Online Business Blog

Road to Rainbow. PHOTO

eastes — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:36:00 +0000

Results from Usability test

eastes — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:24:00 +0000

I hired a professional usability tester to make a booking and give feedback. I asked 3 simple questions.

1.Were you able to book and cancel without any issue?

2. If this wasn’t a test, would you have made a purchase? Why or why not?

3. What could have been improved upon?

Here are the results…

(1) Were you able to book and cancel without any issue?

Step 1

very straight forward there was no confusion on what to do. I have inputted my details and searched

Step 2

I would like to be able to sort and filter the results by car brand, if I felt more comfortable driving a particular car for example.

Also a rating from previous users would be very helpful, and maybe a ‘top pick’ from the website which could tell me which is the most fuel economic car (seeing as fuel is one of the most expensive outlay to renting a car)

I like the fact when I hover over the fields I am shown an example of the car.

The sorting by price is very quick and responsive.

I have sorted the result by price and chosen the cheapest rental option

Step 3

everything here is straight forward

the only thing I would like to see on the page is maybe the price in my home country currency

also there is no mention of the next process in terms of paying, ive never booked a rental car before so im unsure how and who i pay?? So i would like some information regarding that before i booked.

Cancelling

I have booked the car and will now go to my bookings page as this is where I think I would go to cancel my booking

I have logged in to my book and the first button I see on the page is cancel, excellent

I clicked cancel and confirmed, it appears my booking has been cancelled

I have yet to receive an email confirming this, I would like an email confirmation as it seems a bit too easy to cancel my booking and I just want to make sure its gone through.

Apart from that, its one of the easiest booking and cancelling systems I have tested, really nice and easy.

(2) If this wasn’t a test, would you have made a purchase? Why or why not?

I would of been happy to make a purchase, though i wasnt too sure how i would pay, and WHO i would be paying, also after booking i was not told what to do in the confirmation email….do i print this out and give it to the rental company when i arrive etc?

That is the only reason why i would of not made a purchase

(3) What could have been improved upon?

· More information on cars

· reviews and ratings of car

· allow users to sort cars better (4 door, 2 door, AC, etc)

· categorise the cars into various groups (most fuel efficient, most luxurious)

· include website reviews telling users what cars are the most fuel efficient, luxurious etc

· Tell users what the payment process is before and after they book

· Include a confirmation email to tell users they have cancelled the booking

Customer Service

eastes — Fri, 07 May 2010 00:08:00 +0000

Wanted:
Dead or Alive
Customer Service
Reward
My Business

As I stood in a rather long supermarket line on the weekend looking at the rather depressed looking emo child who obviously was being held there by shackles around her ankles, I began to think about customer service. From the expression on her face, this poor urchin must be here as a punishment for some heinous crime against fashion but No I can t remember Coles having a corporal punishment policy. Oh this is the new customer service, “Customer Service Lite”.
As I approached the front of the line Im sure the poor trapped being grunted at me. Maybe this was her method of communication. How cruel to force this poor child into such awful work. Hang on she is being paid to be here and its her choice. I scratched my head, sighed.
I spent 16 years working in the Hospitality Industry but have always held positions that are related to Customers. I began to think about the old days….. back when Customer Service was King.

The Greeting

How nice is it to walk into your favourite café, corner store or bar and have one of the staff acknowledge you by name. A simple thing that really makes an impact. We all like to be remembered especially when you intend to spend money with a business. Further to this is having your regular order remembered. I used to have a customer who would every day stop in for a takeaway flat white and a fresh muffin hot from the oven. After the first month I would anticipate his arrival and have his order ready to go for him. These small steps have ensured a customer for life. This principal begins with a simple hello and warm smile and moves into the extra steps you can take once your first time customer becomes regular.

Eye contact is also appreciated. Especially if it hasn’t been filtered through a screen of black hair.

Total cost to business $0.00 Total cost to customer service staff $0.00 Total Gain 1 Customer for Life + Word of Mouth

Listening

Its not their fault but sometimes customers honestly do not know what they want. Every day we consumers are inundated in advertising so some confusion maybe present. As exceptional customer service agents one of the super powers that we need to have is the power of Reading between the lines. This will help the customer make the right choice.
During a conversation a customer will say many things that are not spoken. This combined with your exceptional product knowledge will ensure you dazzle your customer while providing the service they truly need.

Know your Audience

In addition to the art of listening is the skill of knowing your market. Who is this person standing in front of me. This is not only restricted to musicians and actors but is one of my favourite Customer Service Standards.
By simply adjusting the manner in which you approach a customer can determine a customers satisfaction and loyalty.
In the space of a day you are in contact with so many personalities that you need to adjust the delivery of your product to suit. I can be very cheeky on the phone and I love to have a good laugh with my customers. Not all customers will respond well to this and just want the facts in as little time as possible, while others will have the time.

Random Acts of Kindness

One of my favourite things to do when looking after my customers is the Random act of Kindness. I have had so many different reactions to this from over the moon to moved to tears. I personally would pick one guest a day to go above and beyond for. One example of this was from when I worked in a hotel and some customers were heading off to a theme park the next day with there two children who were both under 10years of age. I made up a lunch box with water bottles and juices boxes and nibbles to take with them with compliments of the hotel. When I saw them the next day after they returned from the outing The mother hugged me thanking me for the drinks saying that the day was so hot and the lines were so long at the food and drink outlets that the water that I packed saved the day. Small steps for a Huge Impact.

Reward

After using a service or product for a certain amount of time I personally like to be acknowledged. This allows the customer to know that we do care about who and how they spend their money in the business.
By using the above principals you will automatically reward because you know the value of that customer.

To wrap this all up
Treat your customers how you want to be treated

As I waited for the total (not realising that I now need to divine this for myself as my poor captive check out attendant didn’t posses the power of speech)(Speech came back the moment another captive of the cruel Coles system was shackled into the small box beside her. Her speech returned and she presented me her back and her adventures from the weekend) money in hand I thought about the cool isles of Woolworths and how next week I would not be lining up to be ignored.

Every person who has spent money on goods or services is a Customer Service Expert. We know what we want and how to get it and with the amount of choice in products and services that are out there today, the ones who understand and care about their customers will be here tomorrow.

A bucket full of Ugly

eastes — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:44:00 +0000

I will say it again I am not a rev head.
I appreciate vehicles for there practical get you from A to B feature. I can also appreciate clean lines and comfortable interior. But that’s about it.
While surfing the net in the name of research I found the above link for the 10 most ugliest car in the world and I have to agree that indeed they are some ugly cars.
At least these pictures make my 1996 falcon look like a European
ENJOY

UGLY LINK

Happy Easter

eastes — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:39:00 +0000

From all the team at VroomVroomVroom we would like to wish you a happy safe and chocolaty Easter.

Enjoy your time with Family and friends and drive carefully!!!

Rachie

Clean Green Crusing Machine

eastes — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:12:00 +0000

The gentle rocking of the ship, the fresh air and the clear blue ocean. Cruising is one of the most popular forms of travel through out time (just ask the Vikings). In the last decade Cruising has enjoyed renewed popularity with more and more people seeing the advantages of holidays where your hotel room moves with you and only having to unpack once.
If you are interested in cruising I would suggest having a look at www.cleancruising.com.au. Here you will find extremely well priced cruises all over the world and the option to make your cruise carbon neutral.

New Competition for VroomVroomVroom Newsletter

eastes — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:11:00 +0000

For those who regularly get the VroomVroomVroom newsletter you may have noticed that we have changed our monthly competition. We are asking you to get a little creative and tell us about your favourite place. 50 words that will tell us why its your favorite and we will then publish the winning entry on the website. So far we have had some fantastic entries and we would love to see some more.
The prize for this burst of creativity is different too this time we are giving you a choice!!!
1 8g iPod Nano
or
10 Movie Tickets
or
$200.00 Car Hire Voucher

Join up to our Newsletter CLICK HERE

Look out for other cool prizes and giveaways VroomVroomVroom will be running throughout the year

Its all about the drive

eastes — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:29:00 +0000

Ever sat and watched the guys on ‘Top Gear’ and thought how they have they best job on earth. I do and I’m a girl who really isn’t into cars. But they look like they have so much fun. And the cars look brilliant.

Until this year it has been impossible to hire the New Mini Cooper or a Lexus or even a Mercedes in Australia but the good folks at Hertz have remedied the situation introducing the new Prestige Collection & Fun Collection. Featuring the Mercedes Benz CLC and C200 the Lexus RX 350 SUV and the zippy Mini Cooper S Cabrio. Now you can have as much fun driving these beautiful machines.

For Further details about this fantastic range please contact the Customer Service Team at VroomVroomVroom

Introducing Fail Blog

eastes — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:36:00 +0000

I blame our old Marketing Guru Andrew or the time I waste at work on Fail Blog. I also have a lot to thank him for. Fail Blog is an instant pick me up and a cure for “3.30istis”
If your having a bad day simply go to failblog.org or join there fan page on Facebook and sit back and feel your smile broaden as simple people do “simple” things that are caught on camera.
Enjoy

EASTER BUNNIES

eastes — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:17:00 +0000

For all those out there taking or planning on taking a trip over the Easter break this is just a friendly reminder to book early. This is one of the busiest weeks in the travel industry and all classes of vehicles tend to sell out along with the extras like GPS. 8 Seater vans like Tarago and Imax sell out up to a month in advance so if you are traveling in a group its best to arrange your transport asap.

VroomVroomVroom is the best way to arrange your vehicle as you DONT pay up front, Your quotes and confirmations are instant and there is a Customer Service team that is friendly and willing to help (if I do say so myself) by email or over the phone Mondays to Fridays.

(BAD PUN ALERT AND AN APOLOGY IN ADVANCE FOR THE BAD PUNNING)
So hop to its and don’t be an Easter Bunnie this Easter!!!!