If you run a company, whether online or offline, your customers are going to be a very integral part of your business model. No matter how great your products or services may be, it takes loyal, repeat customers to produce consistent revenue. Therefore, it matters a great deal how and how often you show your customers and potential ones, how serious you are about your business and the services that you provide. This is your brand after all, and that means you’re going to do as much as you can do to make sure that your business is viewed positively.

Here are some helpful tips to follow to keep your business practices clear and impactful to your staff and your customers.

Have an Online Helpdesk

People buy products, and usually, you never hear about it again unless the person decides to post a review on using your social media accounts. However, sometimes customers will contact your online business with complaints, and you’ll need to be able to deal with this efficiently and quickly.

There’s no better way to handle this than with human to human contact. When you’re just starting out, that human may likely be you. If your business is large enough, this can be handled via a helpdesk that is both automated and staffed by an employee. If you tell people their complaints have been received, they don’t feel ignored, and then a human representative can follow up. If you have an online helpdesk, you can opt to have potential customers be able to reach your business 24/7, or at a minimum have set hours during which they can reach an actual person. If you have not set this type of system up yet, feel free to take a look at this website for some tips on how to get started, as well as running an IT system that everyone that comes in contact with your business will appreciate. It’s all about the customer experience.

Connect With Your Customers

When you are operating a brick and mortar business, human to human contact is even more critical. If you have an employee behind the counter and that individual is not very personable, that could prove to be problematic. Your customer may leave, feeling unwelcomed or unappreciated, taking a potential sale with them. All employees, whether they are staffing an online helpdesk or interacting with customers face-to-face require some form of training. Interpersonal and customer service skills can make or break your company’s reputation and subsequently the bank.

Employees should compliment customers on their purchases, offer their own opinions on what they’re buying, when appropriate and even just give a simple,”How’s your day going?” statement if there’s nothing else to say. If you can connect your customers and staff with each other, shopping in your business is going to be a lot more enjoyable, and memorable. Remind them to be polite and friendly, and always back off if a customer declares that they don’t need help (although few of them ever say this).

Showing your customers that you and your staff genuinely do care about them will allow you to stand out in the market, beyond your great products and thus attract a lot more customers. Always be cordial, respectful, and willing to go the extra mile. As we know, it’s often the little things that matter most.

The key is to get them coming back, and this is often dependent upon their customer experience. If something good or bad happens in a business, the person affected is very likely to tell all their friends about it. Your goal is to be the center of good conversations. Be the shining example for your customers, as well as for your competitors. Good luck!

*article may contain affiliate links