At one time or another, all of us have been disappointed by a company’s poor customer service (or lack of customer service altogether). A business can offer a fabulous product, but if they don’t put their customers first then they’ll likely experience a quick decline in success.
Are you thinking of forming a small business, or perhaps you already have and want to know how to keep it thriving? Listed below are some customer service tips that will keep your customers coming back for more!
- Treat your employees right. Your customers’ happiness greatly depends on how happy the people who are serving them are. Do you treat your workers with respect? Are you fair in wages and working conditions? Do you make your employees feel valuable? If you are noticing unhappy customers, look to your employees first and see how you can improve their job.
- Know your customers. Doesn’t it feel great when you shop somewhere often and the employees actually remember your name? This personal gesture may be impossible for very large businesses, but doing all you can to know who they are (and what they want) can go a long way.
- Go the extra mile. Go out of your way to make a customer feel special. A thank you note, a letter, a birthday wish or a simple call can mean a lot. Letting a customer know how much you appreciate their business goes a long way. After all, they could have ordered their product or service from a multitude of other businesses but they chose yours.
- Make yourself known. Do your customers know that you are the manager or who the manager is? When you are eating at a restaurant and the manager comes up to the table to make sure that everyone enjoyed the meal, it’s nice. Make your customers feel the same way.
- Give your customer the benefit of the doubt. NEVER argue with your customer. Listen to their complaint patiently and do all you can to conciliate their requests. Hopefully, you and your employees have been trained on how to handle upset and angry customers. If not, it’s time to get training!
According to Small Business Trends, “Poor customer experiences result in an estimated $83 billion loss by U.S. enterprises each year because of defections and abandoned purchases.” Starting a business is hard enough. The last thing you want to do is make it even harder by failing to treat your customers with respect.
At MaxFilings, we wish you the best of luck in your business adventures! If you have questions about forming a business, please contact us and we will be happy to help you. Our Online Incorporation Knowledge Center and blog are also great resources for beginning and managing your small business.
