Customer Service for Small Business

Most experienced small business operators understand that keeping clients happy and building up business through referrals is crucial. If they didn’t, they probably wouldn’t have been around long enough to become “experienced small business operators”.  Most prospering & profitable small businesses have something in common – their operators understand that customer service is the key to building a strong business.

Good customer service is the key to building a good reputation and a healthy business.

Customer service skills come naturally to some people. If you’re not one of them, don’t panic! It’s not rocket science and it’s very easy to learn.

To start with, all you need to do is think about the different levels of customer service you’ve experienced. As you go about your business this week, every time you deal with a small business make a mental note of the impression you walk away with. What has the business done – or not done – to give you that impression?

While each business is different, here are the basics of customer service that apply to everyone:

• Be available for your clients. This doesn’t have to mean staying open all hours or answering your home phone on Sunday afternoons – it might simply mean keeping regular hours and being available during those hours;

• Respond to enquiries quickly – whether it’s answering the phone, replying to an email, or attending a customer at the store counter, customers don’t like to be left waiting. If you can’t attend to them immediately, let them know – via your phone message, a brief email, or verbally.

• Call back – if someone has left you a message, call back promptly and if you’ve told a client you’ll call them back at a certain time or on a certain day, do it. It’s annoying when you have to chase someone who said they’d call you back. Last week I experienced this irritation first-hand with several service providers… unfortunately for them, by the time my calls were returned, I had already taken my business elsewhere;

• Basic courtesy goes a long way towards creating a good impression. Expand that to refrain from saying anything that suggests the client doesn’t know what they’re talking about, or displaying impatience with them;

• Don’t promise what you can’t provide. If you can’t complete a job by the date requested, say so.

• Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it. It’s frustrating when someone doesn’t turn up at a time they’ve given you or don’t have the job ready on the agreed day. It can also be inconvenient if the person has arranged it around other plans or work. Failing to advise a client if you are going to be late or unable finish a project on time is rude and bad for your business.

• Keep your premises clean and tidy. Right or wrong, the state of your work space can give clients an impression of your work practices – so look organized and on top of things . If you have the space, keeping a “work desk” separate from public view can be a good idea.

• Behave professionally in front of clients – this applies whether you are in a shop or office, or attending a function with clients. Don’t drink too much, swear or make bad jokes. Clients may not say anything to you but they’ll certainly be telling everyone else about your behaviour.

• If you make an error, fix it gladly even if you’re losing money. Mistakes happen and things get forgotten. When a client points out an error or oversight, apologise and fix it promptly. It’s my opinion that how you deal with problems and mistakes can do more to help (or harm) your businenss than anything else.

• Thank them for their business. It might be a simple verbal thank you as you finish dealing with a retail customer, or an email to online customer you’ve never met, or a small Christmas gift for a regular client – but clients like to know their business is appreciated, and a thank you rarely goes unnoticed.

Some customer service experiences stick in our minds – the good and the bad. Can you remember your best and worse example of customer service you received? What earned it that title?