Unlocking Success: Google Business Profile, How Small Businesses Can Benefit from Having It

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for the success of any small business. One powerful tool that can greatly benefit small businesses is a Google Business Profile. The majority of consumers turn to search engines like Google to find local businesses. Having a well-optimized and up-to-date profile can make all the difference in attracting new customers.

A Google Business Profile allows small businesses to showcase important information such about their business. This not only helps potential customers find and contact your business easily but also builds trust and credibility in the eyes of your target audience.

Furthermore, a Google Business Profile offers several additional features that can enhance your online visibility. For instance, you can add photos of your products or services, and create posts to promote special offers or events. Most importantly, you can even respond to customer reviews – both positive and negative – which demonstrates your commitment to excellent customer service.

Increasing Visibility and Local Presence

One effective way to achieve this is through targeted digital marketing strategies. By leveraging the power of SEO, and social media marketing, businesses can enhance their visibility in search results and reach a wider audience.

Local directories and listings also play a significant role in boosting your local presence. Ensuring that your business is listed accurately on platforms such as Google My Business, Yelp, and TripAdvisor can greatly improve your chances of being discovered by local customers.

Furthermore, engaging with the community through events, sponsorships, or partnerships can help establish trust and credibility among local consumers. By actively participating in local initiatives or supporting causes relevant to your business, you not only contribute to the community but also increase awareness about your brand.

Enhancing Customer Engagement and Communication

Enhancing customer engagement and communication is vital for businesses seeking to build strong relationships and foster loyalty. Communication channels, such as email, social media, and live chat, enable businesses to interact with customers promptly and address their queries, or feedback. Engaging customers through personalized and targeted messaging helps create a sense of connection and understanding. By actively listening to customers and providing relevant and timely responses, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction. Additionally, engaging customers through surveys, and interactive content encourages their active participation and provides valuable insights. Overall, by prioritizing customer engagement and communication, businesses can build trust, strengthen relationships, and ultimately drive long-term success.

How google reviews can help your Business

Google Reviews can have a significant impact on the success of your business. Positive reviews can serve as social proof, building trust and credibility with potential customers. When people search for businesses online, they often read reviews to gauge the quality of products or services. Having a high number of positive reviews can increase your business’s visibility and attract more customers. Moreover, responding to reviews, whether positive or negative, shows that you value customer feedback and are dedicated to providing excellent service. Engaging with customers through reviews can also help address any concerns or issues, turning negative experiences into positive ones. By actively managing and leveraging Google Reviews, businesses can enhance their reputation, gain customer trust, and ultimately drive more conversions.

Overall, having a Google Profile can significantly benefit small businesses by enhancing online presence, increase visibility, and attract more customers. It’s a powerful tool that helps level the playing field and allows you to compete effectively in the digital landscape.

How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy for Healthcare.

Doctor looking at how he can use digital marketing strategy in is practice.

Understanding the Challenges of Digital Marketing in the Healthcare Industry

Digital marketing in the healthcare industry is an increasingly important tool for businesses to reach their customers. However, it is also a complex and challenging process due to the unique nature of healthcare services. To effectively use digital marketing, it is important to understand the challenges associated with this industry. From understanding regulations and privacy laws to developing effective content strategies, there are many considerations that must be taken into account when planning a successful campaign. By understanding these challenges and taking steps to address them, businesses can ensure that their digital marketing efforts are successful and compliant with all relevant regulations.

Digital Is The Future For Healthcare marketing

Best Practices for Developing an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy for Healthcare

Healthcare organizations are increasingly realizing the importance of digital marketing to reach their target audience and build a strong online presence. Developing an effective strategy is essential for healthcare organizations to stay competitive and reach out to potential customers.

In this article, we will discuss some of the best practices for developing an effective digital marketing strategy for healthcare. We will look at how to identify your target audience, create engaging content, utilize social media channels, and measure success. By following these best practices, healthcare organizations can ensure that their efforts are successful and rewarding in the long run.

 Developing an effective digital marketing strategy for the healthcare industry can be challenging, but here are some best practices to consider:

Steps to Developing an Effective Digital Marketing Strategy

  1. Understand Your Target Audience: In any marketing campaign, it’s essential to understand your target audience. In healthcare, this means understanding the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your patients. Once you know who you’re targeting, you can create messaging and campaigns that resonate with them.
  2. Create a Strong Website: A website is often the first point of contact between patients and healthcare providers. It’s crucial to have a website that’s user-friendly, easy to navigate, and provides patients with the information they need. Your website should also be optimized for search engines to ensure it ranks highly in search results.
  3. Leverage Social Media: Social media can be a powerful tool for healthcare providers to connect with patients and share information. You can use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to share educational content, promote events, and engage with patients.
  4. Focus on SEO: Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical to ensure your website ranks highly in search results. Make sure your website is optimized with relevant keywords and meta descriptions, and that your content is high-quality and informative.
  5. Use Paid Advertising: Paid advertising can be an effective way to reach a targeted audience quickly. You can use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising on search engines and social media platforms to reach potential patients.
  6. Provide Educational Content: Patients are looking for information about their health and wellness. By providing educational content like blog posts, infographics, and videos, you can position yourself as a trusted source of information and build a relationship with your patients.
  7. Personalize Communications: Personalization is essential in healthcare marketing. Patients want to feel like their healthcare provider knows them and cares about their individual needs. Use patient data to personalize your communications, and make sure your messaging is relevant and timely.
  8. Measure Your Results: To know whether your digital marketing strategy is working, you need to measure your results. Using tools like Google Analytics to track website traffic, conversion rates, and other metrics, and adjust your strategy accordingly can help.

By following these best practices, healthcare providers can develop an effective strategy that can helps them connect with patients, build relationships, and drive results.

Conclusion – Tips & Takeaways to Get

Writing is a skill that requires creativity and passion, but it can be improved. You can do it yourself, if you can invest time to do it. Another way is to use a Digital marketing agency, like Thoromo Media, who have the expertise.

They can develop a catchy interactive website for you, leverage on what Social media can do to grow your brand. They can assist you with video content to use for educating and advertising your brand. You may need assistance with using paid advertising, which expands your exposure.

They will be working as your partners in growing and capturing your audience. They look at ways your brand can grow while you focus on what you do best, healthcare provision.  With all being said, it is very important for the practice owner to ave a digital marketing strategy in place in order to grow their healthcare business.

Four Compelling Reasons To Move to Cloud PBX Today


Global dynamics have changed the way companies conduct business. With Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions, companies that traditionally operate in-house IT services, are increasingly switching to the cloud. Services like Amazon Web Services, Google, and Microsoft Azure are now household names. By the end of this year, 56% of businesses estimate that most of their applications will move to the cloud.

More companies, particularly in the manufacturing, financial, and healthcare sectors, are drastically moving their data and processes offsite into data centers. Cloud computing offers compelling cost advantages, amongst other benefits. Additionally, as broadband increases, download speeds are rising at a rapid rate, so this is boosting data consumption.

The role of Cloud PBX in the Workplace

One service that provides a great way for companies to save money, is a Cloud Private Branch Exchange (PBX).  Traditional servers are expensive and require expert maintenance. Cloud PBX uses IP-based telephony to provision and access services. It is essentially a telephone system that is built, delivered, and managed over the Internet.

With a powerful and comprehensive set of features, Cloud PBX offers the ideal solution for businesses with a distributed workforce. With that scenario, it is easier for workers to collaborate through voice, Web conferencing, and instant messaging cost-effectively.

Ideally suited for growing and changing environments, this is a true Unified Communications as a Service solution. Shifting to a highly flexible, feature-rich and low maintenance solution will free up valuable resources for any business.

Four top reasons to move to a cloud environment

#1: Scalability

Scalability (both up and down) is important so that your phone system can grow with your business needs and pressures. As such, there is no need to invest in a big system when the business is downsizing., or be stuck with obsolete technology.

#2: Lower cost

Cloud PBX does not require expensive investments for in-house installations nor for regular maintenance.  There is no requirement to purchase physical devices, and costs are predictable, usually a monthly service fee.

#3: Flexibility

Your business will benefit from the latest features and functionality without costly hardware updates.  Cloud PBX is designed to simplify administration and deployment, with features and functionality added at the tick of a box.

#4: Extended presence

You can create and manage virtual offices, departments, and branches with all the functionality of a physical setup. This enables you to create a local, national, and global presence.

Speak to us to find out more about making the shift to this flexible solution. Our Cloud PBX (often called hosted PBX) brings you all the enterprise advantages of a fully-fledged PBX without costs headaches.

With us, our Customers are able to entrust the management, to the experts, therefore leaving them to take care of their business.  Our Cloud PBX solution not only saves calls over the Internet but also saves on risky infrastructure.

How Remote Working Can Benefit Your Business

remote worker

 

If you have been working remotely since the beginning of lockdown and wondering whether there has been any benefit to your business from the separation, here are a few reasons why you should consider it for a while longer.

Time-Saving

Remember when you used to run from one meeting to another, spending hours in traffic every day getting to and from the office daily? Working remotely has freed up that wasted travel time, and you have more likely been able to get an earlier start and a decent finish to your day.

Better Concentration Environment

If you work in an open-plan office,  you may sometimes find it difficult to focus on one task at a time. You may be interrupted by colleagues or their calls, external distractions, and impromptu meetings can have a knack for breaking one’s momentum. By working from home, you may have been able to set your online channels to “away”, put your head down, and concentrate a little longer.

Healthier Eating Habits

It is so easy to grab a burger or junk food whilst running between meetings and deadlines. You may have been able to plan your meals a little better whilst working from home, in that a good home-cooked breakfast or lunch has been substituted for on-the-go calories.

You get down to business

Have you found that meetings that usually ran well over the allotted time are now done far quicker? The chit-chat and interruptions seem to be far less when everyone is meeting via video conferencing. And those meetings that could have been emailed, are actually becoming emails.

In conclusion, if your business has not yet considered it, it’s not too late to look into remote working. There are tools you can put in place even for your office calls to be routed to a receptionist sitting at home and in return be routed to the relevant staff members as if they are in the office. Thoromo Investment has such solutions. You can contact us at 010 534 6002/8472

New Microsoft Edge To Replace Microsoft Edge Legacy

Microsoft Edge

 

Microsoft Edge replaced Internet Explorer as the default Windows web browser back in 2015. Six years later, Microsoft is replacing that version of Edge with a newer model.

Microsoft announced on its tech blog  on Friday that Edge Legacy (the older version of the browser that comes pre-installed on Windows 10 PCs) will be automatically removed from those computers with a software update on April 13. Anyone still using Edge Legacy on Windows 10 is strongly advised to switch over to the new version of Edge based on Google’s open-source Chromium software, which launched a year ago.

If you don’t manually make the switch before April 13, your PC will do that for you. Those who have Edge Legacy on their task bars or desktops will see it replaced by the new version of Edge. You could theoretically keep using Edge Legacy if you just don’t install the April 13 software update, but the Chromium version of Edge is the only one that will keep getting new features and, most importantly, security updates going forward.

For what it’s worth, Microsoft promises the new Edge is fast and reliable, but we’ll let you be the judge of that. This should go without saying, but if you use a third-party browser like Chrome or Firefox, this change will not affect your daily routine in the slightest. It’ll be like it never even happened.

The removal news isn’t entirely a surprise. Microsoft confirmed in August 2020 that Edge Legacy browser would no longer be supported after March 9, 2021. The latest development reinforces the coming change, with Microsoft taking the dramatic step of removing the browser automatically.

Internet Explorer will be sticking around, though that, too, is set for some changes. Microsoft started winding down support for the browser in November 2020, and that’s expected to end on Aug. 17, 2021, when Microsoft 365 ends its support for the now-ancient browser.

That doesn’t mean Explorer will follow Edge Legacy into oblivion, however. Microsoft wrote in the 2020 announcement that the browser “isn’t going away.” The reason? “Customers have made business-critical investments in IE 11 legacy apps and we respect that those apps are still functioning.”

All that said, you definitely shouldn’t still be using Internet Explorer unless you have a specific reason to do so.

Spraying disinfectants can be ‘harmful’, says WHO

This photo shows members of a police sanitation team spraying disinfectant as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Bozhou, in China.

 

This photo taken on February 18, 2020 shows members of a police sanitation team spraying disinfectant as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Bozhou, in China’s eastern Anhui province. – (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Spraying disinfectant on the streets and walls, as we have seen practiced in some countries recently, does not eliminate the new CoronaVirus and even poses a health risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned.

In a document on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces as part of the response to the virus, the WHO says spraying can be ineffective. “Spraying or fumigation of outdoor spaces, such as streets or marketplaces, is… not recommended to kill the Covid-19 virus or other pathogens because disinfectant is inactivated by dirt and debris,” explains the WHO.

“Even in the absence of organic matter, chemical spraying is unlikely to adequately cover all surfaces for the duration of the required contact time needed to inactivate pathogens.”

Physically and psychologically harmful

The WHO said that streets and pavements are not considered as “reservoirs of infection” of Covid-19, adding that spraying disinfectants, even outside, can be “dangerous for human health”.

The document also stresses that spraying individuals with disinfectants is “not recommended under any circumstances”.

“This could be physically and psychologically harmful and would not reduce an infected person’s ability to spread the virus through droplets or contact,” said the document. Spraying chlorine or other toxic chemicals on people can cause eye and skin irritation, bronchospasm and gastrointestinal effects, it adds.

The organisation is also warning against the systematic spraying and fumigating of disinfectants on to surfaces in indoor spaces, citing a study that has shown it to be ineffective outside direct spraying areas.

Recorded under laboratory conditions

“If disinfectants are to be applied, this should be done with a cloth or wipe that has been soaked in disinfectant,” it says.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of the pandemic that has killed more than 300 000 people worldwide since its appearance in late December in China, can attach itself to surfaces and objects.

However, no precise information is currently available for the period during which the viruses remain infectious on the various surfaces.

Studies have shown that the virus can stay on several types of surfaces for several days. However, these maximum durations are only theoretical because they are recorded under laboratory conditions and should be “interpreted with caution” in the real-world environment.

Top Fast Internet New Year Resolutions You Can Live By in 2020

year 2020

year 2020

 

As you get ready to face the new year with new resolutions, Galactic Hosting has come up with a list of simple and attainable internet resolutions that you can live by.

If you have fibre in your area and have the power of super-fast internet at your fingertips, then consider these top resolutions to get the most out of your fibre internet service in the new year. You will save money, time, expand your knowledge and learn new things, and find that essential downtime to just relax and shoot the breeze…

Top Galactic Hosting resolutions for 2020:

  • Save money on your data and connectivity costs – with the power of superfast, uncapped and reliable fibre connectivity rolling out in homes across the country, accessing these services now comes at a fraction of the eye-watering costs of mobile data, LTE-A  and other wireless broadband connections.  Having a reliable, fast and uncapped fibre internet connection means you can now get serious about containing expensive data packages and get a lot more mileage for your money with your ‘connected’ home.
  • Wifi-calling, Facetime and Video-calling:  You can make video or audio calls over your fibre wi-fi connection via Whatsapp, Skype, Facetime (Apple devices) so you’ll save on telephony and mobile network costs and never have to worry about your data running out while you’re face-timing your bestie in New York or Holland.  Set your mobile phone up to automatically switch to your wi-fi network at home and save by keeping your (more expensive) mobile data for when you’re not within the wi-fi range.
  • Video and audio on Demand – With fibre internet, you will be spoilt for choice with entertainment, news and sports channels.  You can subscribe to multiple streaming services for music, video and entertainment at an absolute fraction of the subscription cost of a typical satellite pay-TV subscription – think NetflixShowtimeShowmax and Classic Cinema Online to YouTubeAmazon Prime Video and so much more.  Watch what you want, listen to what you want, when you want.  You can also download content to watch later, so if you’re travelling or you have a power failure but you have a UPS, you can still watch on a laptop, tablet or TV.  And as a last tantaliser, your fibre line is impervious to weather, so no annoying satellite TV interruptions in a downpour or waiting weeks for technicians to come and repair your ADSL line.
  • Online Shopping – Beat the queues and wasted time spent doing price comparisons – shop online, save time and avoid that ever tempting impulse buys that store retailer place in your path.  Many grocery retailers allow you to draw up a handy online shopping list which you can revisit with every shop, and simply add to or deduct from for those regular monthly groceries – so you save time, money, petrol and only purchase what you really need.  And who wouldn’t love the convenience of having it all delivered at your doorstep?
  • Safety and Security – Keeping our loved ones and homes safe is a top priority.  With an uncapped fibre line, you can connect safety and security devices such as your alarm system and CCTV cameras to the web, allowing you to remotely log in and access these devices – you can check in on your cameras and see what’s is going on at home or the office.  You can even arm and disarm your alarm remotely.  If your vehicle tracking provider offers a portal login, you can use your internet connection to log in and check where your loved ones are travelling and that they are safe.
  • Learn something new – one of the most exciting developments that has come about with reliable fibre internet connectivity is online learning.  And before you clock out thinking this is only for the academically-inclined, check out the likes of Udemy for a mind-blowing array of mind-stretching and very affordable educational experiences – from learning to play a new musical instrument, photography and design courses, to cooking and baking up a storm of the latest foodie trends, to fitness and health, meditation, travel, DIY, gaming, through to specific industry trades, academics and teaching content.  The internet is the most extensive library of learning materials, and it’s all available to you courtesy of a high-speed, reliable internet connection. As they say in the classics – a mind once stretched by a new idea never returns to its original dimensions.
  • Music Streaming – Music streaming is the ultimate spoil when it comes to some well-deserved chill and relax time to your favourite tunes, or if you’re so inclined, some hectic cardio-pumping hits to get you and your gym workout lit.   Think SpotifyJooxiTunesYoutube Music and Google Play Music – no one still forks out for archaic CDs and DVDs that take up space, scratch and deteriorate over time.
  • Get e-mail – Sign up for an e-mail account and stay in touch.  There’s very little you can do today without an email address and internet connection – free e-mail services like Google’s Gmail are perfect if you don’t have access to subscription-based services such as Microsoft Office and Outlook.  With symmetrical upload and download speeds – which basically means your line uploads files as quickly as it downloads them, those e-mail attachments will fly through for speedy communication.
  • Cloud-based storage and back-up – Make it your new year resolution to get serious about backing up your important data – providers like Google, who will offer up to a certain limit, free storage.  The best part of being in the cloud is having access to your data and documents from any device, anywhere in the world, with a simple log in.  Say goodbye to that filing cabinet and the days of your external hard drive crashing and you losing all your precious family photos and important documents.

Make it your 2020 new year resolution to get the most out of your fibre internet connection.  Most people are surprised at just how much they rely on the internet for their everyday lives, and just how much they can save not only on hard costs but on time, effort and sanity with a reliable, fibre internet connection.

For more information go to https://www.galactichosting.biz

Digital Nomads- A career option to look into in 2020

digital nomad working from home

digital nomad working from the beach

Digital Nomads- Who are they?

 

Have you ever dreamed of working anywhere anytime, while you enjoy traveling? Are you tired of being stuck in the office from 9-5? Join the trend of mobile workers, Digital Nomads! This offers opportunities to work flexible hours, freedom from filling leave forms if you want to travel or take care of family matters. Anyone can do it, from a student who wants to take a sabbatical to a mom who wants to spend time with his kids at home while earning an income.

All you need is a skill and reliable internet connection to offer your services to individuals or organizations. Guess what? South Africa has been named as one of the countries ripe to take advantage of this on-demand service. Many companies are ready and are presently outsourcing their non-core services and you are there to pick and choose whatever suits you.

In as much as this may sound exciting for an adventure seeker, things like living expenses, weather, network coverage, and culture need to be taken into account. if it’s working from home, is there a way of controlling distractions, etc?

What Can You Do?

Many digital nomads work as freelancers and remote workers. it can be web digital nomad working from homedevelopers, app developers, graphic designers, accountants, engineering consultants.  There is a growing demand for online language tutors, translators. Many working parents may not have the skills to assist their children with homework. Why not offer to remotely work with their kids doing their school project and the like?

Don’t have a skill that can enable you to do work online? There are amazing courses in Udemy which can teach you valuable tech skills that don’t require you to step foot into an office. You can sign up for one of their developer courses to broaden your skillset and I fully believe tech is one of the best and most profitable industries for online work. See how many are doing it successfully in this video about Digital Nomads.

Don’t expect overnight success as a digital nomad. Take time to research on the demand for the kind of service you want to offer. Your references and work can make or break you. Build your client base from nearby contacts, some while you’re still working fulltime and in social circles. Build a strong relevant network and expand it.  Make use of social media to get leads and referrals.

It can never be overemphasized how important to have a reliable high-speed internet connection. We have seen upward trends in affordable LTE-A and 5G service in South Africa,  where you can get 20Gb LTE from as little as R250, with service providers like Galactic Hosting. Depending on the work you do, you may need a bigger package. It is important though to check network coverage before you decide to be locked in a reserve in Pilanesberg for example, or in Malelane, only to find that there’s no coverage! Also very important to have is buffer money. There will be months when you don’t earn much. Will you be able to pay rent, your day to day expenses and traveling? At least put aside 3 months’ earnings for such rainy days.

 

Yes, becoming a nomad can be richly rewarding. You can explore and see places you have always dreamed of while earning an income. make 2020, you pioneering year to being a Digital Nomad!

 

TymeBank- Keeps on soaring as it reaches a 1 million mark!

 

Tymeb

Digital-only  TymeBank has signed up one million customers in nine months following its official launch at the end of February this year.

The bank made the announcement at its Rosebank offices on Thursday while updating the public about the latest milestone as well as providing updates on future products and services.

Dr. Patrice Motsepe’s investment holding company African Rainbow Capital (ARC) is the controlling shareholder of TymeBank. While it’s now standalone business, TymeBank made its start as Fintech company seven years ago, managing mobile money for MTN.

TymeBank has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with  giant Pick n Pay and Boxer stores, where 780 kiosks have been deployed to allow its customers to bank at these retailers throughout the country.

 

Speaking at the event, Motsepe said TymeBank is all about technology. “To be able to reach a milestone of having one million clients is something to be proud of. The poor know when they get a good service and a quality service. Quality means it’s got to be world-class; it’s got to be cheaper than the competition; it must be , compatible; it has to be consistent and add value.

“The excellent work and innovation at TymeBank and our competitiveness to provide banking services at the most competitive prices and most reliable services is something that all of us are proud of.

“We’ve reached a million today and we are confident that are many more millions to come,” Motsepe stated.

Dr Johan van Zyl, co-CEO of ARC, added: “Banking in SA is expensive but in TymeBank, we have a winner. Things are on track and we doing very well. We have high hopes and very high aspirations for this venture and we stand behind it as shareholders.”

TymeBank CEO Tauriq Keraan, who recently took over the chief executive post, also applauded the bank’s milestone, saying the partnership with Pick n Pay and Boxer stores has been massively valuable.

“The fact that our technology is hosted in the cloud brings a number of benefits, including elasticity, pay for what you use and leveraging a number of capabilities.

“Our operating model is one that is open that allows us to partner with other organizations to get access to assets that we don’t have to build.

“Nine months ago, we launched with 100 000 customers, but as of today, we have onboard one million customers. In terms of active customers, we have about 420 000 and we are quite pleased we have kept that run rate going.”

Responding to a question from the audience, Keraan indicated the bank aims to break-even by 2022, reaching three million customers during the same time

 

Customer Care- How To Handle An Angry Customer

 

By Lefa Letsoalo

What are the challenges?

In my few years in the the call centre industry (13 years), specializing in Customer care, I have learnt a few tricks in terms how to handle angry or irate customers. With a bulk of my experience in the collections space, you can imagine the number of rude, irate and angry customers one has interacted with.

What I have realised is that majority in the corporate world really misunderstands the importance of having the right people working in the call centre.  There is a lot of verbal abuse call centre consultants go through on a daily basis, communicating with clients or debtors (which are clients nonetheless). Not just anyone and everyone can have the thick skin call centre agents have.

The number one thing that helps us is emotional intelligence (a rare commodity), which helps one know how to read situations and how to react in a matter of second or minutes. That knowledge can determine if an organisation will lose or retain a customer. I don’t really think organisations go out of their way to train their call centre staff on emotional intelligence.  As a Supervisor and Manager. I have attended a number of EQ workshops but not even once have I seen consultants/agents attend such workshops.

With that being said, not every organisation can afford to take hundreds of people on such workshops.  I figured that should share some of the inputs and skills I have acquired and shared with my staff on to trying and better equip them to deal with the anger of verbally abusive customers.

There are four types of Customers in the call centre environment;

  • The Off-loader
  • The Legitimate Grievance
  • The Abusive Customer
  • The Threat-Maker

The Different types of Customers

The Off-loader

More often than not these customers have no grounds for a legitimate complaint. In most cases they are just having a bad day. The closest thing to off-load their frustration is the call centre consultant who will make or take a call from them. The most important thing is for your agent/consultant to ascertain the legitimacy of the the complaint. By just  attentively listening and asking questions for clarity, this can be achieved. Listening is one of the most important skill one needs in a call centre environment.

Best phrases to use:

  • “I’m so sorry that you feel this way, Mr Lyon…”
  • “I can understand your frustration with…”
  •  “May I suggest that…?”
  • “What I’ll do right now is…”
  • “We really do appreciate this feedback, Mrs Brown…”

The Legitimate Grievance

This is the most important one as this is usually when your organisation is at fault.  What you say will determine the direction of the call. You must think of the ripple effect if this customer doesn’t get their query resolved or attended to and they decide to go to the media about your lack of service and bad customer service.

Listening to what the customer is saying by using the “echo effect” is very important as this helps with your own personal understanding of another person’s point-of-view.  The “echo effect” tells people that you’re on the same page as them. It shows that you’re listening to what they are saying, and not just thinking about how you are going to respond. The agent should try to resolve the complaint promptly, obviously keeping in mind the limitation of the mandates allocated to them or they must know the escalation process like the back of their hand if it needs be escalated to the line manager/supervisor. It is imperative that turn around times are communicated and adhered to at all times.

“So Mr Letsoalo, if I understand you correctly, you are unhappy with…”

Phrases to use

  • “So Mr Letsoalo, if I understand you correctly, you are unhappy with…”
  • “Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention. I will escalate this issue immediately…”
  • “I will call you back on ….. with regards to how far we are  with resolving your query..”
  • “Thank you so much for your patience/understanding, Mrs Zondi…”

The Abusive Customer

I think that this is the worst of customer interaction. I’ve had my fair share of these interactions. Some are still as vivid as the day they happened in my head. In as much it is said that the customer is always right, it makes no sense at all for any person (agent/consultant/supervisor or even Manager) to subject themselves to verbal abuse. The rule of thumb here is to inform the customer at least three times that if he/she carries on with the profanity, you will have to hang up and end the conversation.

EQ plays a huge role here as there is no excuse whatsoever for one to insult a customer.  As a manager or supervisor, you need to train your staff on how to keep calm under such circumstances. What has always seemed to work for me is to have a group call recording listening session with your consultants, listen to a call where the customer/client was irate and abusive to the agent/consultant and analyse the possible ways it could have been handled, preferred outcomes or how brilliantly the call was handled etc.  With EQ training, your staff can start learning other ways of trying to calm the situation down, while still trying to stop the customer from using obscene language.

“I’m going to do my very best to help you, Mr Bamm…but unfortunately we cannot tolerate the kind of language you are using right now…”

Phrases to use

  • “You seem very upset, Mrs Bokaba. Would you prefer I maybe call you after 30 mins….”
  • “I’m going to do my very best to help you, Mr Bamm…but unfortunately we cannot tolerate the kind of language you are using right now…”
  • “I can imagine how this made you feel Mrs Reynecke. Can I perhaps try to offer a solution?”

The Threat-Maker

Now these type of customers are more like empty barrels, they are easily confused with the above mentioned customers but they are not. These customers as the name says, they like to make threats to get the agent/consultant to agree with them on an usually  invalid complaint or query. Their aim is to try to get the agent to react and then use that as leverage to get what they want by maybe lodging a formal complaint or further manipulating the situation. What’s important is for your consultants not to react to the intimidation or threats thrown at them.

I’ve always told people reporting to me (consultants and supervisors alike) to only use facts(knowing your processes and policies in and out is the 1st step) and don’t thumb-suck info as this will probably open up loopholes or give customer further ammunition for additional objections/complaints or queries. It is vital to always understand that, regardless of what the customer says or do, one should always strive to keep a level head and use appropriate empathy and still maintain formality.

Phrases to use:

  • “I can imagine how this made you feel Mrs Bokaba. Can I perhaps try to offer a solution?”
  • “I am more than happy to help you with your concerns Mr Letsoalo…”
  • “Unfortunately our processes don’t allow me to do that Ms Nkosi.  However, I will be more than happy to….”
  • “I understand your frustrations with…….. Can i suggest an alternative to this issue”

What the Conclusion?

Ultimately regardless of which industry you are in,always remember that  Customer is always king. The better equipped your staff is, the better service your business will give customers and most importantly, the better your bottom line. As mentioned before, I firmly believe that if organisations invest in their people by upskilling them with (EQ training), more especially in the call centres, it would go a very long way in customer retention and increasing revenue.

 

Please share your thoughts regarding this piece and I would highly appreciate your feedback.

 

Adapted from  Lefa Letsoalo’s post in LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lefa-letsoalo-05155349/