Published March 2003

Training, call centers help beef up customer service

Dear BizBest: I want to beat my competition by offering better customer service and building long-term client relationships. Where can I find the latest ideas and solutions to upgrading customer service throughout my biz — including my Web site? — R. L., Miami, FL

BizBest: We like your thinking. Beefing up those budding relationships with buyers is a great way to fatten your business bank account — and get a jump on the competition. Here are some of the top small-biz customer-service resources BizBest analysts have uncovered:

n The Service Quality Institute, based in Minneapolis, is a gold mine of customer-service info and resources. John Tschohl, who formed the institute in 1972, says, “Do less than customers expect and service is perceived as bad. Do exactly what customers expect and service is perceived as good. But do more than customers expect and service is perceived as superior.” The institute helps biz owners keep customers by developing a culture of superior customer service. Offers 30 customer-service training programs. Sign up for the free customer-service newsletter. Web site: www.customer-service.com, phone: 952-884-3311, e-mail: quality@servicequality.com.

n Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, based in St. Louis, is a super place for customer-service training info. Find out how you and your employees should really be handling the phones. Telephone Doc is known for exceptional training videos. Many customer-service training products are specially geared to small biz. Nancy Friedman launched Telephone Doc nearly 20 years ago after receiving scruffy service herself from an insurance agency. Web site: www.telephonedoctor.com, phone: 800-882-9911.

n FrontRange Solutions offers excellent “real world” contact management software for small biz under the GoldMine label. GoldMine Business Contact Manager ($199.95) is helping many biz owners attract and retain customers. You’ll find industry-specific solutions here, too. Web site: www.frontrange.com, phone: 800-776-7889.

n LiveSiteManager from Live Office Inc. (aka Advisor Square) in Torrance, Calif., is a simple and fairly low-cost way to add live customer support to your Web site. This service helps you answer customer questions and provide product or service details with a live, online chat feature. You get instant notification when a new visitor enters your site. Follow their browser to see which pages they view. Basic service is $39 per month with a $99 setup fee. Web site: www.livesitemanager.com, phone: 800-251-3863, e-mail: info@livesitemanager.com.

n A professional call center can help take orders for your biz (when you’re closed, for example) and provide extended customer support. Tele-Center Inc. is a free call-center referral service that can help you find the right type of center for your biz. Represents about 100 firms nationwide. Web site: www.telecenterinc.com, phone: 215-657-4281, e-mail: Apauson@telecenterinc.com.

n Vastweb offers e-commerce, call-center and fulfillment services, including order taking, customer service, help desk, Web and e-mail support — all geared toward small biz. Based in Beaverton, Ore. Web site: www.vastweb.com, phone: 877-503-4211, e-mail: sales@vastweb.com.

BizBest (www.bizbest.com) publishes independent ratings and analysis of nearly 2,000 small-business resources in hundreds of subject categories. Daniel Kehrer is editor and publisher. E-mail questions to dan@bizbest.com.

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