Sep 26, 2018
There will never come a time when zero communication between businesses and their clients is acceptable. Naturally, it’s important for there to be ways to get in touch and interact in order to build brand loyalty. In today’s world, there are many different ways to communicate – social media being among the most popular. But, make no mistake about it. Short of a face-to-face meeting, there is still no better way to have a conversation than over the phone.
You can’t type as quickly as you can speak.
As Gregg Johnson of Harvard Business Review explains, there is simply no comparison to the live conversation. In terms of delivering a message, actual speaking (as opposed to typing) provides us all with the ability to communicate a lot more effectively. He highlights some indisputable facts about the delivery ability of speaking compared to that of typing or texting.
“As brands prioritize this digital experience, they often overlook a simple fact: communicating by voice is faster, easier, and more effective than typing messages back and forth,” writes Johnson, “Humans generally speak at 125-175 words per minute and can listen at a rate of up to 450 words per minute. In contrast, the average typist does 38-40 words per minute — and that’s on a full-fledged keyboard, not on a mobile phone.”
Consumers prefer genuine human interactions.
One of the reasons the telephone remains a top way to effectively communicate with customers is because conversations happen in real time. When a question is asked, it can be answered right away. Waiting several hours or even days for an answer has become the norm in the world of e-mail. This is generally considered unacceptable.
“Customers still love talking to a real human being, and they still hate complicated automated menus that take forever to get through to the person they need,” notes Arina on Casengo.com, “Although calling is still popular on its own, surveys find that 50% of customers choose to call if none of the other communication methods brought the desired result.”
Customers are calling more, not less.
We certainly wouldn’t suggest that you eliminate such modes of communication as e-mail and your social media accounts to communicate with members of your target audience. However, we would strongly advise that you place increased efforts on the ways in which you handle customer service over the phone. As Johnson reveals, today’s consumers are increasingly using the phone to have their problems resolved.
“Calls to businesses have significantly increased in response to the mass adoption of mobile phones,” he informs, “Filling out a form on a five-inch screen is a much clunkier experience than calling a business directly from a search result or a Facebook ad. According to the advertising and marketing advisory firm BIA/Kelsey, calls to businesses are expected to exceed 169 billion per year by 2020.”
Allow us to get on the phone for you!
The phone agents who are part of the TK Enterprises Inc. team have over 30 years of experience. For information about how our one-of-a-kind Event Marketing services can grow the relationships between your jewelry store and its customers, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
Sep 19, 2018
With the fall season officially getting underway this Saturday, there will be a shift in the way people approach their shopping routines. This is especially true for those who plan on shopping for jewelry. As all jewelers and fashion-conscious people alike are aware, the changing of the season brings about a changing of fashion sense. As a result, there are particular pieces you may wish to consider promoting in the weeks to come.
Here are three fresh jewelry marketing techniques for the fall:
1. Book a professional photo shoot.
There are few ways to better create an attention-grabbing marketing campaign than to post vibrant photos on your company website and social media pages. Taking pictures of your jewelry, however, shouldn’t be done with your smartphone. Hire a professional photographer to not only take the shots, but to design backgrounds that greatly compliment the pieces you wish to promote for the fall.
“Showing off your jewelry isn’t just a matter of having photos,” agrees Joy Gendusa on PostcardMania.com, “You need HIGH QUALITY photos to capture the intricate details of your diamonds and gems…Photos that clearly SHOW the quality and beauty of your jewelry will make your jewelry store marketing much more effective because prospects will instantly be able to SEE that you have something worth buying.”
2. Make heavy use of your social media accounts.
What good are beautiful pictures if no one sees them? As mentioned, your website should include an array of the photos taken at your recent shoot. But your company’s social media accounts should also play host to your eye-catching pictures. It’s well known that the majority of social media users greatly enjoy viewing and sharing photos. As Gendusa insists, “people LOOK and click when they see images!”
She goes on to reveal a number of very telling statistics about social media use: 79% of the U.S. population uses Facebook, 70% of Facebook users login daily and 75% of users take action after seeing an Instagram advertising post. “Social media is a FREE way to get your jewelry marketing out so people can see what beautiful items you have for sale, and you can drive clicks from social media back to your website,” Gendusa adds.
3. Make it all about customer service.
You can launch the most elaborate marketing campaign in your company’s history. But it won’t likely create the type of interest in your brand that genuinely enjoyable interactions can. Never forget to put the needs and wants of your customers first. Remember to treat them like people and not just means to potential sales.
“When a consumer is making a sizable purchase, be it a diamond engagement ring or a gold bracelet, they want to get the best product for the best price,” writes Nancy Friedman on FitSmallBusiness.com, “But they also expect the salesperson to not only be knowledgeable, but to provide superior customer service. Eighty-seven percent of customers share good experiences with others, and 88 percent are influenced by online customer service reviews when making a buying decision.”
At TK Enterprises Inc., we have a lot of experience working with North American jewelers and helping them to host in-store events that showcase their excellent customer service practices. Let’s put our knowledgeable team of phone agents to work for you!
For more information about our Event Marketing services, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
Sep 11, 2018
Today is a day that will forever live in infamy. Very sadly, for the past 17 years, we have all had no choice but to acknowledge September 11th as one of the most horrific days in modern history. Surely, no one who was around in 2001 needs to be reminded of the terrorist attacks that took the lives of more than 3,000 people at the World Trade Center in New York City and at The Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.
On behalf of the entire TK Enterprises Inc. team, we would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to each and every individual who lost their lives due to the tragedy 17 years ago today. We would also like to acknowledge the amazing individuals who put their lives on the line to save lives on that fateful day.
17 years ago today – on a Tuesday, just like today – a long list of heroes belonging to the police force and emergency medical services were called into action in a way they surely never expected. Needless to say, the day was life changing for them. So much so, that many of them would lose their lives in the months and years that followed due to cancer and respiratory illnesses that stemmed from their exposure to the wreckage and debris.
TK Enterprises Inc. would also like to send its sincere support and heartfelt well wishes to the friends and family of those who were so wrongly taken from this world on 9/11. There’s no way to properly put into words the heartbreak of those of who lost loved ones 17 years ago. Our very own Chief Executive Officer, Heidi Kaufmann is one of thousands who lost a cherished colleague on 9/11.
Last week, Heidi informed us of how she was working at BMO Nesbitt Burns in the Foreign Exchange Tower in Toronto, Ontario on the morning of September 11, 2001. When Heidi first heard of the planes flying into the World Trade Center towers in New York, her thoughts rushed to one of her managers, David Barkway. David was there visiting one the company’s clients. The impact of his passing continues to live with Heidi today.
“In the following hours and days, the chaos and evacuation in Toronto was overwhelming,” she recalls, “It was certainly not something we expected, nor did we realize how deep it would go or that it was a terrorist attack on our neighboring country and fellow clients, business partners and fellow employees. In the weeks after the attack, the company helped us with counseling.”
The TK Enterprises Inc. team takes pride in the unwavering connection between the nations of Canada and the United States. There is a love and support that extends beyond our borders that unites us all. It’s this unification that has prevented the terrorists from scaring our citizens from living happy and fulfilled lives.
“I used to worry about traveling to and from the U.S. on business or holiday,” Heidi confided, “I used to worry in an airport or at a large gathering. But then I realized that’s what terrorists want. They want to make people live in fear, and I for one will not allow them to have that kind of power over me.”
TK Enterprises Inc. sends everyone their best wishes on this very difficult of days. We will keep the victims of 9/11 forever in our hearts.
Sep 5, 2018
In the year 2018, we have more ways to communicate with each other than ever before. Between all of those social media platforms, messaging apps and our email accounts, it’s practically impossible to not stay in touch. There is something about all of those modes of communication, however, that lack a human quality. It’s hard to have genuine interactions when a message is sent and its reply could potentially take hours to appear.
A natural conversation, on the other hand, is one that can help two or more individuals get a true sense for what the other parties are talking about. Bonds can be made easier. And, of course, actual talking involves inflections, tones and gestures that help to better communicate messages. This is why the majority of your customers would much rather talk to you on the phone than use any of the above mentioned communication methods in order to receive customer service.
Studies show that customers prefer the phone.
It should come as no surprise that millennials enjoy using social media in order to keep in contact. However, even consumers who are part of the younger generation often herald the telephone as a top means of getting a problem resolved with a company. Edgar Maurice Rollon of Anderson Group offers some interesting statistics that speak to that point.
“In a survey by the Northridge Group, about 56% of respondents find communication through phones ‘easy’ and less complicated compared to other channels,” he reveals, “In the same survey, phone interactions produced the highest ratio of customer issue resolutions, with about 87% of the respondents claiming they got their issues resolved with the problems they raised through a phone call.”
Customers want the human touch.
What a telephone conversation can do that other modern forms of communication cannot is offer the opportunity for immediate back and forth dialogue. Questions can be answered immediately – not minutes later. This is likely why other research has found that the vast majority of consumers prefer that there is a “human touch” involved in the customer service provided by the companies they do business with.
On ContactCenterPipeline.com, Susan Hash reveals the findings of a global study released by Verint Systems, with support from Opinium Research and IDC. It surveyed over 24,000 consumers in 12 countries and polled more than 1,000 businesses. The study’s objective, she reveals, was to identify the right balance between digital and human customer service and whether consumers preferred digital or traditional channels.
“When the service request is simple, 22% of survey participants chose the phone as the most popular channel, while email and SMS tied for second place at 19% each,” Hash writes, “As service requests become more complex, reliance on human interaction increases. More than one-third (34%) of respondents said that they prefer to go in-store for answers to complex inquiries, while 33% said they prefer the phone. The highest-ranked digital channel was email with only 7% of consumers reporting that they use it to handle complex requests.”
Put our expertise to work for you!
At TK Enterprises Inc., we have over 30 years of experience offering the human touch to jewelry store customers. For more information about our one-of-a-kind Event Marketing services, please don’t hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-877-622-0195. You may also email us at heidi.tke@tomkaufmann.com or fill out the form on our Contact Us page and have someone contact you!
