The customer is always right, as the saying goes. And itโs true: customer service is likely to be at the core of your business, whether youโre selling digital marketing services,ย SEO services or childcare. Whatโs more, offering superior customer service is a great way to separate yourself from the competition. As a small business, itโs unlikely youโll have a huge customer service center, but don’t worry! With these 5 simple tips, businesses of any size can deliver great customer service.
1. Learn to admit mistakes
Itโs quite normal for new or small businesses to make mistakes. While a mistake here or there wonโt destroy your company, itโs important that you donโt let mistakes cause more damage than they need to. The best way to avoid damage is by handling any mistakes made in the proper way. Once a mistake happens, take responsibility and overcompensate in your response.
Your goal here is to turn a disappointed customer into someone who buys again. Disappointment is only temporary, and if you can impress your customers with your response to their problem, theyโre likely to spread the word.
2. Spread a customer service culture
Itโs no use saying your business values customer service if your staff doesnโt follow through. Attempt to spread your enthusiasm throughout the organization. Often, setting up customer service-related goals is the most effective way to do this. Donโt forget to create incentives to encourage your staff to put as much effort as possible into customer service.
Want to learn more how we can help you with Social Media Management?
Click here for a quick overview of our Social Media Management programs.
Think about training your staff. Use specific scenarios to see how individuals would choose to deal with them. Ask for specific targets to aim forโฆ No customer complaints in 30 days? Personalized responses to all complaints? Compensation for all returned goods? These are all great goals to shoot for that will make your company seem more professional.
3.ย Get personal
Being a small business might mean you donโt have access to endless resources or customer databases. However, it does give you the unique opportunity to offer truly personalized responses to your customers. This doesnโt just mean switching out one customerโs name for another in a template; anything you can say or do to make your customers feel valued counts. Go the extra mile, and your customer will build loyalty to your company that can be extremely valuable.
4. Be flexible in your response
Another advantage of being a small business in these circumstances is that you can be less rigid. Big businesses have strict, clearly established rules and protocols to follow. Small businesses can differentiate, and even excel, by being more flexible. Of course, this wonโt always be possible, and itโs important to maintain a basic structure to keep your company organized. However, by deviating from the script once in a while, you can build a connection with your customers that other companies canโt.
Want to learn more about how we can help you with Social Media Management?
Click here for a quick overview of our programs.
5.ย Get input from your customers
โAs a small business, it can be hard to perfect your product. Why not use your customer to help you improve your offering? After all, they know better than anyone where there is room for improvement. Itโs a win-win situation: youโll make your offer better for your existing customers, potentially help attract more customers, and your customer can give valuable input and feel appreciated.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Jock Breitwieser is a marketing thought leader, founder of SocialSellinator, Arcserve VP and has 20+ yearsโ experience in digital marketing & PR. Heโs led communications at TriNet (IPO), Dell SonicWALL, CallidusCloud, and top agencies like (Edelman, Havas, Hoffman).
Named a Top 100 Social Selling Influencer, Jock contributes to outlets like Grit Daily, Marketer Magazine, DevX, Euro News, Hootsuite, Morning Lazziness, BacklinkBuilding.io, Under30CEO, and many others. Jock drives $1M+ client revenue outcomes, mentors startups, and lectures at SJSU and UC Berkeley Extension.
