Honored made so many friends over the years that it does not feel like work and is fun to be at this show Not a fan of Banquets however, last night was a good time Talk about stuff you already know, some Overlap from Napps, one thing to know and another to put into practice on a daily basis
Bad News – Unfortunatly, there are lots of examples, here are a few Video Member Garodnick – NY Collier County Subpoenas for Law Enforcement We do not look good to our customers We do not look good to our legislators We do not treat our Colleagues well There is more competition from larger and smarter competitors Good News – This can all be fixed
Play Video How many people know about this?
This is paperless-If they can do this who else is going to catch on? There are already others.
Why am I qualified to speak with you today? I am not sure myself Spoken to thousand of Servers and your and 10 of thousands of your clients Generated many millions of dollars in process serving cases SN Yahoo group
Some of the things I am going to talk about today
really should be under Customer Service however, very important so have it here talk about my own expereinces ( ado restaurant, safe in vegas) overcharging people and calling them with a credit overcharging for newsletter-quoted the higher rate, actually, over 1K less Look For Opportunities to Earn Trust and to do the right thing
Answer the phone ---Your customers are busy and may have many cases they need to get served----Answer in 1 or 2 rings Roll Over Lines - No Busy signal or voicemail---Find a way to answer the call, put the current call on hold (say, I am sorry, I am the only one on the phones now, may I put you on hold for a quick moment). Put them on hold take the other call get their name and # and tell them you will call them right back Phone Etiquette---I hear it all the time people answer the phone hello or they have it ringing to a home line and a family member picks up Be Positive and Happy – No Almost 5, thank TGIF, will be better in an hour, if I told you, you wouldn’t care anyway---No Politics, Religion Ger Business Line----You usually get a free listing in the phone book with a business line, 411 and phone company web sites Toll Free - Our toll free starts rolling out to cell phones if they are not answered in the office or after hours, my wife really love this but, does not matter the time, If I see a call I answer it Toll Free (2 schools of thought) Some customers want to see a local # if they know the area because they may think they are closer to where the serve and may be more cost-effective If you only cover a local area, you should still consider a toll free # in addition to your local # On the other side a toll free Makes you look more professional Makes it easy for your customers to call you (you never know their situation) Does not localize you get an 800 # because some people may not know 866,877, 888
Customer or referral anyone, always treat people professionally -Other PS’s are also customers, don’t be rude, aggressive or arrogant Respond to phone calls, emails, faxes follow up ASAP, usually the person that responds the fastest usually gets the work---Paula story Fix your mistakes-Marriott Study---When mistakes happen, which they will for everyone, don’t hide This is a chance to really stand out from your competitors, Call your customers immediately, Apologize, Fix the problem and then offers way to make up for it, free serves, send a gift card something to make them feel better—Be Sincere DISPUTES –Don’t Get Emotionally Involved I am the lucky one that gets to handle disputes at our company (explain a dispute) seen huge headache caused over a $50 service, don’t get emotionally involved and did not make a business decision Difficult Customers-Do whatever you need to do to finish the job and stop working with them Or one may take up too much of your time, finish their jobs and say I can’t service your account anymore unless you change xyz or I will have to charge you more because of all the extra calls that I get regarding status. Pro pers or pro se’s – fax sheet Hiring Help –--Just because you served the paper the job is not done They still need their affidavit, be invoiced, added to your accounting system, notarized, photocopies … there are lots of people looking for work, find qualified people that can handle these and other tasks so you can focus on what is most important for your company----stop serving papers – you need to be in the office---go once in a while to stay in touch
Corporate Identity The primary element that makes up a good Brand is a professional logo The logo is the first thing that the potential client will look at What image is representing your company?
Consistent Message It takes 7 times to evoke a response from your customers You want your company name to be recognizable, The reason why you see Budweiser paying millions of dollars for super bowl ad’s (everybody knows McDonalds, coke and all these major brands but even they have to be consistent with their marketing You will only be Recognized if you are Consistent Office Consistency is important in the office as well, make sure there are systems and procedures in place for everything If your customers come to your office, make sure it is tidy and professional Have a system and procedure for everything Employees A customer should be able to have the same experience with anyone at your company Goal is to replicate the process regardless of who the customer is dealing with Thoroughly trained and have a strong understanding of company, brand, mission and values Appearance
Appearance Professional attire, see how your customers dress, dress like them or better then them
We ask this question a lot about our company and feel you guys should be asking the same question One of the reasons we have been able to grow is that we take everything we make and put it right back in to marketing
Marketing - Difference between the largest and smallest companies is how they market- --50 % is not working, Don’t Know which 50 BAM---Always looking for opportunities to market your business----In good times and bad always market Networking & Associations--- Professional companies are usually active in associations and community---- Go to out of state association and national association meetings (at some point they will have a serve in your area Business card exchange-people here from Bishop,CA, Mass, Florida…Room full of Customers not Competitors Ask for feedback, listen to their needs Up-sell your Services - Let them know what else you do, Up Sell your services-$50 serves turn into $5,000 investigation case What other services do you offer that they need, filing, photocopying, notary, Document Retrieval, Investigations When do you ask for Referrals? After you have done a good job for them How do you ask? Who else in your firm could benefit from our services, would you mind providing a list of those folks and making an introduction Follow up on all your marketing efforts and be consistent
Web Based – access from anywhere, not just the office Email – have a signature block Software – have instant access to job information, update your clients electronically (cut down on status calls) Smart Phone – be able to get your emails anywhere (Artie, Michael Kern, Paula all had inquires during our lunch presentation yesterday It will be hard to compete with competitors that are embracing technology, Don’t Be Scared
I am not a teenager, why do I need this? ----Your Customers Are Here and this is another way to connect with them Linkedin – - 45 Mil users -social networking, allows you to build a network and brand you and your company – your customers are here—we have created groups for Servers Facebook—300 mil users-need to have a presence, your customers are here-create a Fan Page for your company Twitter –-21 mil users one of the best tools for branding yourself as an expert, 140 character messages TweetLaw-Categorizes and Aggregates Legal Tweets, we launched this because our customers are here -Want to update on at least a weekly basis – what is going on with your company or industry…keep it professional
RSS – Realy Simple Syndications Share your Importnce Be Prepared to Answer the Questions: Why Do I need you? Why cant we use the Sherriff? What is your role in the legal process? Why cant we do this with mail or another way? Learning-Blackberry and books, structure day to be more efficient
Take it back to the office, add to it and give it to your employees