Entrepreneurs, customer service delivery begins with You!

Not every purchase will work out well! 

Agree?

Every business owner must accept this reality so that they can channel their energies properly. Let’s look at the possible reasons why you may not make that sale.

1. Your Customer Avatar –  Do you have one?

A great number of small businesses fail to see the need to create a customer avatar. There is also the understanding that many local business owners may not understand what a customer avatar is so I ask, what customer pain is your product or service addressing? If you can answer this, you’re already building a customer avatar. Next, question – Is your product or service properly aligned to address this customer’s needs? If it is not, what are you doing to ensure it is well-aligned? It could also be that you missed a sale with an existing customer, have you taken time to find out what went wrong? According to Forbes, you not only create an ideal customer avatar but you can also discover one.

2. Response Timeline

Having an online presence for your business is fantastic because COVID-19 has opened our eyes to the treasures of the online market but then it has also presented business owners with another problem – highly impatient customers!  I have been disappointed times without count by businesses with a large social media followership but with terrible response timelines. If you have a social media page for your business, how do you cater to customer inquiries made when you’re not online? You’re leaving lots of money on the table if you don’t have a strategy to address this.

3. Selling Skills

Some people are born with the ability to convince others that stone can be melted to form water and that water can become a human being! Yes, this is me pushing my imagination but you get my drift? Some people are that good while some need to acquire the skill. You can’t make a sale if you cannot convince customers of how your product or service can ease their challenges. The fact that you are an entrepreneur does not mean that you do not need further education. What you would be thinking of is the magnitude. The advancement in the use of social media has opened up avenues for people to offer coaching services at an affordable price. Get a business mentor that will guide you on how to sell better. You will be amazed at how much the knowledge gained will change your business for the better.

4.  Employee Experience

If you are in the habit of barking orders at your employees, you’re not doing your business any good. Do you know that your staff are the first customers to your business? Do you know that your employee experience translates into your customer experience?

“When employees are happy, they are your very best ambassadors” – James Sinegal

Strategies for improving customer service delivery

As a business person, ensuring that your business stands out in excellent customer service delivery should be at the forefront of your business growth strategies. You might be in a market saturated with competitors but not all will serve the customer in the same way. Here’s where you should aim to stand out positively. The following tips are to serve as a guide for you to design your customer service approach:

1. It all begins with a smile: If as a small business owner your countenance does not encourage amiability or approachability, you are sending the wrong message. There is a tendency that your staff will take it as a norm and behave the same way to your customers.
2. The art of saying “Thank You”: It is only humane that you express gratitude to the one who makes your life easier by helping you grow your business. The gratitude shown to your staff at any given opportunity rubs off on them and indicates that you see them as co-creators a sense of respect

Your poor attitude may be killing your business without you realizing it. Customers are watching your every move. How you conduct your business says a lot about who you are. No one pours from an empty cup. When you champion the cause of excellent customer service as a business owner internally through your workers, your customer will keep coming back.