These days, businesses can’t survive for long without great customer service. People have access to more and they expect more. And if they don’t feel they’re being treated well, they don’t hesitate to go to go somewhere else, according to Emily Ballance, a nationally recognized customer service expert.
Ballance will present a seminar — Secrets of Great Customer Service — at 2 p.m. Monday in the auditorium of BCCC’s Building 8.
The seminar is sponsored by Business and Industry Services Small Business Center at BCCC and the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce.
The seminar is free, however, to allow for the adequate preparation of materials, participants are asked to preregister.
“Today’s business owners and their employees have to constantly be on their toes,” Ballance said. “They must constantly be thinking about how to attract new customers, keep them happy and keep them coming back. Customer service and customer loyalty are more important than ever in this economy because customers know they can go somewhere else or online for products and services if they want to.”
“Keeping in close touch with customers is essential. So is getting their feedback and quickly making necessary changes in response to it,” she said. “In the seminar, we’ll discuss some of the typical reasons why customers leave and what you can do. We’ll look at customer service from perspectives and share stories — the good, the bad and the ugly. Participants will leave with skills to improve customer relationships, build customer loyalty and increase sales.”
Ballance speaks on business-related topics at small-business centers throughout the North Carolina community college system. She also presents keynotes on positive humor and workshops on generations, communication, leadership, networking and wellness at conferences, events and meetings across the country.
Ballance was recently awarded the certified speaking professional designation, the highest earned designation awarded by the National Speakers Association. Women in the National Speakers Association who have earned this designation make up less than 8 percent of its total membership.
To register, contact BCCC’s Business and Industry Services at 252-940-6375 or email Eva Peartree at evap@beaufortccc.edu.
For more information about other services offered by BCCC’s Business and Industry Services’ Small Business Center, including targeted seminars for business owners, visit BCCC’s website at  www.beaufortccc.edu/coned/Small Business/workshops.htm or contact Lentz Stowe, director of Business and Industry Services, at 252-940-6306 or Lauren Spruill, customized training coordinator, at 252-940-6311.