Customer service is one area a lot of small businesses fail. As a small business owner, I can completely sympathize. We have it tough! We wear many hats in our organization and it is hard to deal with the multitude of personalities that come through your door. Because of the sheer busy nature of a small business, it can be easy to let follow up calls and thank you notes slip by. However, poor customer service can be one of the biggest opportunities for small businesses to lose their customer base. Conversely, excellent customer service can be one of the best ways to keep and grow their customer base.
Here are some tips for great customer service:
Create a tickler system:
You can do this through setting up reminder for your e-mail, creating a call back list, or use an electronic system that sends you follow up reminders. I usually set my reminders at the time of my interactions so I don’t forget to not forget! That habit has kept me from missing key meetings, and promised follow up times.
Use Automation to your advantage:
You can always set up a thank you e-mail or send a message on a time delay. This way you can set it and forget about it and know your client will hear from you on time. I also use this for my social media and other items I want to keep up with daily. Using a system like Hootsuite, you can create your entire week of ads and posts days in advanced. Your clients will always feel like you are in touch while you free up time to continue growing your business.
Under promise and over deliver:
We have all heard this adage, but when you consistently perform this way in your business, your clients will respect you and view you as a notch above the competition. I do this by allowing myself extra time. Being in business means I have to be realistic about my own abilities. This means taking a hard look at my calendar and making a real assessment of what I can and can’t reasonably accomplish with all of my other obligations. I tend to give myself an extra 24-48 hours on most promises. If I am giving an estimate, I may tell you to give me until Monday, even when I think I can have it to you by Friday. This give me the weekend to get it done just in case something unforeseeable comes my way or my schedule doesn’t go my way. The benefit here is, if I do manage to get it to you by Friday, you feel that I have serviced you quickly. This is a win-win for us both.
Hopefully these tips will give you a leg up in providing the service you want your business to be known for. If this was helpful, please comment below and share with a friend and fellow business owner.
~JMJ