Do you use Video Training Manuals yet?

Accordingly, we have now so devolved that the phenomenon of sameness has eroded the ticky tacky repetition of an inherently boring model to the point at which so many fight to sell ninety-nine cent Dupche Kapusta to every late night Dzebrak who still has a dollar in his pocket.

I believe that there is absolutely no economic reason on earth to invest upwards of a million dollars to sell the lowest common denominator products and services to the least able to afford anything customer base.

At that point one does not own a business in any real sense. I know that the 99 cent sandwich is not the raison d'etre of the QSR franchise industry, or of its equivalent in the services business, but it is in fact the focus of so much of its advertising message that it seems like it is. That is one of the surer signs of dilapidation of the brand.

At this point the entire ticky tacky approach should be rethought if the goal is to attract investors who are not themselves rather ignorant FranWad material to be fleeced in phantasy business proposals that have little or no likelihood of success. Anyone who follows the franchising horror stories today knows exactly what I am talking about with no need for further elaboration.

Yet there is no new approach on this horizon. So called franchising "concepts" that are not concepts at all in any real sense of economic opportunity abound.

They are sold to those who have no clue about pre investment due diligence who are told fairy tales about being able to rely on the FDD and conversations with existing franchisees as the way to satisfy themselves of the prospective soundness of an affirmative investment decision. Utter nonsense!

There are now affluent investors seeking real opportunities. Franchisors that are themselves serious about finding a more durable, less price sensitive proposition to sell should consider turning from the worn out pattern. There in another direction.

In my last article http://www.franchiseremedies.com/Selling-Investment-Worthy-Franchises.htm I described how to sell such an opportunity. Not I am going to suggest how that kind of opportunity should be configured.

Let's begin with recognition that the way customers find you is no longer focused so heavily upon signage, building configuration, color schemes and other visual references.

The Internet has made many profound changes in customer acquisition techniques.

So many go on line to find what they want, looking at sites that focus on what they want, from plumbers and electricians to dentists and places to dine.

That is the reference that enables what I am advocating here. The old mantra about putting a store within a mile of a McDonalds and making it look bright with a look that will quickly become an instant proclamation in a customers mind of your name - secondary meaning if you will - is not the reliable benchmark it used to be.

Today your store can look different at every location; comply with any sort of design theme; spend far less on interior brand identifiers like napkins with your name on them and things like that.

Today people are taught to go on line and find the directory where everyone who is in basically the same business as you is listed, together with focus aids like location (including maps), price range, ethnicity, hours of operation, special events, menus, wine lists, link to your website, and a special page for customers to blog their views about their customer experience with you - good and otherwise.

That is the ultimate game changer from the day when you had commercials about smiling brain dead people plastically endorsing you in terms only a moron would credit.

Illustratively, if you look today at a Liberty Mutual Insurance Company television advert you come away with the impression that Liberty Mutual only insures very stupid people who cut off tree limbs while their neighbor's car is parked beneath, without asking him to please move his car so he can safely cut off the limb.

Every one of their adverts has some similarly idiotic person doing something just as stupid.

In the world of television today, a Gecko is the smartest spokesperson there is. That kind of genre advertising focused upon less than room temperature target IQ customers will continue, but it has little to do with franchising going forward.

If the Internet focused website for even the semi literate to find everything they need or want is the reference point of the future - which I strongly believe it is - uniformity of logo display will quickly become less and less significant.

Franchising notions of the significance of uniformity are heading for the sewer in terms of usefulness.

The Internet is a qualitative informer. You will have to work on more substantive and really value significant messages other than price discounting.

You can no longer prevent unhappy customers from going to exactly where people look for businesses like yours and posting negative customer experience messages. Where does that leave you in your approach to franchising?

It leaves you to focus upon the individual store rather than the system of many stores. The individual store must provide an attractive look; excellent service; high levels of product/service quality and presentation; store ambience that is pleasing and appropriate.

It does not have to look like any of your other stores. You can now replicate the model without replicating the look, as the look is no longer a promise of desirability.

Model replication is now performance centric.

The performance quality just spoken of will yield financial performance quality with competent management and a competent management system.

Artificial requirements calculated primarily to generate extraneous revenue streams from franchisee to the pocket of the franchisor will still ruin store financial performance just as it now does with so many franchise concepts - think of the logo bearing napkins and tying in supplies entirely to designated suppliers that pay commissions to the franchisor on their sales to the franchisees.

(The temptation to abuse that to the point of franchisee ruination will still be there. There will still, therefore, be the Quiznos and Marble Slab Creamery models to personify franchisee impoverishment. But, that is another story.)

What is the marketing plan for this new franchise model? That is the message of http://www.franchiseremedies.com/Selling-Investment-Worthy-Franchises.htm . The franchising business is due for a major tune up. Hopefully this kind of upgrade in quality will be that adjustment.

I have always used a sales process, instead of relying upon magical phrases like: "Be Your Own Boss", or "In Business for Yourself but not by Yourself."  To the sophisticated probable investor, these and other phrases are trite.

There are six benefits to having a sales process - benefits for any sized franchise.

1. Consistent: With a specific and focussed sales process, a sales force can be taught, manage and coached to excellence.  Your sales process has to provide a consistent and professional face to the probable investor.  A sales process does that.

2. Repeatable: Standardized delivery to consumers is the heart of franchising.  Standardized delivery of your marketing message to probable investors is equally important.

3.  Less Work: A sales process will eliminate inqueries early on. You will stop wasting time & start closing more deals by working with less inqueries and more probable investors.

4. Accurate Item 20 Projections: Sales is an optimistic profession.  Too optimistic.  A salesman will give a highly optimistic opinion of which deals will close and when.  Just look at the item 20's in any FDD - how many projected openings year to the next turn into locations opened?  Not many.  A sales process helps the franchisor project gross royalties better.  And all planning starts from accurate numbers.

5. Manageable: A sales process has clearly defined steps -ones that could be outlined with a decision tree.  If you pay attention to what is happening in the sales process, it is easy for the sales manager to monitor that staff's progress to their quota or targets.

6.  Teachable: Because a sales process breaks down the complex sale into a series of steps, it is easier to learn.  New sales staff can progress through the complex sale without getting overwhelmed.

Finally, all franchise sales has to lead a probable investor through the questions that are important to the investor and not dwell on what you believe are the great features of your system.  If your marketing messages are not resonating with the probable investor, you need to know early on and move on.

Curious about how your Franchise Sales Process stacks up against the Best?

Connect with me on LinkedIn, and drop me a message asking for the "Mini-Audit".

You will be pleasantly surprised you did.

We don't believe you should scratch your head and wonder when you're being shown an idea or technique. That old KISS method (Keep it Simple Simon) is the best. So we have purposely kept all of the material in our programs simple - yet very effective.

I've heard: "Hey what you do is just plain old common sense." You bet it is. You won't get an argument out of us. But you and I all know that common sense just isn't that common. If it were, everyone would be doing it and we know everyone isn't.

Our DVD program ESSENTIAL TELEPHONE SKILLS is just that. A basic, common sense program - uncomplicated, yet effective. Ideas, tips, skills and techniques that everyone should be doing, but they're not.

So, this article is for those that simply want basic, common sense, healthy, usable techniques. Below are 5 of our 10 basic skills that are ESSENTIAL for better communications and handling of customers and, believe it or not, each other.

1. Answering a Business Call

Well, what's so difficult about that? HUH? Right! It's not difficult. But if I called 100 people within your own organization, I'm betting I'd get a number of various ways that people answer the phone.

At Telephone Doctor we believe there should be one, uniformed method of greeting to answer the call by everyone, every time. Simple.

To start, use buffer words that welcome the caller, such as, "Thanks for calling," then your company name and then your name.

As in, "This is Sue." Then stop! Anything after your name erases you name.

"How can I help you" is simply NOT necessary on that initial greeting. You are there to help. That's why you answered the phone. It looks like this: "Thanks for calling Telephone Doctor's office. This is Nancy." Nice and simple, isn't it?

2. Thanking a Caller for Holding

Being put on hold remains one of the top 3 frustrations of the American public. That being said, it's something that often needs to be done during a phone call. Knowing how to put someone on hold is certainly important, but then so is thanking them for holding after you've come back to the phone. Again, simple.

But how often is it done. I'm amazed at the number of times I'm put on hold and when the person comes back to the phone, they just start back in on the conversation like they weren't even gone. (Sort of like stepping on someone's toes and not says 'excuse me.')

And normally they're gone longer than they should be.

So that "thank you for holding" sure would sound nice and would sure be appreciated. I always wonder why they don't thank me for taking the time to stay with them. Do you wonder that as well?

3. Monogramming the Call

For whatever reason, we all seem to like our name. Maybe not when we're children, but as we grow, we become used to our name and like it. I have many items on my desk and at home that have my name engraved on them. Some just initials. But it makes them 'mine' and I'd probably never pitch them in a cleaning out process.

Why? Because they have my name on it. Most people save things with their name or initials on them. Same thing should happen on a phone call. When you know the caller's name, use it.

Don't abuse it, but do include it throughout the conversation. Most people like to hear their name. And they want to hear it pronounced properly and spelled right.

Don't be afraid to ask the caller the correct pronunciation of their name if you're not sure. They'll appreciate it! It's a heck of a lot better than you butchering their name.

Don't assume on the spelling of a name. ASK! Are you aware there are 19 different ways to spell the last name of NICHOLS in the New York phone directory? Not everyone spells their name the same way. Tom, Thom, Christy, Kristy, Charlie, Charley, John, Jon, Lynn, Lynne. Well, you get the idea. GET IT RIGHT!

4. Avoiding Mouth Noises

The telephone is a microphone. When you talk with something in your mouth, it sounds as though you have a mouthful of MUSH. Be it gum, candy or just finishing lunch. The only thing that should be in our mouth when you're on the phone is your tongue. Rule #1: EMPTY YOUR MOUTH BEFORE YOU PICK UP THE PHONE!

5. Leaving a Positive LAST Impression

Most of us have been taught about making that great first impression. And yes, that's so very important. That old saying, 'you don't get a second chance to make a great first impression' is so true. Well, consider making a great last impression as well. Don't screw it up at the end of the call. Let the caller know, "It was nice to meet you by phone" or "thank you for calling" or "we appreciate your call." Something that will make that lasting positive impression, because when they hang up, they think to themselves either:

Wow that was a great call. Or man, I'll never call there again. How do you want your callers to remember you?

These are 5 great, simple, basic skills for you

I don't ever remember being asked that particular question but here's my reply -"Customer service is a methodology that when put in motion, creates a customer's experience."  This definition is not specific to any particular industry nor does the size of the organization matter.

Now someone is probably wondering what I mean by methodology. When defining customer service as a methodology, I'm speaking of the systems that an organization chooses to put in place to provide a customer experience.

Ok, now someone may be asking "Errol, now what systems are you referring to? Allow me to explain.

When determining what your organization's customer service methodology will be, you are actually determining the experience your customer will receive when interacting with those within your organization. For instance, when your customer calls and your inbound call methodology dictates that persons answering calls will perform certain tasks while on the call and do so within a certain time frame, those requirements lead to the customer's experience.

When that person's performance review and salary increase is tied to their success in meeting the goals of that inbound call strategy, this too determines the customer's experience with your organization. If your strategy induces this person to be more concerned with meeting goals than taking the necessary steps and time for each customer's situation, this too creates an experience.

When creating core values for your organization, you are creating an experience for your customer. If words such as integrity, honesty, respect and valued are included in your core values, your customer should experience these words when interacting with your organization. Core values are the frame-work from which your customer service methodology is created. Every component of your strategy should be grounded in your core values.

When choosing your training methodology, once again you're creating an experience for your customer. Your customer is depending upon customer contact personnel to be experts on your products and services. Keep the customer's experience in mind when developing training programs. I suggest focusing on creating ambassadors for your organization.

Are customer contact personnel educated on your various products or services?

Have they actually utilized or experienced your products or services for themselves in order to gain the customer's perspective?

What tools will they need to provide a great customer experience?  

Be sure to equip them with basic soft skills training as one's ability to be pleasant and professional goes a long way in creating a positive customer experience.

When choosing who get's the opportunity to be the face of your organization through your hiring methodology, here again you're creating an experience for your customer. It's important to carefully establish your hiring criteria. What characteristics are critical for your customer contact personnel? Is industry experience more important than personality traits? Remember, you're attempting to create a great customer experience. Your hiring choices will bear fruit! Make sure it's good fruit!

When exercising your personnel management methodology, remember that this too creates an experience for your customer. Just as you must strive to make sound customer contact personnel hiring decisions, it's even more important to utilize sound management practices. Make sure managers have the proper tools required for this position - people skills, products and services knowledge, coaching skills, leadership skills and a good comprehensive understanding of the organization.

Should your customer contact personnel become frustrated with management practices, your customer will eventually be impacted. Employee turnover, discontent and low productivity all  create an experience for your customer. Manage employees in a way that will certainly lead to a great customer experience.

When developing complaint resolution methodology - you got it - you're creating an experience for your customer. We all know that sometimes mistakes are made or things get left undone.

When these errors happen, the need for a quick and thorough resolution is paramount. Is your methodology in this area customer friendly? 

Does every resolution require a supervisor/manager's approval or are your customer contact personnel equipped with options for a speedy resolution?

Are you tracking customer complaints for patterns and trends?

Doing so allows one to identify possible operational issues which once corrected will alleviate repeat complaints which in turn - you guessed it - creates a positive customer experience.

When choosing the methodology to get your customer's opinion regarding your products or services - one more time - you're creating an experience for your customer.

We all know the value in getting the customer's opinion. Most love the opportunity to let you know exactly what they think of your organization.

Make it easy for them to do so as the more customer feedback you receive, the more data you have to make decisions. Do you need to make adjustments to your product or services? Do your customer contact personnel need additional training? Provide regular feedback opportunities  in order to stay current on what's important to your customer.

 These various methodology components create an organizational customer service system which in turn creates customer experiences. Examine your methodologies to insure that they all are geared toward providing what's important to your customer. Now put them all in motion and create great customer experiences!

In this industry, the stakes are higher - it is difficult to lose customers, but when those customers are large corporations, the impact of such a loss of greater significance.

In the B2C sector, consumers' purchases are driven by price along with good customer service. However, in the B2B sector, the relationship between company and vendor plays a more important role than solely price. For that reason, it is important to measure service levels and objectively evaluate service levels within a company.

Many companies wonder exactly how B2B mystery shopping works. Quite simply, it works in the same manner as more traditionally thought of mystery shopping, with the one exception being that customers, or mystery shoppers, will pose as companies who are calling to inquire about your services and products.

4 Great Benefits of B2B mystery shopping

With B2B mystery shopping, you can evaluate the following aspects of your business:

1.  General customer service levels & product fulfillment- by setting up fictitious accounts or companies, our trained mystery shoppers can contact your business via telephone or email to make inquiries about your products/services.

By doing this, you will gain a better understanding of how your potential customers are treated, the information that is shared with prospective customers, and what follow up, if any, is completed in order to attain a new client.

Furthermore, fictitious accounts and companies can be created to pose as current customers to evaluate the service ordering process. From here, you can see if your employees are attempting to upsell/cross sell, offering additional products/services that are important to your customers, and the general service levels provided.

2.  Branding presence - through mystery shopping, you will determine how your branding is portrayed to other companies. This is important in gaining customer loyalty and longevity.

Studies have shown that strong branding will encourage customers to be loyal to the product, be less likely to seek out competing brands, and not be adverse to pricing increases.

3.  Online interactions/email inquiries - with the shift in online technology, more and more companies will seek information through email inquiries versus picking up a phone. One company utilized a mystery shopping program in which shoppers posed as companies who were seeking services and wanted to find out more information.

They wanted to see how long it took for emails to be answered, if the answers were fully provided, and if any type of follow up was conducted.

4.  Training and sales development - it is vital that the sales team presents information in a clear, engaging manner, builds rapport with potential clients, and conducts the sales calls in a manner in which sales can be generated. If sales are not where they are expected to be, it is difficult to determine if it is because of the lack of sales development within the company or if there is a flaw in the sales techniques used.

Mystery shopping programs can provide companies with a program that will help them determine which areas are lacking, make improvements, and even determine if sales training needs to be altered.

While the planning stages of starting a B2B program are more detailed in nature, the program can run simply and easily once initiated. With this type of mystery shopping, the client plays a crucial role in the development of scenarios to play out as well as the implementation of fictitious company names/accounts.

Depending on the nature of the industry, this may require setting up accounts in the company's system that are covertly flagged to indicate they are not true accounts. In other cases, it may only require companies assisting the mystery shopping provider in determining which types of companies mystery shoppers should represent in order to interact with staff in an authentic, relevant manner.

Two Easy Examples of B2B mystery shopping

1.  A supplier of office supplies and materials wanted to determine how special request orders were fulfilled and what options were provided to businesses who contacted them. They contracted the services of Ann Michaels & Associates to find out.

Furthermore, they wanted to find out if upselling and cross selling was initiated during the order process, and what promotional materials, if any, were included in the customer's packaging.

We used mystery shoppers who were small business owners in an industry that would need such supplies in a reselling capacity. Using their business information, they contacted the client's locations to place a specific order with special requirements. They evaluated the order placing process, tracked time for delivery, and then reported on how the order was packaged, what promotional material was included with the order. Pictures were taken and uploaded onto the survey.

2.  A plastics and materials testing laboratory conducted baseline evaluations to determine speed of email response, knowledge of testing and laboratory capabilities, and follow up attempts with potential customers. Additionally, they wanted to see firsthand how email inquiries were routed within the company, and if responses weren't provided, at which point in the routing system the emails "fell through the cracks." 

They contracted us to conduct a baseline study, repeating the same study three months later and after training was completed to evaluate effectiveness of training procedures.

Mystery shoppers were trained and educated on the company's laboratory testing capabilities and the industries. Each mystery shopper was assigned a fictitious company name and position within the company. They were instructed to contact an assigned location via email asking about testing specifications and what information was required for certain tests to be conducted.

Mystery shoppers tracked the time to respond to email inquiries, as well as who the original email was sent to and who replied (if it was a different person than who the email was sent to).

Additionally, the knowledge of testing capabilities and referral sources were evaluated, and mystery shoppers documented whether or not the associate attempted to follow up on the initial inquiry or if actual follow up attempts were made within 2 business days of the initial inquiry.

Some argue that franchises are leading to the extinction of mom and pop shops, dissolving the local micro-cultures and communities that make our towns and cities unique.

While this idea may have validity, I believe that franchises are the new mom and pop shop.

Here are seven reasons why Mom and Pop are increasingly interested in the franchise option:

1) Buy with bargaining power

Independent operators have limited buying power. With an unknown brand and the buying power of one, it is a challenge to negotiate rates for purchasing inventory, supplies, and anything else needed to run the business.

Franchisors, who have a well-established brand and tens to thousands of locations, have the ability to negotiate bulk prices and share these reduced rates with franchisees. Moreover, vendors often view franchise customers as dependable long-term clients, making them more inclined to cut deals and extend credit to franchisees.

2) Ease of navigating government regulations

Understanding the laws and regulations that come along with opening a new business can be a tedious process. Depending on your city and state, you are likely required to adhere to different building codes, marketing laws, employment laws, workplace safety laws, environmental regulations, and more. (Some of these can be found on the SBA website.)

Acquiring the necessary legal consultation and learning to structure your business to comply with these regulations will eat up time and resources, franchises already offer functional business models, making it faster and easier to open up your doors.

3) Accessibility of peer support

A successful entrepreneur has a strong support system of mentors, consultants, and helpful peers. Independent owners may gain this through friends or membership in the chamber of commerce and other business organizations.

But, franchisees inherently amass a huge network of supporters through the franchise system. Whether it be through fellow franchisees, company conventions, or online support groups, the franchise owner has many forums to direct questions toward from people who have likely experienced similar issues and problems.

4) Availability of capital

Knowing that insufficient capital is a recurring reason why small businesses fail, finding adequate financing to build and operate a business is instrumental in the startup process.

Entrepreneurs with little experience frequently learn that securing a sizable loan can be difficult without a financial history to ensure profitability. Franchisors, on the other hand, oftentimes have relationships with lenders who perceive a diminished risk of lending to franchisees because of the brand recognition, documented financial history, and proven business model provided to them.

Another accelerator in the franchise loaning process, the Franchise Registry was developed in 2012 by the IFA and Consumer's Bank Association to give loan officers access to detailed financial information, allowing them to make faster, more informed decisions on lending to franchisees.

These resources and relationships make the loaning process much more efficient than it is for sole business owners.

5) Design & Marketing Costs

Branding has become an increasingly expensive task in the digital age for two reasons- for initial brand development and for ongoing marketing expenses. For example, in Santa Barbara, every business must submit their storefront logo design to a sign committee, which determines whether or not it is appropriate for public display and is consistent with the city vision.

For this process, business owners must allocate a budget for a graphic designer to assist them with developing proper signage and branding. Additionally, with the onset of the "digital age," business owners aren't able to simply put out a yellow page ad anymore. You must be seen and found on a myriad of different channels.

This means strategic advertisements, social media advertising, publishing on local directories, and building and managing business profiles on review sites like Yelp. Whether this entails hiring a social media marketer or paying for services like reputation monitoring and business listings management, a proactive marketing approach can be costly and time-consuming.

Franchisees are able to save on these expenses as their brand is already developed and they are usually supported by regional or national multi-million dollar advertising campaigns. As day-to-day marketing strategy is not a constant worry, the franchisee has more time to focus on running an efficient business.

6) Expandability

The franchise model itself is designed to be easily replicable. Mom and Pop shops do not have this luxury, and owners often have a difficult time maintaining consistency and quality when opening up multiple storefronts.

If a franchisee wants to expand and open a new location, the process is streamlined so that the equipment, supplies, and inventory needed to do so are either outlined or provided. This scalability is extremely appealing for entrepreneurs who foresee themselves managing multiple businesses.

7) Ability to resell

Generally, there comes a time where an entrepreneur wants to move on to new opportunities or retire and sell the business. If successfully developed over the years, a mom and pop shop can sell and be extremely profitable. However, the overall demand to buy into a franchise is much higher than it is for purchasing an independent business.

The power of names like Wendy's or Pizza Hut is a major selling point to potential buyers, who value the customer loyalty and familiarity associated with nationally recognized brands. While it is possible to sell a small business, selling a piece of a franchise will likely result in a much larger pool of interested buyers and a faster sale.

I believe that these are just seven of many reasons why the popularity of the franchise model for small businesses is growing exponentially.

It seems somewhat of an obvious choice for many aspiring entrepreneurs.

It's not that the mom and pop business model is dead, its just that these small business owners are now buying into the value of a franchise model and see the benefits of building their own business as part of a larger brand.

What do you think, is a franchise the best choice for those who want to start their own local business?

There's a lot of truth to that statement. Yet years later, rudeness and low service levels still plague franchises.

We hope you enjoy taking this customer service quiz to test how common your common sense is. 

1. "How can I help you?" belongs:
1. In the initial greeting.
2. In the message taking scenario.
3. Nowhere. I'm not able to help anyone.
2. When I'm not able to help a customer, I should:
1. Tell them honestly & thank them for their business and hang up.
2. Give whatever information I can, right or wrong. Wrong information is better than no information.
3. Get help immediately and advise the person help is on the way.
3. When I'm having a bad day, I should:
1. Not bother coming into work.
2. Leave my troubles at the doorstep like the song says.
3. Tell all my co-workers my troubles to get it off my back.
4. Chewing gum at work is:
1. OK.
2. A bad breath refresher.
3. Downright rude and obnoxious. Fugetaboutit!
5. A mirror at my desk will:
1. Keep my ego in check.
2. Remind me to smile BEFORE I pick up the phone.
3. Give me bad luck if it breaks.
6. Basic customer service skills are important to me because:
1. Everyone needs a refresher.
2. I need a lot of help.
3. I never learned any.
7. Internal customer service means:
1. Be nice to others who come into my office.
2. The customer is giving me a stomachache.
3. Treating my co-workers as customers.
8. When using voice mail and leaving a message I should:
1. Leave my phone number twice and slowly.
2. Leave a good clean joke to keep them smiling.
3. Not leave a message...just call back till I reach them.
9. Irate callers/customers are important to our company because:
1. It's fun to handle those kinds of calls.
2. At least we get a second chance to make it right.
3. I finally get to yell back.
10. Asking questions of the customer will:
1. Aggravate them.
2. Show I'm interested in helping.
3. Be considered being too nosy.

1. Correct answer is B.Anything after your name...erases your name. And on initial greetings, your name is very important. You have answered the phone to help them. It's a given. Those words are best used in a message taking scenario. 
2. Correct answer is C.Be sure you let the customer know that help is on the way. That's the most important part. 
3. Correct answer is B.We need to leave our troubles at the door. Arguments with a spouse or a bad hair day is your problem. Telephone Doctor calls that "emotional leakage." That's getting angry at Peter and taking it out on Paul. Not fair, not right and no fun.
4. Correct answer is C.No gum at work - ever. End of subject. If you have bad breath - use mouthwash. 
5. Correct answer is B.The old Telephone Doctor adage..."smile BEFORE you pick up the phone," is the way to make every phone call, or customer contact, a great one. Remember, it's hard to be rude when you're smiling.
6. Correct answer is A.Everyone can use a brush up course. There's a great saying: "When you're through learning...you're through." Never stop taking those little basic skill lessons you're offered. Even if you do know it all...look how good you'll feel about that!
7. Correct answer is C.We need to treat our co-workers as well as we're going to treat our external customers. Remember: We Are Customers To Each Other. We sure don't need any internal conflicts between co-workers and departments.
8. Correct answer is A.Voice mail was meant to take an effective message. Give details and speak conversationally so the person receiving the message will enjoy it. Effective messages have concrete information - dates, times, names, situations. Leave your phone number - twice and slowly. Make voice mail work for you...not against you. 
9. Correct answer is B.Getting a second chance is golden. And irate callers, while certainly not pleasant, can be the challenge of the day. And they can be satisfied.
10. Correct answer is B. Listening and questioning skills are very important to excellent customer service.

I once owned a Business Centre offering more than 20 individual services. 

Some services were sold each day while others were infrequent. 

One offering was postal services which included the sale of postage stamps.  This was a convenience offering also available at any post office.

Within my industry the sale of postage stamps typically resulted in little to no profit but considered to be a necessary offering.  It was seen as a way to increase traffic flow and demand for the more profitable services that were offered.

After evaluating this area of business for two years I concluded that the sale of postage stamps was too costly.  Transactions were frequent, of low value and low margin. 

After factoring in overhead and staffing, I concluded it was not possible to profit from offering postage stamps. 

More importantly, I noted that virtually all postage customers had no interest in anything else offered in the store.  I discontinued the sale of postage stamps.  The result was reduced staffing, fewer customers, improved cash flow, a higher average sale and improved overall profitability.

My decision to discontinue the sale of postage stamps would not have been possible without the ability to track sales and expenses by profit centre.

Many businesses operate with an inadequate understanding of how their business makes money.   They lack the management systems and controls to evaluate the profitability of their multiple offerings, isolate those that result in the most profit and focus more acutely on how to build those more profitable areas of the business.

Investing in good management control systems is the foundation upon which successful businesses are built.

First, we have to remember that there is no specialized franchise sales training available to franchisors.  In contrast to Amazon, Microsoft, IBM and Xerox, there is no sales as process, no question based selling or no consultative selling training offered to franchisors.   Despite having to sell a complex product with very large price tags, franchise sales is often treated like a consumer sale.  "Here is our franchise agreement, one price fits all.  Buy my stuff."  Doesn't work well.

Second, there has also been an unfavorable growth in technologies - first CRMs and now web portals.  The aim is to displace the salesman.  CRMs and web portals are sold with the promise of making the machine or website eliminate the need for the consultative based sales force.  But, the end product is not a commodity and we cannot reduce the sales process to a mere transaction.  

Finally, many sales departments have forgotten their ability to sell.

Let me tell you about a little test I did, some years ago.

I gathered our top 50 franchisees in terms  of gross revenue.  I also found their initial applications.  I then redacted their names from the applications, but nothing else.  (Back then, we weren't collecting a lot of personal information.)  I distributed the applications of what would be our top 50 performers to our sales staff.

How many of those top 50 perfomers would our sales staff identify and process acting only on the very incomplete application?

Zero!

We would have missed all 50 - because we were now more focussed on the demands of the CRM rather than selling.  We now demand too much information before we begin the sales process - and most of the information is not needed.  What is needed isn't asked for.

We have forgotten how to sell.  We aren't mentoring our younger sales forces, the way I was mentored.

So, take a look at your online application.  Ask whether you really need the candidate to fill out all the information just in order to start your sales process.