Have you ever phoned a customer service department only to receive an attitude rather than help? Not a pleasant experience! It is quite obvious that person on other end of phone is not pleased with his/her job. This has a tremendous impact on your customers!

When you reached customer service rep with an attitude, what did you think? How did you feel? Did you question your decision to buy from that company? All these things come into play when your customers don’t receive excellent service… especially from Customer Service Department.

The problem can be caused by a number of factors such as:

·lack of ability to deal with stress ·lack of sensitivity toward customers ·overbearing or threatening voice ·impatience ·critical thinking ·easily excitable ·lack of job satisfaction ·and others.

But how would you know this employee would respond that way after you hired him/her? Applicants always put their best foot forward during an interview. How can you see past smiles and polish to truly know this employee will perform well as a CSR?

Most people who are customer service oriented fall into two categories within a profile called DISC Behavioral Model. They are:

Influence and Steadiness

When you say word “branding”, most people think USP (unique selling proposition). However a USP is far from equivalent of a brand as we’re about to find out. What is branding? Is it just for “big boys”? And how heck do you create one, anyway?

Rob Frankel (http://www.robfrankel.com) has been called "the best branding expert on planet" and is author of "The Revenge of Brand X: How to Build Big Time Brand™ on Web or Anywhere Else", (available at http://www.revengeofbrandx.com). He now shares some insights with us that will shed a little light on branding mystery.

KARON: Thanks for your time, Rob. I know your schedule is packed.

ROB: You’re welcome!

KARON: Well, let's start with basics... everyone in world has heard term branding but it is still widely misunderstood. What is basis of branding and - more importantly - why should a business care about it?

ROBFRANKEL: Branding is THE most misunderstood aspect of marketing. Here's best example I can give. Just as you're more than a simple name and a face, a business is more than a name and a product. So a brand is as much way you do things as what you do.

A business should care about it, because THAT'S stuff that inspires loyalty and motivates people to evangelize brand. That's where money is, in more ways than you can imagine.

KARON: So for those who think branding is coming up with a USP and just plastering it all over everywhere... what would you say?

ROB: A couple of things: First, my own branding (Big Time Branding) is not about a USP at all. It's about a UBP… Unique Buying Proposition. THAT'S problem with almost all brands -- they concentrate on what they have to sell instead of why people want to buy. Also, many confuse branding with advertising and PR. That's because old ad hacks try to pass themselves off as branding people. Fact is, "First you build brand, then you raise its awareness."

The brand happens long before either advertising or PR… internally and externally.

KARON: Just like I might wear same jeans and t-shirt as another woman but I'm very different inside. It's that difference that makes brand.

ROB: Branding goes down to core. In fact, I have a Ubiquitous Brand Test in my book: "Are we doing it way?" If answer is no, you're not branded.

Here's another example: Can I send you $100,000 in cash?

KARON: Well of course you can!

ROB: I'd like to overnight it to you. Is that okay?

KARON: Sure it is!

ROB: Okay, but you have to pay for shipping... you want me to send it US Post Office or FEDEX or what?

KARON: FEDEX