TND West

In the past many companies did not see the importance of maintaining good customer service skills . They relied solely on the price and quality of their product. Fortunately in many businesses that is changing; they are beginning to see there is more to running a successful business than just offering good prices and quality products. Making sure the customer feels important and appreciated is also an important part of running a successful business.

One company that has consistently put customers first and maintained superb customer service is Next Day Blinds . One story that is particularly inspiring is the story of Kristin. She had read some positive reviews about them and decided that she would use their services to replace her existing blinds. She ordered the blinds and had them installed without any problems. A couple of days later she received a surprise visit from a company representative. The gentleman asked her how the ordering and installation process had gone, how her new blinds were working, and whether or not she was pleased with the final product. She explained to him that everything had gone quite well, that she received exactly what she paid for, and generally speaking, she was pleased. Her only problem, which was not the fault of Next Day Blinds but her own error in judgment, was that the look didn’t fit quite as well as she originally thought. The next day she received another surprise when her customer service rep called and explained that the visitor the day before had been the a company VP and that he often did surprise visits to see how customers liked the products. To top it off, the rep explained that they would like to replace her blinds and correct the problem even though the fault did not lie with Next Day Blinds. The phenomenal customer service that Next Day Blinds displayed inspired Kristin so much that she decided to keep her blinds and take all of her future business to the company.

It is stories like that and companies like Next Day Blinds that inspire consumers to become loyal customers. Companies that offer customer service that goes above and beyond are the companies that are much more likely to succeed. Perhaps by encouraging these companies to greatness, others will follow suit.

Fionn Downhill is an experienced speaker and the CEO of SEO and online reputation management company Elixir Interactive. Fionn’s impressive presenter bio includes over 23 renowned search marketing events including Search Engine Strategies as well as the Online Marketing Summit (OMS) — which kicked-off its 23-City tour May 20th in Phoenix, Arizona.

OMS isn’t the typical summit. With its focus on education,speakers must adhere to strict guidelines aimed at closely limiting the self-promotion and advertising typically seen at many search marketing events.

Fionn Downhill’s presentation at OMS Phoenix this May offered interesting insight into digital asset optimization for search in 2010. To find out more about Fionn or other OMS speakers visit visit www.onlinemarketingsummit.com/speakers/

Most of us use search engines on a daily basis. We search for the latest news and information, research locations for an affordable summer vacation, and dig up the latest gossip on celebrities. Search engines play an important role in our Internet immersed lives. Without them we would surely be lost. However, as much as we use them, most of us don’t really understand how they work or how they sort all of the information and websites available in cyberspace.

To begin search engines use automated programs with ‘spiders’ that ‘crawl’ over all of the websites, pages, and documents that exist on the Web. It is through this process that all of the information is stored and indexed in giant databases. The result is that when someone makes a query the search engine sorts through the database and displays the results that match. Using an algorithm , the search engine sorts the results and ranks them according to the calculation.

With this knowledge we can begin to understand how search engine optimization (SEO) works. In broad terms, SEO is understanding and influencing the ranking for a given site or search term; however, there is much more to it than that. When the spiders are crawling through the many hyperlinks and pages on the web, there are certain things that make it easier, or more difficult, to index. When you understand what slows down or blocks the spiders, you can work on using hyperlinks that the spiders can easily traverse; thus increasing the ranking. There are some SEO tool s now available that can provide reports on a websites ranking and visibility as well as identify problems and provide possible solutions.

As much as we use the Internet these days, it is important that we understand how it works. For it is then that we can use it to our greatest advantage.

They might be the future of business meetings. Meet QB. The idea with QB is that even when an office is far away, or if someone is sick, they don’t have to travel to go to a business meeting. All they would have to do is log in to their company robot, drive it down the hall, and go to the meeting. It is complete with a video camera and a screen so that both parties can see each other. It also has microphone and speakers for the same reason. The video below has more information, but if you watch it remember that you are hearing the echo because it is also coming from the robot.

In an attempt to keep collecting the oil spilling into the Gulf, BP will be sending down a smaller dome, around four feet by five feet to contain at least one of the leaks, for a short amount of time. They are sending the smaller dome down there because they are afraid that the larger one will collect water and start to form hydrates which could be dangerous and was the reason why the larger dome was not a viable option. They are working on getting the underwater areas cleaned up and contained as much as they can in addition to the upper areas that are threatening to touch the coast line.

Southwestern Company often gets phone calls from customers who were, at first, skeptical of the student dealer and then excited to learn they were legitimate sales people selling products from a legitimate company.

While Southwestern Company works to train the student sales force in ethics and ‘doing the right thing,’ there are other groups or individuals that do not have as high morals and ethics. Southwestern company encourages all homeowners to be alert and look for ‘red flags’ when dealing with unknown sales people.

Below are a few tips that will help you identify a Southwestern Company student dealer or other reputable sales person and should be kept in mind for all door-to-door sales calls.

Legitimate salespeople, including Southwestern Company student dealers will:
o Identify themselves immediately, many have a photo ID in sight (as do Southwestern Company independent dealers)
o Identify the products they are selling and the name of their product provider
o Possess a solicitation permit (if required)
o Have the product or a sample in their possession
o Will not use high-pressure sales tactics
o Respect a consumer’s privacy
o Respect a consumer’s right to end the sales call at any time
o Explain verbally and in writing the cancellation policy which Federal law states as a three-day cooling-off period
o Leave two copies of the receipt

With these basic tips, you can be assured your safety will be less compromised. Remember, if you are uncomfortable, check up on the company and the individual with the Better Business Bureau and local authorities.

There have been a number of issues people have had with reviews on Yelp, and the company is ready to address them. A number of steps have been taken to give legitimacy to real reviews and to throw out those that are fake. This article has a good description of some of the things that have been changed.

It’s interesting how everyone buzzes about Facebook and Twitter these days. The services are touted as the only way to reach consumers under the age of 30. If a company doesn’t have a Fan Page and at least one centralized Twitter account, they are being left behind.

The reality is a bit more complicated than that. It’s not so much about where you go as what you have to offer. If your tweets are simply stock quotes and links to your official press releases, no one is going to care. If your Fan Page only has official company announcements and more press release language, you’re not going to get many fans. People , over or under 30, want content — and they want it in as many formats as possible.

A Fan Page that includes insider photos, sneak peeks at new ad campaigns, games, contests and opportunities for the fans to generate their own content won’t just sell widgets, it will create widget advocates. Tweets that make people smile, laugh, or even get them worked up about a shared enemy will build a following that can be translated into a community of loyal customers.

And it should start with Facebook and Twitter — not stop there. You don’t have to be a company targeting 18-25 year olds to create a YouTube channel, or have great photos on Flickr. You’ll want to integrate everything with your blog and main website. Just make sure that the content that you’re spreading around is something people want to see — and to share with others.

Developing a sense of community, that is what the business of TransGlobe Property Management is all about.  Choosing to move to a city halfway around the world was not an easy choice to make.  But I had been to London once, ten years ago, and could not get the vibe of that city out of my system.  On that first trip, an older gentlemen actually sang a Bob Dylan song to me as I passed him on the street.  He knew by my accent that I was American, and the song did serve to make me feel right at home.

The decision to move to London was prompted by a friend, who had also been on that first trip.  We were then, part of a theatre company getting ready, and resting up, for our next three weeks of performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  While I had turned from theatre to the visual arts world of painting she had become a playwright, and with our hearts set on the UK, we decided to just simply go for it.  Having no idea where to look for an apartment and studio spaces, we turned to the staff at TransGlobe Property Management, and they did indeed provide us with what we needed, on both counts.

Not only did we have a great new flat, but we also found a work space, with big windows for me and my paintings, and the perfect spot for her to write her new plays.   The buildings were well kept and cared for, and the other tenants matched our own specific personalities.  The employees at TransGlobe, whom now we know are backed with years of experience, knew what we wanted and needed before we did.  This made our move across the world, less stressful…it made it great actually.  Now she writes, and I paint, in London.  We had pretending ten years earlier, that we actually lived there, and were heading to the theatre because it was our job.  Now the arts are our jobs, and we still sometimes, have a hard time believing it.

Money Mutual is a website designed and promoted to allow consumers to apply for a payday loan.  They are also running TV advertisements using TV celebrity Montel Williams.  In these tough times with the holidays looming I am sure that payday loans will be used more than ever.   So what is a payday loan or cash advance loan?

You can read more about it on Money Mutual’s website click here for information.