In times like these, where every customer can make a difference in your bottom line, there are ten reasons your customers deserve fast, quality service:
1. Their time is valuable, so fast quality service is expected.
2. A customer impressed with accuracy and efficiency will become a repeat customer.
3. Without the customer, you would have no business, so customer satisfaction is required for a growing business.
4. If you don't take care of them, your competition will.
5. Fast, quality service allows you to handle more customers, more efficiently.
6. Technology exists to give fast, quality service and so use it to your advantage.
7. Fast, quality service gives the customer more time for other things, making them more productive.
8. In a highly competitive market, if product or service prices are the same, the thing that sets you apart is fast, quality service.
9. Customers have busy schedules so fast, quality service is expected.
10. Your customer deserves fast, quality service, because they are paying for it, which then pays your bills and paycheck.
With the technological advances to telecommunications, many tasks and improvements can be accomplished by using the GSM, which stands for Global Systems for Mobile Communications and SMS, which stands for Short Message Service, often called text messaging.
By using an SMS Printer, which consists of two units – the printer and a GSM Control Unit with antenna – or just a single combined unit a customer can send a text message which will be printed directly in the establishment who will then end up with a written copy of orders therefore reducing the human error factor of phone ordering. Food orders can be sent directly to a kitchen's SMS Printer, which uses cellular technology and does not need a phone line.
An SMS Printer is a great solution for a number of applications, such as delivery cars and trucks, where the unit is connected to the vehicle, not the driver, so delivery instructions can be relayed in near real time.
Restaurants that offer "curbside to go orders" can get orders through a customer's text messaging by SMS and sent directly to the restaurant's SMS printer in the kitchen and at the cashier. In the time it takes the customer to drive from a few blocks away, their order is prepared and still hot and waiting for them to arrive.
This makes picking up dinner on the way home from work barely a blip on the radar screen for the customer, and frees up table space and servers for the restaurant.
The SMS Printer is really a general communications device that can be used in an endless number of situations, for both backend communication between business employees or frontend communication between the customer and the business. It is especially suited to the service industry including restaurants, courier companies, delivery companies etc.
GSM technology and SMS Printers have advanced the ability to give fast, quality customer service in many business large or small, in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
1/13/2009
The Lowdown On Finding The Perfect Keywords
Whenever I teach a class on Internet marketing, it's inevitable that the term "keyword" comes up. Keywords tend to confuse people, mostly because there are numerous ways of figuring them out; not all of them are correct. Let me explain.
When we think of keywords related to our topic, we often go to "root" keywords or, in layman's terms: the first word that pops into our mind. For example, if someone were to say: "Give me a keyword for books" you might say: "publishing." That's a root keyword. It may seem like the right word to you, but it may not be a word that your reader or customer is searching on. Therein lies the key. You want to find relevant keywords in your market that people are actually searching for. Another example of this is the word: auto loan. If you've written a book on saving money you may think that drawing attention to your chapter on getting the best auto loan is a great idea. But what if your consumer searches on the term: car loan instead? Your keyword (auto loan) will go unnoticed.
There are some commonalities in keywords; for example, the best keywords have a strong relevance to your topic and a high search volume. What this means is that as you're trying to get away from 'root' words, you don't want to get uber-creative and use words no one is searching on. The other piece to remember is the age-old marketing term: supply and demand. Whatever your search term you want to make sure that there's a lot of demand, but very little supply.
If you're ready to start your search, here are a few sites that should help you. The first is the Google Adwords keyword search tool. What this tool will show you is a general overview of how popular a word is vs. how much supply there is for this word. While this site doesn't give you actual search numbers, it's a pretty thorough overview of search patters: adwords dot google dot com.
The second is a version of Overture (more on that in a minute) that will show you how many searches have happened across Yahoo and MSN for a particular search term in the last 30 days: yooter dot com/keyword/overture.php
Finally we have Overture. While this site will give you actual data, the numbers they give you aren't updated daily, in fact they're not even updated monthly. Some of the stats you see will be three or more months old. But data is data and unless you're sitting in a market that has heavy fluctuation, this should give you a good start: inventory dot overture dot com.
Now that you've zeroed in on your perfect keywords, where will you use them? Well, adding them to your web site copy is a great idea but the *ideal* place to use these is in your press release. Why? Because it's likely that you're sending your press release out online (if you're not, you should be) and with all the clutter on the 'Net you'll need these keywords to get noticed. Here's a quick rundown of where and how you should use them:
• Use these words in the headline and first 50 words of your release
• Keep your release to no more than 600 words
• Use keywords for hyperlinking: what I mean by this is that anytime you link to a page on your site or some other external reference, you'll want to use these keywords to help increase exposure to your press release.
In order to maximize what you're doing online, you've got to become very focused on your market and what your market wants. Figuring out the keywords and search terms your readers/consumers use will go a long way helping your message rise above the noise!
When we think of keywords related to our topic, we often go to "root" keywords or, in layman's terms: the first word that pops into our mind. For example, if someone were to say: "Give me a keyword for books" you might say: "publishing." That's a root keyword. It may seem like the right word to you, but it may not be a word that your reader or customer is searching on. Therein lies the key. You want to find relevant keywords in your market that people are actually searching for. Another example of this is the word: auto loan. If you've written a book on saving money you may think that drawing attention to your chapter on getting the best auto loan is a great idea. But what if your consumer searches on the term: car loan instead? Your keyword (auto loan) will go unnoticed.
There are some commonalities in keywords; for example, the best keywords have a strong relevance to your topic and a high search volume. What this means is that as you're trying to get away from 'root' words, you don't want to get uber-creative and use words no one is searching on. The other piece to remember is the age-old marketing term: supply and demand. Whatever your search term you want to make sure that there's a lot of demand, but very little supply.
If you're ready to start your search, here are a few sites that should help you. The first is the Google Adwords keyword search tool. What this tool will show you is a general overview of how popular a word is vs. how much supply there is for this word. While this site doesn't give you actual search numbers, it's a pretty thorough overview of search patters: adwords dot google dot com.
The second is a version of Overture (more on that in a minute) that will show you how many searches have happened across Yahoo and MSN for a particular search term in the last 30 days: yooter dot com/keyword/overture.php
Finally we have Overture. While this site will give you actual data, the numbers they give you aren't updated daily, in fact they're not even updated monthly. Some of the stats you see will be three or more months old. But data is data and unless you're sitting in a market that has heavy fluctuation, this should give you a good start: inventory dot overture dot com.
Now that you've zeroed in on your perfect keywords, where will you use them? Well, adding them to your web site copy is a great idea but the *ideal* place to use these is in your press release. Why? Because it's likely that you're sending your press release out online (if you're not, you should be) and with all the clutter on the 'Net you'll need these keywords to get noticed. Here's a quick rundown of where and how you should use them:
• Use these words in the headline and first 50 words of your release
• Keep your release to no more than 600 words
• Use keywords for hyperlinking: what I mean by this is that anytime you link to a page on your site or some other external reference, you'll want to use these keywords to help increase exposure to your press release.
In order to maximize what you're doing online, you've got to become very focused on your market and what your market wants. Figuring out the keywords and search terms your readers/consumers use will go a long way helping your message rise above the noise!
1/12/2009
Crisis On The Health Front A Tale Of Benzene And Cyanide
Look at how two different firms and their products were affected by health scares affecting the image and sales of their products. In one case customers were scared away, and frightened of a product. In another case customers and potential customers came to be reassured by the image of a company, and its concern for their health and safety. That product became the standard of pain and headache relief.
Contrast two examples. Perrier water used to be the standard of luxury water products. Perrier was the market leader of imported water products, for thirst, into the United States. It commanded a premium lead in the marketplace – especially in luxury beverage establishments such as lounges and bars. It was commonplace and indeed a status symbol, that for the same price as an alcoholic beverage, to order a “Perrier with a Twist”. Profit margins were exceptional both for Perrier and the retail and restaurant trade.
Along came a twist of fate and marketing. Benzene, a known carcinogen in rats, was found in bottle Perrier water. The company first stated one story – that the incident was isolated and of no concern. It was an isolated incident based on one employee cleaning a piece of bottling equipment with that very benzene that was the cause the company reported , Be reassured Perrier .. Blah, blah of no concern…. Be reassured that Perrier water does not contain Benzene and is safe… Yet when this same substance Benzene was found in additional lots of Perrier water in widely varying geographic areas the company changed its story to another fish story so to speak. As time progressed the company revamped the story even further to state that actually Benzene was added to Perrier water in the Carbon Dioxide used to make Perrier water fizz. This Benzene was naturally removed in the manufacturing process and was of little concern. By doing so the company admitted that their hallmark fame of “Naturally bottled water “was untrue and adulterated and diminished their very basis of their marketing strategy and established market and market base. If you think about it – in the year of 2007 how may times have you have frequently heard the word “Perrier”?
Contrast this approach of company management at dealing with a crisis in the field with the sterling example of Tylenol capsules being sabotaged and laced with deadly cyanide in the fall of 1982. This was an actual case of murderous prankertism by unknown parties. The company dealt with the issue immediately and on the spot.
Johnson and Johnson accepted responsibility immediately. First the company alerted customers and used the mass media to alert the world so to speak. 31 million bottles of the Tylenol product were recalled at a cost to the firm of 100 million dollars in 1982 dollars.
Further the firm went on to tell customers and the world that it would immediately cease production of Tylenol until it could provide tamper resistant caplets. An investigation was launched to find and prosecute the culprits so that first of all they would be removed from circulation and secondly both to reassure the public as well as convince any copycat agents that this was a very serious matter, not a prank and any further attempts would result in harsh punishments. Indeed copycats may well be blamed for previous death with dire consequences for them. Further Johnson and Johnson at great potential cost also offered to exchange the millions and millions of bottles of Tylenol capsules that had been sold for the new product – Tylenol caplets.
Contrast the two different approaches of a company management reacting to a crisis.
Perrier has ceased to be a product on the American retail and beverage scene in any manner of consequence. The pain reliever product Tylenol has become a market leader of great scope. Indeed in a field where generic copy products of acetaminophen (the chemical ingredient of the brand name product Tylenol) abound Tylenol command s the greatest market share. By responding in a most responsible manner to a most serious market threat the firm Johnson and Johnson has prospered beyond belief and has earned the trust and great loyalty of its customers. The management of Johnson and Johnson is to be greatly commended as an example of mature leadership and example to the business and marketing communities.
Contrast two examples. Perrier water used to be the standard of luxury water products. Perrier was the market leader of imported water products, for thirst, into the United States. It commanded a premium lead in the marketplace – especially in luxury beverage establishments such as lounges and bars. It was commonplace and indeed a status symbol, that for the same price as an alcoholic beverage, to order a “Perrier with a Twist”. Profit margins were exceptional both for Perrier and the retail and restaurant trade.
Along came a twist of fate and marketing. Benzene, a known carcinogen in rats, was found in bottle Perrier water. The company first stated one story – that the incident was isolated and of no concern. It was an isolated incident based on one employee cleaning a piece of bottling equipment with that very benzene that was the cause the company reported , Be reassured Perrier .. Blah, blah of no concern…. Be reassured that Perrier water does not contain Benzene and is safe… Yet when this same substance Benzene was found in additional lots of Perrier water in widely varying geographic areas the company changed its story to another fish story so to speak. As time progressed the company revamped the story even further to state that actually Benzene was added to Perrier water in the Carbon Dioxide used to make Perrier water fizz. This Benzene was naturally removed in the manufacturing process and was of little concern. By doing so the company admitted that their hallmark fame of “Naturally bottled water “was untrue and adulterated and diminished their very basis of their marketing strategy and established market and market base. If you think about it – in the year of 2007 how may times have you have frequently heard the word “Perrier”?
Contrast this approach of company management at dealing with a crisis in the field with the sterling example of Tylenol capsules being sabotaged and laced with deadly cyanide in the fall of 1982. This was an actual case of murderous prankertism by unknown parties. The company dealt with the issue immediately and on the spot.
Johnson and Johnson accepted responsibility immediately. First the company alerted customers and used the mass media to alert the world so to speak. 31 million bottles of the Tylenol product were recalled at a cost to the firm of 100 million dollars in 1982 dollars.
Further the firm went on to tell customers and the world that it would immediately cease production of Tylenol until it could provide tamper resistant caplets. An investigation was launched to find and prosecute the culprits so that first of all they would be removed from circulation and secondly both to reassure the public as well as convince any copycat agents that this was a very serious matter, not a prank and any further attempts would result in harsh punishments. Indeed copycats may well be blamed for previous death with dire consequences for them. Further Johnson and Johnson at great potential cost also offered to exchange the millions and millions of bottles of Tylenol capsules that had been sold for the new product – Tylenol caplets.
Contrast the two different approaches of a company management reacting to a crisis.
Perrier has ceased to be a product on the American retail and beverage scene in any manner of consequence. The pain reliever product Tylenol has become a market leader of great scope. Indeed in a field where generic copy products of acetaminophen (the chemical ingredient of the brand name product Tylenol) abound Tylenol command s the greatest market share. By responding in a most responsible manner to a most serious market threat the firm Johnson and Johnson has prospered beyond belief and has earned the trust and great loyalty of its customers. The management of Johnson and Johnson is to be greatly commended as an example of mature leadership and example to the business and marketing communities.
Stress Symptoms: Nine Physical Warning Signs That You Need To Take It Easy
You'd think that the symptoms of stress are hard to miss. But that doesn't mean we always pay attention and take appropriate action. So it helps to be reminded of some of the key symptoms you will encounter when you're overly stressed. You can use them as ammunition to justify taking a break.
The following nine key physical warning signs are among the first ones you’ll encounter at times of great stress, and when you do, do yourself a favor and heed their loud and clear message: slow down – if you want to stay healthy, sane, and effective, that is.
1. Is your mouth dry or do you have a lump in your throat?
It may be a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason: when you’re stressed, your mouth becomes really dry. And a dry mouth makes it difficult to swallow anything but liquids. It’s even bad for your teeth.
2. Are you bothered by a pain in the neck?
Tense, tight muscles, especially neck and shoulder muscles are another important warning sign. To some of us it may seem like those painfully tense muscles are a permanent condition. They don’t have to be.
3. Do you get a lot of headaches lately?
While headaches can have a variety of causes, there’s one particular kind that’s aptly named “tension headache.” If the onset of your headaches correlate with periods of intense stress, you know what to do.
4. Do you have numbness & tingling in limbs?
You may not have realized that these can be caused by too much stress. I didn’t know either until I read it during my research for this article, but it makes sense. In fact, I was relieved to read that because my limbs have been tingling and occasionally getting for a while and I was worried that it might be something serious. Well, guess what! Stress IS serious.
5. Are you tired all the time?
Do you find you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning? Chronic fatigue, exhaustion, and low energy are the inevitable result of excess stress for prolonged periods of time.
6. Do you have trouble falling asleep or sleeping long enough?
Once again, this could be a sign of too much stress. And since sleep is so crucial for recovery, stress-induced insomnia often starts a vicious cycle.
7. Are you overweight?
Especially with fat primarily accumulating on the belly? For the longest time, people used to think that stress causes weight loss, not weight gain. That may be true for some, but most of us tend to put on the pounds. Cortisol, the stress hormone, literally causes the body to accumulate the wobbly stuff right up front and center and makes it almost impossible to take it back off.
8. Do you have heartburn, hyperacidity, GERD, or indigestion?
Maybe what you need is not another dose of antacids but a massage and a nice hot bath, not necessarily in that order. And a day off.
9. Do you get sick a lot?
When someone sneezes in the office, are you the first to catch it? Do you have allergies or skin rashes? These are all signs that your immune system has begun to suffer. It’s time to take a legal U-turn.
How many of the above do you have? One? Slow down and take more breaks. Three? You’re definitely in the danger zone. All seven? Red zone alert!
The following nine key physical warning signs are among the first ones you’ll encounter at times of great stress, and when you do, do yourself a favor and heed their loud and clear message: slow down – if you want to stay healthy, sane, and effective, that is.
1. Is your mouth dry or do you have a lump in your throat?
It may be a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason: when you’re stressed, your mouth becomes really dry. And a dry mouth makes it difficult to swallow anything but liquids. It’s even bad for your teeth.
2. Are you bothered by a pain in the neck?
Tense, tight muscles, especially neck and shoulder muscles are another important warning sign. To some of us it may seem like those painfully tense muscles are a permanent condition. They don’t have to be.
3. Do you get a lot of headaches lately?
While headaches can have a variety of causes, there’s one particular kind that’s aptly named “tension headache.” If the onset of your headaches correlate with periods of intense stress, you know what to do.
4. Do you have numbness & tingling in limbs?
You may not have realized that these can be caused by too much stress. I didn’t know either until I read it during my research for this article, but it makes sense. In fact, I was relieved to read that because my limbs have been tingling and occasionally getting for a while and I was worried that it might be something serious. Well, guess what! Stress IS serious.
5. Are you tired all the time?
Do you find you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning? Chronic fatigue, exhaustion, and low energy are the inevitable result of excess stress for prolonged periods of time.
6. Do you have trouble falling asleep or sleeping long enough?
Once again, this could be a sign of too much stress. And since sleep is so crucial for recovery, stress-induced insomnia often starts a vicious cycle.
7. Are you overweight?
Especially with fat primarily accumulating on the belly? For the longest time, people used to think that stress causes weight loss, not weight gain. That may be true for some, but most of us tend to put on the pounds. Cortisol, the stress hormone, literally causes the body to accumulate the wobbly stuff right up front and center and makes it almost impossible to take it back off.
8. Do you have heartburn, hyperacidity, GERD, or indigestion?
Maybe what you need is not another dose of antacids but a massage and a nice hot bath, not necessarily in that order. And a day off.
9. Do you get sick a lot?
When someone sneezes in the office, are you the first to catch it? Do you have allergies or skin rashes? These are all signs that your immune system has begun to suffer. It’s time to take a legal U-turn.
How many of the above do you have? One? Slow down and take more breaks. Three? You’re definitely in the danger zone. All seven? Red zone alert!
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