contact him several time before filing a dispute with paypal. Maybe the customer has had a tragedy or emergency and has been called away. Do not assume that the customer is not going to pay. I have waited a long time before filing a dispute and just to get my auction fees back.

Dell Customer Service
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Customer Service Training Remains Inadequate

Most organizations still do not provide comprehensive, let alone adequate, training in today’s marketplace. A recent report by the Service & Support Professionals Association (SSPA) said that only 27% of service and support staff spend more than 5 days on annual ongoing training.

Beyond that, it was found that 82% of new hires feel they do not receive much training in customer service skills, compared to only 18% who feel they do. What an exposure for a company to have–not only to not provide sufficient, robust training, but to have the majority of employees feel they weren’t provided with enough training, so they don’t have the tools necessary to do their jobs!

In another study the good news is that it’s reported that nearly half of US employers plan to spend more time and money on training in 2008 Novations Group Survey). One of the top categories of training is Customer Service, followed by Technical Training, Interpersonal/Teamwork, Communications, on down to Basic Skills.

The part of this study that concerns me is that employers ‘plan to spend more time and money.’ Like me, I’m sure you’ve heard this before. Let’s make sure the feet go where the mouth leads. As they say, talk is cheap, let’s get those training initiatives implemented.

After all, in today’s competitive environment, what separates one company from another is not their product or service, but rather, their customer service.

And who has that awesome responsibility to deliver this world class customer service? Yes, your front lines who feel they haven’t been trained enough in customer service skills.

In a recent Training Magazine Study (November/December 2007), the training delivery methods reflect the following from year 2006 to 2007:

2006 2007

Instructor Led 62% 65%

Online Self Study 15% 20%

Virtual 14% 10%

Other 9% 5%

Where do you fit in the above stats? Are you taking great care of your employees so they can take great care of your customers?

If not, I suggest you make this a priority. Create a training initiative today!

Invest in your people. Start now.

Learn the do’s of good customer service and see examples withexpert retail sales management advice in this free online customer service video clip. Expert: Pamela Unruh Bio: Pamela Unruh has been working in the customer service industry for nearly twenty years. She has a great amount of experience on the subject, and has been a corporate trainer in the field. Filmmaker: Reel Media LLC

How it Departments Can Improve Customer Service ? Both Internally and Externally With Itil

What is ITIL?

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a set of best practices that allow IT groups to offer the highest possible level of service to their customers. The ITIL framework identifies best practices related to core aspects of IT such as Service Desk, Change Management, and Service Level Agreements (SLA’s).  

Where is ITIL Used?

Currently, ITIL is the most widely accepted approach to IT service management in the world. The ITIL framework was developed in England and is widely adopted in Europe. Over the last few years ITIL has become increasingly popular in the US.  

What are the features and benefits of ITIL?

 ITIL is a great tool for a management team to use in the constant effort to offer higher levels of services to their customers. ITIL outlines an extensive set of management procedures that are intended to support businesses in achieving both quality and value for money in IT operations. The service support component of ITIL focuses on improving day-to-day support activities such as problem management. The service delivery component of ITIL focuses on improving strategic activities such as capacity planning. 

Why should IT departments implement ITIL?

 Most people feel that after implementing ITIL their customer service, both internally and externally, is greatly improved. Most IT departments are reactive and always feel that they are running behind. This is stressful and costly. When implementing ITIL you’ll review your current processes and think about how you can make them more efficient. By implementing new processes you’ll save time and money.  

ITIL helps IT departments make better technology choices, manage IT more effectively and drive greater business value for all IT investments. 

Lorenzo Balsamo

Lorenzo graduated in 1988 from Bentley College with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer InformationSystems. In 1992 he completed his Master’s degree at U-Mass Boston in English Literature andTechnical Writing. Since then he has worked the last 15 years in the IT industry in the roles ofSystems Engineer, Network Manager, and Trainer. As a Senior Engineer, he helped design and builda 3,000 node global LAN/WAN for a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, MA. As a NetworkManager, he led a team of 12 Analysts and Engineers primarily responsible for desktops, servers, OS patches, software distribution, antivirus software, and backups. In his current role as a Technical Instructor, he focuses on core engineering courses such as Cisco/CCNA and Microsoft/MCSE. He also teaches courses related to IT best practices such as ITIL (InformationTechnology Infrastructure Library). 

About New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Boston

New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Boston provides learning solutions that help organizations achieve business results, such as increasing productivity and efficiencies, driving revenue, and reducing costs. New Horizons provides customer-focused training choices in multiple formats and delivery methods, offering organizations and individuals top-quality training that can be tailored to meet individual learning styles and specific needs. 

Whether you are in search of a solution for the complex training needs of a large, multi-location business, or you are an individual seeking the skills to excel in a new or blossoming career path, New Horizons is your integrated learning solution. New Horizons of Boston offers Desktop Applications Training, Technical Training, Certification Programs, Business Productivity Solutions, Professional Services and Enterprise Learning Solutions.

How it Departments Can Improve Customer Service ? Both Internally and Externally With Itil

What is ITIL?

ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a set of best practices that allow IT groups to offer the highest possible level of service to their customers. The ITIL framework identifies best practices related to core aspects of IT such as Service Desk, Change Management, and Service Level Agreements (SLA’s).

Where is ITIL Used?

Currently, ITIL is the most widely accepted approach to IT service management in the world. The ITIL framework was developed in England and is widely adopted in Europe. Over the last few years ITIL has become increasingly popular in the US.

What are the features and benefits of ITIL?

ITIL is a great tool for a management team to use in the constant effort to offer higher levels of services to their customers. ITIL outlines an extensive set of management procedures that are intended to support businesses in achieving both quality and value for money in IT operations. The service support component of ITIL focuses on improving day-to-day support activities such as problem management. The service delivery component of ITIL focuses on improving strategic activities such as capacity planning.

Why should IT departments implement ITIL?

Most people feel that after implementing ITIL their customer service, both internally and externally, is greatly improved. Most IT departments are reactive and always feel that they are running behind. This is stressful and costly. When implementing ITIL you’ll review your current processes and think about how you can make them more efficient. By implementing new processes you’ll save time and money.

ITIL helps IT departments make better technology choices, manage IT more effectively and drive greater business value for all IT investments.

Lorenzo Balsamo

Lorenzo graduated in 1988 from Bentley College with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems. In 1992 he completed his Master’s degree at U-Mass Boston in English Literature and Technical Writing. Since then he has worked the last 15 years in the IT industry in the roles of Systems Engineer, Network Manager, and Trainer. As a Senior Engineer, he helped design and build a 3,000 node global LAN/WAN for a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, MA. As a Network Manager, he led a team of 12 Analysts and Engineers primarily responsible for desktops, servers, OS patches, software distribution, antivirus software, and backups. In his current role as a Technical Instructor, he focuses on core engineering courses such as Cisco/CCNA and Microsoft/MCSE. He also teaches courses related to IT best practices such as ITIL (InformationTechnology Infrastructure Library).

About New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Boston

New Horizons Computer Learning Centers of Boston provides learning solutions that help organizations achieve business results, such as increasing productivity and efficiencies, driving revenue, and reducing costs. New Horizons provides customer-focused training choices in multiple formats and delivery methods, offering organizations and individuals top-quality training that can be tailored to meet individual learning styles and specific needs.

Whether you are in search of a solution for the complex training needs of a large, multi-location business, or you are an individual seeking the skills to excel in a new or blossoming career path, New Horizons is your integrated learning solution. New Horizons of Boston offers Desktop Applications Training, Technical Training, Certification Programs, Business Productivity Solutions, Professional Services and Enterprise Learning Solutions.

www.nhboston.com

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Company Policy Does More Damage to Customer Service Than Anything Else

As a customer service consultant I see things across many companies that most companies don’t see while working inside the company.

o Company Policy
One of the biggest problems is “company policy.” Many company policies are structured to protect the company from the customer instead of helping the customer get what he wants and has paid for. Your success will explode when your company, and your employees are structured with the customers’ wants and needs in mind.

As a customer how many times have you been talking with a sales person, or a customer service rep and hear “sorry we can’t do that, company policy.” A barrier was thrown up between what you think is only reasonable and the company. For me, I’m out of there.

Is the problem “company policy” or is it the employee? It can go either way. Often employees are trying hard to do the job the way they understand it, which can often be that they are there to protect the company from the customer trying to take advantage. That isn’t saying that employee is a “bad” employee. Only that he doesn’t understand what he should be doing. That’s where proper employee training comes in.

o Employee Responsibility
It is the job of the people in your company that are in direct contact with the customers
To discover and understand what the customer really wants, and
Deliver what the customer really wants

When your employee says “can’t…company policy” he has put a barrier up between the customer and you. The customer can no longer get what he wants, at least not from your company.

o Executive or Owner View
I know…I know…I’m hearing the roar from the executive peanut gallery…You’ve got to make a profit. Well, let me make something clear hear…you aren’t going to make a profit, or at least not as much profit if you aren’t satisfying the customer. So, what I’m saying is to teach your people how to listen to the customer. Change their perspective from “protecting the company from the stupid customer” to one of ALWAYS finding a way to help the customer get what he wants.

o Employee Listening to Customer…Communicating Needs to Company
Your employee should be the conduit through the maze of company policies. He knows what the customer needs, he knows what the company policies are, and his job is to take that customer through those company policies to get the customer where he wants to be. He isn’t a policeman stopping the customer at the gate. That hampers the customer. The first helps the customer.

o When Company Policy IS the Barrier
What happens if the company policy truly is a barrier? Then the employee should be the conduit to the company policy setters to help them understand how the company as a whole can better serve the customer by changing company policy.

I am in no way saying, “don’t make a profit.” But when company policy is set up to protect the company from the customer instead of helping the customer your profits will decline. A customer usually only wants what is reasonable.

The solution to company policy barrier: Make sure that your employees are empowered

o To solve the customer problem
o To communicate to the company how the company policy can improve the customer satisfaction instead of impede it.

ENAS PARAPONOUMENOS PELATIS!!! POLLA ASTEIO!!!

Whatever Happened to Customer Service?

I am really beginning to have a problem with some of the “customer service” I’ve gotten lately,specifically with Sprint/Nextel.

they called me and “thanked” me for making a payment on my account,however I am “past due” and my service will be discontinued on Saturday.OK, I’m about .00 past due from last month.My payment was due on the 26th of September and this is the 10th of October.

Now,mind you, I have an account spending limit of 5,which my current balance is well under that (@ under).Now according to their site I have 1.66 left on my limit.This figure comes off their site.How do they figure that?

Anyway,the Customer Service Rep advised me that my phone would be shut off on Saturday due to my being past due for 14 days.Even the major phone companies like ATT and Bellsouth give you more time than that.

I asked the rep why I was being shut off.I was still well under my ASL and have every intention of paying the .00 but couldn’t understand their way of thinking.It seems that the ASL doesn’t really count for anything.If nothing else,it creates more problems.If you don’t pay your account in full by the due date,they will shut you off.

Now don’t get me wrong,I want to pay my bill.Right now,I’m out of work and don’t get much in unemployment so I have to budget my money.I pay part of my bill online every 2 weeks so I don’t get behind.The rep said that they would work out payment arrangements for me.They want me to pay the full balance of my account,.00,NOW.

My problem is that isn’t due until the 27th of October.

Are they hurting for money? When you pay your bill you are paying for service you haven’t used yet.To me,that’s kind of like paying your winter utility bills in July based on what they think you are going to use.Makes no sense.The worst part is the “customer service” rep don’t want to listen.

Overall,I like Sprint.I’ve been with them for 5 years and have had good phone service.The problems are always the same,though.I have been disconnected before for being .96 past due.Why?

After this episode I started doing some searching on the internet.I found that Sprint is well known for this and for poor customer service.I considered switching companies,but I’m afraid it will be the same thing no matter where I go.

After all of this rambling my point is,whatever happened to good customer service? Whatever happened to talking to the customer and explaining what is going on?What happened to making sure the customer is satisfied?It just doesn’t seem to matter to these large companies anymore.The bigger the companies get,the less they care.

I managed restaurants for about 17 years and was trained to take care of the customer and make sure they were satisfied.I’m not saying that I was the perfect manager,but I tried.

I really think that companies should take a step back and take a look at what is going on .They are in for a big surprise.

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Training and Coaching for Inside Sales and Customer Service Staffs is Vital to Business Growth

When you are trying to grow your business during those first few years, the ability to turn prospects into customers and to keep customers satisfied with your products and services is MISSION CRITICAL.

However, some entreprenurs and small business owners may have a common misconception thinking their inside sales professionals and the customer service staffs also possess the same abilities and desires in keeping the business running and growing

Every sales trainer has heard the: “not in the budget” “we are not big enough for training and coaching” and “I am the sales manager-trainer” answers before and that type of response only makes me more committed to help them see the importance of investing some monetary resources into turning their operation into a successful and cohesive sales and service organization.

I have first-hand experience not thinking it was a necessary investment. As a result of a major business crisis for my sales organization in the mid-90s, I became convinced that sales and customer service training was needed to save the company. After finding that I needed to retool and retrain my staffs in order to weather the storm of losing our largest vendor, I had no alternative but to make a necessary monetary investment in trying to recover from this loss. In looking back at the results before and after the training, I see that I had made a HUGE mistake and probably lost significant revenues by not taking that step 5-8 years earlier.

The sales training that I chose was not appropriate for my team of “inside sales” account managers, but it was all I could find at the time. Without the convenience of the internet and websites, I had to rely on a referral from a business associate who gave me the name of the trainer and the program. The trainer tried to modify the program to address the needs of my company and ultimately it did help me to retool the entire sales and customer service team.

It was at that time that I decided that there was a lack of assessment and training programs that were targeted to the small inside sales team and small customer service staff — but these companies need that type of process training and coaching more than the Fortune 100 organizations.

As a small business owner, investigate the overview of training and coaching systems. Make sure they meet your appropriate needs and offer the following services: A comprehensive Assessment and Sales Training System for smaller inside sales organizations (2 – 20 Inside Sales Executives), an Assessment and Training for Inside Sales Managers and a complimentary coaching system for Customer Service Departments (3-10 CSRs).

Several training organizations have developed programs like these and they can be the best investment you make in your own company.

Some of the most well-known training programs demand months of training and high-ticket pricing. That is overkill for most businesses. The training should have elements of onsite training, follow up, and offer teleclass and teleseminars on an ongoing basis for brush up and advanced skills. Any program you choose should be able to assess if the sales and service teams to assure they are well-suited for their jobs. If they are – the training will be completed in less than 3 months with a minimum of disruption in the company.

Results are almost immediate. Proper assessment, training and ongoing coaching provide a way to set goals, develop a process, overcome fear of cold calling, a method of improving their vocal skill to make a greater first impression on those critical calls. Training organizatins should have additional modules as needed for more advanced training. The basis of successful programs are very simple: If you have a passion for sales, or the emotional empathy to be a great customer service representative, then any program you choose must provide the training and coaching to make your employees excel. For Business Owners, it is an opportunity to insure results and growth in revenue and satisfaction with customer service and support.

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Humor in Customer Service and How It Can Help Your Business

Now, wait a minute. You are not a stage comedian or an actor. Your job is to sell something, not put on a clown act. How does humor fit into customer service?

And that’s exactly why this works: Everybody thinks just like the above paragraph. Because everybody thinks that way, nobody uses humor to ease a customer transaction. This causes the business world to take on a droning, monotonous tone: “How are you?” “Would you like a receipt?” “Thank you for shopping with us.” “Can I get you anything to drink with that?” “How may I assist you?’

It goes on and on, a routine that everybody sleepwalks through. Clearly, you don’t have to be very funny to break up the rhythm. Even a little, tiny bit funny does very, very well in the jet stream of flowing consciousness that is the consumer’s day. And they will remember it for the rest of the day.

Here is one of the best examples I’ve ever seen from real life. Do you like calling a business and hearing one of those droning phone menus that tell you to push a button for each option? Well, here’s another one:

Welcome to International Discount Brokerage!

This call may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance.

For stock trading, press 1.

To order a new account kit, press 2.

For stock quotes, press 3.

For other customer service, press 4.

If you are a netware points benefits customer, press 5.

To hear more about our easy-buy program, where you can secure future stock credits, press 6.

If you would like to hear a duck quack, press 7.

If you know your party’s extension, press 8.

To return to the main menu, press 9…

Or stay on the line for the next available customer service representative.

Thank you.

By the book, isn’t it? This is a real example from a real business. When customers pressed seven, they got exactly what they asked for: a recorded sound of one, routine duck quack. Then the menu came back. Believe it or not, this simple, silly trick led to millions of additional calls and eventually a 75% increase in new accounts! No really logical reason, except that people tended to view the business favorably if they could be a serious business and yet still have the grace to make a little fun of their own menu. This also helps to alleviate the tension of customers calling, since many people report that they don’t like automated phone menus.

Another co-worker had an interesting, amusing story he could tell. It was just something funny that happened to him. It took two minutes, tops, to run through, was very simple, and had no possibility of offending anyone. Those of us who worked with him heard it so many times that we got to memorize it ourselves. The handy thing was that he could bring it out to keep a customer occupied for two minutes while they were waiting for a transaction to be completed.

He could use it to break tension, lighten a customer’s mood, make a new friend, and sometimes he even changed it a little in order to work it in. To those of us who heard it all the time, it sounded almost like a recording, but the first time everybody heard it, they laughed or at least smiled, because he could tell it so naturally. I never once heard a customer complain about this employee; in fact, he got bonuses and good reviews all the time. It was simple, and yet brilliant in its simplicity.

You must always be careful not to have the possibility to offend anyone. Make sure that if the joke must poke fun at a target, the target is you. The shorter it is, the better. People who simply have no time or aren’t in the mood won’t mind that way, but the rest will smile or laugh. You, yourself might get tired of hearing yourself say it, but professional comedians do this all the time; they can memorize a spiel and tell it naturally and fluidly, from years of practice. The point is that you lightened the mood, made somebody smile, they subconsciously like you a little more, and you have also headed off a potential bad mood if the customer was already feeling a little stress.

Computers are a popular target. Stress from the inadequacies of dealing with computers are something any of us can identify with. And we all have computers at point-of-sale transactions, waiting for them to bring up an account, print out a receipt, or get an order loaded into the database. When working with computers behind a counter, I always took advantage of a hesitation on the machine’s part. Again, this is just something fast, simple, and silly. Pick up the mouse and talk into it like a microphone, as if trying to wake the computer up, or move your hand by the side of the monitor as if you were turning an imaginary crank to make it run faster.

When it did what I wanted it to do, sometimes I’d pat it on top of the monitor and say “Good boy!” before turning back to the customer. This quick, silly gestures help to establish that I couldn’t control everything, that slowness on my part was due to the machines and not my lack of trying. And it almost never failed that customers would launch into a remark or story about their frustrations in dealing with computers as well. It just helps to lighten the mood a little and everything goes more smoothly.

Sometimes, as in the phone menu example, it is also helpful to make a little light fun of your company’s own bureaucracy. We all have to deal with filling out complicated forms: stamp this, staple that, file it somewhere, sign something, and so on. Be sure that you have your manager’s approval for this one, and be sure you aren’t putting down your own employer. The key here is to make a light poke at the system itself, so that your customer understands that it’s the best way you have of dealing with something, but you realize it’s not perfect. Paperwork, like phone menus and computers, is another minor hassle that we all have to put up with, and so this also helps to identify that you empathize with frustrations the customer might have with the inadequacies of your system.

Surprisingly, humor in customer service isn’t actually so silly at all. It is serious business, costs nothing to implement, and in most cases can show an improvement on the bottom line. You just might laugh yourself right into a promotion!

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Customer Service Life Lessons From an 11 Year Old Businessman

Career Life Lessons: From an 11 year old paperboy

You remember the neighborhood paperboy. Almost everyone took the daily paper. The kings of the paperboys in my mid-western city delivered to almost every house in an eight block area and sometimes had a helper.

They could make or more a week and the local newspaper set aside some money every week so when the paperboy retired at age 17 or 18 they might have up to 00 or more to help get them started toward college. If you think this wasn’t much money-it would pay one year’s tuition and some of the expenses at a pretty good school. Like I said this was a long time ago but the lessons learned are just as applicable today.

You had to know somebody to get one of the big paper routes or be at least 13 or 14, but I uncovered a kid about my age (11) whose parents told him to quit because he was spending too much time and getting almost no return. This was a Sunday paper route with about 60 customers delivering the big fat Sunday paper from the big city. The paper reached our town on a train at about 3am Sunday morning. I paid .65 for the whole route. I calculated by the 5 cents a week commission from each customer that I’d have the money back in one week. My first lesson: A one week return on your investment you say had to be illegal or fattening but it was legal. Not a bad return on my investment.

The first Sunday was a disaster. My predecessor’s books were not up to date or in order. Lesson number 2: do your homework and don’t assume the other guy knows what he’s doing. It took me about four hours to deliver the papers and to try and collect my money. When I was all done I’d made about 35 cents. Lesson number 3: in a cash business don’t count your earnings until the money is in your pocket.

My father took a dim view of me spending most of my Sunday in my paper route business and he told me to fix it or quit. Lesson number 4: If you’re responsible do what your can to fix the problem. Everyone has a boss, it’s always the customers, and sometimes it’s your father.

I straightened out the books, drew a map and then put each customer on the map in order of delivery. Some customers were several blocks out of the way and very time consuming to service so I gave them to paperboys in adjacent areas. Lesson number 5: Not all customers are equal. Some you earn money on and some cost you money.

Now I had the receivables to consider. During the week I went knocking on doors. I introduced myself and explained my problem. I told the customer I wanted them to get the big city Sunday paper as early as possible, but I didn’t want to wake them to collect. Some offered to pay by the month, in advance. Others would put their money under a bottle or rock on their front porch. And a few didn’t have a solution; for example, they lived in an apartment so there was nowhere to put the money out. Lesson number 6: Ask the customer for a solution and most times they’ll come up with a good answer to your problem.

Several customers told of the disorganization of my predecessor, where he tried to collect twice, or didn’t come by for weeks and then neither really knew the correct amount to be collected. I apologized for him and asked what I could do to make it right? Lesson number 7: Customer service issues are difficult to overcome, but by being honest with the customer many times you’ll be given a second chance.

After about four weeks I have the route running as good as it could be. I make the deliveries before 7am each Sunday and after church stopped and collected from the few that owed me money. Then another challenge cropped up.

The newspaper manger announced a contest on who could get the most new subscriptions. After some thought, I went back to my customers and asked for referrals. I offered to give them a free Sunday paper if they gave me a referral that signed up. A number of new customers were outside my area but I increased my subscriptions by 25% and came in third in the contest. Lesson number 8: Know the value and cost of acquiring each new customer. For each free paper I gave out, I got the money back in five weeks, again an exceptional return on my marketing costs.

So here they are: eight career business lessons; (1) Know your return on investment; (2) Don’t assume: do your homework; (3) In a cash business don’t count your earnings until the cash is in the till; (4) If you’re responsible do what you can to fix the problem; (5) Not all customers are equal-some cost and some pay; (6) Ask the customer for a solution; (7) Customer service issues can be overcome with honesty; and (8) Know the value and cost of acquiring each new customer. Overall a good set of guidelines for any career or business.

I’m sure if you think about it you have some life lessons that you learned early on. Maybe it was a job that was horrible and you learned early you didn’t want to get into that career or line of work. Or maybe it was a good boss where you learned how to lead or a bad boss where you learned what not to do.

Overall the secret is to take something positive away from each of our life lessons and you’re never too early to start. So as you grow in your career you can stand on your previous experiences and reach higher and higher goals.

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