Access to accurate timely information is needed for every business or sales manager should a crisis occur. Business relationships can be improved and bad situations avoided by taking a proactive approach utilising comprehensive complaints history gathered in CRM Systems.

Top Ten Worst Customers Traits:

Deficient Documentation.
Customers that do not return documentation is potentially a sign of trouble in the future. Dates sent and returned can be a good indicator of support inside a customer. For example a client may be looking around for another supplier; non response to documentation is one of the first indicators.

Repeated Shifting of Needs and Unreasonable Requests.
This is where new requests are frequent and are out of scope or not agreed to. This pattern can be recorded in the CRM. As soon as this type of behavior is identified, take affirmative action. Often it's as simple as simply quoting the extras and making an offer that is tailored to the exact situation.

Coercive Urgency.
The Customer infers your business gave the wrong advice etc and corrective action is urgently needed. Poorly organised customers often make mistakes, the CRM system can derive why this is occurring. Often the same mistakes occur in the same products and services across a number of accounts.

Lack of Schedule.
This is a customer that changes the schedule with minimal notice. Customers will change priorities with short notice. Record and proactively seek confirmations using the CRM.

The Bully.
CRM can alert and provide quick information to counter brash statements and outrages demands. Personality information can be readily made available. Sales and service staff can have all the facts on hand to increase their confidence when dealing with a rude client.

Falsification.
Occurs when a contact inside the client deliberately covers a mistake by blaming your business. The first sign is receiving a call or email from a senior person expressing lack of service. Being able to provide written documentation quickly boosts your business chances of getting a fair hearing. Ability to quickly respond with accuracy is the key.

Complicated Accounts Payable Procedures.
Attention to detail and accurate reminders is the best way forward. Referring to details recorded in the CRM system can help accountability and improve communication.

Slow Accounts Payable.
Your business must have a credit collection process in place. Automated reminders and text to phones is essential. Businesses often plan which creditors get paid first. An integrated CRM system can save you time by having information stored centrally and automating the collections process.

The Disappearing Act.
Non paying customers should not be identified as customers. If a client is constantly moving then turning up again it's not a good sign that the relationship is healthy. Proactively track potential bad debts, identify the signs and take cautionary action.

Pressure not to deal with Competition.
Some clients will try to infer that the account may be jeopardised by dealing with a competitor. Record such concerns and ensure they are understood. Be neutral and maintain an air of efficiency, this type of complaint usually fizzles out. Never discuss other accounts with clients, it's important for all clients to feel secure.

Understanding the types of failures and being able to actively anticipate customers issue's will ensure your client retention rates remain high. Most difficult clients can be profitable if the business takes the initiative

One way of defining it is to say that Customer Engagement is that relationship a company has with its customers that transcends the sales transaction. It's an emotional bond whereby the customer demonstrates a real concerned to see the company do well in preference to others, and is prepared to assist in that process.

Let's start by looking at what it is not.

It is not 'Customer Satisfaction'. When a customer is satisfied then you know your company has done its job - but you know nothing more. What was promised was delivered, job done. But no relationship has been built.

It is not 'Customer Delight'. With delight the company has exceeded the customer's expectations, delivering greater value than expected. 'Delight', whist not 'Engagement' in its full sense, can be seen as a contributory factor.

It is not even 'Customer Loyalty'. As normally measured loyalty is defined in terms of repeat purchase patterns. Again, the relationship element can be missing, or poorly developed.

No, Customer Engagment is a subtle blend of many aspects of the emotional bond that is developed between members of the company and the individual customer. People like their voices to be hear and react negatively if not allowed to; just recall the cult 60's TV programme 'The Prisoner' and its cry of "I am not a number, I am a free man!"? Beware the tyranny of the CRM (Customer Records Management) system.

Why do you say that Customer Engagement is vital?

It's all down to the behaviour shown by engaged customers.

# They will recommend your company to friends and colleagues # They purchase from you almost exclusively # They offer feedback about your performance # They know how you operate and so are less expensive to service.

In short - if you have good Customer Engagement then you have a loyal band of customers who cost you less to service and who will go in to bat for you so helping to assure your company's future.

How can I measure my Customers' Engagement?

Measuring Customer Enagement has traditionally proved very difficult. Traditional customer surveys don't cut it. They can measure individual transaction feedback, or some attitides to brands or other marketing issues, but they do not get to the heart of the real relationship.

Focus groups get a long way. But focus grops are costly, and can only cover select groups of your customers.

Also, a simple measurement by itself is not enough. What use is a single number? It can tell you where you stand, and even measure progress (or decline) from one period to another, but you need information that tells you what you are doing well (so you can reinforce it) and what you are doing badly (so you can stop doing it or improve it).

Characteristics of a good Customer Engagement measurement system

When seeking a means of measuring your Customer Engagement there are several characteristics you should look out for.

1. Have a good 'reach' across your customer base. You don't only want to hear from the good ones, because you can learn some serious lessons from the poor customers too.

2. Be 'light touch', that is it should be easy to run, impinge little on day to day activities, divert relatively little of your daily activity from delivering good customer service.

3. A company and system that recognises that any changes will be driven from the top. The method you choose must appeal immediately to your Top Team - in that way you will know the results will provoke a move to action, and the necessary resources will be forthcomin.

4. Good supporting analysis delivered in a clear fashion. Complex graphs lead to finger pointing and 'I reckon' at the debrief. Clear analysis and well identified action points lead to consensus round the table and positive change.

5. Offers you the chance to improve your Customer Engagment. When you provide feedback to the customer participants then you are developing your whole engagement strategy.

Whatever method you choose, do not delay - the longer you wait the more you will have good customers slipping away from you.

Listen To The Client - The key thing to remember when dealing with the general public is that they may not understand your business processes or even care about them. When dealing with the general public either over the phone or face to face always remember to listen to what they are telling you. If you listen and take notes you will be in a much better position to help them and the fact that you are listening will win you brownie points even with the most difficult of customers.

Smiling when face to face or over the phone with a customer - Smiling is probably one of the most underutilised techniques when providing good customer service so always remember to smile. If a customer is faced with a customer service representative who appears happy because of their smile it immediately puts the customer at ease and will make the whole experience much more pleasant for both of you. When dealing with clients on the telephone always remember to smile as a smile can be heard by the client and will have the same effect as smiling when face to face.

Do what you say you are going to do - The biggest problem for customers when speaking with a customer's services department or salesperson is false promises. There is nothing worse from a client's perspective than being promised one thing and then it not happening. What will happen then is that the client will no doubt have to call or visit again and will probably be in a far worse mood and will probably complain. To ensure you can do what you say you will do, do not make any promises that you cannot keep. Always check with a line manager if there is something that you are unsure about. Always make sure you write everything down during your conversation that way you will not forget something later.

Deal with queries in a prompt manner - Nobody likes to be kept waiting so always try and deal with the query immediately if possible. If you can't sort it out straight away then ensure you inform the client of timescales and make sure you stick to them even if you have to ask for help. If for whatever reason you are not able to meet your promised deadline then do not forget to inform the customer. In the main people are reasonable and as long as they are kept up to date with your progress and informed before they have to call you then nine times out of ten they will be ok with a delay.

Know your products - Product knowledge is vital, especially if you are selling something. If you are knowledgeable about your product range then you can advise your customers properly on a whole host of areas such as the best products to go for, accessories that may work well with their chosen product or even things as detailed as product specifications. Whatever it is the client will have a better experience of your business if the customer service representative was able to provide lots of product information without having to refer to manuals or co workers.

There are many other areas that should be worked on to provide ultimate customer services but by following the above five you will be well on your way to reaching your ultimate goal of first class customer service.

COPING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE BEYOND THE WORDS

When working with difficult people you need to focus on powerful communication techniques. Most people react only to the words being used. These words are often highly charged and emotional and when you pay attention only to the words someone is saying, you become intertwined in a range of emotional reactions including anger, fear, stress, anxiety, frustration and more. You need to become aware of both the verbal and the nonverbal communication that is involved in dealing with people.

THE MOST POWERFUL ADVICE FOR YOU

The most powerful piece of advice for you in communicating is to listen both with your ears and with your eyes. How do you do this? Here are two communication strategies for you to use.

LISTENING FOR CHANGES IN THEIR TONE OF VOICE

Strategy 1. You have to listen beyond the words that a person is using and hear the tone of their voice. Ever have someone say they are not upset by what you did, but the tone of their voice told you the opposite? They sounded frustrated and angry. In reality, they were very upset. Their words said one thing but the tone of their voice said the opposite. Listen carefully then to their tone of voice.

LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES

Strategy 2. What does it mean to listen with your eyes? It means to focus on the body language in dealing with difficult people. You need to watch with your eyes the body language of the other person. This can make up over 80 percent of all communication. Have you noticed that the words used and the body language someone exhibits can be dramatically different? Again, the words the person they say is that they aren't bothered by what you did, but their body language shows clenched fists, clenched teeth and more. When you listen with your eyes and focus on the body language you will learn so much more about what that person really means when they are communicating.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER TO GET THE WHOLE PICTURE

When you pay attention to both the verbal and non-verbal communication you will be way ahead of everyone else who barely takes notice of what is being said. Few people put it together to get the whole picture in communicating with another person. Having the ability to do this is even more important in coping with difficult people. Why?

TESTING YOUR SKILLS IN COMMUNICATING

As dealing with difficult people at work or in your personal life they genuinely do disturb you. They really put your emotions into overdrive. The more worked up you are the more ineffectual you are in being able to pay attention, especially to the non-verbal communication of this other person. With such really difficult people, if you're able to concentrate on reading their non-verbals and hearing their tone of voice not only their words, then you're in much greater control.

UNEMOTIONAL AND CALM WITH ALL THIS

But you do need to remain as calm and as emotionally detached as you can. The more emotional you become the less able you are to pick up real communication that is happening beyond just the words. So strive to remain calm and focus on the communication process.

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE WITH CONTROL

You are then actually more in control of your emotions, not the difficult person. Because your focus has gone beyond the angry and insulting words that person is saying to other aspects of their communication

SKILLS OF COMMUNICATION FOR YOU

At every opportunity in dealing with people, but particularly with a difficult person aim to sharpen your communication skills. Go beyond the words to listen to their tone of voice and watch the body language they are displaying. Your focus is on the communication not just the person. You will gain insights into what they really mean. You will gain greater power over your own emotions and all communication in dealing with difficult people.

A QUESTION ON DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE AT WORK

In other written material you've talked about an array of methods to stay calm and cool down when working with difficult people. You brought up the method of walking off from a very challenging person when you are feeling yourself turning into a stressed out and an angry human being. Using this walk away method for your own stress management. Yet in dealing with difficult people at work there's a specific person you interrupts me every time I attempt to talk with them. I do in truth, want to walk away as it's driving me totally mad. But if I walk away whenever they interrupt me I, in all probability, would never come back and attempt to speak to them again. Do you have any additional advice on how I deal with difficult people like this person at work? What else can I do to remain calm and handle this interrupter?

WALKING AWAY TO CALM DOWN BUT ADD MORE

Great question from Maria. I'm certain a lot of other people would like more ideas as well. So here is an additional idea on dealing with people at work you are interrupters as you try to speak to them. You do still need to be driven to stay as calm and chilled out as you can. You do still need to walk away and find some space as you're feeling your stress levels climbing. Whether it's only into the adjacent room or a lively walk around the block, apply this time to cool off and focus on trying to think clearly again. Then you will be able to go back to attempt to speak to this person once more. Taking this time can mean the difference between staying really calm or losing control over your emotions in working with difficult people.

WORKING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE AND INTERRUPTING

However, besides simply swinging around and walking off from this person once you feel your stress levels climbing. Add this stress management and assertive communication technique when employing the walking off strategy. Prior to you walking off for a short time, you need to tell this demanding person why you're walking off. Make sure to sound as calm as you can and use assertive communication in working with difficult people like this.

WALKING AWAY AND WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY

Very clearly and calmly explain to them why you are walking away. For instance, you can say "Ann, I feel extremely angry when you speak to me in this way. I am going to walk away from you now and when I return I would prefer that when I speak, you do not interrupt me and wait until I have finished speaking before speaking yourself".

DIFFICULT PEOPLE AND SAY AGAIN

When you explain how come you're walking away then it conveys really clearly to this person how their behavior is disturbing you. You've explained this to them in a serene fashion and have walked off to allow you some space to calm down your emotions once more. But don't expect this person to instantly alter their behavior. This behavior is a communicating practice they've done so frequently for a long time. In working with difficult people like this person, you do need to be persistent and unrelenting. Be prepared to explain why and walk away often. Be prepared to do this as frequently as required until this person begins to alter their communication pattern with you.

WORKING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE AND TELLING THEM

So Maria, for each time this person interrupts you when you're attempting to speak with them, explain to them once more why you're feeling angry and upset. Explain to them once again why you're walking off. Tell them again about the changed behavior you would like to see from them once you return. Tell them clearly, concisely and sedately. Continue to tell them each time and be prepared to walk off each time until this person ceases interrupting you when you do speak with them.

YOU WILL GET THE MESSAGE THROUGH TO THEM

This rude person will ultimately get the message and have to alter their behavior in some way. They will certainly get the message, that if they need to communicate with you they will have to stop interrupting you. Otherwise you will simply walk away and come back later to try to communicate again.

WORKING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE AND USING THIS STRATEGY

Try this strategy when working with difficult people. Make sure you are firm, consistent and persist. You'll certainly reduce your stress levels and become much calmer. You'll also be more assertive with interrupters and working with difficult people in other situations as well.

1. Ask for the Business

The number one mistake most business owners make is not asking for the business. It is not enough to educate, inform and entertain your prospect. You must set out with a clear goal in mind and the determination to get to that goal. When your meeting is over, be sure to ask for the business.

2.Ask for Testimonials

A great way to attract more prospects to your business is through testimonials but many business owners fail to ask their current customers for a testimonial. When you are working with your customer invite them to provide you a written or video testimonial for you to use to attract others.

3.Ask for Referrals

Another way to grow your business is to ask for referrals. Chances are each of your customers know somebody who may need your services so why not ask them who you may be able to serve. Just remember to always follow up with a thank you gift for giving you the referral.

4.Ask for Feedback

Don't be afraid to ask for feedback. How can you improve your services unless you ask your customers for their feedback. The information you receive back will be invaluable to helping you strategize for the future and correcting any issues.

5.Ask How Else You Can Serve

Customer acquisition can be a large expense so find ways to keep your customers for life. Ask them what other needs or challenges do they have and find solutions to serve those needs. Too many fail to continue on their relationships simply because they are unaware of other opportunities so make it a habit to ask your customers how you can help.

Growing you business is simpler when you know how to ask your customers the right questions. They will become your best sales force and happy to promote you to others if you are truly bringing them value. Asking doesn't have to be complicated or scary and should be built into your normal day to day business practices. Make it a habit of asking these 5 important questions to your customers periodically and watch your business soar.