You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2008.
Boy, it is tough when we don’t know if we are at party or on business! We hope we didn’t just fall from the sky in the past few days. But, sometimes when trying to get into the Internet Social networking process, it is easy to wonder if we’ve arrived when the party is almost over.
Social networking can be the party side of the Internet or the support community side where people get information and share information about work, hobbies, life skills and many other topics. A good community had some place for humor and some of the party life, but typically, the predominant voice is to share useful information.
by Angela Smith has clear, easy to apply tips for getting
into the most productive groove in your internet social networking activities at a reasonable price of $14.95.
Angela is an Ozarks native, who still lives and works in her virtual assistant practice, Accu-Assist. With a technical background, Angela has written several other items that are office useful, plus some of her products include regular updates to keep the links and information freshly applicable.
Angela is a moderator on the Virtual Assistant Revolution and VA-Networking (VANA). She has been working in the trenches encouraging new people while they grow their online wings. She has seen it all and been there on the working side to comfort moderators and site owners when newbies unintentionally make a mess.
Since we didn’t just fall from the sky, we have some concept about the networking or rainmaking process that goes on through the internet. It is valuable and fun. It is important. Just how hard can it be to communicate successfully online?
How hard it can be depends on skill, experience, personality type and other things. Networking online is a completely VIRTUAL experience in a completely VIRTUAL environment. If you are a doctor, lawyer, baker, candlestick maker, investment banker, ditch digger or diplomat, suddenly, you are communicating faster than usual. Fingerblabbing comments and bumping the enter key too soon. You know… Plus, it is all on BLACK and WHITE, with little room for body language, nuances that would indicate friendly attitudes. You know…
makes that track so much easier to follow. Angela, in CLEAR, concise, and interesting pages, takes readers by the hand and leads them through information about how to:
- Stand out in the Crowd
- Do things right the FIRST time (with a great list of forum faux pas to avoid.)
- Get Known
- Make Personal Connections
You don’t have to be a newbie to learn from this book. Readers will some experience will find answers to nagging questions and comfort from assurance of things they have done right. These guidelines are written with an encouraging voice.
ALL THIS and a GREAT PRICE: $14.95.
I encourage you to check it out! Business people can use this information and share it with their clients and customers. Have a new client or a friend who is uncomfortable on the Internet? But them a copy as a gift and help them avoid learning the hard way as some of us have done.
Just as I was walking in the door on Wednesday, the phone was ringing. When I answered, someone in a surly tone asked me a garbled question. “Excuse me?”
The surly question was asked a bit more clearly. “Will you be supporting XXXXXX ( a prominent Democratic candidate for governor of Missouri)? It almost sounded like a threat, so I responded, “What will happen to me if I don’t?”
Growler: “Well, are ya undecided or are ya leanin’ toward the Republicans?” Which, frankly, my dear, is none of your d–n business. Not to be bullied and intimidated into silence by a pollster, I gave her my answer and we ended the call.
Dick told me I should be patient; the pollster had probably been calling all day and was tired. Maybe had a cold. Or missed lunch and needed supper. Yada, Yada.
Then, I had a wonder. Do you suppose this candidate’s support crew has been infiltrated by the Libertarians or the Republicans and is not a believer? Therefore, is growling at people during calls to subtly influence voter feelings? It could have worked if I hadn’t already made up my mind about her candidate.
I am awarding this candidate a GONG for having a tacky, amateur campaign so early in the race. Be careful about recruiting jerks who talk to the public in your name! A second gong goes to the surly caller; your growling was indeed prize worthy.
We are not alone in our interest in shopping from a catalog. We couldn’t be or there wouldn’t be mail boxes full of catalogs for us every week. I think people are inclined to solitary shopping. I don’t want all of my ‘mail order’ shopping to be online because I shop in my reading corner by the fireplace. Catalogs make short term reading material on the night stand by my little lamp. Catalogs are essential to the bathroom culture. I never drive there or take my computer there.
Since their beginnings, we have been proud customers of Cabelas. When they were in one CROWDED old building in downtown Sidney Nebraska, we were thrilled to be there shopping. When the first new dramatic store opened at Sidney we were really pleased because Sidney was now an even better place to stop on Interstate 80 in Nebraska. When more stores opened across the country, we were happy for the business success of people we almost considered to be neighbors.
This week, we had occasion to make a mail order purchase with Cabelas because Dick needed a couple chamois shirts and some winter underwear from a sale catalog. The order staff was helpful and informed as usual. The underwear I had wanted is backordered, but we were able to put a pre-order on the next supply and not have to remember to call back in a couple weeks. At the end of the order, the lady did a professional demonstration of UpSelling by offering me a deal on one of those little fold-up, ‘transformer’ tools which included a little LED light in its tool list. The deal was buy one, get one free. That sounded like a deal for stocking stuffers that I always look for, so I agreed to add it to our order.
Again the shipping was FAST and our package arrived in a couple days. The shirts were great, but wait a minute– there was only ONE little transformer tool! The two-fer deal was the only reason I bought them. I called to ask about the missing transformer. The customer service gentleman who took my call was almost a mind reader. He looked at my order and immediately agreed with me that I was shorted a transformer tool. He was sympathetic and quickly transferred me to another gentleman who also endorsed my need and who said the missing tool would be sent immediately. He also looked at my account and assured me that I had not been charged for the pre-order. Those items would be added when they became available.
Before the promised date, Schzam, the second transformer tool arrived to complete my order as the two very cooperative and supportive members of the customer service staff had promised. I am proud to award the Customer Service Award for Transformer Tools and Clothing to Cabelas — a little company from Midwestern USA who made good and who are responsible for a job market in the middle of the country that amazes the community every day.
Customer Service is a hot button and a hot topic. Remember that a business’s customer service is the most influential experience your present and future customers will have to measure when making customer loyalty decisions.
I am awarding another Customer Service Award to a business with whom I have worked this week. The customer service staff at the winning company were helpful, friendly and patient with my questions. When I had to call back for information, my original question was answered, plus I was given extra information regarding the delivery time of my order.
There is a new red digital camera in my ’stuff, this week ordered from the Company website — Hewlett Packard. It has not always been my experience that a company website offers the best deals, but HP is MARKETING. I may be standoffish about some HP products, but I have a line up of printers and have owned or been involved with a line up of digital cameras that meets our wants and needs.
The FIRST best part of my experience was an INSTANT REBATE (discount at checkout). Rebates are one of my pet peeves and I seldom purchase anything based on the rebate because I really don’t expect it to work. All of the hoops I have to jump through to even try to get the rebate eliminate the bonus aspect of the discount. The camera I wanted had a discount at check out. No forms to download, print and fill out by moonrise 5 and 3/4 days after purchase and hope it was in the envelope properly. The color I wanted wasn’t available at any of the resellers, who also didn’t have the discount offer. Additionally, HP was shipping it to me FAST and at their expense.
The sales person was friendly and informed. He was located in Idaho and could converse with me about weather conditions, etc. He was sensitive that I didn’t want to subscribe to all the little sales notes and newsletters AGAIN. He was efficient, so my order didn’t take all day.
I had occasion to call customer service at HP the next day because I just wanted one more confirmation that my order was on its way. The customer service rep quickly accessed the order and reassured me about my questions without being condescending that an old woman would be checking and re-checking. Further, without prying, he assured me that my camera was due to be delivered the next day. This was one time that I stayed on the phone after the call so I could complete a survey about HP customer services.
The camera arrived right on schedule and is exactly what I was looking for. And I am pleased to award the Customer Service Award for New Digital Cameras to Hewlett Packard. I appreciate your efforts and will be back in the future.
In the Ozarks, we are not limited to using mail order or shopping online for many things. We can find supplies that we need, for the most part, nearby in our neighborhood. I brought a shopping habit with me from more remote areas that I frequently indulge anyway. My experience with these companies’ customer service has linked my loyalty to them and is hard to shake.
Now, as the entertainment world is giving lots of awards, I would like to announce a few businesses with whom I have worked in the past few days and experienced Customer Service well beyond the expectations that I should have day by day.
For over 20 years, I have used Quill as an office supply resource. The service is quick. Their supply is ample and the prices right. There is a regular perk that sets me off as a ‘talker’ for word of mouth marketing for Quill. When I order from this company, with few justifiable exceptions, and spend $45, there is no added shipping. No charge for almost overnight delivery. I am quite aware that Quill isn’t the only company who could be eligible for my Award, but customer loyalty for steady pricing and availability has built in a connection that I seldom shop anywhere else.
This week I have had to make two small orders. The products were on my doorstep the next day. For one, I had some questions. The lady on the other end of the line patiently took time to check with the tech department and even try to contact the distributor to see if the product in the package had the aspects I was looking for. She said she completely understood what I wanted, although, neither of us had a common name for the container. She committed that if the container truly was not part of the package, Quill would search for a resource where I could order containers separately. All of this was after 5pm, CST. There had been a long enough day, but that just didn’t hinder the staff at Quill in looking for a solution to my query.
I don’t work for Quill, I just work them! Often and well. QUILL, I am pleased to award you the Bar JD Customer Service Award for Office Supplies. Thank you.
