When you are just
starting your business, it is important that you find and keep your customers.
It might be easy to find your customers especially using the internet and other
social media. However, keeping these customers is equally important. In your
business plan, it is essential that you devise one or two strategies that you
will be using to keep these customers. For example, you could give your regular
customers discounts, free care packages, check on them through phone calls and
emails, the list is endless. The important thing is to do what works for you
and keeps your customers coming back.
If you are thinking of
hiring some employees to run your business while you are away, you need to
train them in providing good customer service before they start work because
they will be interacting with your customers. You need to explain to them the
mission, vision and objectives of the business, so that they understand why you
run your business a certain way. An employee who is clueless about how you run
your business and has very poor customer service could potentially cut your
customer base into half.
I have experienced very
poor customer service before, I must say. So my sister and I were craving
chicken one beautiful afternoon and we decided to go to this supermarket close
to home. When we got there, we headed straight to the food counter and met a
lady whose responsibility was to take customers’ orders and serve them. “Hi”, I
said with a smile. She looked at me and sneered. Oh well, I ignored that
unexpected reaction and looked at the food on the display. We noticed that
everything had a price tag except the chicken. “Madam, how much is your
chicken?” my sister asked. “But don’t you know that we have to weigh that
chicken to get the price?” she barked. (Ok now hold up!) This lady had some
nerve! There was no written notice to advise customers that the chicken needed
to be measured or weighed….or whatever, so I was wondering why she would
automatically assume that we already had this information and were simply
trying to nag her. We proceeded to ask her to pack the whole chicken and
shockingly, she rolled her eyes and attended to another customer who had just come.
After that, she took our order.
The point I am trying
to make here is poor customer service. Most customers are not aware of the
services you are providing, or how things are done in your business. Therefore
answering a customer with a question is simply not helping. Matter of fact, I
think it is simply being rude. Since then, I have never gone back to that food
counter, let alone the supermarket. There is no need opting for a poor service.
Therefore providing
great service customers and devising means of keeping them loyal is a great way
to building a successful business. So, that’s it for now. Do let me know if
this helps, or doesn't, or if you have any questions or suggestions.
Ta……
