Newsletter ArchiveSUBJECTs:Online Survey - E-billing The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter This issue is for Friday, June 14, 2002 Table of Contents 01. Online Survey 02. E-billing 03. Tip Of The Week *01 Online Survey In order to improve in any endeavor, you must have feedback. For athletes, it comes from a coach, students, a teacher and in business, the only opinion that matters belongs to your customer. Customer feedback can help you improve almost every aspect of your business. You must know what you are doing right and wrong before you can progress. However, customers, even when asked, can be very reserved in providing the feedback needed to improve your business. Usually by the time a customer has enough motivation to criticize on his or her own, it’s too late. Your relationship has been damaged. Many customers will just stop using your service before dealing with what they see as an avoidable dispute. This lack of interaction is very costly! Surveys are a fantastic way to gain the feedback you need to improve, and the Internet makes conducting surveys very affordable. The first step in constructing your survey is to decide what observations you want from your customers. Break this information down into areas of experience for the customer. These areas can be anything the customer experiences when dealing with your company. For example: sales material, sales people, service, or product quality. Now that you have decided on the areas, you can craft the questions you need to ask. The questions should be open ended so the customer has to communicate more than simple yes and no answers. Try to use specific questions rather than general questions. As an example, if you want to find ways to improve your online shopping area, you could ask, “How was your online shopping experience?” If the customer didn’t have a major problem, this question might not get you the feedback needed to improve. While a question like “What changes can we make to improve our online shopping experience?”, should push the customer to provide the feedback you need. Last, but not least, don’t make your survey too long. If you are looking for feedback in several areas consider running multiple surveys, which can be used at the appropriate time. Once you have your survey questions ready, place it in a web page using a form. This will make it easy for customers to fill out and respond to your survey. Place a request to fill out the survey in all communiqué with your customers. When possible, make it a link to the survey. To get a better response, you can offer your customers some type of reward for completing your survey. Be prepared for a modest reply to your request for feedback. Most people will just not do it. By asking, you are showing you care about them and their experience with your company. To some, this fact alone will make you worthy of their business. If you have any thoughts or ideas you would like to share, please send them to Chuck Arning at chuck@inter800.com We’re Talkin’ Serious” Bone Suckin’ Sauce ! Winner: “Battle Of The Sauces.” Created in true western North Carolina style. Tomato based all-natural, sweetened with honey and molasses. Order your Box of six today for $39.99 +s/h. Toll-Free 1-800-446-0947 or online http://www.BoneSuckin.com *02 E-billing As I was walking across the street to the post office in downtown Albuquerque to buy stamps for Teri to mail bills, it occurred to me that many of our customers are web creation and web hosting companies that have been with us for years. Therefore, why are they not accepting e-mail as a billing procedure, instead of requesting bills by snail-mail? Although I understand the concept of "float" between the time of receipt versus payment, it is not worth it overall. E-billing is much more economical and efficient and benefits both sides. Consider these factors:
Vegas Vacation has the best rates on Las Vegas Hotel Rooms. Don't make a reservation without calling us first! Call 800-637-6442 or visit our ad in the Internet 800 Directory: http://inter800.com/02281174.htm Tip of the Week Many times in Word, and I don't care what edition of Office we have used, the Edit mode will suddenly switch, magically, into an Overtype Mode, which I hate. To correct this, go to "Tools", select "Options", then "Edit" and unclick "Overtype Mode" and make sure "Typing replaces selection" is checked. Also, I received this from a customer yesterday: "My *#$@!! tool bar has disappeared and I can't figure out how to get it back." Ok, here's how. If it is your Quick Launch, Task Bar or Start Tool Bar, go to the blank bar and right button click on it, then click on "Toolbars" and add the ones you want. If all the bars have simply disappeared, you may have "Auto Hide" turned on. Drag your pointer to the edge of the screen it was on and it should reappear. If it does, right button click on a blank spot on the bar, click on "Properties", then unclick the "Auto Hide". If you have any tips or shortcuts that you think the readers of this Newsletter will find useful, send them to sjackson@inter800.com Banners? Pay-per-click? Why not target your market with links or information placed in relevant content? The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter offers direct access to business people who are interested buyers. Advertising: Information on how to sponsor this publication: Call 800-299-1879 Thanks for taking to time to review our newsletter for this week. If you know of anyone that might benefit from receiving this newsletter, send them to (http://www.inter800.com/news800/ ) where they can subscribe. All Contents Copyright ©1995-2002 The Internet 800 Directory Subscribe To The Newsletter: |