Category Archives: Customer Service

Creating Your Corporate Culture

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Large or small, every business has its own unique culture. Some businesses create a culture accomplished through careful planning. It’s the kind of intentional effort that starts right from the get-go. Other businesses evolve their culture entirely by accident that often stems directly from the personality of the biggest fish, ie: the owner, president, or COO.

Zurich_swingsGoogle is a great example of a planned corporate culture. A trendy, fun, hip vibe runs through the veins of its workspaces with an objective to draw and retain the freshest, most innovative minds in their field. And it works.

For the company with an unplanned culture, attempts to introduce a new one can backfire if not handled strategically.

I once worked for a company that had created a head-down, clock in/clock out environment of fear. This culture didn’t appear to be intentional; it was simply the attitude of two of the key big figures in the company. It felt natural to them and so, without realizing it, they passed the mindset along.

When it was brought to their attention that morale was low, they decided to try to fix it starting with a bar-b-cue hosted out in the parking lot. We were instructed to go out, fix a plate, and go back inside to eat at our workstations.

party_hornA few weeks later, they held a gathering in the cafeteria where they awarded plastic All Star trophies to a few chosen employees. And a few weeks after that, they had one of their managers march through the bullpen blowing a party horn and throwing confetti.

Attempts of this nature continued over the course of a few months. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you… it was a bust. And yet those at the highest levels of the company scratched their heads and wondered why this didn’t boost morale around the office and improve the overall culture of the company. After all, who doesn’t love a good party horn?

It’s probably no surprise to the reader that the existing revolving door at that company spun out of control. Clearly it’s easier to establish a corporate culture at the beginning, when you first start a business and while all hires are new. But is it too late for an older company with a culture that has evolved by itself?

The short answer is no, it’s not too late. But it will take patience and determination to bring about change. Culture concepts must be planted and nurtured. And it all starts with the leadership.

There’s much that can be done to build culture. The following 3 tips are merely starting points for a process that is ever ongoing and unique to your business vision.

1. Embrace the team mentality

I once worked for a business owner who referred to her staff as her “worker bees”. This was a mistake as it created a parent/child company culture. A “we’re in this together” mentality would have served her better and would have built a strong sense of teamwork.

A healthy, thriving company is one that operates like a team, working toward common goals with an attitude of camaraderie. Leadership that operates that way is more likely to build a corporate culture that fosters teamwork, and therefore, employee retention, growth and revenue.

2. Know your core values

What’s at your core? What do you believe? If at your core you’re about collaboration, then foster that mentality by soliciting ideas from others and being open to new processes. If your core values include superior customer service concepts, begin practicing those concepts with your staff. If you’re creative, constantly exploring innovative ideas, then you must foster this in others who share that same wiring. Open up dialog to talk about new ideas and implement the ones that you think might work. Let those thinkers run with their ideas and support their efforts toward success.

Know who you are and radiate it. Let those attributes shine a light in all the dark corners of your business.

3. Hire those who fit your culture

A friend presently works for a company with two levels of interview process. The candidate’s first interview is with the person that would serve as their supervisor. That interview is all about skills, education, experience, career goals, and industry knowledge … all the usual stuff.

The candidate that passes that level will go on to the second. A meeting with the big dogs: The owner, the COO and the CFO. In that interview, there’s no talk of school or degrees, experience or skill sets. Instead, they’ll talk about hobbies, great vacation destinations, or their highest level on the latest video game. The point is, the big dogs already know the candidate is qualified for the job or they wouldn’t have made it to the second level. What they want to know is if this candidate has the personality to fit in with the corporate culture.

In the end, a qualified candidate may not get the job if their personality isn’t a fit. That’s how important culture is in that particular company. And they’re thriving.

Fact is, employees who fit with their work place culture tend to be more satisfied and therefore, stay longer than those who do not… even if their skills are superior. This is a terrific return on investment for the business that sinks time and money in to training staff. Start with those three points and build from there to create the culture that suits your business to a T.

One-On-One With A Customer: Prepare In Advance

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Visiting a customer, one-on-one, is a great idea to build rapport. In fact, if you make the effort to build a solid relationship, you’re less likely to encounter past dues with that customer in the future. It’s one way of keeping you front and center so your invoice ends up at the top of the heap of bills to pay.

But if you’re purpose for your visit is to collect money owed, that’s a different kind of visit. There are things you must do in advance if you want to walk out of the office with a check in your hand.

CustomerUpdate the Customer File

If you’re to the point of making a physical visit to collect, it’s safe to assume you’ve made phone calls and sent letters to no avail. And since that’s the case, it’s also safe to assume you need to be prepared for some push back in your meeting. This is all the more reason to update the file, organize it, and study it before you head out the door.

You may find a quick visit to your customer’s website will bring you up to speed on the basics like new personnel or title changes as well as verification of phone numbers and addresses. That’s a good place to start.

Make sure you have copies of every invoice, reminder letters, emails, and notes made of conversations in the file. Depending on how you organize and what works for you, you may find it useful to have the documents in chronological order, highlighting dates and times with a highlighter.

Keep in mind this includes documentation you know you’ve already sent to them. In order to be prepared for the excuse that they never received the invoice or collection letter, have a copy to hand to them for them to read and keep.

Bullet Point the Facts

You may find it helpful to have the basic facts on a bullet point list at the front of the file. The list should include:

  • How much is due
  • How many invoices are outstanding
  • Dates of each late invoice
  • Names of contact persons you’ve spoken to about this
  • Dates and times of previous discussions
  • Past promises to pay including dates
  • An account of your attempts at follow-up (emails, letters, phone calls)

Plan Your Conversation

Collection conversations are best approached by asking questions. You will learn the solution to the problem by finding out what’s at the core of non-payment.

Before the visit, list out the questions you want answered. Do your best to keep the conversation out of rabbit holes. You simply need the facts and to come up with the solution. Asking and listening will get you there.

3 Ways to Win Your Clients’ Love

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February is the season of love. Wouldn’t you love it if your clients were brand advocates for you?

In the digital age, peer-to-peer recommendations are the most powerful advertising tool available for companies. Walt Disney said it best: “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring a friend.” By leveraging your existing client-base, you will not only excite for clients, but encourage them to excite others through networking or social media avenues.

By doing this it will grow your customer base, as well as allow for your customers to become more involved with your company; and that means they will be more likely to pay their invoices early. Remember, the less internal time you spend chasing payments the better because time is ultimately money being taken away from the company.

Here are three ways you can win your clients’ love:

Develop a brand ambassador program.

In developing a program, you can pull from three distinct groups of people: your employees, your existing clients and brand influencers. Getting these demographics excited will develop a buzz around your brand and show both new and existing clients that you are a brand people trust. Building trust is essential when securing quick pay clients.


Genuinely engage with your clients and listen to what they are saying.

It is not just about communicating to your clients; you need to be listening to what they have to say to you too. It is important to make your clients feel that they are not merely a means to your cash flow. Gather feedback through surveys, focus groups, social media, sales team observations and social media. This feedback can help your organization become more customer-focused.


Build trust by alerting customers of large scale changes.

You should always treat your clients like valued partners within your company. No matter the size of your company, you should always keep your clients in the know of changes, both positive and negative. Remember, it takes 12 positive service experiences to make up for one negative experience. The more clairvoyant your company is with its clients, the more opportunity it has to build trust.

Should you treat every customer the same?

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apples-orange

The short answer: No!

Ever heard of the common phrase, you can’t compare apples to oranges? By treating every customer the same, you are placing them in a basket and assuming they all want the same thing at the same time.

While we believe that every customer should be treated with fairness, treating every customer the same is robotic; and it will lead to unengaged customers who do not feel like they receive a personal experience from your brand. Remember, customers don’t buy from companies; they buy from people.

As a company, you should focus on each customer’s unique needs. Within your CRM, always document unique characteristics of customer that could better your relationship.

  • Does the customer prefer e-invoicing v. paper invoicing?
  • Do they respond best with phone calls over email communication?
  • Did they mention they will be on vacation and you should invoice someone else?
  •  Do they regularly purchase at the beginning of the month? Consider contacting them if you don’t receive their order.

Customers will appreciate the personal touch on their account. While all customers ultimately affect the bottom line and are a source of cash flow, remember they want to be treated like people, not dollar signs.

When an Account Goes to Collection

This is a common question especially when it comes to collections. The majority of your collections efforts should follow your late payment policy. If not, why have a policy in place at all?

Some companies give special treatment to their best customers who falter once with a past due bill. Keeping a quality customer may mean that you need to bend the rules. This is a business decision that has to be made by the executive team. Always keep your eye on the long-term, big picture relationship. Forgiving a late payment once could result in a positive long-term relationship!

Before any action is taken, a series of questions need to be asked and answered on the part of the service provider:

1. How long has the company serviced this customer?

2. Has this customer ever missed a payment before?

3. How much money is involved?

4. How much might the relationship be worth in future sales?

5. How likely is the customer to continue making referrals?

From there, weigh your options on the best way to handle the late payment in order to sustain a relationship.