When I was a teenager, good customer service was never much of a selling point. There were a few reasons behind this philosophy.

1. I was a teen, and therefore accepted the fact that most places were going to treat me like a criminal.
2. I wasn’t usually buying anything so valuable that it required special attention or support.
3. If I was at a bank; I didn’t pay fees, and never had enough money to worry about.

Basically, my needs were small, as were my expectations.

Now that I’m older, I’m far more careful with every dollar I spend. Spending my paycheque on some new shoes or a car stereo made perfect sense at 16. Thinking about that now makes me want to go back in time and slap myself.

There’s also far more companies fighting for my attention. While there were only a handful of stores trying to sell me shoes at 16, there are hundreds who want me to test out their accounting software, WordPress plugin, or social media app.

Some of these companies think that a loud voice and a blowout sale is all they need to get my money. Thankfully, there are a select few who actually do it the right way.

Recent Example

Simply Accounting: I needed to use this for some client work recently. I’ve used it in the past, but Quickbooks has been my default for many years. So, I downloaded a trial copy so I could get a sense for what version would be the best choice.

A few days after starting my trial, I received an email and phone call from Mavys at Simply Accounting. Instead of the usual cookie-cutter welcome email, it was very friendly, and pointed me to information very specific to bookkeepers using their products.

Based solely on the quality of the email, I replied back and asked a question. This question was one that I had sent to Intuit and had been disappointed with their response.

The question

I am working with clients in both Canada and the US now. I haven’t had a need for a US version of Quickbooks or Simply yet, but it might come up in the future. My Quickbooks Pro Advisor membership gives me copies of the Canadian version, but not the US. I wanted to know if I had access to a US version of the software.

The responses

Intuit: No would have been a bad enough response. What I got was quite a bit more disappointing. First off, no, I don’t have access to a US version of the software. Furthermore, I would have to contact someone at Intuit in the US and purchase it separately. I couldn’t even get the product from my contact in Canada. Finally, I was told that installing both versions on the same computer causes problems, so they recommended I have 2 computers setup, so that I could run each version on its own computer. Seriously? Who would buy a 2nd computer just to run another accounting app?

Simply Accounting: Mavys, who is officially my favourite person at Simply Accounting had a much better response. When I’m ready to buy my copy, all I need to do is ask, and she will make sure I have both the US and Canadian versions included…at no extra cost. Plus, there are no issues running both apps on the same system.

Now what?

I don’t want to give you the wrong impression. One question answered well doesn’t mean I’m suddenly dropping Quickbooks. I’ve been using it for years, and I know all of the keyboard shortcuts.

On the other hand, Simply is now on my radar again. I’m going to buy a slightly more expensive version than I had originally intended, in order to sign up for their equivalent of Intuit’s Pro Advisor program. Like anything new, I resist it because of the unfamiliarity. However, there’s no guarantee that, once I’ve become accustomed to it, I won’t end up liking it more.

The simple fact is that a phone call and email that took less than 5 minutes has resulted in $400 worth of sales and a blog post.

Now it’s your turn

Instead of a stock auto-responder (or  nothing at all), why not spend the time to personalize your interactions with your new customers? Take 5 minutes to learn something about them. You can do this by crafting a better contact form (something I need to do), or checking out their website. Then, take that information, and spend another 5 minutes writing a more tailored email, welcoming them to your product/service.

It doesn’t seem like much, but with so many people fighting for your customer base, every little gesture helps.

Do you have any good tips? Have you figured out a way to gain customers by adding a personal touch to your interactions? Please share your advice in the comments.

This morning, I don’t have my regular laptop. I knew this would be happening in advance, so I prepared. I was going to use one of my kids’ netbooks. I couldn’t get everything done, but enough to not consider the morning a loss. Even better, that kid wasn’t going to be here this morning, so problem solved.

Apparently, said kid password protected their netbook recently. I don’t have the password, and can’t contact them right now. Hmmm. Ok…I’ve got another PC upstairs. It’s old, but it’s about the same speed as a netbook. Problem solved, and here I am, typing away.

There are going to be lots of times when we are faced with constraints. Sometimes it’s our time that’s constrained, other times it’s money or skills or environment. Instead of letting them stop us from success, we need to start including them in our plans.

If you’re not this person, you know somebody like this. They use the phrase “as soon as” or “if I could only just” quite often. They have a great plan for their business, but it all hinges on several distant goals being achieved. Until those perfect conditions are met, well there’s just no way they can be expected to succeed, right?

Plan ahead

Thankfully, I knew that my laptop wasn’t going to be with me this morning. So, I did a lot of work last night in QuickBooks, since that’s the one app I can’t access from just any computer. If you know there’s a hurdle approaching, plan for it. And by plan, I don’t mean plan for a day off.

If you know your car is in the shop next week, plan for alternatives.

• rent a car

• find someone else to run your errands that day

• research public transit (times, cost, locations, etc.)

You’re already going to be slightly less efficient, so don’t add planning and research to your day.

Maintain a Plan B

Although I like my computer, I only have 1 app that sits on my desktop that I can’t replace. All of my files are synced with Dropbox. My bookmarks are synced with XMarks, and my passwords with LastPass. I also sync all of my Chrome settings, so one login and I’ve got all of my settings and extensions installed on a new computer. I’ve even got my iPhone setup so that I don’t really need to sync it anymore. I have apps for podcasts, books, and music, so I could be without my computer for weeks before my phone would be affected.

For example, let’s say you run a retail business. What happens if the power goes out, or if the network goes down? Do your employees know how to handwrite a receipt? Do they know how to manually process a credit card? Heck, are there batteries in flashlights in case you need to help customers get out of a dark store?

Constraints can be a good thing

I can’t get too distracted on this computer. It’s slow, so if I want Chrome to run smoothly, I can’t have 20 tabs open. If you’re riding the bus, you can’t just pull over and check out that sale. Constraints, while frustrating at times, help us focus on what’s important. If you can only do 1 thing at a time, you’re going to focus on the most important thing. And, if you have the right systems in place, you’ll have multiple ways of doing that 1 thing, regardless of what life throws at you.

I’d have to say that PayPal is one of my favourite bi-products of the internet. Not specifically that company, but just the ability to send and receive money online instantly.

I remember vividly the “fun” of buying on eBay before I had a PayPal account. It was so much “fun” driving down to the bank to get a money order, paying the $5-7 fee, driving to the post office, mailing out the money order…and waiting. Waiting the week or so to have something shipped is hard enough, but having to wait the extra week before the seller even received my payment? Purely infuriating.

Despite my love of this method of financial transaction, I have a few bones to pick.

I suppose I could go off on the “trust” aspect of PayPal. Many people don’t fully trust them, and I suppose I should be less trusting too. However, I don’t trust that my dogs will stay out of the trash while I’m gone…haven’t gotten rid of them either.

No, my frustrations lie once again with features available based on geographic location. Apparently in the US, your PayPal accounts are pretty close to full bank accounts. Up here in Canada, they sometimes feel more savings bonds or coin collections. Sure, there’s money in there, but I just can’t get to it when I want to.

There are 3 key features that I would like the folks at PayPal to deliver North just as soon as possible.

Debit Cards

Ok, we actually had this…very briefly. When I got my first PayPal account years ago, I also got a PayPal MasterCard. It was a debit card, and I could use it like any other debit card, but with the funds in my PayPal account. Unfortunately, back then, I was only buying things online, so there was never any money in the account. By the time I started selling on eBay, they had discontinued the debit card program.

This is my biggest request for PayPal. Being someone who harps about cash flow regularly, not having instant access to my money is frustrating.

Shorter Wait Times for Transfers

Alright, so we don’t have debit cards. Fine. At least I can move my money to an account that does. For some reason, in Canada, our wait times are higher. In my account, I’m given the option to transfer my balance to a Canadian or US bank account. The former takes 5-7 business days, while the latter takes 3-5. Transferring money into my PayPal account is even worse. It takes 6-8 days from a Canadian account vs. 3-5 for a US account.

If a client pays me via PayPal, that means it could take 7 business days for the money to be in an account I can use. In any businesses, that’s a long time to wait.

Bill Me Later

Ideal for small businesses, “Bill Me Later” let’s you purchase items through PayPal on terms. Let’s say you need supplies for a job that you’re not getting paid for in advance. You could get the supplies immediately, and then pay for them when you get paid. While it’s always better to pay up front, there are times when this feature would be really helpful.

Alright PayPal, now it’s your turn. I don’t know what sort of red tape stands in your way. I’m sure, just like Spotify and Diet Cherry Pepsi, there’s some crazy reason Canada won’t let you in. All I’m saying is that I would use your services much more (that means more $$ for you) if you had these features in place. I don’t think I’m alone.