Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn                                                                         Argo Marketing Group | 06-27-2014 | Vol.11 
Your Online Reputation:
Why It Matters and What To Do About It

Simply put, a business's online reputation will make or break its brand.  Today's consumers are using online reviews, word of mouth through social media, and other online content such as blogs to form their assessment of companies. If consumers investigating a brand online find positive feedback from their peers, they will be much more likely to buy.  If the same consumers instead find negative content online, it will kill the sale.  Your online presence will either significantly enhance your brand image and increase revenue, or it will decrease revenue and sour that image.  Read more to learn how brands can protect, clean up, and advance their online presence.



Recent Articles

Acquiring new customers is expensive.  Businesses invest a significant amount of resources and up-front costs into customer acquisition, and it's critical that those customers be attained.  When new customers attempt to make a purchase but their credit card declines for varying reasons, it's a lost sale.  Having a solid customer retention program for your campaign in place saves this revenue.

Setting superior standards for customer service is critical to the success of any customer engagement center. Over its 10-year history, Argo has refined its training program to continually elevate the skills and sensitivity of its customer care agents. The relationships these agents foster with customers are key to the brand loyalty that is critical to any company's sustained growth.

 
 
Industry Insights       The Expert's Corner

 



Quality and service levels work together, according to ICMI.  Better quality is key to a better service level.

 

More evidence from Call Center Week

shows that social customer care creates opportunities to delight customers.

 

 

77% of consumers use more than one channel when seeking service, according to this blog entry by Fonolo.



Customers still prefer phone support over other channels, and 68% say it's because it allows for the most thorough answer. More information on this here.


Your business should be anticipatory, sophisticated, visionary, and proactive to secure longevity, according to this article in Forefront Magazine.

Argo interviewed Drew Padnick, the EVP of Business Development at CardReady, about all things merchant processing.

 

Argo: What advice do you have for clients who offer trial-based campaigns?

 

Drew Padnick: Trial and particularly continuity merchants have very specific challenges.  Because their billing methodology is more complex than an average merchant, it creates greater opportunity for consumer confusion and/or dissatisfaction.  Moreover, these merchants can at times receive many consumer complaints resulting in greater scrutiny from consumer protection agencies and their merchant processing vendors.  Many times they suffer from challenges related to chargebacks as well.  Ultimately, the best advice I can give them is that they should consult with their merchant processor very specifically about their business and what structures and/or precautions they can take to accept payments safely and without interruption.  A good merchant processor with experience handling trial-based campaigns should have a wealth of knowledge benefitting the client.

 

Read the full interview here.

 

What's New at Argo? 
 
Relay for Life in Somerset
 
Argo's Pittsfield Center raised $871 in just 2.5 weeks through cash donations and a 50/50 raffle, which was won by a new hire class who all pitched in together for tickets and then donated the winnings back! See photos here.
  


Government Solutions, Political Advocacy
 

Argo has announced two new service verticals: Government Solutions and Political Services, which will both provide innovative, technology-focused inbound and outbound services. Argo Government Solutions was developed to connect government divisions with citizens and to manage our growing list of government contracts.  Argo Political Services was created to handle all of Argo's political accounts
.  With a rapidly increasing number of ways to connect online and offline, political campaigns and government programs require new solutions in order to satisfy the dynamic needs of citizens.


 


Brown Bag Lunch: Volunteering!
 
Holly Lavorgna, Argo's Executive Assistant and front desk supervisor, gave a presentation unveiling Argo's new incentive program that will reward employees for volunteering at local non-profits in the community.  This will provide Argonauts with new opportunities to give back.



Argo Traveled to IRCE and Call Center Week
 
If you missed our events recap e-blast, here's an overview: Argo's COO, Danny Molloy, attended the Call Center Week Expo in Las Vegas where he investigated several new software options to help further streamline Argo's processes to ensure our capabilities remain state-of-the-art.  Erin Stodder, Argo's Director of Business Development, attended the Internet Retailer Conference & Expo in Chicago where she learned more about e-commerce operations and how to maximize performance on e-commerce platforms.

 
 
 
  
 
Economic Development Achievement Award

We were proud to receive the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council's Economic Development Achievement Award, presented by Mayor Bob Macdonald and Lewiston City Officials! 
 
 


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