Customer Service Tips to Set You Apart

Unfortunately, in most businesses, customers have come to expect poor service.  That is a good thing for companies like Relocation America that are pro-active and use their high level of customer service as a tool for attracting and keeping clients.  Here are some tips to implement and remind your company of daily to help concentrate on providing great service.

Friendliness

While marketing materials can promote your business, the real test comes with the first connection.  If you are not coming across as a friendly voice to your clients and transferees the chances of getting to the next level of a business relationship and/or exceeding their expectations is greatly diminished.

Communication

The inability to pick up the phone and deliver news whether it be good or bad  can tarnish any business relationship.  The reality is that the quicker you communicate with a client, the better for everyone involved.  The stress of having to make the call is eliminated, a sense of belief that you can be trusted is developed and your ability to build on your actions as a good and trusted partner in their success is started.  Often times, simply communicating reduces the sting of bad news.

Listen

To be a great listener, you have to be willing to engage in active listening.  Really pay attention.  Sometimes, a customer does not want a response from you and they certainly do not want an explanation.  What they want is to know that you will be quiet and let them voice their concern or frustration.  They want to know that you understand that they may not always be right, but they are always the customer!  Learning to respond correctly is another learned skill but with a little empathy and a willingness to let a customer speak fully and completely before trying to solve their problem, will go a long way in learning how to help.

Exceed Expectations

Always exceed expectations! It takes effort to actually do what you say you are going to do.  If you do not mean what you are saying or are not capable of actually complying with what you are saying – DO NOT SAY IT!  What if you simply did a little more than the customer expected?  How far would that go in helping you make a positive impression?  In today’s business environment, with so much competition out there, you really need to set yourself apart from the pack.  It’s vital that you get everyone in your organization on board to achieve this standard whether you are a tiny company or have a lot of employees. People have gotten so used to receiving “OK” or “good enough”, that they will always remember this type of service. Go the extra mile. It will pay big dividends.

Smile

You would be surprised at how easy it is to determine your mood over the phone.  A client can hear your smile or your frown or your smirk or general lack of interest or your undeniable enthusiasm.  Your mood and your words should match.  If you want a client or a potential customer to believe in you – especially from a distance, then you have to earn their trust.  Don’t fake it.  Simply make sure that your excitement and desire to work with that customer is matched by your words and your attitude.

May 2012 Michigan Real Estate Update

After watching the market numbers over the past 12 months, a solid (positive) pattern has been set that appears to be spreading across the nation. The housing market, for all practical purposes, has shifted from a Buyers Market to a Sellers Market. In the five-county Southeast Michigan market, 84% of all sales are homes that have been on the market less than 90 days. These homes are well priced and in the best condition, but also only represent 30% of the homes for sale, which means 84% of all buyers are bunched together chasing 30% of the available listings. With a limited supply of desirable homes and increasing buyer demand, good things are starting to happen for sellers, the most important of which is appreciation. (The Northwest Michigan market is about 6-8 months behind SE Michigan so the inventory numbers are not as dramatic, but the same improving patterns are still evident.) 

Corporate Challenges Regarding Expanded Mobility Capabilities

Is the Internet a fundamental human necessity? Is a workplace with flexible mobility policies as valuable as salary? 

2012 Corporate Relocation Survey

Atlas Vanlines just released the relocation industry’s longest running survey; their 2012 Corporate Relocation Survey. This is the 45th year the study has been conducted with invitations to participate in the survey being sent to selected relocation-related associations and human resource/relocation contacts.

The good news coming out of the survey is that nearly half of the companies surveyed indicate the number of employee relocations increased in 2011 over the previous year. 

April 2012 Michigan Real Estate Update

March 2011 was an unusually strong month, so it is not surprising that we did not top it this year. As the percentage of short sales grow, pending sales will outpace actual closings since there is a higher fall-through rate for short sales. The more significant number from this point forward is the average/median sale price, since much of the market gain will be in rising values. If available home inventories remain tight, in ensuing months we may even see a slight decline in the number of homes sold as we simply run out of homes to sell. That trend, however, should not last long because it will cause values to rise and more homes will be released to the market.

Directed home buyout offers

According to a recent corporate relocation survey by Atlas Van lines, housing/mortgage concerns continue to be the top reason for relocation declines.  To try and mitigate these concerns some employers may consider making an offer to purchase an employee’s home at a specific price or deviating from standard  appraisal parameters. On the surface this may seem to be a way to provide financial support without incurring taxable income to the transferee, however, this is not the case.

Don’t let your transferees come up “short”

A short sale is when a lender agrees to allow a mortgaged property to be sold for less than what is owed on the mortgage.  Short sales bring many advantages to the table that foreclosures do not. Attractive selling prices, better conditions, access to information about the home are just a few worth mentioning.  When counseling your transferees on the purchase of a short sale property it’s also  important to go over the pitfalls of entering into a short sale sale agreement with a seller.  This could save him/her a tremendous amount of time and aggravation.

• The price you see advertised, in many cases, has not been approved by the seller’s lender…meaning that you may never be able to buy the house at the advertised price.

• In a short sale the transaction normally needs to be approved by a “third party”—the bank. If they decide to accept less money they are actually embracing the loss of capital for its company and share holders. This is not something that happens easily.  Many never get approved & end up at the foreclosure auction & then usually go back to the bank.

• One of the first questions your transferee should ask is whether there are two mortgages on the house.  Every third party entity that has a financial stake in the house has to agree to the short sale. If the sales price of the home won’t pay off the second mortgage, that lien holder may not get paid and can block the sale.

National Foreclosure Settlement Update

After more than a year of wrangling the nation’s five largest banks have reached an agreement to settle charges of abusive and negligent foreclosure practices. The initial complaint was brought forth by a group of state’s attorney generals who claimed banks lost important paperwork and enlisted robo-signers to attest to facts on hundreds of documents a day. The unprecedented joint agreement is the largest federal-state civil settlement ever obtained.

2012 Global Benchmarking Survey

In January, an online survey was sent by Worldwide ERC to HR global mobility professionals who were either located in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, had attended a past Global Workforce Summit in EMEA, or were registered for this year’s Summit in London.

Nearly 50 HR/mobility professionals responded to the survey examining issues including talent management, mobility policy and
practices as well as the challenges faced when moving employees into the various regions in EMEA.   The results of the survey have now been published and can be accessed by clicking on the link below.

2012EMEACorporateBenchmarkingResults

The Return of the Traditional Home Sale Benefit program

Employees who are being relocated typically say the most stressful challenges during the process boil down to two: selling one house and buying another.  Many companies attempt to reduce the stress of the first challenge by offering either a guaranteed buyout or buyer value option program.

With the recent downturn in the housing market it seemed as though clients and prospects we spoke to were turning away from traditional home buyout and bvo programs.  The risk of sales falling out, high carrying costs and larger than expected losses on sale was simply too great to ignore.  The market was a moving target headed in the wrong direction during the early days of the market decline.

It is well known within the relocation industry that a well managed traditional home sale program is still more cost effective than a direct reimbursement program.  This message however was getting lost amongst the negative headlines surrounding the housing market.  Some clients were prepared to trade some employee satisfaction for zero risk tolerance.  What resulted was a stressed out transferee who became grumpy at the prospect of having to carry their old home for longer periods until a buyer was secured.

Thankfully with the housing market finding a bottom and poised to make a comeback I’ve noticed more clients/prospects question their direct reimbursement programs and contemplate returning to a traditional BVO/home buyout program. The cost of grossing up direct home sale reimbursements can add considerable costs to corporate relocation packages. Tax gross up can increase taxable relocation costs by 45% to 55% or more.

The conversation on switching to a bvo/guaranteed buyout program should get louder as unemployment continues to decline and competition for talent grows.  No longer will it be enough to just cover the expense of selling a home, transferees will begin to demand that they be relieved of the burden of their home as soon and quickly as possible.

If you are interested in new solutions for your homeowner transferee population click here or leave a comment.  I’m also interested to know whether any of your clients/prospects are considering moving away from direct reimbursement.