Leadpile’s Blog

Webster’s says that Customer service is “Assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services.” It also says that a Customer “Is a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron.”

 So how do we handle the different types of customers? First, we define them.

1. The Satisfied Customer – Everything always works out and is in perfect order all the time.
2. The Never Satisfied Customer – No matter what happens nothing is ever right and nothing can ever fix it.
3. The Impatient Customer – Wants everything done now, even if the people and services are not available. MAKE IT HAPPEN! NOW!
4. The Trying to Get Stuff for Free Customer – They want something for nothing and will try to get a free “whatever” from you to make them happy.

 These are all types of customers that we all may or may not have seen, dealt with or been at one time or another and all know what they are like. What we need to do is act like Customer Service Representatives and treat them all as individual types and not all the same. You don’t treat an Impatient Customer like a Trying to Get Something for Free and offer them something else when all they want is what they came in for.  Use the skills that you have been trained to use and then you can make every customer feel special and appreciated.  

 Read Customer Service Tips… We should all know. This should help to know what skills are needed.

 At Leadpile we are dedicated to giving the best Customer Service possible so that every customer is a Satisfied Customer.  We want to make your experience with us the best that it can be. 

Teamwork is something that we cannot get away from. It is everywhere even if we don’t realize it. When we are at home with the family we work as a team with everyone doing their job so that the household runs smoothly. On the road we all drive together (even if some don’t want to) to make sure that traffic gets us to where we need to be.  Working together at our businesses should be just as easy, no matter how large or small that business is.

 Most people think of using teams at work as “Bringing people together to get a specific job or project done.” There is more than that going on if you think about it. From the person answering the phones, to the sales person making that sale, to the IT department, without that one person how would your company get through the day? What about the customers how could they suffer? Would you be able to move people around so that the team would survive? 

At the Leadpile Lead Exchange it is our goal to make our Partners part of the strongest team in LeadGen. If there is anthing we can every do to make your experience better, our team will see to it!.

Client feedback is highly important.  Keeping customers happy is the key to building a long prosperous partnership.  Providing the product or service they most desire will give your company a high retention rate.  Keeping them happy and satisfied with what they need to continue building will be strong points to help your company build as well.

I have learned over time, that listening is the key to providing the right service for your clients.  Both buyers (needing leads) and sellers (making more revenue from their sites) need full attention when you are on the phone.  Selling is not just about the product selling itself.  Its about the product being effective and right for each client needs.  

Every publisher and advertiser needs attention and dedication.  When you talk to them, your building trust. When they trust you, they will feel comfortable doing business with you.  This is why its important to ask your clients for feedback! Don’t be scared, talk to your client.  

Build a relationship and a strong lucrative partnership with your affiliates and ask them to let you help them by becoming better. Knowing your client’s needs is important for any marketplace.  Being able to provide them with the service is even more important.

All in all, listen to what your advertisers or publishers are searching for, and you will have a successful lead exchange!

While thinking about customer service I was thinking of ways that make customers want to come back to companies that give that Great customer service. There are several ways to accomplish this. What makes them great at what they do to retain those customers? 

•  ANSWER THE PHONE – Just by having someone picking up the phone and saying “Thanks you for calling” is a great way to make the customer feel welcome and happy that they called your business.  
• DON’T MAKE PROMISES UNLESS YOU WILL KEEP THEM – Reliability is important and keeping promises is even more important. Don’t just plan on keeping a promise, DO it. Don’t tell them you will call them on one day then forget to call them for another 2 days. If you keep your promise or don’t remain reliable, the customer will remember. 
• LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMER – Don’t you hate it when you have told something to someone and realize that they have not heard anything that you just said? Think about your customers and how they feel. It is just as frustrating for them as it would be for you if you were treated that way. Let them talk and make appropriate responses, but pay attention to what they are saying. Take notes if you have to. Then suggest a resolution if necessary. 
• DEAL WITH COMPLAINTS – Smile through it. This may be when you feel like throwing up your hands and arguing with your customer, but that will only turn them away. Let them know you are going to look into what they are complaining about and that you will do your best to resolve this. However, don’t ever let them know that you are frustrated at them. This can easily turn into BAD customer service. 
• BE HELPFUL (Even if there is no immediate profit in it) – Even the simplest thing can be something like opening a door, answering a simple question, saying ma’am or sir, or lending a helping hand. You never know when someone will tell another person just how nice you were. 
• TRAIN YOUR STAFF (if you have any) TO BE ALWAYS HELPFUL, COURTEOUS, AND KNOWLEDGEABLE – Either hire someone or do it yourself. Give your staff enough information and empowerment to make a decision.  You don’t always want to have your employees having to come running to you to check on if they can do something or not. It can be annoying to have the salesman in front of you who keeps running off, “I have to go check with my manager, and I will be right back.” 
• TAKE THE EXTRA STEP – Ever walk in to a store and ask where something is and someone says “it’s over there” and points in an area “over there”? How annoying is that? Ever walk into a store and ask someone where something is and someone says “its right over here, I’ll show you.” Which experience do you think will be a more positive experience to tell others about?
• THROW IN SOMETHING EXTRA – Whether it is extra information on how to use something, or even a coupon for a discount. People like to receive extra things. Give them something that the customer will remember you for, and keep them coming back. 

If you are consistent in the way that you think and use your customer service skills, you can become Great in whatever your business is doing, retain current customers, and create new customer service relationships. 

Who are the underbanked?

Pamela Yip of the Dallas News had a very good article about the underbanked. According to Yip, The Center for Financial Services Innovation recently released the results of its study that attempts to more closely define who are the underbanked.

According to Yip, they fall into 8 categories.

•“Cash Is King” – These consumers are most likely to rely on cash for their financial transactions and are the least likely to have bank accounts. They have much lower household incomes than other segments and are more apt to be struggling to make ends meet.

•”The Next Wave” –Consumers in this segment are trying their best to make ends meet and hope to reach financial goals, such as owning a home. Cash plays an important role for them. They want to save money and are interested in earning interest but are still less likely to have banking relationships.

•”The Strivers” – Strivers take an active role in their money management. They’re active users of bank accounts and engage in many financial transactions. But some strivers don’t have checking accounts, citing privacy concerns.

•”Middle of the Road” – Middle of the Road adults are also active financial money managers. Most have bank accounts.

They are less likely to have come from families who have banked. They’re most likely to make their financial transactions in a stand-alone bank or credit union because they find the employees most friendly and helpful.

•”My Way” – Members of this group are more likely than other groups to have a bank account. But they make frequent bank and nonbank transactions at various places – including convenience stores. They want convenience. And they’re leery of hidden fees or high minimum balances.

•”The Savers” – As the name implies, saving money is their key reason to have bank accounts. Keeping money secure is also a key reason for these accounts. They make frequent transactions at nonbank places like supermarkets, convenience stores and discount/dollar stores.

•”Almost There” –These consumers are more likely than others to be part of traditional financial institutions and are more comfortable making transactions in a bank/credit union than nonbank settings. They prefer banks or credit unions that are contained within a store rather than stand-alone buildings.

•”Borrowers” – These consumers borrow money frequently. They have had student loans, personal loans, lines of credit, home equity loans, payday loans, and auto loans – all at higher rates than the average adult. They still make transactions at supermarkets and convenience stores but most have bank accounts.

The underbanked study is very good information for lead buyers and sellers attempting to increase their ROI’s.. According to Yip, there are  40 million underbanked households . For Internet marketers, this may be an incredible long-term opportunity to assist these important, and underserved customers.

6000 jobs will be lost in Ohio

As I wrote about yesterday if the new Ohio Payday law goes into effect September 1^st, over 6,000 people will be put out of work in Ohio. The Community Financial Services Association of America announced last week a referendum to overturn Strickland’s bill.
To do so, the committee must collect 241,365 valid signatures before Sept. 1 to qualify for the November’s ballot.

That’s a lot of signatures! The Payday industry and the Ohio Legislators made a bad move here. They should have compromised early on. Instead, much needed responsible payday relief looks like it is going bye for people in Ohio, and over 6000 more people will need to be absorbed in the work force.

Let’s take a minute and talk about Co-Registered leads.  Do they work? Absolutely!  Do you want to know what is the secret?  Well, I will share that with you. 

See, our Co-registration leads are simply a secondary request made by the consumer that is expressing a genuine interest in a specific targeted service.  We don’t incentivize the leads.  The consumer is knowingly submitting a request to be contacted in addition to their primary request. 

Do you have sales force that needs leads to call? Co Registration leads are what you need!  Still thinking… well let me make it easy for you!  You go into the grocery store for a gallon of milk, right?  On the way down the hall you see some tasting pastries.  What would most people do? Take the pastries along with the milk. Do you understand it better now.  Let’s use credit services for example,  a consumer fills out a request to refinance their home.  Guess what? Without good credit their application will not be approved! At the end of the mortgage application they have the option to also submit a request to be contacted for a credit repair solution! Amazing, isn’t it! Now, the consumer can repair their credit and qualify for a mortgage.

The fact is, that most consumers need assistance for more than once service! CoReg leads are just that! Assisting a client for an additional service.