Your Clients

Subscribe 43 Posts

21
Dec

Resolving business disputes

Written by Gavin Heaton

Butting heads The old adage “agree to disagree” has been tossed around often enough during heated discussions. But if the dispute arises from your customers, contracts, employees or debtors, you need to move quickly to resolve it or face far-reaching consequences on your business. In some cases, it may be impossible to avoid complications. However, there are some fundamental steps that a business owner should take to minimise the impact of a dispute.

Read More
30
Nov

Simple things you can do to improve customer service

Written by Melina Schamroth

Recently, I had quite an ‘interesting’ experience with customer service. I was on a call – including being put on hold – for more than 25 minutes trying to get one simple piece of information from my bank. In the time I was put on hold, I swear I could have written an entire blog post on customer service (or in this case, the total lack of it). While it seems I keyed in the ‘correct’ selection, their internal system was busy and sent me through to a different department. However, I wasn’t informed of this until 15 minutes into the conversation. When it came to light, I was transferred back to the correct department, forced to give my security details again and repeat my issue. Imagine my frustration at then having to be put through to a third department, at which point my patience began to dissolve. It’s not the first time this has happened, and it made me think about changing banks. When it comes to customer service, most people can reel out a list of complaints I’m sure most of us have experienced. What are the simple things you can do to improve your customer service?

Read More
27
Nov

6 steps to cope with the Christmas shopping madness

Written by Aishah Mustapha

Christmas season is undoubtedly one of the best times for businesses. People are generally happy because of the long holidays, and more importantly – ready to spend their hard earned money on themselves and others. And judging from the “Click Frenzy” brouhaha last week, we know that consumers are mad about online shopping. According to a report by Getprice, more than 80% of consumers research online before making a purchase. Thus, it’s no surprise that MYOB research also shows that SMEs with a website were 53% more likely to see a rise in revenue. However, there’s usually more competition for the shopper dollar this Christmas season so companies should plan a range of tactics to attract customers. Try raising your profile via targeted marketing, advertising and promotions to help gain a competitive advantage. They don’t have to cost a bomb – try public relation activities or strategic partnership. In addition, here are 6 steps you can do to gear up for success this silly season.

Read More
17
Sep

How to assure your customers during a crisis

Written by Trevor Young

Here’s hoping your business doesn’t experience a crisis. EVER. But in the event that the proverbial does hit the fan, who do you turn to? What do you do? Now, obviously the type of business you’re in and the type of crisis that hits you will largely determine what course of action you take from both a strategic and a tactical perspective. But for the purpose of this article I’m going to talk generally. The key, of course, is to stop an issue from becoming a crisis in the first place. Swift and decisive action is critical.

Read More
15
Aug

How to let your clients validate you

Written by James Evangelidis

Recently I was meeting the CEO of a well-known architectural firm in Sydney. He is not an architect, but he really knows his business: he’s across everything, from the big picture to the detail, and when he needs advice, he knows how to get the best. When he brings in external professionals, he accepts them at face value, but also verifies their skill sets, experience and reputation. He does this through his own business and personal networks, as well as through clients of the adviser he is checking. If the best decisions come from having the best information and counsel, it follows that validating advisers is critical. Yet so many CEOs, CFOs and business owners fail in this. Their first excuse is a lack of time. The second is the faulty assumption that a Big Four firm will give the best answer. You know a Big Four firm is not the best fit for every business, but your prospect may not. You can help yourself and your prospects by making it easy for them to validate your value, before they buy.

Read More
19
Jun

Understanding client loyalty

Written by Adam Ferguson

For many years MYOB has been conducting half yearly surveys to measure and understand the satisfaction we provide clients such as you, our valued partner. This has provided excellent insights into your experience, particularly around what we are doing well and what we can improve. Needless to say, we have many engaged and frank clients, whose constructive feedback we appreciate. More recently we reviewed our approach to understanding the satisfaction of clients across all our businesses and have decided to move to the recognised global methodology of NPS (Net Promoter Score). NPS seeks to measure and understand the drivers of client loyalty, a direct result of client satisfaction.

Read More