Overall, 2008 has been a great year for 4CP; from moving to a new, bigger location to adding even faster equipment, we have been able to beat our customer’s expectations over and over again; this pleases us just as much as our customers. Seeing the smiles on our customer’s faces when we deliver a job before their deadline is why we do what we do.
As Thanksgiving draws near I’ve begun to think about the many things that I and the 4CP team have to be thankful for. Topping the list is, of course, our loyal customers. We have been blessed not only with their loyalty but with their trust.
I am also most certainly thankful for the love and support from our friends and families as we embark on this grand adventure of growing 4CP. The hard work and dedication put forth by the entire 4CP team is an achievement that simply cannot be beat and that could not have been done without the support from our loved ones.
As you all sit down to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with your families, take some time to really think about the things you are thankful for. At the end of the day, after all the deadlines have been met and work has been put aside, it’s important to remember those around you who have supported you in all your endeavors. From friends and family, to customers and colleagues, we each have much to be thankful for.
I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
2 Little Words with a Big Meaning
I went to a restaurant the other day and said “thank you” to the hostesses as I was leaving; not one of them looked up from their conversation. You know customer service is bad when you can’t even expect a ‘thank you’ which requires next to no effort.
A local restaurant chain that I frequent has a “Five Thank You” policy that states a customer should hear “thank you” at least five times before the walk out the door; at least one from the waitress, one from the manager, one from the hostess and whoever else they pass as they walk out the door. Typically this restaurant is on the ball and I can tell that they really do appreciate my business, especially because I go so often.
The truth is these are two very simple words that mean so much. Stop and ask yourself how many times your customers hear thank you when they do business with you. One time probably isn’t enough, it probably won’t even seem heartfelt. Always keep in mind that your company would not be in business without your customers so they deserve all the thanks you can give them.
A local restaurant chain that I frequent has a “Five Thank You” policy that states a customer should hear “thank you” at least five times before the walk out the door; at least one from the waitress, one from the manager, one from the hostess and whoever else they pass as they walk out the door. Typically this restaurant is on the ball and I can tell that they really do appreciate my business, especially because I go so often.
The truth is these are two very simple words that mean so much. Stop and ask yourself how many times your customers hear thank you when they do business with you. One time probably isn’t enough, it probably won’t even seem heartfelt. Always keep in mind that your company would not be in business without your customers so they deserve all the thanks you can give them.
Monday, September 22, 2008
NewsFlash: We are Not in a Customer Service Recession!
I recently read somewhere that in times of economic recession customer service is one of the first things to go. All things considered, I could see how that would happen. Rising gas prices and material costs have forced businesses to reconsider their budget and flow of funds making cuts where they believe necessary or “safe.” Even subconsciously, some owners simply lose sight of their customer service as they are preoccupied with what they believe are more important situations.
Smart business owners on the other hand, realize that customer service is a non-diminishing asset. The economy will pick up again as it always does and if they’ve abandoned their customer service priorities they will realize they’ve lost more than they have saved. We believe that customer service is priority number one in any situation. We look out for our customers because they are the sole reason that we are still in business. Put simply, if you drop your customer service, your customers will drop you.
We empathize with our customer’s situations because we live here too; we’re not about to stand by and be treated poorly because our vendors are worried about gas prices and our customers shouldn’t either. We’re all in the same boat so let’s help each other out. Losing sight of customer service will hurt a business much more than any economical recession ever could.
Smart business owners on the other hand, realize that customer service is a non-diminishing asset. The economy will pick up again as it always does and if they’ve abandoned their customer service priorities they will realize they’ve lost more than they have saved. We believe that customer service is priority number one in any situation. We look out for our customers because they are the sole reason that we are still in business. Put simply, if you drop your customer service, your customers will drop you.
We empathize with our customer’s situations because we live here too; we’re not about to stand by and be treated poorly because our vendors are worried about gas prices and our customers shouldn’t either. We’re all in the same boat so let’s help each other out. Losing sight of customer service will hurt a business much more than any economical recession ever could.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
A Much Deserved Labor Day Weekend
Each Labor Day weekend I stop and reflect on what the holiday actually means. Labor Day originally started in New York to give working class citizens a day off from their lives of hard work and long hours. Today, every state in the U.S. has made this day a state holiday.
Being a primarily B2B provider, we see the hard work and dedication that comes from each of our customers every day. We are able to see the long hours that are put into design and purchasing, and we are able to feel the relief and pride that comes at the completion of each project. We understand that sometimes the pressures of working can become almost unbearable and that’s why we are here- to allow you to breathe when those tight deadlines feel like they couldn’t be more impossible.
We want each of our customers to know that we appreciate the hard work they do and in turn we will work hard for them. 4 Color Press employees give our customers a fun, relaxed working environment when you need it most and even when you aren’t under any pressure at all.
So from all of us at 4CP, thank you for all of your hard work; we hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.
Being a primarily B2B provider, we see the hard work and dedication that comes from each of our customers every day. We are able to see the long hours that are put into design and purchasing, and we are able to feel the relief and pride that comes at the completion of each project. We understand that sometimes the pressures of working can become almost unbearable and that’s why we are here- to allow you to breathe when those tight deadlines feel like they couldn’t be more impossible.
We want each of our customers to know that we appreciate the hard work they do and in turn we will work hard for them. 4 Color Press employees give our customers a fun, relaxed working environment when you need it most and even when you aren’t under any pressure at all.
So from all of us at 4CP, thank you for all of your hard work; we hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
"No" isn't a 4 Letter Word
There’s a certain level of honesty and integrity that needs to be upheld by all businesses, but could you actually be sabotaging your own business with a policy that’s intended to please your customers? At 4 Color Press we have a policy we like to call “The Yes Factor,” which states that what the customer wants the customer gets, as long as it is within our boundaries.
In these situations there are two extremes, one is the company that believes that they are always correct and will not bend for any customer, and the other is the company that will do absolutely anything to please their customer, even if it is detrimental to their business. Sometimes 'no' is needed so you can look out for your and your customer's best interests.
Sure, striving to please your customers is always important but it doesn't benefit either party if you stretch your limits too far. Let’s use my company as an example. We have a very tight niche within the printing industry: full color, short run. If a customer calls at 4 in the afternoon and needs a project by 8 the next morning, we’ll do it. If a customer calls and needs a larger format project produced that we could easily outsource, we won’t do it. That’s where the honesty comes in with both us and our customer. The customer will most likely get better results if they go to a company that specializes in what they're looking for.
You need to stick with what you are capable of doing. If we outsourced large format projects, customers would start believing that’s what we did. Not to mention how much we would have to mark up the price just to cover our own cost. It’s not worth it. At the end of the day, customers and non customers alike will appreciate that you stuck to your guns as they know you will handle their needs with as much care as you handle your own.
In these situations there are two extremes, one is the company that believes that they are always correct and will not bend for any customer, and the other is the company that will do absolutely anything to please their customer, even if it is detrimental to their business. Sometimes 'no' is needed so you can look out for your and your customer's best interests.
Sure, striving to please your customers is always important but it doesn't benefit either party if you stretch your limits too far. Let’s use my company as an example. We have a very tight niche within the printing industry: full color, short run. If a customer calls at 4 in the afternoon and needs a project by 8 the next morning, we’ll do it. If a customer calls and needs a larger format project produced that we could easily outsource, we won’t do it. That’s where the honesty comes in with both us and our customer. The customer will most likely get better results if they go to a company that specializes in what they're looking for.
You need to stick with what you are capable of doing. If we outsourced large format projects, customers would start believing that’s what we did. Not to mention how much we would have to mark up the price just to cover our own cost. It’s not worth it. At the end of the day, customers and non customers alike will appreciate that you stuck to your guns as they know you will handle their needs with as much care as you handle your own.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Have We Lowered our Expectations As Customers?
Periodically, we send out surveys to some of our customers and potential customers to find out what their priorities are and what they expect from their print vendors. Our last survey was pretty surprising. We listed four factors (price, customer service, overall quality of produced materials and turn time) and asked the respondents to rate the items in order of importance for determining which vendor to work with. Surprisingly, customer service was rated the factor of least importance.
We suggested in one of our newsletters that perhaps the reason people don’t make customer service one of their priorities is because they've come expect poor service if any at all. How often do you anticipate an unpleasant experience when making a call to a company’s customer service department? Do you expect to get taken advantage of sometimes because it’s happened to you before? I know I do.
Some people have the idea that the number one reason a company exists is to produce a profit; they're willing to lower not only their own standards but their customer's as well, simply to increase their bottom line. I, on the other hand, believe that companies exist to provide solutions to a problem; to increase the overall quality of people's lives. Boldy put, why even have a business if you're only going to make people angry? That sounds like a pretty poor business model to me.
We're hoping that by providing the highest quality of customer service possible we can help maintain our customer's standards for service and encourage people to not settle for anything mediocre. Being a primarilly B2B provider, we understand how hard our customers work and we sincerely enjoy making their lives a little easier. We've been on your side of the table, we are on your side of the table and we won't work with vendors who don't beat our expectations. You shouldn't either.
We suggested in one of our newsletters that perhaps the reason people don’t make customer service one of their priorities is because they've come expect poor service if any at all. How often do you anticipate an unpleasant experience when making a call to a company’s customer service department? Do you expect to get taken advantage of sometimes because it’s happened to you before? I know I do.
Some people have the idea that the number one reason a company exists is to produce a profit; they're willing to lower not only their own standards but their customer's as well, simply to increase their bottom line. I, on the other hand, believe that companies exist to provide solutions to a problem; to increase the overall quality of people's lives. Boldy put, why even have a business if you're only going to make people angry? That sounds like a pretty poor business model to me.
We're hoping that by providing the highest quality of customer service possible we can help maintain our customer's standards for service and encourage people to not settle for anything mediocre. Being a primarilly B2B provider, we understand how hard our customers work and we sincerely enjoy making their lives a little easier. We've been on your side of the table, we are on your side of the table and we won't work with vendors who don't beat our expectations. You shouldn't either.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Great Customer Service Begins Before your Prospects become Customers
I always have bad experiences at doctor’s offices; I’m forced to wait too long, they try to charge me in full when my insurance is accepted, you name it. I found myself going back to the same place over and over purely because I was fed up with disappointment everywhere I went. I recently got sick and decided it was time to try somewhere new again. I was pleasantly surprised to find an office close by where I could check in online. After I filled out the online forms I immediately got a call saying there was a 30 minute wait and they would call me back to tell me when I should leave my house. Very nice.
Before I even got there I was impressed. When I walked in and didn’t have to wait in the waiting room I was overjoyed and when I got a follow up call the next day checking to see if I was feeling better and had gotten my prescription all right, I was hooked. Their exceptional customer service began before I was even a paying customer and then followed through the next day.
At 4CP, we try to do the same. We make sure that all of our prospects are aware of our convenient customer services on our website and we always focus on our values, not on the products we produce. When our sales reps are talking to prospective customers, they focus on things such as honesty, responsibility, our expertise and our respect for the environment. People understand that we produce full color print projects, what they want to know is how well we’ll work for them.
We recently had someone tell one of our sales reps that he had tried new print suppliers over the last 15 years but was constantly disappointed, thus always ending up back with the supplier he was comfortable with. So does ‘comfortable’ mean ‘satisfied?’ Doesn’t sound like it. It takes more than just a list of products we produce to get people stuck in this rut the courage to break free and try something new.
The promise of honest work and guaranteed responsibility are promises that potential customers want to hear and witness. Letting them know that they are priority number one before they even walk in the door is crucial and following through with those promises every time you work together is even more vital. When I go back to that doctor’s office, it will be because of the great service and sincerity that they gave me. The goal is to make customers come back to you because you gave them a great experience, not because you’re the best of the worst.
Before I even got there I was impressed. When I walked in and didn’t have to wait in the waiting room I was overjoyed and when I got a follow up call the next day checking to see if I was feeling better and had gotten my prescription all right, I was hooked. Their exceptional customer service began before I was even a paying customer and then followed through the next day.
At 4CP, we try to do the same. We make sure that all of our prospects are aware of our convenient customer services on our website and we always focus on our values, not on the products we produce. When our sales reps are talking to prospective customers, they focus on things such as honesty, responsibility, our expertise and our respect for the environment. People understand that we produce full color print projects, what they want to know is how well we’ll work for them.
We recently had someone tell one of our sales reps that he had tried new print suppliers over the last 15 years but was constantly disappointed, thus always ending up back with the supplier he was comfortable with. So does ‘comfortable’ mean ‘satisfied?’ Doesn’t sound like it. It takes more than just a list of products we produce to get people stuck in this rut the courage to break free and try something new.
The promise of honest work and guaranteed responsibility are promises that potential customers want to hear and witness. Letting them know that they are priority number one before they even walk in the door is crucial and following through with those promises every time you work together is even more vital. When I go back to that doctor’s office, it will be because of the great service and sincerity that they gave me. The goal is to make customers come back to you because you gave them a great experience, not because you’re the best of the worst.
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