Monthly Archives: March 2017

3 Things About Handling Customer Complaints I got wrong — so you don’t have to

By Glen Ervin:

If there’s one thing that a few decades in the DJ biz have taught me, it’s this: When the people paying you have a complaint you can’t just put on your headphones and look busy. You have to address it. And not only address it, but spin that sucker into 24k customer-satisfaction gold.

I didn’t always know how to do that.

There was a time when my go-to response, as embarrassing as it is to admit, was to attempt to convince the complainer they were wrong: My music selection was perfectly on target; the dance floor was full all night; there’s no way bar sales were slow. 20/20 hindsight shows that of course the club manager was right; I hadn’t yet learned to rotate a floor and sell the booze that paid my salary.

 Lesson learned: Before you offer up your best defense (and for the record, NEVER offer up your best defense), try this: Listen carefully to what they have to say and let them finish. Begin by repeating back what you’ve heard to show that you’ve listened. You’ll quickly find you’re dealing with a more receptive critic and one step closer to a mutually satisfying solution.

This requires a lot more discipline that most think; it is not an easy thing to sit silently through a tirade. And harder still not to respond in kind. Don’t.

As I went from booth to buck-stops-here businessman, the mistakes didn’t exactly stop. I know firsthand how easy it is to get into the habit of firing off quick fixes as we power through our bloated inboxes each day. And felt firsthand the repercussions as my referral rate nose-dived.

 Lesson learned: If you don’t completely understand the problem you can’t completely solve the problem (so don’t try). Better to begin with “Can you help me understand this a bit better?” and finish with “What can I do to make this right for you?” than offer a solution that doesn’t satisfy.

Most of the time, your customers aren’t telling you everything.

That’s why it’s so important to ask.

Complaints happen. And when they do it’s never enough to simply address a customer’s concerns. If they’re frustrated or angry as a result of your service – even if you feel you’ve done nothing to warrant it — the most effective response is the most simple and direct: Apologize. Simply say “I’m sorry about that.”

Lesson learned: Only after you take a ‘my bad’ for the team and show an eagerness to do right by them can you begin to bridge the gap between a dissatisfied customer and an active promoter of your business.

Listen. Ask questions. Dig deeper. Learn what you can do to be truly great.

 And then do it.

 After being turned out to pasture following a 16-year club residency, Glen Ervin finds himself gainfully employed as Promo Only sales manager, media consultant and staff writer.

Oliver Heldens Joins Denon DJ as Brand Ambassador & Product Consultant for Prime Series

22-year-old DJ sensation is latest artist to come into the Denon DJ fold and embrace the innovation and standard-shattering performance of their all-new Prime Series gear.

Cumberland RI, USA (March 21, 2017) — Denon DJ (www.denondj.com), a leading manufacturer of premium DJ products and solutions, today announced that Oliver Heldens, already world-famous for his incredible, one-of-a-kind performances, has changed his rider and is now a brand ambassador and product consultant for their all-new, groundbreaking Prime Series SC5000 media player and X1800 club mixer.

Recognizing a critical need in the professional DJ space for equipment that delivers unprecedented levels of performance, ease of use, musical file organization and complete system synergy, Denon DJ’s Prime Series units represent the future of the professional DJ experience. Heldens has embraced these extraordinary Denon DJ Prime Series units:

  • –  The SC5000 professional media player with 7-inch multi-touch display, 24-bit audiophile sound, powered by Denon DJ’s incredible Engine Prime music management software
  • –  The X1800 Professional 4-channel club mixer with OLED screen, Sweep and BPM FX and LAN connectivity with multiple SC5000’s

    Either of these units by itself delivers exceptional DJ performance and is an innovation breakthrough. Used together, they form a complete system that is unsurpassed in professional DJ excellence.

    The Denon DJ Prime Series is a perfect match for the electrifying talents of Oliver Heldens. Although just 22 years of age, Oliver’s ascension into the Top 10 DJ A-List was fast and furious once his single ‘Gecko’ catapulted him into global recognition. His live sets often show him standing apart from many other DJ’s as he regularly explores house and dance music’s roots, weaving elements of amazing musical diversity into his contemporary selections, such that his audience feels as if they are experiencing something fresh and innovative, at every show.

    This kind of distinctive musical spontaneity needs DJ gear that has the features and instantaneous response to match the imagination of the DJ controlling it. That’s exactly what Denon Prime Series gear delivers. Heldens can perform mix transitions, mash-ups and even live remixing on-the-fly using the multicore processor-driven features that are on-board the Prime units. Explaining why he chose to change his rider and join forces with Denon DJ, Oliver said: “Denon DJ Prime gear gives me the freedom to perform fluidly and quickly. That’s exactly what I need. I don’t worry about the equipment;; I just let my imagination take control, so now my audience gets the best from me, every time.”

Paul Dakeyne, Denon DJ Brand Manager said of Oliver, “Without doubt, Oliver is one of the world’s most musically diverse A-List DJ’s anywhere.. His shows—whether in clubs or at festivals—are always a musical and visual delight and we couldn’t be happier that he’s changed his rider to the SC5000 and X1800 Prime units. Now he can explore even more creative performance possibilities within his live sets and skyrocketing career path.”

U.S. retail pricing is as follows: SC5000—$1899, X1800—$1899. Both units are available now.

For more info, visit www.denondj.com.

Serato DJ 1.9.6 is now available to download!

With this release, Serato has focused on feedback from users to deliver one of their best updates yet.

This release includes:
• Significant DVS improvements including the new Anti-Drift option to stabilize BPM, Smart Sync and improvements to needle drop sensitivity.
• Feature improvements including Favorite FX Banks, Chronological Loops, Reordering Loops and Enable/Disable Hot Cues as an option.
• Pitch Play mappings for supported hardware (requires Pitch ‘n Time DJ license).
• Official support for the Reloop RMX-90 DVS 4-channel mixer.
• Significant stability & performance improvements.
• All Serato DJ Suite free trials have been reset, so users can take another two week trial for free.

Nick Maclaren (Head of Strategy at Serato) says:

“After paying close attention to user feedback over weeks of beta testing, we are now thrilled to officially release Serato DJ 1.9.6.

Our goal for version 1.9.6 was to hone in and fine tune features that are really important to our professional DJ customers.

We’ve added Pitch Play mappings to existing supported hardware, Favorite FX Banks, new Looping options, improved the Needle Drop sensitivity, Sticker Lock, and more.

Lastly, we’ve continued to focus on stability improvements with powerful new audio and memory optimizations to make this our most stable release to date.”

With Serato DJ 1.9.6 , they’ve reset all Serato DJ Suite trial activations to date. So if you’ve already taken a two-week trial in the past, you can now try the full Serato DJ Suite again, for FREE.

This is a great time to test out Expansion Packs like Pitch ‘n Time DJ if you haven’t already.

For more information please visit these Serato blog posts below.

DVS Improvements: https://serato.com/latest/blog/20207/update-196-dvs-improvements-and-additions
Pitch Play mappings: https://serato.com/latest/blog/20208/update-196-pitch-play-mappings
Looping & Performance Enhancements: https://serato.com/latest/blog/20211/update-196-looping-and-performance-enhancements