Have you ever dealt with a company that offered terrible customer service? Maybe they completely ruined your order or the staff was difficult to get in touch with or if you managed to connect with a staff member, they weren’t very kind or helpful. What was your response? Most likely you chose not to do business with them again.
For any small business, customer service is essential to the addition and retention of clients. When a customer comes to your business, they are not only looking to receive a great product, but they are also interested in receiving the best service. The quality of service your small business provides is the foundation to developing a positive relationship with your clients
Satisfying Small Business Customer Needs
Small businesses who have a great customer service always come out on top. A satisfied client will always keep coming back, and they will most likely refer your business to their friends. There are some businesses out there that don’t even have to focus on marketing or advertising. They have so many satisfied clients that their numbers keep growing organically.
One of the beauties of being a small business is that the customer to staff ratio makes it easier to develop personal relationships with your customers. When customers call, they usually know the person they’re speaking to, and possibly have developed a rapport with him. Through such relationships your customers come to believe that you both care about and understand their needs. No matter how big the transaction may be, that is a basic human need.
Listed below are three other basic desires your customers expect you to fill.
1. They want the best.
This expectation can be applied to both the product that you’re selling as well as the type of person they are communicating with in your small business. As far as products go, your customers are looking for the best option for whatever their need may be.
Your job is to discover and define exactly what their needs are and then offer the best solution you can find. Therefore, your customer service agents must understand the industry and be able to offer products to clients in a way that shows you have the best solution.
In terms of representatives, it is important that all of your staff is trained in customer service. Yes, they should be knowledgeable about the industry, business, and products, but they also need to be well-versed in people skills. Some clients may find representatives to be the best in the field not because of their head knowledge, but because they are friendly and personable. Customers want the best people attending to their needs, so make sure that you offer them just that.
2. They want quality.
Customer service in small businesses is about much more than merely leaving the client satisfied with whatever promises you gave them. It also has to do with how well you deliver on those promises. Some might say that this is one of the most important factors of customer service.
The caliber of the service provided should match the claims and values of the business. If your small business claims to be able to deliver orders within 30 minutes, then that is when the customer should receive it. A good customer service representative will do their best to ensure that they always deliver on their promises.
It is also important that the quality of the product should be maintained throughout the process. The key here is to never sacrifice quality for a quick sale. Regardless of the price tag of the product or the time restraints, quality should always be a priority to your small business.
3. They want commitment.
Sometimes complications arise in the middle of a sale. Such issues can cause customers to get cold feet. They need to know that even if they’re considering backing out, that you are committed to making sure that they get what they want. Getting to see firsthand the dedication of your employees is one of the greatest factors that customers look for.
Keeping the Customer First
There are many factors that determine how well a business fares in any given industry, but small business customer service is among one of the most important. Satisfying the wants and needs of customers must be a daily goal that everyone in the business strives to achieve.
There has already been a shift in the spending habits of many people to favor local, small businesses or “mom and pop shops”, so why not prove to the economy why your small business is one worth staying with?
~ Maria Kristine, Team Tuxedo Impressions LLC™
