Lightning Labels Blog

Hearing From a Happy Customer

For those of you who read The Lightning Flash, our quarterly newsletter, you will know that we get a lot of unsolicited testimonials here at Lightning Labels. Well yesterday we received a wonderful email from a new customer. I don't normally share these, but this one delighted us so much that I wanted to share it with our blog readers:

I must say, I am so impressed and grateful for your incredible service.  Lightning Labels really does run circles around the competition, both in terms of service and quality of workmanship.  I've used two other label printing companies in the past 6 months and my experiences with those companies ranged from ordinary to downright unacceptable in terms of quality and service.  So, after receiving another set of 'spot on' press proofs today - and so quickly after placing my request - I decided that Lightning Labels shall be our preferred short run label supplier from this point onward.  Thanks and congratulations on such a fine job.

We strive to be the best digital label printer in the country, so it is gratifying to hear from customers like this. With all the hard work everyone does here, it is reassuring to hear such positive comments. 

The Personal Touch

There was an interesting post yesterday over at the Church of the Customer blog. The blog author made a purchase at a retail J. Crew store last year and she just recently received a handwritten card from the clerk who served her nearly a year ago. The card referenced the upcoming football season and noted that she remembered the author was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. A $10 gift card was included.

This is pretty impressive customer service from an $800 million company. It always amazes me that more companies don't do this sort of thing - it really isn't that difficult. And in today's high tech world a hand written thank you card has more impact than ever before. The irony is that with today's computer systems we know more about our customers than ever before, but rarely do companies get truly personal with their customers.

We have been using thank you cards for some time here at Lightning Labels. Even though we have some of the most advanced label printing equipment money can buy, we still like to keep a personal touch with our customers. After all, business is really about relationships between people.

The Customer is Not Always Right

There has been an interesting conversation going on the past couple of weeks over at the Happy at Work blog. It centers around the commonly held principle that "the customer is always right". Alexander Kjurelf, the Danish author of the article, argues that this old maxim actually leads to worse customer service.

By stating that the "customer is always right" you are implying that in any disagreement between an employee and a customer you are going to side with the customer. This can lead to an alienation of your employees which can result in lower employee morale and therefore worse customer service. In any business there are going to be very difficult people who are going to be unreasonable. The example given in the blog is a great one. A Southwest Airlines customer was continually complaining about the service she received and it was eventually brought to the attention of Herb Kelleher, the founder. He wrote a simple letter back to the customer saying, "Dear Mrs X, We will miss you. Love, Herb".

There is another old maxim that applies here and that is "you can't please all of the people all of the time." Some people are just looking for any reason to be displeased. If you can weed out these customers before they do any damage, you will keep your staff happy which will lead to better customer service.

Small Business can Beat Wal-Mart

John Jantsch over at Duct Tape Marketing had an excellent post yesterday about how to beat Wal-Mart. While I don't believe it is easy for any small business to defeat the largest company in the world it is certainly not impossible. As Jantsch points out, you don't try to compete with Wal-Mart on price, you probably won't win there. But you can definitely compete with them on service.

While any large business has some advantages over a small business, small business has just as many advantages of their own. For instance, I might read about a new marketing idea in the morning here; I talk it over with my partner and then I implement it in the afternoon. Try doing that at Wal-Mart. In small business we are also a lot closer to our customers, we are talking to them everyday. At Wal-Mart or any large company, the people making the decisions are several layers of management removed from day to day contact with their customers.

Customer service can be a huge advantage for small business. How many times have we experienced the run around when calling in to a large company. I called my local credit card merchant provider the other day (a very large company) with a problem and was transferred to a different person FIVE TIMES. I think that is my new record. While being a small business doesn't guarantee good customer service obviously, it does make it a lot easier to implement. Being able to listen and react quickly to customer problems is much easier in a small organization.

There are always going to be some people who are looking for the lowest price regardless of any other factor. I say let these people shop at Wal-Mart. We can look after the people who want a higher level of service and personal attention, people who appreciate the added value they receive from a small business.

Avoiding the Technology Trap

I love technology. Ever since my dad bought me a Commodore VIC-20 computer in 1981 (with 8k of RAM and only a tape drive), I have been hooked. After getting a computer science degree in college I thought I was destined for a career in the software industry. It didn’t work out quite the way I expected, but that technology background has always served me well.

Here at Lightning Labels we use technology in all aspects of the business. For a start our printing presses use cutting edge digital printing technology to print your labels. We use the latest prepress technology (namely Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark Xpress) to prepare your labels for the press. The software we use to run our business is a custom application I developed eight years ago, which is now showing signs of age. So, my partner Steve Smith (who also has a technology background) and I are planning an upgrade to that system using brand new software tools.

We use technology in our marketing. Our web site is our storefront that allows us to reach customers all over the world through the search engines. We use email to keep in contact with customers, and of course we use this blog as well. The beauty of today’s technology is that even a one person operation can compete effectively with their far larger competitors if they use technology well.

Of course, any business tool can hurt you if it is not used appropriately. As much as I love technology, I have seen many companies fall prey to what I call the Technology Trap. This is where companies fall in love with the cost savings that technology can bring and utilize it in all aspects of their business regardless of the impact on customers. I see large banks and the airlines as the worst offenders here with their incredibly complex automated phone systems and impersonal communications.

When it comes down to it most business transactions are about people and relationships. This is why we try and provide a personal touch to everything we do at Lightning Labels. When you call our office (between 7:30am and 6pm Mountain Time Monday – Friday) you will always get to speak to a person. One of our customer service reps will help you through all the steps of your label order. What we strive for is the right blend of the personal and the technological – old fashioned customer service with 21st century technology.

It is a mistake not to use technology to your advantage in your business. I believe it is just as big a mistake to misuse it. How are you using technology in your business?

The Customer is Always Right

Seth Godin, author of the several books on marketing including The Purple Cow has an interesting take on his blog today about this age old adage. We all live and die by our customers but how do we handle our problem customers? Particularly ones like these:
"What if the customer is an amnesiac, a jerk, a difficult blowhard badmouther? What if the customer is the sort that wears his LL Bean khakis for a year and then sends them back?"

This has been a problem for business for years. Most companies want to provide great service for all their customers but sometimes it just isn't possible. Seth's solution is:
"If the customer is wrong, they're not your customer any more. In other words, if it's not worth making the customer right, fire them."

I completely agree with this sentiment. I would add that by doing this you will be able to provide better customer service to your good customers. If you are interested read the complete post.