Remember when you were trying to think of an awesome corporate gift for your special client? Well, Romain Jerome thinks he has created the perfect gift item, but the only problem is it costs between $7800 to $173,100 dollars! The Titanic DNA watch is made out of the steel from the doomed ship and the face is painted black out of the coal recovered from the site. I must say, it’s a pretty sweet watch, but why not buy 25 Fossil watches with your company’s name imprinted on them for an 1/8th of the price? Sound like a good idea? Awesome.

Sitting at a phone all day and taking orders from customers who are in assorted moods can be a demoralizing job. Customer service representatives deal with customers who do not know what they want, customers who want what they cannot get and at times, customers who are unaware of what a business actually sells. These various factors make customer service a difficult profession.

Representatives who answer the phones for your business, however, may be more important in the public’s viewpoint than anyone else in the company. When customers call a promotional products and corporate gifts company, they should be treated in a respectful manner.

Problems come in various shapes and sizes. Customers can be disappointed that the spacing on the 100 cups they ordered is not wide enough or that the seat cushions they purchased are not the correct hue of red. Each of these issues, no matter how small or trivial they seem, are important.

Every issue a customer service department deals with should be done so with care and honesty, that-as cheesy as it sounds-comes from the heart or at least the heart of the company. In the article “Communicating with Credibility” on EmergingLeader.com, Christine W. Zust said, “When a message is communicated from the heart, it is more believable.” Zust said that leadership that deals with and accepts full responsibility for their words and actions from the beginning are the most successful.

Another definite way to lose a customer is if your company customer service representatives have an air of indifference. In the article How to Enhance Customer Service in the e-magazine Customer Service Professionals, Bill Gessert, president of TeleSolutions Consultants LLC, said, “68% of customers who stop doing business with you do so because of a perception of indifference. If customer service is not your passion, it will be for your competition.” Indifference or a lack of enthusiasm is something to avoid; don’t let it bring down your company.

The last thing that should be maintained by customer services and a company concerns employees who think of the ideas a company presents. This does not directly pertain to those answering the phone, but it does concern those who write the company’s newsletters, emails, blog, and those who come up with and design the products the company sells. A monthly newsletter that goes out to customers and gives them new market trends, product ideas and special company discounts can help a customer feel like they are in touch with a company. In the article “The Keys to Delivering World-Class Service” in the e-magazine Customer Service Professionals, Jay Lipe said, “In a recent study by Jupiter Research, 33 percent of all Internet companies surveyed took three days or longer to get back to customers that had e-mailed for help.”

Customer service is a department at a company that should not be ignored. Merely hiring someone who has the ability to pick up a phone is not enough to maintain and build a customer base. Hiring people who have the ability to maintain an honest message, having employees who care and who are able to interact and assist customers with specific products and interact with a customer will.

With so many promotional products and corporate gifts to choose from, how does one make a decision? The labyrinth of promotional possibilities can be figured out through these easy steps.

First, one should recollect what particular industry they are working for. No, I am not insulting your intelligence by asking you to remember what building you go to from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday; I am asking you, however, to really focus and think about who the people you serve and work for are. Do they sell products from a phone or travel around a community? Do they provide a service or a product? Do they teach or are they taught? These simple details can help you provide the appropriate gifts for these people.

Second, make your gift something memorable. Give a nice wine set or food basket to the president of a company or present office workers with a bag of office supplies, a stress ball and a bag tag. Make sure the promotional items or gifts are things the gift receivers will actually use. Unique gifts and products are something that everyone at the very least can appreciate.

Last, remember you are trying to make an impact with the items you are giving. Something that you just randomly pick out from a Web site will not go over well. Talking over ideas with a company’s client service department can help you pick and create the perfect item for your employees or clients.

These three simple steps should help at least get you started in the promotional products and gift giving game. So go out there, look around, and call us if you need any help!

Heather asked: My husband is a dentist and this year marks the practice’s 10th anniversary. We are looking for a unique way to promote our business. Something we can advertise/promote to draw new patients, thank our current patients, etc. A huge anniversary party would be great, but the budget won’t allow for that. Any ideas? I am not familiar with blogs, so if you could email me I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi Heather,

Thanks for the question! Of course I have some innovative gift ideas for you! Let’s see. You say your husband is a dentist, so you probably already have dental hygiene products with the practice name. Without knowing the exact budget you are working with, I can give you a wide range of ideas. I’ll give you some simple thoughts for a start and save my crazy proposal for last.

The first item you can order will be enjoyed by both new and existing patients. You can purchase a stress ball in the shape of a tooth or toothpaste container with your choice of color and font with something funny like, “Don’t get stressed about visiting the dentist.” Silly, but different and fun! We have multiple products that would be perfect to give your husband’s hard-working employees at the office. If you are thinking of holding a small get together, you could give them the glass that their beverage comes in. Here at AbInk, we have a variety of elegant glassware, such as Champaign flutes and wine and martini glasses or classy drink ware, such as mugs and cups that we can print the dental practice’s name on.

Ok, I warned you about the craziness. To promote the dental practice to new patients, you could send them an item out of our unique promotional products section. Our green tea sampler is simple and stylish, but you could catch a person’s eye by printing a promotional slogan on it, like, “Enjoy the tea and come in for 20% off bleaching!” I know, I know. It’s a little out there, BUT, I am relatively certain that I have never seen that promotion done before.

If none of these ideas work for you or you would like to hear more, go ahead and call 866-618-3471 to talk to client services. We have more products we can tell you about! We can also discuss the number of items, the color and font size you would like. Feel free to write anytime! I just love enlightening everyone with my ideas.

Thanks!

Abby Ink
The Promotional Products Professional

Editor’s note: Abby Ink is our resident Promotional Products Professional. She answers all questions and requests for ideas via email and selects some for publishing in this regular column on the blog. You can ask Abby a question using this form.

It’s almost here. On June 29th the iPhone will hit the market and revolutionize our mobile experience for $499 and whatever the cost of AT&T’s service plan. You won’t be able to chat on it, but you will be able to manage your AT&T account through iTunes. You can view a memo being sent to AT&T representatives at BoyGeniusReport.com

It will be interesting to see what kind of accessories this thing will have.