Return to Sender: Responding to Customers.

How long does it take you to e-mail customers back?

By Scott Hornstein

Almost everyone sends an e-mail to a company at some point. Almost everyone would like an answer within 24 hours. And the number one reason people switch to a competitor is poor customer service.

Every year, our organization conducts a customer service survey by sending the following one-sentence e-mail to our list of respected and admired companies: What is your corporate policy regarding the turnaround time for e-mails addressed to customer service? The subject of the e-mail is "Customer Service." The goal of the research is to see who actually answers the question, which is different that simply responding and how long it takes them. The database consists of the Financial Times World's Most Respected Companies and Fortune's Most Admired Companies. This includes the likes of Microsoft, GE, Toyota, Coca-Cola, IBM, Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Costco, FedEx, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, Berkshire Hathaway and more.

Here are highlights from this year's survey:
• 33 percent of companies answered us within 24 hours, down almost half from a high of 63 percent in 2002.
• 51 percent answered us, regardless of time frame from 2002's high of 86 percent.
• My favorite response: "Thank you for your inquiry. [Our] corporate goal is to respond to ninety-five percent of all inquiries within twenty-four hours. I know that seems strange as I'm responding to you seven days after receiving yours…I apologize for that."

This is not a game and we were not trying to trick anyone. We are simply looking at companies through the eyes of a humble customer, because the proof of dedication to customer relationship management is what happens to one individual's e-mail; it's where the rubber meets the road. So what's going on here? Did half the companies accidentally delete our message? Did we find the loophole in the CRM framework?

Companies have more CRM technology than they know what to do with. At some point a myth was started that you buy technology and all your customer relationships are managed—whatever that means. What is lacking is a comprehensive strategy that starts at the top and says that the individual customer is the basic building block of our success and we must treat her as a guest in our house. And we must measure and reward how that customer is treated based on our definition of quality.

Based on the dismal results of our annual e-mail survey, the common thought seems to be, "We would have a great business if it weren't for all those annoying customers." This begs two important questions: How responsive is your company? How do you know?

Salesperson

"A salesperson's hours are defined by clients' needs, so ultimately our clients dictate our schedules. I believe the nature of a great salesperson is to have a strong commitment to customer service, to be stellar at customer responsiveness, and to work in a culture of excellence. I work in an industry that operates twenty-four hours a day; customers expect flexibility and accessibility from their sales representative. Today's technology, such as BlackBerries, allows a great salesperson to meet her customers' needs and manage her time effectively. Excelling in meeting those needs builds strong ustomer relationships. That's at the heart of eSpeed's fundamental pledge to its customers, and it’s my personal credo, which is why being part of the eSpeed team is so professionally rewarding."

—Maria Ramirez, futures sales representative for eSpeed, a New York-based technology provider for financial electronic marketplaces.

Coaching for Success: Management Strategies with Brian Tracy .

By Brain Tracy

The ability to encourage your salespeople to produce at their maximum potential is central to your success as a sales manager. The fact is that the best companies have the best-trained salespeople. The second-best companies have the second-best trained salespeople. The third-best companies have the worst salespeople and are on their way out of business.

One of the best ways to differentiate yourself, your company and your products and services from your competition's is to have a world-class, highly skilled sales force. The more skilled and competent your salespeople are, the more they will sell under any competitive conditions.

Skills coaching is a powerful way for you to increase the confidence and competence of each of your salespeople. It is something that should be incorporated into your daily and weekly relationships with your team members.

Coaching your salespeople on the essential skills that they need to make more sales can dramatically increase your sales results. Everyone needs coaching because even the most skilled and successful professional can benefit from outside advice.

Your top salespeople are your most valuable asset as a sales manager; everything that you can do to increase their performance reflects well on yourself and helps your company.


To coach effectively, it is essential that you observe your top salespeople in action so that you know what they are doing and how they are doing it. Look for superior sales techniques in your people that you can teach to others. Go out on sales calls with them. Make a note of what they do in common.

There are seven steps to coaching sales skills:

1. Sales coaches don't sell on a salescall; their job is to learn how the salesperson is performing at the moment.

2. Your job is to observe the performance and behavior of the salesperson quietly and take detailed notes.

3. Look for performance gaps; make a note of things that the salesperson is neglecting to do.

4. Identify the critical success factors for a sale, and observe whether the salesperson is using them all.

5. Catch your salesperson doing something right; immediately after the call, praise the salesperson for some aspect of her performance.

6. Before you say anything, ask the salesperson to do a self-assessment, to evaluate himself on how he handled that sales call.

7. Imediately before the next call, suggest one method or technique for the salesperson to try with the next customer.

The pay-off for effective skills coaching is tremendous. It is the fastest way to bring about rapid improvement in sales effectiveness and sales results.

Teaching your salespeople to sell better is the very best use of your time. Taking the time to teach your salespeople builds a sense of belonging and commitment. Skills coaching improves a salesperson's motivation and is the foundation of building a world-class sales team.

As a sales manager, your performance is the performance of your team. Everything that you can do to improve individual performance reflects well on you, boosts your reputation and respect in the company, and helps your company increase sales and profitability.

e-business

Tim D. Nelson

E-business (electronic business), derived from such terms as "e-mail" and "e-commerce," is the conduct of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling but also servicing customers and collaborating with business partners. One of the first to use the term was IBM, when, in October, 1997, it launched a thematic campaign built around the term. Today, major corporations are rethinking their businesses in terms of the Internet and its new culture and capabilities. Companies are using the Web to buy parts and supplies from other companies, to collaborate on sales promotions, and to do joint research. Exploiting the convenience, availability, and world-wide reach of the Internet, many companies, such as Amazon.com, the book sellers, have already discovered how to use the Internet successfully.
Increasingly, much direct selling (or e-tailing) is taking place on the Internet of computer-related equipment and software. One of the first to report sales in the millions of dollars directly from the Web was Dell Computer. Travel bookings directly or indirectly as a result of Web research are becoming significant. Custom-orderable golf clubs and similar specialties are considered good prospects for the immediate future.
With the security built into today's browsers and with digital certificates now available for individuals and companies from Verisign, a certificate issuer, much of the early concern about the security of business transaction on the Web has abated and e-business by whatever name is accelerating.
IBM considers the development of intranets and extranets to be part of e-business. E-business can be said to include e-service, the provision of services and tasks over the Internet by application service providers (ASP).