Archive for Customer Service
Shekel and diming your customers in Israel
Posted by: | CommentsDo you shekel and dime your customers? Do you charge them for every little thing? Do you think your customers appreciate it? What if you did the opposite, give more for less. Show them that you care about their money. Then do you think it would make a difference?
One sushi place I know actually charges you less if you bring them your own tray. Now I don’t know how many people actually bring in their own trays or containers, but the fact that they offer that shows me that they care about my money.
Another take-out place has an item on their menu that if you want to order it for takeout they charge you a higher price because they want to make sure they have it in stock for sit-down customers. If it is such a popular item, why not have more? If I’m calling you as a customer, am I less important because I enjoy your food more at home?
How can you improve your offers? How can you go out of your way to stand-out from the crowd? What if you offered FREE delivery when everyone else charges? What if you through in a free item from your menu in the order or a bag of cookies with a note that said “Thank you for being our customer”? The cookies may cost you a couple of shekels, but the PR and Goodwill is Priceless.
Try it and let us know how it worked for you.
The absolute best way to recession proof your business in Israel
Posted by: | CommentsThe simple answer? Be The Best!
That’s really the best way to be resession proof. Just be the best at what you do. I was thinking about this when I was rescently talking to a web designer about a project and he was flooded with work with no end in site.
There was no need for me to ask him how he was doing so well when everyone else I know is struggling. The answer was that he was the best at what he did. Not only is he a remarkable designer, but he is extremely honest and a perfectionist. Everyone rants about how good his work is. Yes he is expensive, but you really do get what you pay for.
So take a look at your business. Are you the best? Is your restaurant the most clean? Are your sales people the most helpful? How is your customer service doing? Are you a purple cow?
If you are then you will not only survive this recession, but thrive! If not, then it’s time to rethink your business and I wish you bets of luck.
Store owners in Israel, please keep enough change in the register!
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This is Store Ownership 101. Always have enough change in the register for your customers. Now I can understand if someone comes to you for change and you don’t want to give it up because you need it for your clients, but there is really no excuse (unless you run out) not to start off your day with enough change in the register. It’s called a float.
Listen to this true story that happened to me today when I was shopping in Bet Shemesh. The first store I went too was to purchase an item for 18 NIS. Since I had just come from the bank I did not have anything smaller then a 200 NIS bill. The cashier told me that she did not have any change. As I was taking out my credit card I was thinking “Lady, I am giving you cash and you are turning it away”. After I gave her my credit card and she rang up my purchase she said to me, and I quote, “In the future please keep in mind that we have a 25 nis minimum to use a credit card”. Enough said.
The next store I went to I made a 39 nis purchase and again handed the 200 nis bill. This time they also asked me if I have something smaller and gave me a grunt when I said I didn’t so they reluctantly gave me change.
Come on people! How about a little customer service? Is it really so hard to make sure each morning you have a few hundred shekel in change? Take care of your customers since it is usually the little things that mean a lot.
Please call me back in 5 minutes with your order, my cell phone is ringing
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Imagine you call up a restaurant and you are in the middle of giving your order and the guy taking your order tells you that you should call back in 5 minutes because his cell phone is ringing. Chutzpa you would say? Unbelievable perhaps? Perhaps, but also 100% True. This happened to a very close friend of mine and he was simply flabbergasted.
So he called back in 5 minutes, but the line was busy. It took him 20 minutes before he got a live person on the phone and by that time they told him it would take an hour and a half to get his order.
Only in Israel my friends, only in Israel.
The Royal Garden Hotel in Eilat ~ Great Customer Service even in the winter
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So I met a good friend of mine in Shul this morning who mas MIA for a couple of days last week. I asked him where he was and he told me he took his family for a couple of days to Eilat for a mini-vacation. I asked him how it was and the main thing he could not stop talking about was the customer service of the hotel he stayed at called the Royal Garden. He said that even though it was winter and the hotel was practically empty that still treated him and his family as if it was peak season. But what he really said that impressed him most and really blew my mind is that one of his daughters lost her glasses at the hotel and they couldn't find them. On the way out of the hotel they told the front desk that if they happen to find them that they should call them. The next day the hotel called them 3 times to tell them that they hadn't yet found them, but ther were still looking for them. The second day they again called them twice to tell them that they have not given up looking for the glasses. On the third day after they left they called to say they finally found them and would be sending them to their home. Unbelievable! This is a story you would hear about some famous company in the USA not an Israeli hotel in Eilat! It would have impressed me if it was the Waldorf Astoria that did this and the client was the President Elect! Truly impressive and a hotel I will definately be staying in next time I'm in Eilat!
Black Pizza, The Opposite of Purple Pizza, always tastes burnt
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Those of you who read my post on Purple Pizza, this post is about the exact opposite. Black Pizza. Black Pizza is when you do absolutely everything you can wrong to disatisfy the customer and cause him not to want to do business with you again since there are other competitors that don't screw up as badly. (Do I sound Bitter?). Truth is the mistakes just made an hour ago are not as bad as I am making them sound, but it will be a while before I purchase from them again. The truth is they only made 3 mistakes.
- I specifically asked for the special spicy sauce that my team likes so much and the specifically didn't send it.
- The bottom of one of our 2 1/2 pies was compltetely burnt to the point that one of my programmers called it Shmura Matzah and asked me to get our money back
- I ordered 2 1/2 pies! They were so cheap that they took the 1/2 pie and put the slices on top of another pie in the same box! I am not kidding. Ok, they did have the sense to put some cheap plastic spread inbetween them, but come on! They knew we were an office since I told them so. Spend the extra 4 NIS for a 3rd box since we did spend 192 NIS with you!
Ok, I'm done venting, but I just wanted to point out how they could have done something special or atleast what was expected. Instead they lost our companies business for who knows how long and they won't even know it (no care if I told them) because I'm not going to tell them because they wouldn't listen to me anyway! Ok, now I'm done venting.
Doesn’t every day feel like this when shopping in Israel?
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It's all in the attitude 
Hyundai gets customer service, very happy with them
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When we bought our H1 it was the first time we not only every owned a Hyundai, but the first time we ever drove one. But we needed a large car for our growing family plus a place for a wheel chair for our special needs son and so we went with the H1. I have been known to be pretty heavy on the breaks with any and every car I have every driven and the H1 was no exception. Therefore, after about 5 weeks of my wife complaining about the awful sound the car made every time you steped on the breaks we finally decided to bring it in to the dealer in Talpiot and get it fixed.
Now I must say that we were not expecting a lot since this was Israel and this was a car dealer that we were not very familiar with, but I mist say we were very impressed. They have a nice lounge that you can sit in with news papers, magazines, free coffee, cookies, candy and water. Plus, because it was Chanukah, they had baskets of donuts ready for our taking. But we had to go into Jerusalem for a meeting and they actually called and paid for a taxi to take us to anywhere in Jerusalem we needed to go! After about 20 minutes since we left they called me on the cell phone to tell me exactly what the problem was and what it would cost and should they proceed. (It was the breaks, the drums, etc..)
They told me it would take another hour to fix and I told them to proceed. When we got back to the dealership they gave us our bill and I was ready to ask for a special Chanukah discount, but they had already beaten me to it! They had taken off 10% from labor and 5% of the cost of parts. They had no problem with me paying with Tashlumim and the whole experience I must say was very pleasant. To top it all of they called us two days later to make sure we were happy with the service and if we had any complaints about the way we were dealt with! This is unheard of in Israel and I must say that all in all I am very impressed with Hyundai. I wonder if other car dealers work the same way. Kudos to them!
Customer Service In Israel… Is there a word in Hebrew for Customer Service?
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The general attitude when going shopping in Israel or with any of the government services is that they are doing you a favor for having you shop by them or to get help from them even though the taxes we pay are one of the highest if not the highest in any "democratic" nation. In our customer service section of this blog we will highlight great customer service stories (they do exist) here in Israel as well as those stories which may make you twinge in horror while nodding your head up and down. Don't worry, for any of the bad stories we won't mention any names. We will also post ideas on how companies/businesses can make their customer service better. We will share motivational stories of customer service around the world to help inspire you. If you want your business in Israel to succeed and if you really want to separate yourselves from your competition, you will make your customers scream out in joy for how well you take care of them. It is one of the real secrets to success in any business.
