Humanizing Phone Communication with Empathy

Communicating via the telephone isn’t usually problematic, but when the phone is used in customer service, issues can (and do, on occasion) arise. You might hear these issues called by many names – rude customers, abusive callers, etc. – but underlying them all could be a simple lack of empathy on the customer’s part. Without … + Read More
Budsies Founder Alex Furmansky on Shark Tank and the Pursuit of Success

Alex Furmansky is the founder of Budsies, a successful company featured on Shark Tank that creates custom stuffed animals from children’s drawings. What started as a “complete side project” ended up becoming an unexpected success. Alex says he completely underestimated the number of parents and kids that would want to turn their drawings into plush … + Read More
What is the Reinforcement Stage of Customer Care?

In this blog post, we’ll define the reinforcement stage of customer care and talk about some of the goals you’ll want to set to accomplish during this stage in order to earn more lifelong and loyal customers. After the initial purchase and transaction, your customer is not obligated to stick around or choose to do … + Read More
Better Customer Care Breeds Customer Loyalty

Better customer care breeds customer loyalty. Customer service quality is often the deciding factor when a customer has a need for a service or product and chooses between two or more competing companies. Great customer service is often the deciding factor when a customer is choosing whether or not to purchase again from a company … + Read More
Phone Etiquette 101: Appointment Cancellations
When a customer with an appointment calls to cancel, they can either be met with a friendly response or a passive-aggressive response. It’s not in your business’ best interest to try and “guilt-trip” customers who need to cancel appointments; instead, your appointment policy should reflect the cutoff time for cancellations and note any fees or … + Read More
Brick and Mortar vs eCommerce: Which Is Best For Your Business?

When a business idea is conceived, most entrepreneurs have an idea of where the business will operate – online, in a physical location, or a combination of both. While running an eCommerce business might seem like the easier option with lower overhead at first, there are several factors to consider when comparing brick and mortar … + Read More
Customer Brand Preference and Loyalty

People can’t help but develop brand preference and loyalty; for each of the various services and products they buy, there will always be a company that they believe provides the best service, prices, and experience. That company will earn their preference and possibly their loyalty. But brand preference and loyalty are two different concepts. What … + Read More
Wicked Good Cupcakes Co-Founder Tracey Noonan Shares Her Shark Tank Insight

When’s the last time you had a wicked good cupcake from a jar? Shark Tank success story Wicked Good Cupcakes is here to satisfy your sweet tooth. Co-founder Tracey Noonan took the time to answer our questions about Wicked Good Cupcakes, the Shark Tank experience, and the crazy journey that leads to success. Tracey started … + Read More
Phone Etiquette 101: Returning Missed Calls

Missing calls is part of the learning curve of doing business. Many new business owners feel that missing a few calls is not a big deal; “If it’s something important, they’ll leave a voicemail and I’ll get back to them.” Missing calls is inevitable if you’re doing business solo (unless you’re working with a virtual … + Read More
Should I Audition for Shark Tank? Shark Tank Contestants Offer Advice

Shark Tank may represent an unattainable goal to some, but to others with the fiery entrepreneurial spirit, it’s just a tough-to-reach destination. And tough to reach it is. We’ve interviewed a handful of Shark Tank contestants – those who made huge deals with Sharks, and those that failed miserably – and the sentiment seems to … + Read More