Customer Service by: Emilee Traylor
Most small businesses get their clients by word of mouth of current clients. This is because clients who believe they have received great customer service will tell their friends, families, coworkers, ect. about your business. 10 years ago this might not have been the most effective way to market your business, but in the technology of today “word of mouth” travels fast. This does have its downside if a client has received poor customer service, but we won’t focus on that!
Here are some tips to improve your customer service in your business.
- Saying Thank You
This may seem simple, but it is very effective. No matter what the phone call is about make sure you leave the conversation with “thank you, have a great day”. If you have a solicitor take the time to hear what they have to say then either engage in conversation or politely decline and say thank you as they go on their way.
- Be Accessible
Make sure you have contact information on every site your company is on. Your company’s website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Yelp, Google… Any place your business can be found you should have a phone number and an email listed. Also try setting up an instant chat box on your website, clients love the instant response. You can even automate a reply on Facebook messenger.
- Response Time
This goes hand in hand with being accessible. Plan your day to check emails at least once a day and try to make it consistent. Either first thing in the morning, when you get back from your lunch break, or right before you leave for the day. As a small business owner you are very busy so you might not get to everyone every day, but try to set a response time of 24-48 hours. If you are out of town or going to be away from the office for an extended period of time make sure you leave an out of office message on your email.
- Be a Little Extra
Go the extra mile to show your clients how important they are to you. It doesn’t have to be over the top expensive, but you could send out birthday cards to clients. Send a small gratitude gift for being your client for another year. Give incentives if you have a client refer someone to you.
You might not realize how important the little things are in a small business, but these could be big game changers for your company. If people start talking about how great it was to work with you this will travel fast. Remember you never know when you have a potential client calling in.