May 18, 2006
May 18th, 2006
Superb customer service is key to make loyal advocates out of your customers.
In this issue:
1. Customer Service Work from home
2. The program that works
3. FR>EE Magazine of the Month: Target Marketing magazine
4. CustomerServicePoint.com Info
Customer Service Work from Home
In our fast-paced world, with long days at work and long hours in traffic, many are looking at those who work at home with envy. Since you can work as a customer service agent out of the comfort of your own home nowadays, we thought it was time to give the subject some attention.Although we both do work at home, either full-time (Marjan) or part-time (Erwin), we have never worked from home as a customer service agent. For this reason, we've asked fellow customer service expert Rachael Gerkensmeyer to share her personal experience working from home as a customer service agent. Thankfully she said yes!
Take it away Rachael!
Working from home as a customer service agent may seem like just a dream to some people, but for thousands of people it is a reality. It might come as a surprise to learn that many companies that are well known use agents who work from home to field their customer calls.
- HSN (The home shopping network) uses work at home agents to field their order calls
- Pizza Hut uses people who work from home to take pizza orders and send the orders to the correct store for delivery
- Office Depot uses agents who work from home to field their customer service calls.
Because it’s still such a new concept to many, companies don’t seem to want to let the cat out of the bag just yet so along with the impressive benefits of working from home come some negative points as well.
After working for years in call centers throughout the West Coast, I was tired and needed a break... I had heard there was such a thing as working from home, but I couldn’t find legitimate job opportunities no matter how much time I spent searching for information...
is crafted by your words and deeds.
JEFFREY GITOMER
The program that works
Working as customer service representative at home is not the only opportunity these days. The Internet has become an integral part of our society, and with it, a slurry of opportunities came that are hot... or not. Now, I'm not going to bore you with filling out surveys for money and other schemes.We do want to share with you this one program that works. We can say that wholeheartedly, because it has worked and is working for us since 2003. The Customer Service Point website would not have existed without it, and if it had, chances are you wouldn't have found it anyway. ;-)
Maybe you've seen "Powered by: Site Build It!" at the bottom of our site. You may have seen it at other websites as well, as more and more are popping up these days on the Net as the word spreads. Site Build It! is the first time (and only time!) we came across a program that actually works. Our site is living proof of that.
This is not "Click-Clack-Ready". Because, let's face it, what viable business has ever been established in 5 minutes? In the real world it doesn't work like that, and since the Internet bubble burst 6 years ago, it doesn't work online anymore either. If you do this, you'll have to work at it. You have to bring your own "Brain and Motivation". But if your willing to work at it, it works for you.
The program provides you with a 10-'day' guide to help you establish your own business. I have quotes around the word days, because many spend weeks or even months to reach day 6 of the program. It can take that long, because you will have to make absolutely sure that you are choosing the right subject for your site. A subject you are passionate about, so you can enjoy writing about it in the months to come. But also one that has enough earning potential. The right choice in 'Day' 1-5 makes all the difference. If you want to read through it, here is where you can find it: Action Guide.
It's all there for you to read if you want (index at top right side), or you can even watch the video's (top left side) to actually see how it works, and it Won't cost you a penny. The real magic comes from the combination of your passion (Brain and Motivation, remember?) and the Site Build It! application. It helps you with everything that's important for building a web site that works. Don't get me wrong: this requires actual work. The articles on my site didn't write themselves anyway. But nothing that is actually worth having comes for free. So I hope you won't be scared off by it. :-)
Last but not least are the forums, where we and other SBI! members share successes, ask questions and--more importantly--get them answered, and motivate each other. What I've learned there in the last year alone was worth doing this.
Take a quicktour here: Site Build It! Quicktour
Now, I know many of you out there are mothers, and 4 work-at-home mothers (WAHM) have written a special 'course' on how they succeeded at becoming a WAHM. You can draw on their experiences by downloading the e-book here: WAHM IT! Masters Guide
A good read for the wannabe Work-at-Home Dads too, I might add! But for those of you who are not really into reading that "women stuff" (even though it's more like reading about success stories), here's another good read: Affiliate Masters Course
Now, I hope I've conveyed some of my enthusiasm that I have about this program. I learned about it 3 years ago, and the only thing I wish is that someone would've shown it to me sooner!
If you have a question about the program, why not drop a line at our contact info page. I'd love to answer any questions on this!
Fr>ee magazine of the Month
CustomerServicePoint teamed up with TradePub.com to be able to offer you a free subscription to Target Marketing magazine, the hands-on, how-to magazine for direct marketers.
Target Marketing covers all direct response media, including direct mail, telemarketing, space advertising, the Web and direct response TV. Readers get insight into such subjects as using databases and lists effectively, acquiring new customers, upselling and cross-selling existing customers, fulfillment strategies and more.
Unfortunately, this offer is only available to US professionals. (Not from the US? Check out this list of publications that may be available to you)
Qualify for a fr>ee year subscription to Target Marketing Magazine.
CustomerServicePoint.com Info
New SectionBesides being downsized, being unhealthy is one of the biggest threats to the ability to do a good job and keep a good income. For this reason, we've added a new section on Health and Safety. Find it at: http://www.customerservicepoint.com/health-and-safety-at-work.html
We're willing to answer your questions!
Just go to our Contact page and shoot! We want to hear from you.
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Customer Servings is the newsletter for www.customerservicepoint.com, your resource on improving customer service. The newsletter is sent at irregular intervals.
Customer Servings is for you!
If you have any suggestions for subjects you would like to see in future issues, or have comments in general on Customer Servings or Customer Service Point, please contact me.
We welcome your remarks!
(C) 2006, Erwin & Marjan Steneker
You are free to use original articles in Customer Servings, if you attach the following bio (including the link): Erwin & Marjan Steneker are passionate about good customer service, check out their website at http://www.customerservicepoint.com/