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When you have an economy that is teetering on another recession, it is more important than ever to make sure your customer service efforts are second to none.
As a small business owner, what have you done as of late to make sure your customers are well tended to and have no thoughts of leaving you for the competition?
What is Your Level of Customer Service?
While many customers will not tell you when they like something or things are just okay, you’d better believe you will more than likely hear about it when things don’t turn out the way they want it.
So, how do you respond to such criticism, especially when you’re fighting for every dollar in a troublesome economy?
If you’re just going about it as if it is business as usual, then you may start to see customers dropping by the wayside. If, however, you take this as an initiative to improve your customer service and go that extra mile for those individuals who keep you in business, then you’re already where you need to be.
Remember the old adage that the customer is always right? Well, here’s some breaking news, they’re not.
That being said, you cannot take the attitude that the customer is wrong in complaining about service; take it as a learning experience and ask yourself what you can do to better their next experience with you.
If you have not already, make sure you are providing customers with ways to give you feedback, either through one-on-one contact, surveys or online. The feedback is critical to knowing if your business can improve upon any areas, most notably how you are treating the people who come to you for business.
Customer Opinions do Count
Whether you want to admit it or not, what your customers say about your business can have great impact.
Stop for a moment and think about the times you have gained additional business through word of mouth. Do you think one of your customers would refer you to a friend or family member if you did something they didn’t like?
As it turns out, many small businesses do not recognize the power that word of mouth carries with it.
Assuming your company provides a great level of service, individuals will take note. In turn, they are likely to tell others, leading to more potential business. On the flip side, if your company fails to provide that quality level of service, customers are not likely to recommend you to their friends and family, hence you’re missing out on more potential business.
With consumers being tighter than in recent times with their dollars, providing quality customer service that catches their attention in a positive light is just good business.
Without it, your small business could be on the outside looking in before you know it.
