News Online Exchange - April 2012

APRIL 2012 ISSUE
JANUARY 2011 ISSUE APRIL 2012 BUSINESS NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2011 BUSINESS NEWSLETTER

News Online Xchange
serves to give up-to-date information on the products and services under the NMS brand, as well as
news involving the Web and Mobile industries.

? WHAT IS BILLING?
A customer billing is any kind of business event where a
business collects money from a customer for goods or ser-
vices provided. Lots of companies have customer billing service depart-
ments, and in some industries, customer service and customer billing go
hand in hand. Good customer billing practices and competent customer
service help build customer loyalty and retention, where a business keeps its
initial customers and thrives.

These days, lots of companies use customer billing software to issue informa-
tion about what customers owe. In many cases, customers will have ques-
tions about their bill, or they will want to change services or modify their
agreements to get lower charges on their bills. In these cases, good customer
service can help the business hang onto customers, and bad customer
service can drive them away. This is where lots of companies use skilled
human customer service agents to help deal with problem solving that will
eventually lead to customer etention.
(Continued on the next page)

New Media Services e info@newmediaservices.com.au
the Go-To company w www.newmediaservices.com.au

APRIL 2012 ISSUE

(from previous page)

Generally, the first part of a customer billing cycle is auto-
mated. That’s where a bill goes out to the customer for a spe-
cific amount. Where the human customer billing or customer service
individuals come in is when there is “feedback” on the automated billing,
where a customer picks up the phone and calls the company. Customer
service people will verify the identity of the caller and look at his or her
account to see if that customer is being treated fairly.

In addition to conventional customer service, customer billing agents sometimes play other similar roles in how the
business works. Many companies will authorize customer service agents to give out specific discounts based on
various criteria in order to satisfy a customer who is complaining about their bill. All of this may be handled on a statisti-
cal level by larger software programs that help business leaders identify what discounts or practices will help them keep
their customers.

The similarity between today’s customer bill handling and customer service environments shows how companies deal with customer
complaints. These kinds of setups also help customers who simply don’t understand their bill, or want to make adjustments based on changing
needs. Although a great deal of the process is automated, the best companies offer human agents without an extremely long wait time, so that
customers can still feel that they are being well served when they do have to talk to an actual person.

AUTOMATIC RENEWAL
Customer Service Or Sneaky Billing?
Automatic renewal is a neat feature for people who
offer a subscription service. It lets you bill your cus-
tomer automatically, usually on a monthly or yearly
basis, to renew the service. Automatic renewal has
become a way of life for many of us. You get monthly
bills from utilities, the Phone Company, and sub-
scriptions you have purchased.
What about the customer? Well, it can be great. Your
Technology has made automatic billing even easier. Now
bills are automatically paid in a timely manner so you
you do don't need paper bills or even email notification.
never have to worry about interruption of service.
Your payments can be automatically deducted from a
credit card or other account. But automatic renewal can easily be misused by the
vendor. A number of companies set their billing to auto-
Isn't this great? It's so convenient!
matic renewal when you first sign up for a service. This
Well, yes, it is great for the vendor. Paperwork is elimi- can be very convenient, especially if you are notified
nated and a steady stream of income is almost guaran- when billing occurs and have an easy way to question
teed. the billing or cancel the account.


APRIL 2012 ISSUE

When using automatic billing,
keep these suggestions in mind:
1 Make it clear to the customer, at the time of sale, that billing will be automatic.

Send automatic notifications to your customer showing each bill and payment information. Use
2 this as an opportunity to thank your customer and even to showcase new products and options
that they can buy.

3 Provide a quick, easy way for customers to reach your customer service group or function. This should always be done!

Give your customer a simple, easily found method to convert automatic payments to manual.
4
If your subscription renewal is yearly, or some other period longer than a month, make sure to let your customer know
5 that the renewal is coming up and will be handled automatically. Use this as an opportunity to sell additional

products/services or to remind them of the benefits of your service.

There is a 48% chance
that a happy customer
will spread positive
word of mouth.

Happy customers will
tell an average of 5
people about their
positive service
experience.

Every 3 happy
customers will bring
in one new customer
through positive
word-of-mouth
advertising.

78% of consumers have chosen not to complete a transaction
or purchase because of poor customer service.

86% company because of negative service experience.
of consumers have completely quit doing business with a

73% company because of a history of good service experiences.
of consumers have chosen to spend more money with a


APRIL 2012 ISSUE

What to Do About Refund Requests? Secure all information retrieved during the transac-

Do you just ignore it, leave it alone 5 tions. Always honor the privacy of subscribers. And
and hope it will go away? do not sell their information or accounts to spammers
Do you seek professional attention?
or other syndicates.
Do you ﬁght back or pay it back?
The return policy should be explained to subscribers
6 before they start with their subscription. Ensure that

customers understood the fact that a return is only

allowed when a list of conditions are satisfied.

There are two basic reasons why somebody will request a It is best that a copy of the return policy is published
refund. The first basic reason is because they simply change their mind 7 online on the company website. Verification emails
and decided that your product isn't what they wanted. The second reason is should also contain either a copy of the policy or just
a bit more malicious. Someone might decide that they want to keep your the link of the webpage that contains a copy of the
product for free without having to pay for it. As a result, they ask you for a policy.
refund. In both cases the person asking for a refund might be extremely

rude. Your reaction needs to be both professional and calm. What you need To illustrate and interpret the return policy, it would be

to realize is that there is no way to really salvage a professional relationship
8 nice to use the company blog. Post blog entries to

with somebody who is rudely requesting a refund. It is a bit of a fool's game inform subscribers about the return policy especially

to try to rationalize with these people. its limitations.

Here are some tips on managing a return request: To an ordinary man, a FAQ (Frequently Asked Ques-

If you charge a subscriber for a return, the processing fee should
9 tion) - format interpretation of the return policy is

1 be emphasized in the copy of the policy. This is to avoid irrelevant easier to understand. This enhances communication

disputes. Imposing hidden charges always results to bad publicity. and understanding between the business and

subscribers. Requirements to avail a refund is also
Consider offering credits, service swaps and other equal
better understood when the requirements are
2 exchanges to minimize cash refunds. However, this should only
itemized or numbered.
stay as a request and not as an order, unless the return policy
It should always be understood that a return policy is
states otherwise.
10 created to protect subscribers from human errors
Whenever you realize that a subscriber who is availing a refund committed by the business itself. It ensures that
3 has been aggravated by some company faults, try reaching out by customers receive the quality of service they want.
giving the subscriber simple gifts.

When there are return transactions, expect there are also return
4 frauds. These two exist with each other. Both can be lessened by

simple quality assurance checks before anything is sent to the

subscriber.


APRIL 2012 ISSUE

WHAT DOES
GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
LOOK LIKE?
Great customer service is achieved
by following a set of business rules.

How to provide unforgettable customer service:

1 3
Focus on customer 4
loyalty. Work to create Always be honest with your customers. Communi-
Focus on service.
loyal customers cate with your customers the way you would like
instead of just satis- Service is more
to be communicated to when you are the
fied customers. than a smiling face
customer.
and a pleasant
2 attitude. Anticipate
The customer isn’t 5
always right, but
your customer’s Educate your staff about your products and
they’re always the needs. Concen- services. Every hour of training is worth its weight
customer. Respect the trate on friendli- in gold. Noting can replace a well trained employee
precious input you ness, helpfulness, in the customer service process.
receive from your
and wait time.
customers and act
upon it.

Live Operators provide efficient, quick and 100%
satisfaction guaranteed service for your End-Users.

NEXT MONTH ON NOX: EMAIL SUPPORT & ESCALATIONS defined!


News Online Exchange - April 2012

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